{"id":35803,"date":"2025-07-31T12:58:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T12:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/35803\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T12:58:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T12:58:10","slug":"i-defied-my-doctors-and-halted-dementia-in-its-tracks-heres-how-i-beat-the-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/35803\/","title":{"rendered":"I defied my doctors and halted dementia in its tracks – here’s how I beat the odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

No one wants to be sick \u2013 or stuck on medication for life. But what if you could take control of your health and reverse chronic conditions?<\/p>\n

From dementia to crumbling bones, we spoke to four patients who proved it is possible to stop their health declining and defy their doctors\u2019 prognoses, with simple lifestyle and diet changes, helping them to avoid chronic disease and a lifetime of prescriptions.<\/p>\n

When there’s still time to halt dementia in its tracks \"Dawn <\/p>\n

Dawn Warner had a stroke seven years ago and a subsequent scan showed signs of dementia<\/p>\n

Dawn Warner, 75, is a retired carer who lives in Herne Bay, Kent, with her husband Ivan, 81. She says:<\/p>\n

I had a stroke seven years ago and was blue-lighted to hospital, where I was given a brain scan.<\/p>\n

Thankfully there was minimal damage from the stroke, but the scan did show that I had early signs of dementia. It was a combination of Alzheimer\u2019s and vascular dementia, where narrowing of the blood vessels restricts oxygen flow to the brain.<\/p>\n

I was prescribed memantine, a drug that slows brain decline and protects brain cells, but I was told I needed to make some lifestyle changes because if caught early, this mixed dementia could be reversed.<\/p>\n

I was asked to stay as active as possible and to exercise my brain.<\/p>\n

My husband Ivan, 81, made sure I went for a daily walk and I started going to a nearby Age UK centre, where I socialised with lots of others and they offered activities that challenge the brain, such as card games, word games and bingo.<\/p>\n

Now my consultant says because I caught it early and am doing so much to combat it, I could have another 15 years before I suffer a really bad decline.<\/p>\n

Expert comment: \u2018Currently there are no cures for dementia, but when it\u2019s picked up in its early stages, there are modifiable risk factors that could potentially improve brain health and reverse it,\u2019 says Dr Tomas Welsh, a consultant physician in geriatric medicine at Royal United Hospitals Bath.<\/p>\n

\u2018These include addressing factors that are known to harm the brain directly, such as smoking, excess alcohol consumption and high body weight.<\/p>\n

\u2018Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol in mid-life also reduces the risks in later life, as can correcting any problems with hearing and vision promptly.<\/p>\n

\u2018And exercise is vital. We know that people who participate in sport and exercise are less likely to develop dementia [one reason being it helps increase blood flow to the brain].<\/p>\n

\u2018As for \u201cbrain training\u201d, these are activities that encourage the brain to change and adapt \u2013 building new connections between brain cells. Lifelong learning, mental stimulation and social interaction all help build greater reserves into the brain. This means that if some pathways are damaged by a disease such as Alzheimer\u2019s, others are present which the brain can fall back on.<\/p>\n

\u2018Social interaction also helps to strengthen existing pathways. A significant proportion of the risk of developing dementia is potentially reversible.\u2019<\/p>\n

British Geriatric Society: www.bgs.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

On the cusp of high blood pressure<\/p>\n

Joyce Agyare-Twum, 53, works for the British Heart Foundation, lives in Surbiton, south-west London, and has two grown-up children. She says:<\/p>\n

When I was 38, I had a blood pressure check at a routine clinic appointment for contraception. The nurse said it was high \u2013 140\/90 \u2013 and advised me to see my GP.<\/p>\n

But I ignored it and two months later, I had another blood-pressure check before I was given anaesthetic for gum surgery and the doctor said it was too high for the procedure to go ahead. I was shocked and felt silly for ignoring it.<\/p>\n

Days later I went to see the GP, who diagnosed pre-hypertension \u2013 where it\u2019s on the verge of being dangerously high \u2013 and gave me a low dose of the blood-pressure drug ramipril and told me to cut down on salt and exercise more to avoid full-blown hypertension.<\/p>\n

I started walking daily, eating more fruit and within a week on the medication, my blood pressure dropped. It\u2019s now a healthy 96\/68 \u2013 a normal range is between 90\/60 mmHg and 120\/80 mmHg.<\/p>\n

I still take a very low dose of 2.5mg for peace of mind, though one GP has said my readings are now low enough to stop completely.<\/p>\n

Expert comment: \u2018High-normal blood pressure, sometimes called \u2018pre-hypertension\u2019, is when you don\u2019t have an ideal blood pressure but you also don\u2019t have high blood pressure,\u2019 says Julie Ward, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s usually considered to be between 120\/80 mmHg and 140\/90 mmHg. It can be a sign that your blood pressure is rising and you may develop hypertension in the future.<\/p>\n

\u2018Taking steps to lower your blood pressure at this level is recommended so you don\u2019t develop hypertension. High blood pressure is a serious condition. Your arteries are normally stretchy, so they can cope with your blood pressure going up and down. But with high blood pressure, your arteries lose their stretchiness, becoming stiff or narrow.<\/p>\n

\u2018This narrowing makes it easier for fatty material (atheroma) to build up. This narrowing and damage to the arteries lining your heart or brain could trigger a life-threatening heart attack or stroke.<\/p>\n

\u2018If left untreated, high blood pressure can also lead to complications such as kidney failure, heart failure, sight problems and vascular dementia.<\/p>\n

\u2018Up to five million people in the UK are thought to have undiagnosed high blood pressure and many more pre-hypertension.\u2019<\/p>\n

British Heart Foundation: bhf.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Signs you’re at risk of diabetes <\/p>\n

Shanine Fasasi was told she was pre-diabetic and was forced to take drastic action as a result<\/p>\n

Shanine Fasasi, 38, a community worker, lives in Nottingham, is married and a mother of five. She says:<\/p>\n

Two years ago, I was busy finishing university as a mature student and starting a new job as a community worker. I was always on the go, eating junk food and never had time for proper meals.<\/p>\n

I started feeling very unwell \u2013 aching, sick and just tired all the time \u2013 and went to my GP, who did a fasting blood glucose test to measure my blood-sugar levels.<\/p>\n

When I returned for the results a day later, I was told I was pre-diabetic with a HbA1C score (a measure of glucose in the blood) of 44 (anything over 47 is diabetes). In short, I was heading for diabetes unless I took drastic action.<\/p>\n

The doctor gave me a lifestyle plan and diet, telling me to exercise more and avoid junk food.<\/p>\n

I am from the Caribbean and love plantain, rice, carb-heavy foods as well as sweet things \u2013 but I had to give all that up.<\/p>\n

Now I walk whenever I can, do cardio and weights at the gym and cut out sugar.<\/p>\n

I am determined not to fall into the diabetic category as I don\u2019t want to be reliant on insulin or even risk awful things such as limb amputation \u2013 and so far I seem to have avoided it.<\/p>\n

Expert comment: \u2018Around 3.6million people in the UK have pre-diabetes and the numbers are rising,\u2019 says Dr Jan Toledano, founder of the London Hormone Clinic.<\/p>\n

\u2018Among those under 40, they rose by almost a quarter \u2013 from 173,166 to 216,440 \u2013 between 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n

\u2018Pre-diabetes is a low-grade inflammation in the body that drives most chronic diseases.<\/p>\n

\u2018When we eat any sugar or carbohydrates, the pancreas releases insulin to help the body burn it up and keep blood sugar within a narrow, normal range. If the body does not listen to the insulin message properly, this sugar gets deposited as abdominal fat \u2013 causing pre-diabetes, a process that can take 20 years.<\/p>\n

\u2018But it is totally reversible with a low-carb diet 70 per cent of the time. It is the day-to-day carbs that matter, not a Christmas dinner or special night out.<\/p>\n

\u2018The pancreas needs a break from being constantly stimulated when we eat high-carbohydrate foods \u2013 even just lowering intake on weekdays only is often enough to rest the pancreas and metabolise the visceral fat round the middle, reversing pre-diabetes.\u2019<\/p>\n

Red alert for osteoporosis \"Emily <\/p>\n

Emily Griffiths was placed into early menopause, leading to hot flushes, aches and pains<\/p>\n

Emily Griffiths, 27, runs a women\u2019s health business and lives in Carmarthen, Wales. She says:<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had endometriosis, where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the womb, and adenomyosis, a similar condition where the lining of the womb (the endometrium) grows into its muscular wall, since I was young.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve suffered really heavy periods and terrible pain every month. I\u2019ve been prescribed Prostap to stop the heavy bleeding and pain since I was 21.<\/p>\n

But soon after, because of the way it works \u2013 suppressing the ovaries\u2019 production of hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone \u2013 the drug gave me symptoms similar to menopause. Within weeks I had hot flushes, aches, pains and night sweats.<\/p>\n

I was terrified and the thing I was most concerned about was my bones. I\u2019d read that these injections could increase the risk of osteoporosis, where bones become weak and brittle, making them more susceptible to fractures.<\/p>\n

An NHS bone scan six months later showed I had osteopenia, where your bone mineral density is lower than normal and is a precursor to osteoporosis.<\/p>\n

The consultant told me to take a high-dose vitamin D supplement and get as much natural sunlight as possible, as this increases the bone\u2019s ability to absorb calcium. I also had to increase my calcium intake.<\/p>\n

Since then, I\u2019ve taken vitamin D supplements regularly and increased my calcium consumption. I am also getting a private referral to a consultant to ask about other steps I can take to protect my bones. I\u2019ve read that if I do this I might be able to halt or even reverse my osteopenia.<\/p>\n

Expert comment: \u2018It\u2019s hard to say how many people in the UK have osteopenia, as it does not make you feel unwell,\u2019 says Dr Nicky Peel, a specialist in metabolic bone medicine and spokesman for the Royal Osteoporosis Society.<\/p>\n

\u2018But if you detect it early you can take steps to reverse it.<\/p>\n

\u2018With osteoporosis, which affects three million people in the UK, often the first sign is a fracture. You can\u2019t feel or see when you have thinning of the bones and it doesn\u2019t cause symptoms, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s important people are aware of their bone health.<\/p>\n

\u2018If someone is identified as having osteopenia then lifestyle changes can at least slow its progress \u2013 including consuming more calcium-rich foods, getting out in the sunshine (for vitamin D) and taking vitamin D supplements. Avoiding smoking and excess alcohol consumption also helps, as does doing regular weight-bearing exercise.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s unrealistic to think lifestyle factors alone will prevent all bone loss \u2013 it\u2019s part of ageing \u2013 but certainly the rate of bone loss can be modified by following this type of healthy lifestyle.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"No one wants to be sick \u2013 or stuck on medication for life. But what if you could…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[97,59,102,18306,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-35803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-gb","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-nottingham","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}