Alzheimer’s disease is a form of dementia, a progressive degeneration of nerve tissue in the brain. It is thought to be caused by the buildup of plaque-like material and by nerve fibers that become tangled. These tangles and plaques are basically scars, composed of various unusable proteins and cell debris that end up choking and killing large areas of brain cells. Although there is no cure, there are many treatments that can slow the disease down.

Common Symptoms

• Mood changes
• Loss of memory and cognitive functions
• Depression
• Paranoia
• Agitation
• Anxiety
• Childish behavior
• Confusion
• Disorientation
• Inattention
• Dizziness

What you need to know

Estrogen has been shown to possibly help prevent dementia, so, if you are a woman, you should consider bioidentical estrogen replacement after menopause . If you have high cholesterol, the use of statin medications (such as Lipitor, Mevacor, and Pravachol) dramatically reduces the risk of dementia, whereas other cholesterol lowering drugs do not. High blood pressure (especially the systolic, or top number, reading) also increases the risk of Alzheimer’s, so blood pressure control will help prevent dementia

Keeping your brain active and engaged as you age has also been found to prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. Information-processing activities seem the most helpful; these include watching television; listening to the radio; reading newspapers, magazines, or books; playing games or solving puzzles; and visiting museums. The more of these activities you do, the less chance you have of developing dementia.

General Recommendations

Diet: Most biological processes in the brain require oxidation, which can produce byproducts called free radicals. These free radicals can harm brain cells and contribute to the scarring we see in Alzheimer’s. Antioxidants, found in certain foods, especially fruits and vegetables, can neutralize free radicals. These foods can slow and sometimes help reverse the memory loss caused by the free-radical damage in Alzheimer’s. Foods containing vitamin E and vitamin C have been shown to reduce the risk of dementia. B vitamins and folate are also important, so green leafy vegetables are especially good, as well as eggs, low-fat dairy, and low-fat meats. Omega3 fatty acids from cold-water fish (such as mackerel, tuna, halibut, cod, trout, and salmon) may help fight inflammation in the brain caused by the clumps of protein.

In addition, I recommend light-to-moderate intake of alcohol. A recent study showed that alcohol can lower the risk of dementia. Any type of alcohol (not only red wine) has this effect. It is not known whether alcohol will improve your symptoms once you have dementia, but it may slow down the progress of the disease. However, high alcohol intake causes more harm than good, so you should limit your intake to not more than two drinks per night.

Your herbal healing action plan for alzheimer’s disease

For moderately advanced Alzheimer’s, begin with Step 2, and then return to Step 1.

Step 1: Take Nutritional Supplements and Herbs in Early Alzheimer’s

Nutritional supplements and herbs can improve mental function. I recommend taking the following:

• Vitamin B12, 1,000mcg twice daily (if blood tests show that you have a vitamin B12 deficiency)
• Vitamin E, 800 IU once daily
• Vitamin C, 1,000mg to 2,000mg once daily
• L-carnitine, 500mg three times daily
• Gingko biloba, 240mg daily (make sure the product you take contains at least 24 percent flavonglycosides, which is necessary for it to be effective).
• Huperzine A, an ingredient derived from chinese club moss, 50mcg to 200mcg twice daily. Take all these vitamins/supplements/herbs together. Allow up to eight weeks to see improvement, although you may see results sooner.

Step 2: Take the PrescriPtion Drugs Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Metrifonate, Phosphatidylserine, or Galantamine

If symptoms progress, your doctor can prescribe donepezil (Aricept) or rivastigmine (Exelon), both of which improve thinking functions. If these are not effective, your doctor may recommend metrifonate as the next conventional drug to take. And if none of these drugs helps, the next medication is phosphatidylserine, 100mg three times a day, which can improve mental performance, behavior, and mood in people who have dementia or Alzheimer’s. A newer medication, galantamine, has shown benefit in Alzheimer’s patients who also have cerebrovascular disease (hardening of the brain arteries).

Tacrine hydrochloride (Cognex) is a conventional drug that has been shown to delay the progression of Alzheimer’s by six months. However, this drug causes liver toxicity, which must be monitored closely. Try this medication only if you’re dealing with dementia that doesn’t respond to other drugs and treatments.

Step 3: Enroll in Reality Orientation Therapy

Reality orientation therapy improves thinking functions. This is a process that strives to reorient the person to time, place, and person. It is often effective, in combination with the previous steps, in people who have moderate to severe dementia. Consult a doctor or clinic that specializes in Alzheimer’s treatment for this type of therapy.

Step 4: Take Magnesium and Malic Acid

Because chronic aluminum exposure has been implicated as a cause of Alzheimer’s, it may be helpful to take a combination of magnesium (200mg to 400mg daily) and malic acid (800mg to 1,200mg daily) if the previous steps don’t help. Magnesium blocks the absorption of aluminum from the body, and malic acid binds and removes aluminum. You many have to take these supplements for several months before you see any benefit.

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