There are some causes of reversible dementia that most doctors never even consider, unless they’ve been trained in environmental medicine.

A patient of mine, Ellie, told me that she had put her 70-year-old mother in a nursing home because of her confusion and loss of memory. The dementia had been developing gradually, but had escalated recently to the point that she could no longer care for herself adequately. Ellie’s mother had also developed several other symptoms, including anxiety and unpredictable outbursts of anger—totally out of character for her normally sweet nature.

The neurologist they consulted had ruled out the most common causes of reversible dementia like low thyroid, low B-12, and use of certain medications known to affect brain function. Based on neuropsychological testing and an MRI scan of the brain, he gave her a formal diagnosis of dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.

When Ellie began cleaning out her mother’s home to put it on the market, she noted that it was full of mold from water damage. The roof leaked when it rained, and the pipes under the kitchen sink and in the bathroom had chronic leaks that had not been repaired.

Ellie consulted me regarding her mother and asked if I thought the mold had anything to do with her mother’s dementia.

Among environmental doctors like me, it’s known that mold produces toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. Most toxic chemicals have a high affinity for the brain and nervous system with the potential to significantly impact brain function.

I told Ellie that the mold could have been the cause of her mom’s dementia— and also the cause of her anxiety and mood problems.

Ellie confessed to me she had called the pest control company numerous times to spray her mom’s house for bugs during the summers. She said the pest control people reassured her that the insecticides they used were harmless.

Ellie was shocked to hear that both the mold and the pyrethroid pesticides probably played a role in her mom’s dementia. I explained that the mycotoxins can be neurotoxic, which means they can be toxic to the brain and nervous system. And most pesticides are also known to be neurotoxic with a high affinity for the brain.

Even in mainstream medicine, the association between pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases of the brain, like Parkinson’s disease and ALS, is well recognized.

One of the most common symptoms of neurotoxic chemicals is what’s commonly called “brain fog,” a feeling of confusion and inability to think clearly. Other common symptoms include impaired short-term memory recall, difficulty staying focused, and difficulty making decisions. These chemicals can also affect mood and cause anxiety and depression and extreme fatigue.

Ellie asked me if the dementia was reversible. I said I didn’t know, but I would do my best to help her get her mom’s cognitive function back online. In general, the longer the exposure, the harder it is to reverse the dementia.

Ellie took her mom out of the nursing home and brought her to a little apartment that she had rented for her. She hired help to care for her mom during the day when she wasn’t available.

Over the ensuing months I worked with Ellie’s mom to help her lower her body burden of chemicals and repair some of the damage.

Over time, there was some measureable improvement in her cognitive function, to the point where she could care for herself with only minimal help. But sadly she never returned to her baseline. She had too many years of exposure to the mold and the pesticides to have a full recovery.

During my treatment of Ellie’s mom, I did genetic testing and discovered that she had several common mutations of her genes that control the ability to detoxify chemicals. These mutated genes increased her susceptibility to the harmful effects of toxic chemicals.

Some common sources of neurotoxic chemicals—besides mycotoxins and pesticides—are the following:

• Gas fumes from a leak in the system

• Brand new building materials, including particle board and press board that out-gas formaldehyde, glues, solvents, and paints. One of my patients developed reversible dementia from the glues he used when making model airplanes in his poorly-ventilated basement.

• New wall-to-wall synthetic carpeting that can out-gas up to 300 chemicals into the air.

• Fabric softeners, certain detergents, air fresheners, scented candles.

• Chronic, long-term exposure to heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum, and lead.

Mercury is found in “silver” fillings, in contaminated fish like tuna and swordfish, in air downwind from coal-fired power plants, and in the preservatives used in vaccines.

Aluminum is found in certain antiperspirants, in some cookware, aluminum soda cans, and in most vaccines where it is used as a preservative.

In summary, if you or a loved one is having problems with brain function, remember to consider the role of toxic chemicals and mold exposure. Take the necessary measures to avoid exposure to toxic chemicals and molds before long-term damage becomes more difficult to reverse.

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Here’s to your good health!