Category Archives: Nootropics

The word nootropics were created by a Romanian doctor in 1972. He combined two latin words: nous and trepein. Nous stands for mind and trepein means to bend, which is exactly what nootropics do.

Nootropics are so effective because they influence neurochemicals that are already found in the brain. Nootropic supplements work by increasing low levels of hormones and neurotransmitters in our brains which help us improve our cognitive functions by increasing the blood flow and oxygenation in the brain.

This makes our nerve cells more responsive, but they operate in a calm way without causing side effects like nervousness and jitters. In fact, one of the best parts about nootropics is that they are safe to use and that they dont have any side effects.

Nootropic supplements help protect the brain by keeping it safe from chemical and physical injuries. They also improve cognitive abilities and affect areas like memory, energy levels, overall mood, and they can even help people with depression. Nootropics are also used to improve concentration and learning abilities, as well as focus.

When we take a nootropic supplement, we flood our brain with the chemicals it needs to work properly. Once the chemical levels in our brains are optimized, we think more clearly, we have more motivation and energy to cope with the problems of everyday life, and its a general enhancement of a feeling. There are no side effects that could compromise your health, in fact, most nootropic supplements also improve the health of your heart.

There are many types of mental states and diseases, as well as physical problems even doctors cant fix and nootropic supplements are the answer.

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Best Nootropics for Sale in 2017 | Reviews and Comparison

Without a doubt, youve stumbled across the term nootropics somewhere on the internet and wondered what they were. Theyve become one of the hottest trends, driven in popularity by celebrity endorsements that tout claims that theyll enhance your memory and focus, and increase your intelligence. But what exactly are nootropics, and are they beneficial for your cognitive function?

The word itself was coined by a Romanian chemist and psychologist, Dr. Corneliu Giurgea, who was the first to synthesize a nootropic more than 50 years ago. According to Dr. Giurgea, his piracetam was able to enhance learning, disassociate memories to conditions that led to the development of undesirable learned behaviors, protect the brain from chemical injury, and was very low toxicity, thereby producing very limited side effects.

Today, there are a wide variety of nootropics, often grouped in with what is frequently referred to as smart drugs. In actuality, they are a class of supplements, made from both naturally occurring chemicals and synthetic, that are designed to enhance the cognitive functioning of the brain. Theyre often used to help individuals focus and increase attention span, especially as they age, though many college students have begun to use them as study aids.

Unlike real smart drugs, nootropics do not produce the adverse side effects when used long-term. They are safe, posing little risk of any side effects, and are neuroprotective when used as directed.

All nootropics operate by enhancing communication between neurons in the brain, improving neurotransmitter functioning and promoting brain health. There are even some that believe that nootropics stimulate neuron growth, facilitate the formation of synapses in the brain, enhance neuroplasticity, and improve energy metabolism in the brain.

Essentially, your brain is a network of neurons, which are interconnected through pathways called synapses. There are billions of neurons in your brain, and their purpose is to communicate through neurotransmitters, specific chemicals that facilitate the ability to send signals from one neuron to another. When your neurons operate efficiently, you experience better moods, the capacity to process mental work more quickly, longer attention spans for even the most tedious of tasks, and better memory and concentration.

Supplementation with nootropics improves the synaptic plasticity of your brains neurons to provide all these benefits. Over an extended period of time, consistent supplementation with nootropics can even slow down the signs of aging, such as brain fog and memory loss. Theyre even able to counteract the development of brain disorders, like Alzheimers Disease.

In addition to improving the synaptic plasticity of your neurons, Nootropics improve the health of your brain, and thereby its functioning, by increasing the amount of blood flow to it. This increased blood flow carries with it more nutrients, glucose, and oxygen, all primary fuel sources that your brain uses for energy when it focuses.

Interestingly, the brain only makes up 2% of your total body weight, but it is responsible for 20% of your energy consumption. This is because the brain requires a lot of energy to function properly and to be able to focus on the external environment. It even takes a significant amount of energy just to sustain consciousness.

The anecdotal evidence supports claims that nootropics can provide all of these benefits, but there is still the need for more studies. If you choose to try them out for yourself, look for signs that they are working, such as less brain fog and more mental clarity. They may just be what your brain needs, and could even be life-changing.

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Best Nootropics Smart Pills - Serie A Weekly

If you, or more likely your child, have been diagnosed with ADHD, the doctor may have suggested a nootropic. Nootropics are cognitive enhancement drugs. Essentially, theyre drugs that boost memory, focus, and the other mental abilities people need to interact with day to day life. There are a lot of myths about these drugs, so hopefully, youre here to learn.

What Things Are Nootropics?

By and large, nootropics are stimulants. There are things called racetams, but these have questionable effects on the body. Most doctors will stay away from racetams, instead going with something stimulant based.

That said, nootropics dont have to be pharmaceutical grade stimulants. Some stimulants such as caffeine can often work as nootropics, and be capable enough on their own.

How Do Various Nootropics Work?

Caffeine is an excellent example of a mild nootropic. Everyone knows how that works. It helps kick your brain into working, helping you wake up and pay attention. This is exactly what you want in a nootropic!

The next step up is a class of drugs called Eugeroic. These are wakefulness promoters. These work in a similar way to dopamine reuptake inhibitors work. That is, they keep the brain from processing dopamine quite as quickly as it would normally process. This helps keep you awake, and as a side effect improves other cognitive abilities.

The step up from that is Methylphenidate. This is a potent dopamine reuptake inhibitor, keeping the brain from processing the dopamine for a much longer period. This not only helps with cognitive functions but also with mood issues. Doctors have been known to prescribe methylphenidate for depression, though this practice is not commonly used today.

The big guns on the list of nootropics are amphetamines. The most common prescription amphetamine currently is Adderall, though there are other medications. These are not dopamine reuptake inhibitors but instead floods the brain with it. This causes there to be so much more dopamine within the brain that it cant help but process more.

Are Nootropics Dangerous?

The pharmaceutical nootropics can be dangerous, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. Just like too much coffee can cause your heart to race, too much of any stimulant can cause issues. In the case of overdose, people have been known to die of heart attacks.

Also, some people tend to exhibit a style of mania. Because theyre so happy and feeling so high, they start to make poor choices. This is similar to use of the illegal drug cocaine.

And lastly, many studies indicate long-term use in children can stunt a childs growth. Many doctors will suggest waiting until the child is around 12 before prescribing prescription stimulants.

Ultimately, nootropics are a necessary medical substance for many people. While its true they sometimes get abused by those just looking for a good time, individuals with ADHD and other cognitive illnesses need nootropics. It can help them lead a working, fulfilled life. So if your doctor is suggesting one of these drugs, either for you or your child, dont dismiss it out of hand. You might be surprised at what happens!

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How Do Various Nootropics Work? - Serie A Weekly

The biohacking trend is driving a raft of food and drink launches that boast brain-altering properties without those unwanted side effects. And these products are geared to those work-smarter rather than work-harder types, according to the Food & Drink 2017 report from JWT Intelligence.

Finland-based Four Sigmatic nutrient replacement drink Ambronite the Nordic response to Soylent is a mushroom- based beverage that promises to boost brain function and keep drinkers stimulated, but without the jitters. Key ingredients here include the likes of chaga, lions mane and cordycep mushrooms.

Then theres Nootropic cognitive enhancing coffee with Hackers Brew offering a humanistic approach to food, supplements, and technology. When it comes to nootropics and mental performance, we want a real boost, but not at the expense of good taste, the outfit says. It also isnt out to banish traditional produce from our tables, adding that we love coffee, and we love meals lets not replace either.

San Francisco start-up Nootrobox has come up with Go Cubes, a chewable coffee candy product containing theanine, B6 and methylated B12, which apparently up the effects of caffeine for enhanced focus and clarity. Two units of Go Cubes can provide users with the the kick of coffee with the relaxation of green tea. And Nootrobox has got its boost in the the form of $2 million in seed investment from leading venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz.

Image: Hackers Brew

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Brain food - brand-e.biz

by Matt Alderton | June 01, 2017

"While many of us reach for caffeine when we're feeling tired at work, this is a band-aid solution at best -- and it leads to even bigger energy crashes when the caffeine wears off," Scalco says. "Whenever possible, you're better off turning to more sustainable strategies."

One such strategy is to replace coffee and sugar with water.

"Even mild dehydration can contribute to a range of energy-draining symptoms, including mental fuzziness, headaches, dizziness, lethargy, and sleepiness," Scalco explains. "Downing plenty of water throughout the day is a simple and effective way to maintain energy and focus. If you feel your energy dip at any point in the day, try reaching for a glass of water before hitting up the vending machine for a candy bar."

A supplement with your water might help, too. "While a healthy breakfast and lunch are good starts, you can achieve an even more immediate boost by consuming 'brain boosting' supplements such as nootropics," Scalco concludes. "Nootropics have been used by everyone from young entrepreneurs all the way up to Silicon Valley hotshots to gain a mental edge."

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Questions, Comments, Suggestions? Contact Successful MeetingsEditor in Chief Vincent Alonzo with your "How To" ideas.

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How to Increase Your Energy at Work ... Without Coffee - Successful Meetings

Reprinted with the kind permission of Dr. Mercola.

Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri), or moneywort, is a popular herb in Ayurvedic medicine that has been used in India for over three centuries. The bacopa herb is commonly known as a nootropic herb, which means that it can help repair damaged neurons and improve brain function. Nootropics are usually said to have the ability to "unlock" the brain when it comes to creativity and cognitive drive.1

In India, the bacopa herb falls under the category of the "medhyarasayana" herbs that have the ability to improve memory and intellect.2 This herb is also called "brahmi," together with the herb gotu kola. This was taken from the name of "Brahma," the creator of the universe in the Indian belief system. While the gotu kola herb shares the ability of the bacopa plant in improving cognition, these two can be easily differentiated based on their appearance.3

The gotu kola plant has fan-shaped leaves with slightly serrated edges, and produces purple to pink flowers.4 Bacopas, on the other hand, have succulent oblong leaves and white or light purple flowers.5 Bacopa monnieri also shares its name with the Bacopa caroliniana plant, which is widely cultivated in aquarium settings because of its blue flowers and aromatic leaves.

The two plants are closely related, but the Bacopa monnieri variety is much more known for its medicinal properties instead of its ornamental and decorative characteristics.6 Aside from being a nootropic, bacopa is an adaptogen and diuretic as well. Continue reading to learn more about the health benefits you can acquire from this herb.

Get These Impressive Health Benefits From Bacopa

Bacopa monnieri offers an impressive list of health and nutritional benefits, which are usually credited to the alkaloids, saponins and sterols that this herb contains.7 These benefits include the following:

May improve epilepsy symptoms. In Ayurvedic medicine, bacopa has been used to reduce the frequency of epileptic episodes. In one study, the herb's effect on the GABA receptors, which are responsible for maintaining and regulating neuronal excitation, was measured. An imbalance in these receptors causes the abnormal occurrence of seizures. The use of bacopa showed a decrease in GABA receptor activity, decreasing the frequency of seizures and epilepsy symptoms.8

Has antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties. Bacopa contains bacosaponin C and bacopasides, which were observed to show anti-depressive properties in animal studies. In a human study, people over the age of 65 who used bacopa showed a decrease in both anxiety and depression.9

Promotes normal blood pressure. This herb has been observed to help in vascular muscle function and the complete utilization of nitric oxide. These two processes help in normalizing blood pressure.10

Functions as a nootropic. As mentioned above, bacopa can boost cognitive function and improve memory and creativity. It also helps in improving focus.

May improve memory and information retention. In a study, subjects were given placebos and bacopa monnieri supplements. The individuals who were given the bacopa monnieri showed a higher ability to retain newly introduced information. Improved cognition was also observed in people who took bacopa regularly.11

Acts as an adaptogen. Bacopa has the ability to regulate the body's response to acute and chronic stress. In an animal study, rats were treated with bacopa monnieri and subjected to high amounts of stress. Their dopamine and serotonin levels were then measured, which showed that there were no observable decreases in both of these hormones.12

How Can the Bacopa Plant Be Used?

The bacopa plant is available in the market in various forms. It's usually sold as an oil or powder, but is also available in capsule and liquid extracts, which are easier to assimilate and add to various foods.13 Bacopa has also been incorporated into the culinary world, and is now being used as an ingredient in meals.

People who use bacopa in their diet have noted that it had a bitter taste, which may not be that appetizing for children.14 The taste, though, is just a minor characteristic because what you're actually aiming to get are the numerous health benefits it offers.

As a supplement, however, taking bacoba in large amounts is ill-advised due to the fact that it may have a toxic effect on the body. The recommended dose for this herb is normally 300 milligrams per day, but people often have varying tolerance to supplements. Be sure that you get a health practitioner's advice on the prescribed dose.15

Here's How You Can Grow Your Own Bacopa

Bacopa monnieri is a hydroponic plant, which means that it can grow without soil, and can even be cultivated in aquariums and other water-based planting systems.

The good news is that bacopa does not need too much of your attention for it to grow. All it needs is an adequate source of water and enough light.16 When growing bacopa in a hydroponic environment, make sure that it gets enough light so as to avoid the lower parts of the bacopa plant from rotting. Bacopa can either be grown through seed planting or stem propagation.

For stem propagation, here are the steps to help you grow your own bacopa in your backyard:17

1. Prepare the soil where you will be planting bacopa. This plant grows best in waterlogged areas and poorly drained soil. Plough the soil and thoroughly get rid of the weeds that can compromise the growth of bacopa.

2. Divide the area into plot and put one or two irrigations. Moisten the soil a day before planting the bacopa cuttings.

3. Before removing the bacopa cuttings for transplantation, flood the nursery. Take care of the cuttings, making sure that you do not damage the stems and roots. Cuttings that are ready to be transplanted are usually about 6 to 8 centimeters long.

4. One day before planting, spread vermicompost on the surface of the plots. Flood the soil.

5. Transplant the cuttings in the wet soil, alloting 15 by 15 centimeter spaces in between.

6. Provide flood irrigation. Irrigation should be provided at 3- to 4-day intervals in order to provide enough water for these water-loving herbs.

7. Harvest the bacopa herb when it has thoroughly spread or covered the ground.

Try These Tasty and Healthy Bacopa Recipes

Once you get your hands on this herb, the next step is determining how you can add it to your diet. The good news is that there are numerous recipes available that use bacopa as the main ingredient, which means that you get the highest concentration of the minerals it offers. Here are a couple of recipes that you can follow:18,19

Brahmi Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup cashews, soaked overnight and drained

1/2 packed cup basil leaves

1/2 cup packed brahmi/bacopa

Juice of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon Himalayan salt

50 milliliters water

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender.

2. Blend until smooth.

3. Transfer to a jar and keep refrigerated. This will last up for up to 3 days.

Brahmi with Lentils (Vallarai Keerai Kootu)

Ingredients:

1 to 2 cups tightly packed bacopa leaves

3/4 cup mung beans

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon homemade ghee

2 teaspoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 dried red chili

1 teaspoon black lentils

1 teaspoon chickpeas

A pinch of asafetida

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 to 6 curry leaves

Himalayan salt to taste

Lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Procedure:

1. In a pressure cooker, pour 2 cups of water. Add the lentils and turmeric powder. Cook for about 10 minutes or until done. Set aside.

2. Wash the greens with cold water. Make sure that the leaves are clean and free from dirt. Blend the leaves in a food processor or a blender until it becomes a coarse paste.

3. Using a pan, heat the coconut oil and ghee on low-medium heat. Add the mustard seeds to the coconut oil and ghee mixture. Once the mustard seeds start popping, add the red chili, mung beans, chickpeas, asafetida, black lentils and cumin seeds.

4. Add the bacopa puree and cook until the raw smell is gone. Add the Himalayan salt to taste.

5. Add the cooked lentils and mix until thoroughly combined. If the mixture is too thick, feel free to add a little water until you get your desired consistency.

6. Add lemon juice to taste. Serve.

What Is Bacopa Oil?

Bacopa oil, or brahmi oil, is commonly sold in natural food and health stores. It is usually mixed with either sesame oil or coconut oil to dilute its concentration. This herbal oil has been used to help with the maintenance of certain conditions and has been observed to improve alopecia areata (hair loss), dandruff, anxiety, insomnia and stress.

Because of the limited studies that back the use of this oil, it's not yet determined if it can improve certain health conditions when ingested regularly. If you're planning on using bacopa oil therapeutically, make sure that you consult a clinical practitioner for the right dose.20

Bacopa Contraindications and Possible Side Effects

The intake and use of this herb should be avoided by pregnant and breastfeeding women so as to avoid possible repercussions. While there are no studies that prove that bacopa causes side effects, people have observed that excessive intake of bacopa may lead to stomach upset, diarrhea and nausea. To avoid the risk of suffering from these adverse effects, it would be a good idea to gauge your tolerance for this herb.

Sources and References

Link:

Bacopa: The Herb That May Increase Your Brain Power - ProHealth

Its that time of year again. The blossom is on the trees, and university libraries and reading rooms are heaving with students poring over laptops, textbooks and stacks of notes exam season is here.

Though the quality of teaching is arguably as good as its ever been, and the support students get in terms of online material is brilliant, exams understandably make people anxious.

Of course, students have always felt pressure at exam time, but things seem to be different these days thanks to increasing job competition, more graduates and higher levels of debt from tuition fees.

To cope with this exam stress, it seems increasing numbers of students are turning to so called smart drugs. Often referred to as nootropics from the Greek, noos (mind) and tropos (growth) these are chemicals intended to improve your mental powers.

Its easy to see why students looking for an edge may turn to these substances to try and beat the competition. And it seems to be that, for a lot of them, its just part and parcel of gaining a degree: a recent Europe-wide survey found that most British university students generally approved of the use of such performance enhancing drugs for study.

Over in the US, as a result of student pressure, one university has actually amended its honour code to recognise this spike in performance enhancing substance use. The honour code is a set of rules or principles that govern the university community based on ideals that define what constitutes honourable behaviour. And Duke Universitys amended code, makes it clear that use of prescription medication to enhance academic performance is not tolerated.

In the UK, there have also been calls for universities to be more aware of the problem. One survey found that more than 15% of Oxford University students took such drugs without a prescription and similar levels are indicated nationwide. With a student population in excess of two million in the UK, this adds up to a lot of students potentially on smart drugs.

But students arent the only people taking nootropics. Office workers and city bankers are also reportedly using smart drugs to help boost productivity levels and allow them to work around the clock.

How do they work?

Some smart drugs make you more alert for longer. The first drugs for this were amphetamine (Adderall) and methamphetamine, which were used by both sides in World War II for example by bomber pilots on long missions.

Essentially, amphetamines work by affecting the release and re-uptake of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. These help to regular your mood and behaviour and they can become addictive.

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Growing Use Of Smart Drugs By Students Could Be A Recipe For Disaster - IFLScience (blog)

Silicon Valley thinks our bodies need a reboot. PayPal founder and Donald Trump booster Peter Thiel, who plans to live for 120 years, is taking human-growth hormone pills (and possibly blood transplants from young people). Google spun off Calico in 2013 to defeat the inevitability of aging. Software engineers fast for days and order custom stacks of nootropics, or brain-enhancing substances, to gain a cognitive edge. One venture capitalist, requesting anonymity, said at a dinner he recently attended several people opened up boxes to pop nootropic pills before the first course.

Theres no end to the experimentation people will undertake in pursuit of productivity, even if most treatments and supplements dont yet have strong evidence or FDA approval. That hasnt phased the patients that Dr. Molly Maloof sees in her Silicon Valley practice. This is a place where people dont give a flying fuck what they do with their minds and bodies, she said.

The general practitioner wants to see real medical rigor behind people tryingto hack their health. Her concierge medicine practice in San Francisco serves a small number of patients for anywhere from $5,000 for an initial assessment to upwards of $40,000 per year for comprehensive care (every patient has a second, primary care physician as well). Her clients are often engineers and executives looking to hit peak performance, or recover from an over-stressed work-life. Maloof, who earned her medical degree from the University in Illinois in 2011, sees part of her work as ensuring they they are doing it safely, backed up by the maximum amount of evidence.

Too often, she says, executives and entrepreneurs place performance above health. All these people are not stupid but what used to be domain expertise is now everyone claiming to be the expert, she says.

Maloofs data-heavy approach begins with a battery of testsmeasuring thousands of biomarkers in allto understand her patients at the cellular level. By analyzing the results, she can prescribe food and lifestyle tailored to every individual, alongside standard western therapies. Only then does she consider pharmaceutical-grade supplements. If needed, she helps patients make better decisions (and practice harm reduction) about performance-enhancing substances from nootropics to micro-dosing LSD. Her philosophy, she says, is to do more than cure sickness, but to enhance health.

Investors are betting this approachoptimizing ones health through deep analysis of their genetics, physiology, and psychologybecomes the standard of care. Technology, they argue, will ultimately bring down prices so its affordable for almost everyone. Today, Maloof estimates less the 1% of private medical practices take this approach, but companies like Color Genomics, Forward, Nootrobox, Arivale, Metabolic Code, Habit, and Viome are already aiming to go mainstream.

Maloof is surprised at the cavalier acceptance of DIY health at the intersection of technology and personalized medicine. People will spend months researching which computer they will buy and then two minutes researching the nootropic brand theyre about to put into their body, she says.

Maloof sat down with Quartz to talk about her work and the future of personalized medicine. The interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

Can you describe your practice?

My practice has basically been an emergent phenomena: What if a doctor decided to optimize health instead of just fixing illness? The first thing Ive done differently is Ive positioned myself as a doctor who is aiming to improve the human condition rather than just get you from sick to not-sick.

Theres this spectrum of disease. Most people are in the sick-to-average part of that spectrum. The athletes and movie stars of the world are at the opposite end at the optimal part of the spectrum.

Theres this space between average and optimal that is a very grey area. Its been sort of commandeered by the wellness industry: the people who perpetuate mindfulness, fitness, and nutrition, but maybe dont have any rigorous medical training. And, as such, havent actually learned the basic science of the human body and how biology, physics, and chemistry works.

How did your practice begin?

I thought, if I was in a perfect world, What would I want my health experience to look like? I basically decided I would want a doctor to listen to me, and listen for a long time. In an ideal situation, it takes about two hours to ask all the questions I would want.

In a perfect world, your body is like the airplane and Im the co-pilot

The second thing is that, typically when you get blood drawn from a doctor, you might get 10 biomarkers or lab [tests]. Thats just not very much information. And they dont usually tell you theres something wrong with you unless its really wrong. In my practice, Im looking at 170 chemical biomarkers. Instead of normal or abnormal, Im looking at a range of whats good.

Instead of just looking at blood, Im looking at blood, urine, stool and saliva. Instead of just chemistry markers, Im looking at chemistry, metabolomics (chemical fingerprints of cellular processes), genomics, microbiome (microorganisms), hormone tests, and Im starting to look at immunology markers.

Thats a very different experience. In a perfect world, your body is like the airplane and Im the co-pilot and were using all these tools to identify if there are issues going wrong with the engine.

How does your typical day go? How would a patients visit to your office be different?

A typical patient is first going to have a meeting with me to go through all these questions, Ill gather all the data and then send a phlebotomist to their house [to draw blood].

I get all the information back and then I sit back down with the patient and we will go over all of the report together. And that will take up to an hour and a half.

At the end of that, we edit the decision together. So we decide what we we want to do. I come up with a summary, a one- to two-page summary, and then create a schedule for all their supplements and their nutrition, and then basically hand off the recommendations to any staff they have to help implement it, or just to them.

Then Ill check in with them in a couple weeks via text or via email or the phone and then well repeat the process. Well take some of the labs that we did and then well repeat that on a quarterly basis. And then well go over the changes we see over time.

Q: How long would a typical patient be with you?

The real benefit comes after working for a year. Six months to a year is the minimum amount of time that we should be working together. And the patients who tend to go off the program, they come back to me eventually and theyre like, Yeah, I fell off the wagon and I want to jump back on. But it takes some commitment because you want to optimize health.

The patients that dont do the best are the ones that think that everything is about the supplements, and everything is about the right supplements. Supplements are like the last mile of optimization.

The first and foremost thing you need to do is recognize that this is not an overnight fix. Youre not just going to feel amazing overnight. Its actually about building these changes over time, and it makes a lot of difference if you recognize its like compounding interest.

And the thing about it is that its not rocket science, but a lot of it is actually knowing what is right for your body and your lifestyle. And thats going to be different for different people.

Q: Thats tough what youre describing. How many stick with it?

I work with mostly entrepreneurs, investors, and executives. So I tend to work with people who, when I first evaluate whether or not theyre a fit for my practice, I can assess how willing are they to do the things that Im asking them to do? If theyre a six out of 10, then Im not going to ask them to do that.

The patients that dont do the best are the ones that think that everything is about the supplements, and everything is about the right supplements. Supplements are like the last mile of optimization. They can make a really big difference. But fundamentally, if your lifestyle is a disaster, for those people its about actually showing them whats happening in their lifestyle and showing them how food is affecting them, giving them continuous glucose monitors, getting them heart-rate variability monitors, so they can glean some real insight around whats happening day-to-day.

Q: What are some of the more dangerous things patients come in doing?

A big problem I see people buying everything they read on Bulletproof Coffee. Im just like, Guys, [Bulletproofs founder] Dave Asprey has not figured everything out. First and foremost hes a salesman and a marketer. And secondly he is a bio-hacker, and so lets get real.

Everything hes recommending! Bulletproof Coffee [which has as much as 4 tablespoons of fat or oil per cup) is probably the worst idea that a person can do in terms of their health. The problem is theres a large number of people that will have much higher rates of cholesterol, and some people will be fine on it. And people do it wrong: they add sugar to it, or eat sugary things, or dont have the right genetics for that level of fat consumption.

Ive seen three patients now with really, really high cholesterol levels. Way, way above normal. Im like, What are you drinking in the morning? What does your routine look like? They say, You know, I start my day with Bulletproof Coffee And Im like, Are you? Oh no.

Is what youre doing scalable?

What Im doing right now is not scalable at all. Ive been doing this practice in order to figure out what does scale. Because if you look at all this information, youll start to see things that make sense for larger populations of people, and I think this is where medicine could go if we had more convenience.

Can this become a standard of care for most people, or will it be concierge medicine forever?

Here are few things that have to happen.

The health care system needs to recognize that what they are doing isnt working for chronic disease, first and foremost. Second of all, we need large-scale studies on this kind of medicine.

Im looking at interventions from the perspective of what is the most sound, evidence-based recommendation I can make for this individual. If it doesnt have evidence, why doesnt it. Chinese medicine may not have much evidence in the western model but it has thousand of years of people using it. The question is, Is it totally bullshit? Well, probably not. Theres probably some truth in it.

Then we need doctors who want to learn how to do this. We have to be able to train them how to do this. When I was in med school, I thought there was a lot missing from my education: what about lifestyle, what about what happens after the patient goes home after the visit to the hospital?

The kitchen is no longer the medicine cabinet. The kitchen is now the place of ultra-toxicity and disease.

I saw this giant problem in my education, and I actually designed a course called, Physician Heal Thyself, Evidence-based lifestyle. I brought in all these doctors who are experts in sleep medicine, sleep, fitness nutrition, food as medicine, functional medicine, integrative medicine, osteopathy and acupuncture. I got them all in a room and said I want you to teach students what were missing. We need to make this medical school education and have to implement this into the board certification programs as well as board exams. If its not required, its not going to be taught.

Finally, we need to be able to prescribe these things. We need food companies to do the research to show their food has outcomes that can improve human health. If we believe its medicine, then we need to study food as medicine. And we have to put it through the same rigor that we put drugs through. Thats going to happen. Were not that far way, but one of the biggest things that needs to happen is a culture shift.

Where do you think a practice like yours will be in five years?

The way to explain this question is actually to look to the past. When I was trying to figure out if what I was doing was special, I started doing some research on doctors in antiquity. I found an interesting pattern.

Most people in Greek and Roman times considered their kitchen to be their medicine cabinet. The women of the world were responsible for managing a lot of illness through food. So food as medicine was fairly widespread, but the wealthy and the gladiators and the kings, all of these people had special doctors.

Theres always been doctors working with the elite and working with the athletes of the world. But the difference between now and then, is that the kitchen is no longer the medicine cabinet. The kitchen is now the place of ultra-toxicity and disease.

I think in five years, Im going to be, hopefully, speaking to the entire country through media and through public health campaigns (Im going to build a platform around this) trying to bring back what we knew for thousands of years about how food can treat our disease and how plants are a source of healing and how the way that we are living our lives in modern times is antithetical to optimal health.

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A doctor is helping Silicon Valley execs live their best life for $40k a year - Quartz

The fervent health craze that has recently overtaken society has spurred a number of peculiar trends from cupping to placenta pills to oxygen shots.

Most of these fads have a validity that is questionable as best whereas others seem to exist solely for the financial gain of Instagram celebs.

Yet, amidst the bizarre and completely outlandish exist a few health hacks that are actually legitimate.

Nootrobox is one such craze that despite its quirky nature, also works.

From the companys chewable coffee cubes (Go Cubes) to its assortment of dietary supplements, Nootrobox has the internet buzzing.

Geoff Woo, Nootroboxs CEO and co-founder explains how the brand is a perfect balance between data and fun and how this has contributed to its wild success.

At Nootrobox, we embrace and nerd out about the science, and we lean into explaining and diving directly into the peer-reviewed clinical research papers. Our customers are smart and we treat them like how I would treat bringing ambitious and intellectually curious friends into the world of biohacking and human enhancement.

Any paradigm shift in how culture views consumption is good for us. The changing narrative means the timing is ripe for us to help redefine what is healthful consumption and what baseline healthy even means. We're already a part of the conversation via our leadership in biohacking and intermittent fasting. We think nootropics and proper supplements is very much a part of "clean" and better consumption.

We see Go Cubes as a welcoming friendly doormat into the world of biohacking and nootropics. Energy and focus is the first thing people notice and it's a natural entry point. Thus, it's got a more fun, friendly, and convenient angle. Once you're hooked there, you graduate to Nootrobox.

We're smart, confident, and self-aware as the people and biohackers behind the product and brand. Having that come through is really an asset for us because we're a real authentic company and not just another big corporate.

Embrace the science and tech but communicate it in a way that's real and actionable. Find balance between data and fun. It's an art.

Always upgrading our nootropic stacks. We have some irons in the oven we'll be launching later this year. Stay tuned.

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How Nootrobox Started a Craze (That Actually Works) - TechDay News (blog)

Skullcap is a minty perennial herb which has tiny purple flowers and offers many health benefits. The Skullcap herbhas shown powerful antioxidant effects, helps calm nerves, treats fever, and has a synergistic effect that helps other herbs and supplements be better absorbed. The benefits of Skullcap are many, and the list of Skullcap side effects is small. Learning more about this potent herb may benefit you greatly in your battle to restore natural balance.

Overall this curious little perennial packs quite a punch for such a beautiful unassuming figure. Skullcap is typically taken either as an herbal extraction tincture or in capsule form.There are two types of Skullcap often confused for one another;Scutellaria baicalensisor Chinese Skullcap, and Scutellaria lateriflorawhich is American Skullcap. American Skullcap is somewhat infamously regarded as the Mad Dog herb, and was used extensively in pre-industrialized America to treat rabies in both human and animals.

Besides being just an herb useful in the treatment and management of several health conditions throughout human history, a deeper story can be told by understanding what natural compounds can be found in Skullcap. American Skullcap is the form most-commonly used among herbalists and those seeking the health benefits of Skullcap, though the Chinese Skullcap, Scutellaria lateriflora, has very unique properties capable of affecting the power of many compounds. One study found that Chinese skullcap, in 50% reduction, contained approximately 1mg/g of gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is known to exhibit many health benefits such as stimulating growth hormone, helping concentration, and in lowering anxiety 1.

Research has shown that Chinese Skullcap is also rich in a compound called Baicalein, which has been shown to inhibit a protein involved in strengthening the blood brain barrier 23. This protein, named P-glycoprotein (P-gp) helps control the overall integrity of cellular membranes which, when inhibited, can allow compounds to pass the blood brain barrier much more efficiently. Basically what this means is that Skullcap can be taken in conjunction with other compounds and make them be much more effective by helping them to cross the blood brain barrier. This synergistic ability of Skullcap to enhance the effects of other compounds makes it an ideal companion for many Nootropics and herbal remedies. While many herbal compounds are renowned for offering healthy benefits, paying close attention to the deeper details of their makeup can afford a great advantage if you are seeking to address specific concerns.

Both Chinese and American Skullcap varieties have been known for centuries to offer health benefits when taken in proper doses. Skullcap has been administered typically throughout Traditional Chinese Medicine practices and by other herbal practitioners as a tea, tincture, and whole-plant type herbin capsule form more recently. One of the most notable benefits that Skullcap has been found to offer is the potential to treat cancer. Scutellaria Lateriflora, the American Skullcap, was investigated as a potential herbal treatment of a particularly nasty type of cancer, Fibrosarcoma. Researchers found that Skullcap was able to significantly suppress the tumor cells, and that further investigation on Skullcaps ability to be used an effective natural cancer treatment was much needed 4.

Skullcap is also an effective natural anxiety treatment for many, and offers powerful anxiolytic(anxiety-reducing) effects. One study found that overall group positivity and mood was improved with researchers gave everyone American Skullcap 5. This study did note that there may be some statistical variance for individual results, but overall felt confident in the assessment that American Skullcap has the potential to positively affect mood and lower anxiety. Another broad assessment of all available studies on herbal medicines for the treatment of anxiety and depression also found that American Skullcap is effective as a natural anti-anxiety treatment 6. Many people regard Skullcaps ability to help calm nerves as an ideal herb for use in helping to promote better sleep patterns.

Herbal compounds are generally regarded as safe, and often exhibit mild side effects in only a rare number of cases. These compounds are presented in similar forms to how they are found naturally, and are often accompanied by their man co-enzyme factors which help absorption and effectiveness. Typical side effects of Skullcap are confusion, muscle twitching, and irregular heartbeat. As an added caution, Chinese skullcap is generally regarded as being ill-advised for those with stomach and spleen issues, as well as women that are pregnant or breast feeding. Another caution that is recommended would be to keep in mind that Baicalein may affect the potency of other supplements or medications that you are taking, and you should consult a licensed health care provider to help better understand the best decision for you.

Skullcap is commonly found as a synergistic ingredient in many herbal teas. It is most commonly found in sleepy time teas, and blends meant to help promote calming and relaxation. The best skullcap supplements on the market, in our experience, have been those offered in tincture form. This is a liquid suspension of a concentrated dose of the most active bio-alkaloids in Skullcap. These tinctures exist in one of two formsalcohol based or vegetable glycerine based. Were fans of the alcohol-based versions but many seeking to avoid alcohol altogether prefer the glycerin suspensions. Our favorite brands are Herb Pharm and Gaia Herbs, which both offer very high quality herbal tinctures in our experience.

Skullcap is a powerful natural herb that has been used as a powerhouse remedy to heal all sorts of ailments. Its been used throughout Traditional Chinese Medicine practices for centuries, and has a history in America as far back as the days of the Wild West. Its been used to treat a variety of health conditionsas benign as headaches and as severe as rabies. Skullcap offers a unique ability to help the blood brain barrier become more-easily crossed, therefore acting as a synergistic companion to many other compounds. Its most active alkaloid,Baicalin, can be found in high concentration in herbal tinctures offered by brands such as Herb Pharm and Gaia Herbs. This powerful compound is considered as a Nootropic by many when used to amplify the effects of other such compounds, though its use is very broadly-suited.

Skullcap is a powerful natural herb rich in bioavailable alkaloids known to offer many health benefits. Its been used throughout human history as a kind of cure-all, and has even been used to treat rabies. Its available from certain brands in tincture form, and also in many herbal teas.

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Skullcap Herb: Synergistic Powerhouse & Possible Nootropic ... - MilTech