Bredesen Healthy Brain Questionnaire

Specific Cognitive/Brain Health Risk History Questions

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Critical as laboratory tests are for identifying genetic and biochemical factors that may be contributing to cognitive decline, life history can also provide crucial clues to what is causing it. It is therefore important to know.

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Do you currently or have ever:

Suffered head trauma? (Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Had an automobile accident? Played contact sports such as football or soccer?)*
Had general anesthesia? (and how many times). General anesthesia combines some toxicity of the anesthetics with what is often imperfect oxygenation, and this can affect brain function.*
Have dental amalgams? These expose you to organic mercury.*
Eat high-mercury fish? This exposes you to organic mercury.*
Take certain medications? (especially any with brain effects, such as benzodiazepines like Valium, antidepressants, blood pressure pills, statins, proton pump inhibitors, or antihistamines).*
Used street drugs?*
Drink alcohol? (and how much—more than 3 oz wine/day for women or 6 oz for men raises disease risk).*
Smoke cigarettes?*
Practice good oral hygiene, i.e floss daily and see your dentist at least twice a year? Poor oral hygiene can contribute to inflammation.*
Have surgical implants? (artificial hips or breast implants, for instance).*
Have liver, kidney, lung, or heart disease?*
Have high blood sugar or diabetes?*
Have high blood pressure that you do not keep under 140/90?*
Snore? This may suggest the possibility of sleep apnea.*
Consume oils that are not cold-pressed (like palm oil)? Non-cold pressed oils lose some of their vitamin E during the heat processing and therefore may be damaging to your brain.*
Eat foods high in trans fats (fried foods, potato chips, French fries, doughnuts), sugar or simple carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, sweets? These have multiple side-effects, such as vascular damage and insulin resistance.*
Have chronic sinus problems? These may alert you to exposure to molds and their related mycotoxins.*
Have gastrointestinal problems such as gas, bloating or recurrent diarrhea? This may tip you off that you have a leaky gut.*
Have mold in your house, car, or workplace? Most people do not realize that such exposure is a risk factor for cognitive decline.*
Eat processed foods or non-organic foods? These often contribute to insulin resistance and toxin exposure.*
Had tick bites? Ticks carry over 70 different pathogens, such as the Lyme disease Borrelia, and the chronic inflammation associated with these may contribute to cognitive decline.*
Take proton pump inhibitors for reflux? These reduce the stomach acid needed for digestion, and therefore reduce the uptake of zinc and vitamin B12, among other nutrients.*
Use makeup, hair spray, or antiperspirant? These relate to toxic exposure.*
If yes to the above (check all that apply),
Don’t sweat much? (an important route for toxin elimination).*
Been constipated / i.e. more than occasionally had less than one full bowel emptying per day? (bowel movements also eliminate toxins)*
Don’t drink enough purified water? (urine also removes toxins)*
Exposed to environmental pesticides from lawn applications, nearby agriculture/crop dusting or other sources?*
Take herbs directly from China or India that have not been tested for heavy metals in the USA? (i.e. they are not distributed by US companies that state on their website or labels that they are independently tested in USA.)*
Women: did you have your ovaries removed before the age of 45?
Burned candles with lead/metal core wicks?*
Use aluminum lined cookware?*
Do you sleep less than 7 hours per night?*
Do you have chronic sleep problems?*

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Nancy K. Lonsdorf, MD
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