Alzheimer's cannot be truly diagnosed without an autopsy.  So technically it is "senile dementia" until proven otherwise. The most common cause is medications.  Elderly people not only react more to medications, but they also tend to be on many more medications.  This is common, and major problem in our society.  Drugs are tested for interactions between two drugs, a a soup cocktail of numerous medications.  So the combination of a higher potential for reaction and then the unknown chemical reactions between so many medications puts the elderly at a much higher risk for drug induced senile dementia.

Another common cause is nutritional deficiencies.  Remember that stomach acid levels decline with age.  And as acid levels decline this leads to nutritional deficiencies that can lead to impaired cognitive function.  The use of antacids, acid blockers, alkaline waters and other alkalinizers further contribute to the problem.

Decreased blood flow to the brain can also lead to declines in cognitive function.  This can be from arteriosclerosis, diabetes, excessive calcium, etc.

Speaking of excess calcium, excess calcium in the brain itself also appears to play a role in the formation of Alzheimer's:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91891831


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625122915.htm


http://www.tangledneuron.info/the_tangled_neuron/2006/10/calcium_channel.html


http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/34602/title/Calcium’s_possib...


So the primary focus should be on increasing nutrition, especially the B vitamins B6, B12, and folate, which are all dependent on sufficient stomach acid to be absorbed.  Stomach acidity can be maintained with zinc, B vitamins, bitters, TMG (also helps with preventing arteriosclerosis and increasing neurotransmitters), and raw apple cider vinegar.  There are also vitamin B6, B12 and folate sublinguals that can be used to bypass the stomach altogether.

It is also important to increase circulation to the brain.  There are herbs such as gotu kola and ginkgo biloba that will do this, but the absolutely best herb for this is periwinkle.  Ginkgo is better known, but it can take two weeks to kick in.  Periwinkle kicks in after about 30 minutes.  And it does a better job of increasing circulation to the brain than any other herb.  In addition it increases oxygen utilization and glycolysis leading to greatly elevated levels of ATP in brain cells.  ATP not only helps to fuel cells, but also helps them to function properly.  It is also a nervine, which gives it an interesting effect. I use periwinkle to keep me awake when I travel long distances by increasing blood flow to the brain, which keeps us alert.  As a nervine though it also calms the brain, so if I lay down to sleep it helps me to go right out.  It is drying to the intestines though, so it is best taken combined with other herbs, especially ones that will hold moisture such as seaweeds.

Magnesium will also help to increase blood flow to the brain by acting as a calcium channel blocker. Calcium contracts muscles like blood vessels.  Magnesium pushes calcium out of the muscles relaxing them.  Therefore, magnesium relaxes blood vessels lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow to the brain.  Magnesium can also help to push calcium out of brain cells, which as we have seen is a contributing cause of Alzheimer's. Magnesium malate is definitely my choice here. Both magnesium and the malic acid it is bound to increase ATP levels.  Again, ATP not only fuels the cells but also helps the cells to function properly.

And don't forget to check if the medications have the side effect of memory loss.  A good site to look up drug adverse effects and interactions is Rxlist.com