Rewriting Dementia Care With Lifestyle Medicine with Dr Ivan Cichowicz

Send us Fan Mail“There’s nothing you can do” might be the most damaging sentence a person with cognitive decline ever hears. We sit down with Dr Ivan Cichowicz, a board‑certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist, to unpack a more hopeful, practical path: combine the right medications with targeted lifestyle changes, clear education and steady support so patients can feel and function better.Dr Ivan shares how he moved from standard outpatient psychiatry to a focus on brain health after wave upon wave of anxious, newly diagnosed patients arrived with a prescription and no plan. We walk through the first steps he takes—cutting through online noise, protecting families from scams, and starting with high‑yield basics like daily movement, sleep quality and lower‑sugar, nutrient‑dense meals. He explains how he adapts Bredesen‑inspired strategies without perfectionism, using short “bursts” of ketosis or structured exercise to build momentum. When motivation is fragile or a patient is brought in by family, he shifts the environment: simpler breakfasts, neighbour dinners, chair yoga and short walks that make the healthier choice the easier one.We dig into team care—how psychiatry, neurology, endocrinology and direct primary care can share a lane without turf wars—and why he remains medication‑friendly while championing integrative tools. Expect practical talk on prevention: sleep’s role in glymphatic clearance, exercise and inflammation, glucose control and mood, plus why metabolic thinking is gaining ground across psychiatry. Dr Ivan also previews his upcoming dementia education platform designed to scale what works: community, accountability and simple tech that keeps people engaged long after the first surge of motivation fades.If you or a loved one has felt stranded after a dementia diagnosis, this conversation offers a map. Subscribe, share with a caregiver or clinician who needs it, and leave a review to help more people find a realistic, hopeful approach to brain health.Guest BiographyDr. Ivan Cichowicz, MD is a board-certified adult and geriatric psychiatrist based in Florida. He is the co-founder of Mindful Behavioral Health, an outpatient psychiatric practice focused on adult and cognitive mental health, and serves as a primary investigator in brain health research at COGNITIVA Brain Health.A passionate advocate for functional and lifestyle-based care, Ivan is currently building an education platform to empower patients and caregivers with proactive tools to delay or prevent dementia. His approach blends conventional psychiatry with integrative, evidence-based interventions — rooted in the belief that early lifestyle change can meaningfully shape long-term brain health outcomes.Social Media:Websites: 🌐 mindfulbh.com 🌐 cognitivabrainhealth.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-cichowicz-md-psychiatry/Subscribe on SubstackVoices in Health and Wellness is published on Substack, as part of The Diagnostician. Every episode lands there with written notes and reflections you won't find in the podcast feed. Free to subscribe.👉 https://thediagnostician.substack.com/s/voices-in-health-and-wellnessAbout the podcastVoices in Health and Wellness features conversations at the intersection of medicine, lifestyle, and human potential, with clinicians, scientists, and thinkers shaping the future of care.About Dr Andrew GreenlandUK-based medical doctor and founder of Greenland Medical, specialising in Integrative and Functional Medicine. Trained in both conventional and root-cause approaches, Andrew helps people optimise health, performance, and longevity, with a focus on cognitive resilience and healthy ageing.