Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common and feared disease afflicting our elderly community. Although the causes are not yet fully understood, scientists believe the cause is from a combination of genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors that all combine and affect the brain over time. Regardless, the effect on the brain is clear. Alzheimer’s disease damages and kills brain cells. It has been shown that a brain affected by this disease has fewer cells and connections compared to surviving cells in a healthy brain. As more brain cells die, the brain shrinks. If one was to look under a microscope, they would see two types of abnormalities that are indicative of this disease. The first is plaque, which are clumps of a protein called beta-amyloid. This protein damages and destroys brain cells in different ways and interferes with the way cells communicate with each other. However, this plaque accumulation is not the definitive cause of brain cell death but is definitely considered a precursor. The second indicator of Alzheimer’s disease are tangles. In an Alzheimer’s patient, threads of tau (a protein that brain cells depend on to carry nutrients) twists into abnormal tangles inside brain cells. This leads to failure of the transport system and leads to the decline and death of brain cells. Alzheimer’s statistics show that the disease can strike as early as age 45. A person stricken with this disease usually has a gradual decline in mental functions, often beginning with slight memory loss, followed by losses in the ability to work, execute familiar tasks, and exercise judgment. Communication with others, mood, and personality may also be affected. Most people who are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease die within eight years of their diagnosis but it can also be shorter or they can live longer than that. This disease is the fourth leading cause of death in adults after heart disease, cancer, and stroke. The disease w