“The best of all medicines are resting and fasting.”

— Benjamin Franklin

“The most hated person among people,
is the one who tells the truth.”

— Plato

Survival, despite the burdens of life

Avoid Vitamin Gimmicks: The WHO specifically advises against spending money on multivitamin, Vitamin E, or Omega-3 supplements for brain health, as there is no evidence they prevent cognitive decline.

Even retro games like Super Mario or simple focus tasks like separating mixed rice and dal help sharpen attention pathways.
Harness the Power of Music: Music taps into deep autobiographical memory pathways that remain accessible even when verbal memory fails.

Quit Smoking: Stopping smoking for 3 or more years lowers your dementia risk down to the same level as a non-smoker.
Keep Learning & Playing: Learning a new instrument, picking up a language, or playing strategy games builds cognitive reserve.

Brisk Walking Increases Brain Volume: A landmark study showed that older adults who did 40 minutes of brisk walking 3 days a week for a year physically increased the size of their hippocampus (the memory region of the brain).

Grounded in World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and NIMHANS clinical advice, here are proven ways to safeguard your memory:

are building AI predictive models using large brain-imaging datasets to catch risks early.
6. Brain Hacks & Habits: How to Protect Your Mind
The most promising news is neuroplasticity—your brain's natural ability to adapt, rewire, and stay resilient!

a single starting dose of Donanemab costs around ₹91,000, placing it far out of reach for most families.
Alternative Research: Cuba has developed a promising nasal spray called NeuroEPO (Neural-CIM), while Indian researchers at the Centre for Brain Research (#IISc Bengaluru)

The Challenges: These drugs cannot reverse memory loss or restore lost brain function. They also carry risks of brain swelling or bleeding (ARIA) and require expensive PET scans or MRI monitoring. Crucially, they are prohibitively expensive—

New Anti-Amyloid Drugs: Two new antibody drugs—Donanemab (launched May 2026) and Lecanemab (launched August 2026)—are now available in India for early-stage Alzheimer's. They work by clearing toxic amyloid plaques from the brain to slow down mental decline.

5. Can New Medical Treatments Fix It?
While traditional medicines only relieve symptoms temporarily, groundbreaking treatments have recently entered India:

A 2025 study in rural Karnataka found that women exposed to polluting cooking fuels showed lower cognitive test scores and reduced brain volume in the memory center compared to those using clean fuels.

diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and excessive alcohol intake.
Late Life: Social isolation, air pollution, and untreated vision loss.

According to the Lancet Commission, 14 preventable lifetime risk factors account for 45.3% of dementia cases globally:
Early Life: Limited access to early education.
Midlife: Unaddressed hearing loss, high LDL cholesterol, depression, head injuries, physical inactivity, smoking,

4. What Causes Memory Loss & Dementia? (It's Not Just Genetics!)
Is dementia purely written in your DNA? Medical science says no! Strictly inherited genetic forms make up less than 2% of all dementia cases.

provided by women.
Lack of Infrastructure: Despite this rising tide, India currently has no national dementia plan, leaving families to handle round-the-clock caregiving without adequate government day-care facilities, subsidized homes, or trained specialists.

Global Impact: Globally, 57 million people were living with dementia in 2021, with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Over 60% of these cases occur in low- and middle-income countries. Dementia created a global societal cost of $1.3 trillion, with 70% of caregiving hours

with higher rates in rural villages than in cities (9.6% for women vs 6.3% for men). This number is projected to hit 16.9 million by 2036.
An Ageing Nation: India had 149 million seniors in 2022, a figure expected to rise to 347 million by 2050 (20.8% of the total population).