Have you ever had a “brain cramp,” you know … something on the tip of your tongue you wanted to say, but your mind just seemed to shut down and refused to let it out? Have you had to introduce someone you know and then all of a sudden their name was just gone from your mind? I suspect that most of us know this situation all too well.
Perhaps you’ve had this experience – you’re having lunch with a friend and a subject comes up, something you know … but right then you can’t remember all the details. However, as you’re driving home what happens? Yes, then it shows up in your mind. Why? That’s always the question. The information is in there, why can’t I get at it at will?
An explanation that seems consistent with what I’ve learned about the brain is that when we’re young we have all kinds of shortcuts in our brains to information, but … there’s always a “but,” as we get older we lose many of these shortcut connections. The result is that sometimes our minds have to follow a route with lots of detours to finally retrieve the information.
With that as a prelude, I want to share an experience I had with one of my sons not too long ago. This boy has “attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD or ADD), a condition that can be diagnosed and help provided for the symptoms, but for which there is no cure. His challenge is the attention deficit end of the malady. He really can’t concentrate for very long … so, prioritizing, completing, and successfully fulfilling the normal requirements of daily life can be quite challenging. The only real help has come from a prescription amphetamine that does significantly improve his concentration ability. This has been a blessing, but as with all drugs there be downsides such as the potential of unwanted side effects and the cost.
Approximately a year ago he called me and revealed that he had gone off his medication. Normally, this wou
ld have been a cause of great concern. However, he had initiated an interesting replacement that I accidentally had some involvement in. In my prior post I mentioned my passion for nutritional supplements and natural remedies. Well, a while back I found an online/catalog store whose products have a great deal of advanced science behind them and, fortunately for us, are as inexpensive as purchasing competing products from the warehouse stores.
I have a membership and helped my son get one. He had seen some literature on a product that listed concentration as one of its benefits. So, being young and not worried about a little risk taking, he stopped the amphetamine and began taking this supplement. By the time he called me several days had passed. His comment was, “Dad, I can concentrate every bit as well on the supplement as I could on the medication.”
Wow! This really came as a surprise. The supporting literature is targeted at gray-haired folks who might be losing a bit of their cognitive ability, such as memory or concentration. I decided to do some research on the supplement’s components and found that each one was the focus of significant scientific study and my son’s response was consistent with the findings. Another surprising connection was that these natural remedies, which are effective for ADHD, are the same ones that can provide substantial help for age-related cognitive ability issues – all the way from forgetfulness to Alzheimer’s Disease.
Here is the list of remedy ingredients in the supplement:
Antioxidants – this includes vitamins A, C, and E, as well as other significant molecules.
Phosphatidylserine – a vital component of all cell membranes in the body and found in high concentration in the brain.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids – the best source for these “essential fats” is cold water fish and their oils.
Ginkgo Biloba – the largest selling herb in this country.
Well, when I finished my study review I decided there was real science at play, so I started taking the supplement. By the way, I do not have ADHD, but I do have a few miles on me. The net effect of a number of months of use has come in two ways: (1) greater mental energy and (2) my recall is significantly better. This information is valuable for any age – so important that I put together a seminar and newsletter on brain health that I have presented at a number of senior activity centers and for two caregiver classes through the board of health of one of our local counties. A number of people have tried the supplement, experiencing significant results – validating the scientific study information and making the whole project very fulfilling for me.
If you’d like some additional information on my findings, including the newsletter and other information I’ve collected, just send an email to michaelpurles@msn.com or leave a reply with this post, providing your email address, and I’ll forward what I’ve found. It just might be valuable for you too, a real Soulcookie.
