Healthy Aging Month: Mark Hutto Opens Up About Memory Loss
Founder of Functional Medicine Portal LLC of Oregon, Mark Hutto gives insight into his memory loss journey.
Mark Hutto was working at his small Southern Oregon gold and silver store when he could not recall a customer he had talked to some two hours before. This became the breaking point for Mark and his memory loss journey.
“I was hiding my memory loss,” Mark said. “It got to a point when I couldn’t remember what I was doing and that’s when I knew I was in trouble.”
The Center for Disease Control notes that Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Fearing the worst, Mark became worried about what his decreasing memory meant for his future and his wife’s.
“I knew memory loss was really serious,” Mark said. “I was mostly concerned about my wife. I didn’t want her to have to deal with my memory loss over the next five to seven years. That would be really stressful on her.”
Mark began to research methods of slowing down his memory loss when he discovered Dr. Dale Bredesen’s book ‘The End of Alzheimer’s’. Using Dr. Bredesen’s book as a guide, Mark mixed diet, exercise, hormone replacement therapy, and supplements and saw improvements in his cognitive function within months.
“Within one year, I noticed a major difference,” Mark said. “Even my wife noticed a huge difference in what I was remembering.”
Today, when Mark isn’t working at his gold and silver store or spending time with his wife of 22 years, he is focused on his Functional Medicine Portal Clinic in Oregon and his brain enhancing supplement Synapse Vibe.
The clinic opened in early 2019 with the purpose of helping those experiencing the same memory loss as Mark. Those who come to the clinic seeking help have access to the same supplements Mark used to help his memory loss, along with access to a wellness coach, nurse practitioner, and blood lab tests.
“It’s not a magic cure-all pill, diet and nutrition play a factor in it as well,” Mark said. “If you don’t believe that you can get better, you won’t. The only chance you have is to actually believe there is something you can do.”
Mark’s hope is for those who are experiencing memory loss, or who have loved ones with memory loss are given options to better their health.
“If you’ve got someone who is starting to forget names and faces, now is the time to get help,” Mark said.