What is a cognoscopy?

At Cogmission, we specialise in helping people who are concerned about their cognitive health. Many of our patients have a family history of dementia and are worried that they may be experiencing some cognitive decline themselves.

When patients come in, we start by doing a series of tests to assess their cognitive function and physical health. We check things like blood pressure and pulse, but we also do more comprehensive exams like an oral exam, neurological vibration tests, and body composition analysis. And of course, extensive laboratory testing.

Once we have all the data from these tests, we dive deep into the patient's health history and lab results to try and identify any factors that could be contributing to cognitive decline. We look at everything from genetics to metal toxicity, blood glucose dysregulation, mould illness, hormonal imbalance, oxygen transport, immune function, nutritional status, gut health, oral microbiome, adrenal function, thyroid function, inflammation, and membrane permeability and much more. Whew! That's a lot!.

We understand that it can be scary to find out if you're at risk for dementia or if you're developing some health issues that could impact your cognitive function. But we believe that prevention is key, which is why we use the Bredesen Protocol to create personalized treatment plans for each patient.

By catching issues early and addressing them proactively, we can help our patients take control of their cognitive health and hopefully avoid more serious problems down the road. Think of it like an MOT for your body - you wouldn't wait until your car breaks down to address issues, so why wait to address issues with your cognitive health?

Let’s give you an example of a typical cognoscopy:

Mary (not her real name), is a 52-year-old woman who had been experiencing some cognitive changes and was concerned about her family history of dementia.

Mary came to us looking for answers about her memory and brain function. She had noticed some brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and struggling to find the right words. These changes were affecting her work, and she was worried it might be something more than just menopausal brain fog.

As part of our comprehensive approach, we ran a battery of extensive laboratory and cognitive tests, physical exams, as well as a full case history. We found that Mary had a hormonal imbalance, but we didn't stop there. We also discovered that she had high levels of lead in her system, which we suspected were due to living in a house with lead pipes.

Although her standard blood glucose levels appeared normal, we found that her insulin levels were dysregulated, which could precede Type 2 diabetes by more than 10 years. We also discovered that Mary had low levels of vitamin D, which is common in Scotland and can be a major contributor to hormonal, cognitive, and immune health issues.

Furthermore, Mary had high cortisol levels, probably due to working full-time, caring for elderly parents, and dealing with annoying teenagers. Her gut was also found to have an imbalance in gut bacteria, which research has linked to poor cognitive health. To top it off, Mary also had an imbalanced omega-3 status, which is critical for developing brain inflammation. Genetic testing also found one gene that could contribute to cognitive decline, but we assured Mary that genetics aren't her destiny.

We now know that certain genes are only expressed if the body biochemistry is dysfunctional.

So, what did we do? Our team, which comprises of functional medicine practitioners, nutritional therapist and health coach developed a personalised nutritional, supplement, and lifestyle plan that specifically targeted these key areas. We asked Mary to retest some of these markers three months later to ensure that changes were occurring. After three months, her lab results showed significant progress. And after six months, her cognitive test showed major improvement. Mary felt more in control of things and had more confidence in her brain function. She was also less fearful about the future and more confident about not developing the same condition as her mother.

Within our clinic we see both patients who want to work preventatively but also with those who already have a diagnosis. It is exciting to work with people who are interested in taking control of their health in a preventative and proactive way.

To find out more, please visit www.cogmission.co.uk.

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