With rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia rising steeply, especially among women, the conventional pharmaceutical model has largely failed in treating the brain. Functional Medicine takes a different systems-based, personalized approach—focusing on inflammation, metabolic health, and environmental exposures—which offers real hope for prevention and even reversal of cognitive decline.

In this episode, I discuss, along with Dr. Heather Sandison, Dr. David Perlmutter, and Maria Shriver, why it is possible to reverse cognitive decline and the cutting-edge science of brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention.

Dr. Heather Sandison is the The New York Times bestselling author of Reversing Alzheimer’s The New Toolkit to Improve Cognition and Protect Brain Health. As a renowned naturopathic doctor specializing in neurocognitive medicine, she’s the founder of Solcere Health Clinic, San Diego’s premier brain optimization clinic, and Marama, a residential program turning memory care into memory recovery. Dr. Sandison has dedicated her career to supporting those suffering with dementia and published her most recent clinical findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. She’s excited to shatter common misconceptions about Alzheimer’s and share what she’s learned about keeping your brain sharp at any age.

Dr. David Perlmutter is a Board-Certified Neurologist and five-time New York Times bestselling author. He serves on the Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He is the author of Grain Brain and Drop Acid, among others. Dr. Perlmutter received his M.D. degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine where he was awarded the Leonard G. Rowntree Research Award. He serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals including Archives of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and The Journal of Applied Nutrition.

Shriver is a bestselling author, award-winning journalist, former First Lady of California, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, and Strategic Advisor on Women’s Health and Alzheimer’s at Cleveland Clinic. Shriver works to use her voice and platforms to advance some of our nation’s most pressing issues affecting women and women’s health. In November 2023, Shriver joined the President and the First Lady to announce the first-ever White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, an effort led by Dr. Biden and the White House Gender Policy Council, to galvanize the Federal government and the private and philanthropic sectors to spur innovation, unleash transformative investment to close research gaps, and improve women’s health. Shriver’s advocacy led to the establishment of this historic initiative, and she continues to advise and collaborate with Dr. Biden. She is also the co-founder of the brain health and wellness brand