HCA Talks Health
Can Health and Wellbeing Coaches Support Cognitive Decline?
Preventing and reversing Alzheimer’s Disease with Dr Dale Bredesen
Published: 17th July 2026
What if cognitive decline wasn't inevitable, rather, it was reversible? In this episode, host Zena Le Roux sits down with Dr. Dale Bredesen, internationally recognised expert in neurodegenerative disease and creator of the ReCODE Protocol, to explore the science of Alzheimer's prevention and reversal through precision medicine and lifestyle intervention.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Why traditional single-drug treatments for Alzheimer's fall short
How the brain switches between "connection mode" and "protection mode"
Practical steps to reduce your risk, from the Keto Flex 12/3 diet to the Seven Basics
How early detection tools like the P-Tau 217 blood test can identify risk years before symptoms appear
The critical role Health and Wellbeing Coaches play in helping clients translate complex protocols into lasting daily habits
A must-listen for Health and Wellbeing Coaches working in brain health, healthy ageing, and lifestyle medicine.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction to Dr Dale Bredesen and the ReCODE Protocol
01:00 - Why traditional single-drug treatments fail
06:30 - The brain's connection-to-protection mode switch
18:30 - The major drivers of decline: energetics, inflammation, and toxins
22:30 - The Seven Basics and achieving metabolic flexibility
30:00 - The four phases of cognitive decline and the power of early prevention
35:30 - Precision medicine, clinical trial results, and reversal case studies
45:00 - Daily routines: sleep, Keto Flex 12/3 diet, exercise, and detox
01:15:00 - Finding trained practitioners and closing thoughts
This episode is a reminder that knowledge is only the first step, and that as Health and Wellbeing Coaches, our role is to help people turn that knowledge into lasting, life-changing action.
Whether you're supporting a client through cognitive decline, working in prevention, or simply passionate about brain health, Dr. Bredesen's insights offer a genuinely hopeful new framework for what's possible.
Dr Dale Bredesen - Neurologist, Researched & Best-selling Author
Our guest, Dr. Dale Bredesen, is one of the world's foremost experts in the science of neurodegeneration, and one of the most hopeful voices in medicine today. With over 30 years of research behind him, he has dedicated his career to understanding, preventing, and reversing Alzheimer's disease at its most fundamental level.
Dr. Bredesen isn't just changing the narrative around Alzheimer's. He's building the evidence base for a future where dementia is no longer something we have to fear, and he's inviting all of us, Health Coaches included, to be part of that mission.
Dr Bredesen shares a reminder that “We're seeing things that we've never seen before by looking at this disease in a different way.” “This old idea that as we age, we're always going to develop some degree of dementia, I think that's an old fashioned notion.” He encourages us “Not to wait, start early.”
To find Dr. Bredeson’s best-selling books, view the cognitive test and the ReCODE 2.0 practitioner training, visit www.apollohealthco.com. Keep up to date with what Dr. Bredesen is busy with by following him on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
You Might Also Like:
For more on preventing Alzheimer’s, listen to Patrick Holford on Nutrition, Lifestyle & Brain Health. Join Kate Chaynor-Norris on Healing from the Root, and if you’re interested in redefining ageing, listen to HCA Graduate Health and Wellbeing Coach, Christine Frey on Glowing Older & Thriving in Midlife.
Continue Your Health Journey
If you’re interested in all things health and wellness-related, consider a career in health and wellness coaching with our Level 5 Diploma training course. Click here to learn more or join a free introductory webinar with our senior team.