Acupuncture and Dementia

Acupuncture has been increasingly explored as a complementary therapy for the management of dementia. At Jackupuncture, we do not diagnose dementia or any form of Alzheimer’s, but we do use several tools, including WAVi EEG, to track patients’ brain health and performance. Our PeakMIND services can help maintain higher levels of cognition, slowing the progression of cognitive decline. The PeakMIND patients we’ve helped with previous diagnoses of dementia and Alzheimer’s have shown significant improvements in EEG and neurocognitive tests. In fact, the neurological changes in one PeakMIND patient with dementia were shown to be comparable as the 2-year results of a pharmacological intervention used for younger patients with mild cognitive impairment.  

Dementia is a broad term that encompasses a range of cognitive impairments, such as difficulties with memory, thinking, and decision-making, that can hinder everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent form of dementia, but it’s important to note that dementia is not a singular disease, but rather a general description of cognitive decline.

Along with the normal physical changes we experience as we age, there will be some memory changes, as well. These changes may manifest as occasionally misplacing car keys, struggling to find a word but recalling it later, forgetting the name of an acquaintance, or forgetting recent events.

However, knowledge and experiences accumulated over years, old memories, and language skills typically remain intact during normal aging. It’s common for older adults to retain their cognitive abilities and maintain their mental faculties despite these minor memory changes.

Dementia Symptoms

Due to the broad nature of dementia, its symptoms can vary greatly from one person to another. Individuals with dementia often experience challenges with memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgment, problem-solving, and visual perception, which may go beyond typical age-related changes in vision.

Signs that may indicate the presence of dementia can include getting lost in a familiar neighborhood, using unusual words to refer to familiar objects, forgetting the name of a close family member or friend, struggling with old memories, and facing difficulties in completing tasks independently.

Acupuncture for dementia patients can be a powerful complementary therapy to enhance cognitive function and slow down the above symptoms of cognitive decline.