Eat Right, Exercise Regularly, Die Anyway.
my favorite bumper sticker.
Neo: I know what your trying to do.
Morpheus: I’m trying to free your mind, Neo, but I can only show you the door. You’re the one that needs to walk through it.
Neo and his crew in The Matrix have one of the cool powers that I have always lusted after in Sci Fi, the ability to learn anything, instantly. This isn’t improving your brain with vitamins and supplements, but with computer code. When Trinity needs to fly a helicopter, she has a program downloaded into her brain, and whamo! she can fly a helicopter.
There was a pretty good short story about a future world where no one had jobs anymore-all your skill sets were now part of a computer program and anyone could do your job as good, if not better, than you can. Brings whole new meaning to the term ‘made redundant.’
I have always had a small aversion to work. I don’t like it. Until such time as that ability to just download any of the countless topics that I have a passing interest in comes along, Vitamins and Supplements are the next best thing. I have a vast storehouse of useless information at my disposal already. It is not always new information that I want, just getting the old info that is sitting on a dusty shelf in my mind would be nice once in a while. The list of vitamins and supplements below have helped me over the years.
Top Ten Supplements for Your Brain
1 Phosphatidylserine(PS)– Phosphatidylserine is a naturally occurring phospholipid–a fatty liquid that is a component of cell membrane walls. Phosphatidylserine is a complex chemical that is beyond my understanding. But I know that it works. Taking 100 mg a day of Phosphatidylserine has helped to get rid of that whole tip-of-the-tongue experience for me. Phosphatidylserine promotes brain function by increasing neuronal membrane fluidity (cell-to-cell communication), resulting in improved cognition-according to one label I read. Sounds good to me. I just know when I take phosphatiyylserine that I think better.
2 Royal Jelly -Royal Jelly is something of a mystery, as it turns a normal bee into a Queen Bee. Royal Jelly has been reported to stimulate the growth of glial cells and neural stem cells in the brain, which may account for its reputation as a longer-term cognitive enhancer and as a beneficial agent in cases of Parkinson’s Disease-according to Royal Jelly’s Wikipedia entry. Royal Jelly is often used as an energy booster, but your body soon enough adapts that aspect. It take time, as long as a few weeks, for Royal Jelly to improve concentration and cognitive abilities. 500 mg seems to be the right sized daily dose of Royal Jelly for me.
3 B Vitamins -B Vitamins are essential to normal brain function and the nervous system in general. I take a B-100 supplement, which consists of Thiamin (B-1):100 mg,Riboflavin (B-2):100 mg, Niacin (B-3):100 mg,Vitamin B-6:100 mg,Folate, Folic Acid, Folacin: 400 mcg, Vitamin B-12:100 mcg, Biotin: 100 mcg, Pantothenic Acid:100 mg. B Vitamins are good for fighting depression and mania, as well, as helping you think better. B Vitamins have a couple of side effects, one is that they make your bright yellow, the other is that mosquitoes are tend to leave you alone. They don’t like the smell of B Vitamins, or maybe its more a taste issue.
4 Vitamin E -Vitamin E is a fatty acid and as such keeps the brain working well. Vitamin E includes powerful antioxidants that have protective actions for the nervous system. Vitamin E has been shown to help protect against certain kinds of strokes. Vitamin E protects brain cells from free radicals. Vitamin E is fat-soluble and some people worry about getting too much Vitamin E stored around their bodies. I take 800 milligrams a day and have had troubles.
5 Huperzine A –Huperzine A improves mental acuity by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine-which is the neurotransmitter in the brain. Huperzine A improves electrical signals in the brain. The Chinese have been using it to improve memory and concentration for centuries.. Huperzine A is another product that helps with word retrieval and a general sense of well being. 50 mcg a days is the amount that I take.
6 DHEA -DHEA is one of those supplements that people seem to like to fight about. I take a 100 milligrams a day and it makes me feel like my old self. It improves not only my reasoning and cognitive skills, but my sense of smell and sight are noticeable improved. DHEA is a hormone that is in the body in great abundance when we are young, but drops off the older we get. Taking DHEA has an almost immediate effect for me, in that I feel better and think clearer. I might skip a few of the other Vitamins and Supplements that help me think better, but I will always find the time to take my DHEA.
7 Fish Oil Omega-3 -Fish Oil Omega 3 has long been know to be good for the brain. Fish has often been called a brain food, we now know that Fish Oil contains large amounts of DHA and without enough DHA the brain doesn’t work at an optimum level. One of the first books I read on improving the brain advised making sardines an extensive part of your diet, but I am not really up to the all sardine diet. The arrival of 1000 mg Fish Oil Omega 3 supplements put an end to that problem. Omega 3 oils are good for lowering your cholesterol as well improving your thinking.
8 Co-Enzyme Q10 -While mainly heralded now as a treatment for healthy hearts, CoEnzyme Q10 is also good for the brain. Co-Enzyme Q10 increases brain mitochondrial concentrations and has neuroprotective properties. Co Q 10 also helps to increase antioxidants by having a sparing effect on vitamin E. CoQ10 combines with vitamin E to fight free radical damage. Like DHEA, Coenzyme Q10 diminishes as we age and needs to be supplemented. I take 100 mg of Coenzyme Q10 a day.
9 Ginkgo Biloba -Ginkgo Biloba is the leaf of the Ginkgo tree with most Gingko supplements standardized to Contain 24% Ginkgo Flavone Glycosides. I like to take 120 mg of Ginkgo Biloba a day. This ancient Chinese herb has the interesting ability to pass through the blood/brain barrier. Ginkgo Biloba seems to be a blood thinner and that is one of the reasons it is believed to help the brain. As with DHEA and many other supplements, there are conflicting reports as to whether it actually works or is merely the placebo effect. It works for me, or at least, I think it does.
10 Amino Acids -Amino Acids are the building blocks of life. Amino Acids are able to pass the Blood Brain barrier and have direct results on the brain. That’s why drinking a Red Bull, which has a good 1000 mg shot of Taurine-an amino acid, works in waking you up. Body Builders long ago discovered the power of Amino Acids and the profound effects they have on the body and mind. Supplementing Amino Acids can be done by the individual amino acid or by large pills that contain a wide array of mixtures. I like Super Amino 4800, but I usually only take one supplement a day, not the four recommended on the bottle.
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