Intake and Consent to Test Form

Our Treatment Philosophy

Many clients find us because they (or a loved one) have been diagnosed with cognitive decline or are starting to notice some memory changes. Unlike a cancer diagnosis which usually has immediate action, people often hear from their doctor: “There nothing that can be done.” Individuals and families are left scrambling, searching for anything that can help guide them on the path to better brain health.

Fortunately, at The Maryland Center for Brain Health we have changed the standard of practice for addressing cognitive impairment! Just as with cancer, we work to be honest with our clients, we stage the cognitive deficit, and we identify and recommend various therapeutic options, even if the intervention does not guarantee complete success. Depending on the type of cognitive impairment (we are skilled at helping to identify the type and causes of cognitive impairments), we offer recommendations for medication adjustments, dietary guidance, nutritional supplementation, stress management, brain training recommendations, physical rehab considerations, herbal remedies, integrative treatment options, or a mix of all of these interventions combined.

In addition, we offer coaching services to participants and family members. Just like physicians who treat cancer, we are straight-forward, and we try to project outcomes. We are clear to our clients, “You may not live free of cognitive impairment, but we will work to create as many good years as possible. We’ll work hard to keep you out of assisted living or the local nursing homes. We’ll do our best to help you remember your kid’s names and help you remember how to dress and feed yourself.”

Do we succeed in every case? Of course, we don’t. But just like those who treat cancer, we don’t go down without a fight. That is our noble goal, and our clients respect and appreciate the help. As of January 2021, we have worked with and coached over 300 clients. The results have been impressive enough to continue the fight. 

We don’t think that cognitive impairments should be any different than the approach to cancer. Every client is different. Some are diabetics, some have had strokes. Some of our clients are 80 years old, others are only 45. Some come to us because a parent had dementia and they want to prevent it. Others come to us because they feel like something is off, and their primary care doctor suggested they were just depressed and offered them another prescription. Every person is different, and it is likely that there is so much that can be done to help you! You are not expected to live the next 10 years of your life with no hope or treatment options.

Testing the Limits of Conventional or Pharmaceutical Medicine- Health care providers are well-intentioned and want to make a difference. However, when it comes to cognitive decline, many health care providers are limited in their ability to make a difference by the pharmaceutical drugs they prescribe. There are very few drugs that are FDA approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s dementia, and none that are impressive or very helpful. In fact, the Journal of American Medicine recently published a study suggesting that when two of the most common FDA approved drugs for Alzheimer’s disease are used together, patients actually get worse.

Health care providers who rely heavily on pharmaceuticals are left with NO RESPONSE for their patients with neurodegenerative diseases. However, health care providers who have followed the most current research and who have embraced the functional medicine model dig deep to identify the root causes of disease so that real solutions can be recommended. This model has turned the dementia research upside down! Increasing numbers of health care providers are embracing the fact that more can be done to identify and correct the root causes of dementia. This is what we do, and we are good at it. 

Our Approach

We work with clients and family member who are fed up with the ‘take this pill’ model of medicine. We help oversee and administer a logical, process-driven protocol to identify and treat an individual’s vulnerabilities that put them at risk for or may lead to neurodegenerative diseases. These vulnerabilities include inflammation, sub-optimal hormone levels, the loss of essential brain nutrients, and toxic loads or exposures . The Enhance Protocol® is complex and it take a lot of time and coaching to establish an individual approach which is customized to each participant. 

Our Guarantee

The Enhance Protocol® offers a personalized approach for cognitive enhancement and may offer hope of slowing or halting cognitive decline. There are many things that we can guarantee:

1. We guarantee to gather medical history about your current illness, symptoms, and presentation.
2. We guarantee that we will help you to establish a personalized plan that identifies and works to address your vulnerabilities.
3. We guarantee that we will spend the time necessary to accomplish the goals above. 
4. We guarantee that we will do everything in our power to help you improve your cognitive functioning.
5. We guarantee that we will work tirelessly to find answers for you.

BUT THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF IMPROVEMENT OR SUCCESS, AND WE MAKE NO SUCH WARRANTEE.

Successful outcomes are relative to the participant’s or family member’s perspective and many other factors, including but not limited to: 

1. The level of cognitive impairment at the time The Enhance Protocol® is started.
2. The participant’s level of cooperation (if the individual chooses not to follow dietary or other recommendations, chances of improvement are limited).
3. The participant’s current medical health status. The more physically sick and impaired the individual, the less successful the projected outcomes. If a participant has suffered a debilitating stroke and does not speak or walk, successful outcomes with The Enhance Protocol® are severely limited.
4. The participant’s dining preferences (picky eaters have less success than residents with broad food likes and tastes).
5. The length of time a participant follows the protocol. Most participants and family members often begin to notice elements of improvement within 90 days. If no improvement is noted in 90 days, the chance of obtaining improvement goes down markedly. 

Coordination with Primary Care Providers

The professionals of The Maryland Center for Brain Health, LLC WILL NOT SERVE as a participant’s primary care provider, but we are happy to coordinate with and talk through concerns with respectful practitioners who are interested in reviewing the research. We welcome conversations with Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, or Physician Assistants who are open-minded and willing to learn about the power of diet, exercise, reducing stress, improving sleep, supplements, and integrative medicine applications. Memory coaches assigned to work with participants of The Enhance Protocol® can make arrangements to have our medical practitioners speak with your primary care providers when appropriate.

It is common for our medical experts to offer considerations to fine-tune or alter medication treatment plans. However, it is the responsibility of the participant to take these recommendations back to their primary care provider for approval and application. We often provide detailed, personalized recommendations as part of The Enhance Protocol®. This is what makes us unique. However, your primary care provider (PCP) MUST APPROVE all treatment recommendations before they can be implemented. Some recommendations may require additional consent prior to start (medication reductions, bio-identical hormone replacement, supplements, detox protocols, etc.).

Fees

The Enhance Protocol® is charged in quarterly increments (every 3 months). New participants sign up and pay for the initial 3 months of coaching and services with the option to continue services after re-testing at the 90 day period.

CONSENT TO TEST

I understand that the risks and consequences of a cognitive assessment are emotional

discomfort, fatigue, frustration and/or anxiety. I hereby certify that I have been given the

opportunity to ask questions about the cognitive assessments and the risks, benefits and

alternatives associated with the cognitive assessments. I believe that I have sufficient

information and hereby give this informed consent to the cognitive assessments and authorize

the cognitive assessments to be performed.