Evidence-Based Supplement & Herb Guides

Bipolar Disorder vs ADHD: How Doctors Tell the Difference

Learn how doctors tell bipolar disorder from ADHD by looking at episodic mood changes, lifelong attention patterns, sleep, impulsivity, rating scales, overlap, and co-occurring conditions.

Bipolar disorder and ADHD can overlap in ways that make diagnosis difficult. Both can involve distractibility, restlessness, impulsive decisions, rapid speech, emotional intensity, and...

Blood Biomarker Tests for Alzheimer’s Disease: What Is Available, What They Show, and What It Means

Learn what blood biomarker tests for Alzheimer’s disease are available, what amyloid, pTau, NfL, and GFAP can show, and how doctors interpret the results.

Blood tests are changing how Alzheimer’s disease is evaluated, especially for people who already have memory loss, mild cognitive impairment, or other cognitive symptoms....

Blood Sugar and A1C Testing for Brain Fog and Cognitive Symptoms

Learn how blood sugar and A1C testing can help evaluate brain fog, mental slowing, and cognitive symptoms, what the results mean, and when glucose testing should lead to broader medical follow-up.

Brain fog can feel vague, but the testing approach should be specific. When poor concentration, mental fatigue, word-finding trouble, irritability, or “spaced out” episodes...

Blood Tests for Brain Fog: What Doctors Usually Check

Learn which blood tests doctors commonly order for brain fog, what those labs can and cannot show, and when normal results mean the next step should be sleep, medication, or neurological evaluation.

Brain fog can feel like slow thinking, poor concentration, forgetfulness, word-finding trouble, mental fatigue, or a sense that everyday tasks take more effort than...

Blood Tests for Depression and Anxiety: Medical Causes Doctors Rule Out

Learn which blood tests doctors commonly order when evaluating depression and anxiety, what medical causes they help rule out, and why normal labs do not rule out a real mental health condition.

Depression and anxiety are diagnosed mainly through symptoms, history, clinical judgment, and validated screening tools. A blood test cannot confirm that someone has major...

Blood Tests for Memory Loss: Common Labs in Cognitive Workups

Learn which blood tests are commonly ordered for memory loss, what routine labs can reveal, when extra testing is needed, and how Alzheimer blood biomarkers fit into a modern cognitive workup.

Memory changes can come from many different causes: sleep loss, medication effects, thyroid disease, vitamin deficiencies, depression, delirium, stroke, neurodegenerative disease, alcohol use, infection,...

Borderline Personality Disorder Assessment: How Doctors Evaluate BPD Symptoms

Learn how doctors assess borderline personality disorder, which symptoms they evaluate, how BPD is separated from trauma and bipolar disorder, and what happens after a full clinical assessment.

Borderline personality disorder is assessed through a careful clinical evaluation, not a single blood test, brain scan, or quick questionnaire. Doctors look for long-standing...

Brain CT Scan: When It Is Used and What It Can Detect

Learn when a brain CT scan is used, what it can detect, what it may miss, how it compares with MRI, and what to expect before, during, and after the scan.

A brain CT scan is often used when doctors need a fast look at the brain, skull, and nearby structures. It is especially useful...

Brain Fog Testing: How Doctors Evaluate Brain Fog and Poor Concentration

Learn how doctors evaluate brain fog and poor concentration, including history, cognitive testing, blood work, imaging, sleep evaluation, and next steps.

Brain fog can feel like slowed thinking, forgetfulness, poor concentration, word-finding trouble, or mental fatigue that makes ordinary tasks harder than they should be....

Brain Imaging for Memory Loss: When MRI or PET Is Used

Learn when MRI or PET is used for memory loss, what each scan can show, how amyloid and tau PET differ, and why imaging is only one part of a full dementia workup.

Memory loss can come from many different causes, including Alzheimer’s disease, vascular changes, medication effects, sleep problems, depression, vitamin deficiencies, prior head injury, and...

Brain MRI: What It Shows and When It Is Ordered

Learn what a brain MRI can show, when doctors order it, how it compares with CT, what contrast means, and what to expect before, during, and after the scan.

A brain MRI is one of the most detailed imaging tests used to look at the brain and nearby structures inside the head. Doctors...

Brain, Cognitive, and Mental Health Tests by Age: Children, Adults, and Seniors

Learn which brain, cognitive, and mental health tests are commonly used in children, adults, and seniors, and how age changes screening, diagnosis, and next-step evaluation.

Testing for brain, cognitive, and mental health concerns is not one-size-fits-all. A preschool child who is late to speak, a teenager with panic symptoms,...

Brain, Cognitive, and Mental Health Tests by Symptom: Memory Loss, Brain Fog, Anxiety, Mood Swings, and More

A practical guide to brain, cognitive, and mental health tests by symptom, including memory loss, brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, poor focus, fatigue, and when doctors escalate testing.

Symptoms such as memory loss, brain fog, anxiety, mood swings, poor concentration, or sudden confusion can come from many different causes. Some are primarily...

CAGE Alcohol Screening: What It Means and When It Is Used

Learn what the CAGE alcohol screening test measures, how it is scored, when doctors use it, where it falls short, and how it compares with AUDIT and AUDIT-C.

The CAGE questionnaire is a brief alcohol screening tool used to identify signs that alcohol may be causing harm or loss of control. It...

CAM Delirium Test: What It Measures in Hospital and Older Adults

Learn what the CAM delirium test measures, how it is scored, when hospitals use it, how it differs from CAM-ICU, and what a positive result means in older adults.

Delirium is a sudden change in attention, awareness, and thinking that often appears during illness, surgery, infection, medication changes, dehydration, or hospital stays. It...

Can a Brain Scan Show Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, or Autism?

A brain scan can sometimes show medical problems that affect mood, attention, behavior, or thinking, but it usually cannot diagnose depression, anxiety, ADHD, or...

Can Mental Health Tests Be Wrong? False Positives, False Negatives, and Next Steps

Can mental health tests be wrong? Learn how false positives and false negatives happen, what affects accuracy, and what to do next after a confusing result.

Mental health tests can be useful, but they are not perfect. A questionnaire, rating scale, online screen, school checklist, or brief primary care form...

Can MRI Diagnose Mental Illness? What Brain Scans Can and Cannot Show

Can MRI diagnose mental illness? Learn what brain scans can reveal, when doctors order MRI for psychiatric symptoms, and why diagnosis still depends on clinical evaluation.

MRI can be reassuring, confusing, or both when mental health symptoms are involved. A person may have depression, anxiety, psychosis, memory changes, mood swings,...

Cognitive Testing for Older Adults: What Families Should Expect

Learn what families should expect from cognitive testing for older adults, including common memory tests, follow-up workups, how results are interpreted, and when sudden confusion needs urgent care.

Cognitive testing can feel intimidating when a parent, spouse, or older relative is having memory lapses, confusion, word-finding trouble, or changes in judgment. Families...

Cognitive Testing: What It Is and What It Measures

Learn what cognitive testing measures, which brain functions it checks, when doctors recommend it, and how to understand screening results and next steps.

Cognitive testing is a structured way to evaluate thinking skills such as memory, attention, language, reasoning, processing speed, and problem-solving. It is used in...