How we assess, protect and optimize your brain health.
Medically reviewed by Mark Strehlow, MD, Medical Director — September 2026
Why brain health is the priority
The brain is the most important organ we optimize. Longevity without cognitive function is not the outcome we are working toward. Every lab we order and every recommendation we make already supports brain health. Our Cognitive Health Protocol makes that connection explicit and gives you a clear framework for understanding your care.
The Cognitive Health Protocol is part of our Premier Care program, not a separate service.
Two levels of care
- Foundation: for every patient. Baseline measures that protect cognitive health regardless of your risk profile.
- Targeted: when your results call for it. Added only when your labs, genetics or clinical picture indicate elevated risk, and always with the reason explained.
How we assess your cognitive health
Comprehensive baseline (all patients). Your Premier Care intake already captures the biomarkers most closely linked to cognitive risk; we review them with brain health as an explicit focus:
| Area | What we look at | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Thyroid | Full thyroid panel | Thyroid dysfunction is a reversible driver of cognitive decline |
| Metabolic | Blood sugar, insulin, lipids | Insulin resistance accelerates neurodegeneration |
| Hormones | Sex hormones, DHEA, cortisol, pregnenolone | These have direct neuroprotective roles |
| Inflammation | Vascular inflammation markers | Inflammation drives cerebrovascular disease |
| Nutrition | Vitamin D, B12, omega-3 status | Deficiencies impair neurological function |
| Genetics | APOE genotype | The primary genetic marker of Alzheimer’s risk |
Imaging and screening. Cardiovascular screening and DXA body composition, because vascular disease and low lean muscle mass are both cognitive risk factors.
Cognitive screening. The MoCA and MMSE assessments, the Brain Gauge (a short fingertip-based test of cortical function, also available for at-home tracking), and a simple self-rating you complete at every visit. Together they establish your baseline and track it over time, typically every six months.
Advanced testing, when indicated. Blood biomarkers such as p-Tau 217 and amyloid 42/40, brain MRI, and amyloid PET imaging, recommended when your baseline, APOE status, family history or symptoms suggest elevated risk.
Your treatment and optimization plan
The Foundation. A Mediterranean-style modified ketogenic diet, resistance and aerobic training, sleep optimization, stress reduction, reduced toxin exposure, a core supplement plan selected by your provider, and hormone optimization, which carries an explicit brain-health rationale within this protocol. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is available in office.
Targeted options. For patients whose results call for more: intensive NAD+ support by IV, membrane and vascular support, at-home neuromodulation devices (40 Hz light-and-sound stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation), at-home hyperbaric therapy, and peptide therapy selected by your provider. Each is recommended only when your own data supports it.
For Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias: TB006
Rock Creek Wellness is an approved site for the TB006 Expanded Access Program, an FDA-authorized pathway to an investigational therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia who have exhausted approved options. Dr. Mark Strehlow serves as a clinical investigator.
Learn about the TB006 Expanded Access Program →
How your plan comes together
Your plan is personalized and evolving. Your provider reviews your full assessment through the cognitive health lens, establishes your Foundation, and layers in Targeted items only when your data supports them. Reassessment is typically every six months, adjusted to your risk.
Start the conversation
Call (913) 727-7700 or contact us to learn how the Cognitive Health Protocol fits into Premier Care.
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Recommendations are individualized by your provider. Individual results vary.