Why Dementia is rising so fast… and why it’s showing up younger than ever

Over the last few years I’ve had the same conversation with so many people.

“Why is everyone losing their memory?”
“Why are people in their forties and fifties getting dementia?”
“What on earth has happened to our brains?”

These aren’t silly questions. They’re the right questions.
The answer isn’t simple or convenient, but it is understandable once you follow the timeline.

This didn’t happen overnight.
The groundwork was quietly laid more than thirty years ago.

So let’s go back to where it really started.

The late 80s and early 90s: The storm begins

This was the decade when everything changed.
Not in a dramatic Hollywood way, but in a slow, steady, drip that reshaped our health without anyone noticing.

Cholesterol became the villain

This was the era when the medical world decided that cholesterol was the enemy. Doctors were encouraged to test everyone. Statins were introduced and quickly became the default prescription for “prevention”.

The problem is that cholesterol isn’t the villain at all. It’s the building block of hormones, memory, nerves, the brain and the immune system. Without enough cholesterol, your brain cannot repair itself properly.

Even though the research today says statins don’t single-handedly cause dementia, we do know they can affect some people’s memory, mood and clarity.
For many, especially those already stressed and depleted, lowering cholesterol too far removes a key part of the brain’s self-repair kit.

Statins weren’t the only cause, in theory!
They were one more stress stacked onto an already fragile system.

Fat was suddenly “dangerous”

We were told to avoid fat and especially animal fat.
Butter swapped for margarine, lard thrown out, red meat demonised. Low-fat everything filled the supermarket.

The trouble is that the brain is made of fat.
Take the fat away and you take the stability away.

At the same time, vegetable oils exploded onto the shelves. Oils that become unstable when heated, oxidise in the blood and create chronic inflammation. Imagine pouring varnish into a delicate electrical circuit. That is what happened inside people’s arteries and brains.

This one shift alone was like pulling the nutritional rug out from under an entire generation.

Processed foods took over

Breakfast bars, low-fat yoghurts, “healthy” cereals, convenience meals and snacks seemed like a modern miracle. They were anything but. High in sugar, additives, preservatives and seed oils, they put the brain and the gut into a constant state of stress.

Stress, busyness and sleep loss became the new normal

By the early 2000s most people had no real recovery time.
Work, kids, money worries, constant stimulation and screens replaced rest.

High cortisol levels shrink the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain involved in memory and learning.

When stress is chronic, the nervous system never gets to exhale and the brain never gets to clean itself properly. This is why the glymphatic system (the brain’s detox system) is such a big deal.

Metabolic health collapsed

Since the early 90s:
• obesity has more than doubled
• diabetes has tripled
• fatty liver is now the norm
• insulin resistance affects most adults whether they know it or not

Alzheimer’s is often nicknamed “Type 3 Diabetes” for a reason.
A metabolically stressed brain cannot function properly, no matter how many crossword puzzles you do.

Combine all of this with low fat diets, poor sleep, seed oils and chronic stress and you have a brain that is ageing faster than ever before.

So, why are people getting dementia younger?

Because the damage is starting earlier.

When the nervous system is stressed
The liver is overloaded
The gut is inflamed
The blood sugars swing
Plus, the diet lacks the nutrients to repair the brain
You end up with cognitive decline ten, twenty or even thirty years before it should appear.

People always say “But dementia is just because we’re living longer.”

Not any more.
People in their forties, fifties and early sixties are now being diagnosed.
There is something much bigger happening.

The last few years added a final layer

We cannot talk honestly about brain health without acknowledging what happened recently.

Since 2021, more people have reported:
• brain fog
• memory issues
• neurological changes
• night sweats
• inflammation
• chronic fatigue
• emotional volatility

For many, this appeared after the COVID years.
Whether from the virus itself, the vaccine, the stress, the isolation or the sheer burnout of that period, the neurological load increased dramatically.

If your brain was already juggling low fat diets, seed oils, statins, chronic stress and poor metabolic health, this extra layer pushed it closer to the edge.

Again, not the cause on its own, but part of the picture.

What this really means for you and your family

The dementia explosion is not random.
It’s not bad luck.
And it’s not just ageing.

It’s the result of decades of:
• poor dietary advice
• food replacements that harmed instead of helped
• chronic stress on the nervous system
• rising metabolic dysfunction
• environmental toxins
• sleep loss
• immune overwhelm
• and a medical model that treats symptoms instead of foundations

It sounds bleak, but actually it’s hopeful.
Because when you understand the true causes, you can change your path.

The brain can heal.
The body can repair.
Metabolic health can be restored.
Inflammation can come down.
Clarity, memory and emotional balance can return.

I see it every day in my community.

When you support the liver
When you reduce inflammation
When you return to nutrient-dense foods
When the nervous system finds safety
When the body isn’t fighting fires all day

The mind becomes clearer
Your energy comes back
Your whole system starts to feel like itself again.

A better future starts with better foundations

We cannot control what happened in the 90s or the last five years.
But we can choose what we do now.

Eat real food
Support the gut
Balance the minerals
Lower inflammation
Move the body
Rest the nervous system
Stop fearing fat
Honour sleep
Remove chemicals where possible
Strengthen resilience

Most importantly, trust that your body still knows how to heal, when we stop getting in its way.

Your health is your power, it is never too late to turn the tide.

❤️If you’re not sure where to start… begin with ease

One of the simplest ways to support your nervous system, calm inflammation and steady your metabolism is the Drop Weight Drops. They help bring the body back into balance, ease cravings, reduce stress signals and create the stability your brain and gut need to heal. Many people tell me they notice clearer thinking, a calmer mind and better energy within days.

If you feel your system has been overloaded for years, this is a gentle and powerful place to begin.

The Cortisol Switch:

When your cortisol is calm then your body can heal

Why Stress Chemistry Makes Midlife Weight So Hard to Shift

Every so often a shiny new headline appears telling women they have finally found the missing link to their weight struggles. This week the big revelation is that “switching off cortisol can melt menopausal belly fat”. It is being marketed like a brand new discovery, something cutting edge that no one has ever considered before. Except many of us in natural health have been teaching this exact concept since before half these blogs existed. The body is not a machine that randomly refuses to let go of fat. It is a living electrical system that responds to danger, nourishment and stress, whether that stress comes from life, food, hormones or even hidden inflammation.

Cortisol is not the villain it is portrayed to be.

It is actually one of the most important chemicals we have. Without it we would not get out of bed in the morning, run from danger, survive an accident or recover after a shock. The issue is not cortisol itself. The issue is living in a pattern where it never turns off. Human beings were never meant to marinate in cortisol all day then wonder why their body is holding on around the middle. When cortisol is high for too long the body stores fat as a survival strategy. You could be eating well, fasting, walking miles or trying every trick under the sun. If the stress chemistry stays switched on nothing meaningful will shift.

Midlife makes this pattern louder.

As we move into our forties and fifties, hormones begin to change. Oestrogen drops which alters the entire stress response. Sleep becomes lighter, especially between 1am and 3am. Blood sugar becomes more sensitive to swings. The mineral tank gets lower. The nervous system gets more reactive because we are juggling a thousand things. Then cortisol rises faster and stays high longer. Suddenly the belly becomes the storage bank for stress, not calories. This is why so many women tell me they are eating less than ever yet gaining weight. It is not a lack of willpower. It is biology trying to protect them.

Adrenal position

There are very clear signs that the cortisol switch is stuck in the on position.

Waking at 1am or 2am is a classic one. Feeling tired but wired is another. The belly thickens or feels inflamed. Cravings come out of nowhere. Mood becomes edgy. Concentration drops. You might feel overwhelmed by things that never used to bother you. Digestion becomes unpredictable. Some women feel puffy in their hands, legs or face. Others describe it as living in a body that does not feel like their own. These symptoms are not random. They are the body’s way of saying the stress chemistry is ruling the show.

The interesting part is that food plays a bigger role than most people realise.

Blood sugar swings are one of the fastest ways to raise cortisol. Every time your glucose spikes and then crashes, your body thinks something is wrong. This is why low-inflammatory foods and carnivore-style eating are so powerful. They stabilise the blood sugar rollercoaster. When blood sugar steadies, insulin steadies. When insulin steadies, cortisol can finally calm down. You cannot out-supplement a chaotic food plan. You cannot meditate your way out of constant sugar burning. The body needs chemistry that supports calm, not chaos.

Fasting can also help reset cortisol, but only when done in a way that suits your chemistry.

Gentle fasting windows or mono fasting give the digestive and hormonal systems a brea,k which naturally lowers cortisol. It is never about starving or pushing the body into distress. It is about allowing the body to exhale. Many women notice the biggest shift in their belly when they combine low-inflammatory eating with the right fasting rhythm for their stage of life.

Minerals are another huge piece of the puzzle.

Magnesium, salt sole, potassium and sodium are not optional extras. They are the foundation of a stable nervous system. When minerals drop too low the adrenal glands work harder, cortisol rises more easily and the entire system becomes reactive. This is why I am constantly talking about salt sole, magnesium in the belly button, magnesium on the abdomen and restoring the electrical side of the body. Minerals are the switches that help cortisol turn off at the right time.

There is also the emotional and energetic side.

Many women in midlife are holding decades of stress, grief, overgiving and responsibility. When you have lived in survival mode for a long time the cortisol pattern becomes automatic. This is where frequencies, grounding and nervous system work become so important. Calm the frequency and the chemistry follows. You can see it physically. Shoulders drop, breathing deepens, digestion improves and weight begins to release. The body only lets go when it feels safe.

What surprises people is how many common “healthy” habits actually make cortisol worse.

Many diets, including the keto protocol, calorie counting and restricting food too hard can raise cortisol. Endless cardio or high-intensity exercise can raise cortisol. Snacking on “healthy” high-carb foods can raise cortisol. Even certain supplements can overstimulate the adrenals. The modern world encourages women to push harder, do more, sleep less and pretend everything is fine. Then we wonder why the cortisol loop never turns off.

Midlife weight is not caused by laziness or weakness.

It is caused by a system that is overwhelmed, inflamed, undernourished or electrically unstable. When you begin to repair the terrain the entire picture changes. Blood sugar calms. Hormones settle. The nervous system steadies. The belly softens and the weight begins to release. It is not magic. It is physiology working the way it was always meant to. Yet because it is not wrapped in a prescription or a trending headline it is often overlooked.

This is why my approach works so consistently.

We calm the chemistry first. Low-inflammatory foods remove the triggers. Carnivore style eating repairs the gut and balances hormones. Salt sole replenishes the minerals the adrenals desperately need. Magnesium steadies the electrical current in the body. The Drop Weight Drops calm the stress response and help switch off the wired mode. Fasting helps the system repair. Frequencies support the body in clearing the emotional load. Grounding connects you back to the earth’s electrical field which naturally regulates cortisol. When all of these work together the body feels safe enough to let go.

Quite frankly, this is how women should be supported through midlife.

Not with fear, not with injections, not with calorie charts and certainly not with the idea that they are falling apart. Midlife is not the beginning of the end. It is the beginning of your next chapter. The chemistry just needs different support now that stress has taken a greater toll. Once cortisol is no longer driving the bus, the body becomes responsive again. Weight that has been stuck for years can finally shift, often faster than expected.

So if your body has been holding on, if your belly feels like it has a mind of its own or if you are doing all the right things yet nothing is changing, it may be time to look at your cortisol pattern. You are not imagining it and you are certainly not alone. There is a very real biochemical loop that makes fat storage easier and fat release harder. The beautiful thing is that this loop can be turned off naturally. No hype, no aggressive protocols, no relying on willpower. Just simple supportive steps that restore your body’s sense of safety.

Drop weight drops - can aid in stopping the cortisol cascade

If this resonates and you want help calming your cortisol pattern, you might want to give the Drop Weight Drops a try, or even get on board with our next challenge - starting mid January
Please feel free to message me privately. This is what I help women with every single day.

Weight release becomes so much easier when cortisol finally lets go.

Your body knows what to do once it feels steady again. Sometimes it just needs someone to show you the path back to balance.

THE MESENTERY:

The Gut’s Hidden Anchor… and the Weight-Loss link nobody is talking about, until now!

The Mesentery

There are parts of the body everyone knows about.
Your heart.
Your liver.
Your stomach.
Even your gallbladder gets more attention than it deserves.

Then there’s the mesentery.
A structure so important it was recently reclassified as an organ, yet most people have never heard its name.

But here’s the real shocker.

If the mesentery is inflamed, stagnant, tight or overloaded

…it can make weight around your belly refuse to budge, no matter how perfectly you eat.

Let me tell you a little story that happens more often than you’d think.

A Little Story (based on about 300 real-life conversations)

A woman comes to me saying something like:

“I’m a strict carnivore.
I fast.
I sleep well.
I’ve cut out everything except air.
STILL my stomach looks six months pregnant.”

She’s convinced something is wrong.
She’s tried every detox under the sun.
She hunts out every practitioner who gives her hope and a diagnosis that feels right. She follows a protocol with loads of supplements and lots of tests. Still nothing is working!

She has even taken screenshots of her bowel movements.
She’s been gaslit by every specialist who shrugs and says, “Try eating less, exercise more.”

But she isn’t “failing”.
Her mesentery is overloaded.

Once she supports this one overlooked structure
The bloating calms
The weight softens
The stress drops
Then her gut finally releases like it’s been waiting for permission.

Let’s break it down so you can understand why.

What the Mesentery Actually Is

The mesentery is the fan-shaped sheet of fascia that:

• holds your intestines in place
• feeds them with blood
• drains them with lymph
• connects them to your nervous system
• keeps everything anchored and stable
• hosts immune cells
• absorbs fats
• regulates inflammation
• communicates with your brain

It is, quite literally, the bridge between your gut, immune system, lymphatic system and metabolism.

If the gut is the fire
The mesentery is the hearth.

If the gut is the garden
The mesentery is the soil.

How the Mesentery and Lymph System Work Together

Running through the mesentery are tiny lymph vessels called lacteals.
These little warriors:

• absorb fats
• transport waste
• carry immune messages
• help regulate inflammation

So even though the mesentery isn’t officially part of the lymphatic system
It houses some of its most important functions.

Which means if the mesentery becomes congested, the lymph becomes sluggish.
And if lymph becomes sluggish… weight gets stuck.

The intestines feed into the mesentery.
The mesentery contains lymph, blood, and nervous system wiring.
The lymph then carries fats, waste, and immune messages out of the gut.
If any of these slow down, weight stalls.

How the Mesentery Gets Out of Balance

Now here’s where it gets really interesting.

The mesentery becomes irritated, inflamed or overloaded when:

Stress is running the show

Chronic stress tightens fascia.
A tight mesentery = slowed lymph = slowed metabolism.

This is why women who look calm on the outside are often fighting “wired but tired” chemistry underneath.

Chemical exposure

Glyphosate
Seed oils
Food additives
Preservatives
Heavy metals
Flavour enhancers
Environmental toxins

These irritate the delicate fascia and lymph vessels inside the mesentery.

Your body then holds fat around the belly to protect the inflamed tissue.

Eating the wrong foods (even in tiny amounts)

If you’re sensitive to certain foods and the gut is trying to heal, the mesentery reacts first.
It tightens and becomes swollen… all without showing up on a scan.

This is why people on carnivore who “add in a little something” often bloat instantly.

Too much sitting, not enough moving

Movement pumps lymph.
No movement = no pumping.
No pumping = congestion.

The mesentery loves gentle movement, not HIIT.

Gut infections, parasites or old trauma

Your intestines and mesentery are so connected that if one is upset
The other protects it by tightening or inflaming.

Plus,yes,emotional trauma lives in fascia.
The mesentery feels it.

Dehydration or low minerals

Fascia needs hydration + electrolytes to slide.
A crunchy, sticky mesentery is not your friend.

High inflammation from years of poor eating

Even after you switch to low-inflammatory foods
The mesentery takes time to calm down.

This is why the belly sometimes gets bigger before it gets smaller,
The inflammation rises as the body heals.

Symptoms of a Mesentery Under Stress

You might recognise a few:

• bloating, especially lower belly
• looking “pregnant” after any meal
• burping on an empty stomach
• weight stuck around the middle
• waking 2 - 4 am
• bowel movements all over the place
• swollen lymph nodes
• water retention
• feeling wired not tired
• not hungry even after fasting days
• “nothing works for me” feeling

These are classic mesentery-lymph overload signs.

Why This Affects Weight Release

Because the body always protects what is inflamed.

If the mesentery is irritated the body stores fat around it like a safety cushion.
It won’t release that fat until the area feels safe.

So if you’re carnivore, you do regular fasting
Doing all the “right” things but your mesentery is overloaded, your body will hold on rather than let go.

This is protection, not failure.

How to Support the Mesentery (gently and effectively)

These are the practices your body loves:

Salt sole

Hydrates fascia
Feeds lymph
Calms inflammation
Supports electrical signalling.- Yes we are electrical beings

Magnesium gel

Softens tight fascia
supports lymph flow
calms the nervous system.

Gelatin + glycine

Repairs connective tissue
soothes the gut lining
reduces inflammation.

Mono fasting

Gives the mesentery a break
reduces digestive workload
allows lymph to catch up.

Nasal breathing

Lowers stress chemistry
calms fascia
improves gut–brain signalling.

Belly massage

Moves lymph
softens fascia
releases stored emotions.

Movement (walks, gentle stretching)

Pumps the lymph
reduces stagnation.

Low-inflammatory or carnivore eating

Removes the chemical burden so the mesentery can repair.

Stress reduction practices

Breathwork
Mudras
Cold exposure
Grounding
All of these calm the fascia and the mesentery responds instantly.

The Takeaway

Your mesentery is not a background character.
It is a central player in gut health, lymph flow, inflammation and metabolic signalling.

If it’s overloaded, inflamed, tight, or stagnant

Your body holds onto weight to protect it.

When it calms
Your chemistry shifts
Your fascia softens
Your lymph moves
Then the weight finally starts to release the way it was always meant to.

Your body isn’t sabotaging you.
It’s protecting a structure nobody ever told you mattered.

Now that you know
you can support it
and help others do the same.

Our Drop Weight Drops and program help with the release of stress on your system, including Your MESENTERY system, so what have you got to loose. except the bloat!