Forgetfulness can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'minor' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.
Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose forgetfulness, we could:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Low Progesterone | 94% | Confirm |
Epstein-Barr Virus | 30% | Unlikely |
Electrical Hypersensitivity | 27% | Unlikely |
Allergic Tension | 3% | Ruled out |
Mercury Toxicity | 3% | Ruled out |
Low Pregnenolone | 0% | Ruled out |
Male Menopause | 0% | Ruled out |
Copper Toxicity | 0% | Ruled out |
Is your short-term memory failing? Examples include forgetting what you were talking about or why you entered a room, or not being able to remember phone numbers before writing them down.
Possible responses:
→ Don't know→ No / average / a few times per year → Occasionally / moderately → Severely - I forget things often and quickly |
Alcoholics as well as the elderly suffer gradual loss of acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter. The brain compensates for this change by heightening the sensitivity of the receptors carrying memory messages, but because of the acetylcholine shortage, the transmission cannot be completed and short-term recall is poor.
Forgetfulness is a symptom of hypothyroidism.
A damaged liver cannot remove toxins from the blood, causing them to accumulate in the blood and eventually the brain. Once there, toxins can dull mental functioning and cause personality changes, coma, or even death. Signs of toxin buildup in the brain include neglect of personal appearance, unresponsiveness, forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, or changes in sleep habits.
Changing one's diet to include more nutritious and balanced foods can also help with diet related problems such as problems with sleeping. Lack of sleep in itself can cause memory lapses and cognitive deterioration. A healthier diet which helps with sleeping problems may therefore have a knock-on effect and also help to improve poor memory.
Temporary forgetfulness is a known symptom of hypoglycemia.
Short term memory loss is initially the most common complaint associated with mercury toxicity.