November 3, 2003
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Food for thought
Considering that I’m a recovering drug addict who hasn’t had an organ transplant lately, I take an inordinate number of pills. Some days, upwards of fifty or more. Most of these are vitamins or herbs–saw palmetto for my prostate, for instance, and ginseng and maca for general toning and stamina. But many of them are in the class of substances known as brain food–cognitive enhancers, if you prefer the latinate to the Anglo-Saxon equivalent.
I’m talking about ginkgo biluba, vinpocetine, huperzine, lecithin, dimethylaminoethanol bitartrate, docosahexaenoic acid, and vitamin C, among others. Vitamin C? How did that sneak in there? Yep, vitamin C has been proven to be brain food. In studies, a few grams a day will raise one’s IQ from 5 to 10 points or so.
I got to thinking about the subject this morning around 7:30, as thoughts of blogs–ones I had read the night before and ones I wanted to write–were dancing in my head. It occurred to me that the hunk of oatmeal between my ears has been working a lot better since I gave up shit like alcohol and pot and sugar and so forth. (I know, sugar–like amphetamine–is a short-term cognitive enhancer, but the pay-back is murder.) To be totally honest, like Kathy, I haven’t given up sugar 100%. Amaranth cereal–this self-righteously healthful nasty-tasting crap they push in the natural foods aisle at Carr’s–has five grams per serving. And a can of Stagg Classic chili has around 20 grams of the stuff. By comparison, a can of soft drink has around 40 grams, to the best of my recollection. It’s been a while since I’ve read the label on one. But I digress.
I don’t really know how much I need the brain food. I started being put in more or less advanced groups since second grade, was a Merit-scholarship guy, belonged to Mensa and Intertel and so on and so forth yadda yadda yadda. But since my sweety has an IQ higher than mine, and her son’s is almost off the darn charts, I figure I can use all the help I can get in trying to keep up with the maniac brainiacs I am privileged to live with.
And I HAVE gotten pretty good at doing the Sunday Times crossword.
Comments (9)
Thanks for commenting. I didn’t think any of you guys up there were still reading. No, you don’t sound like a party pooper.
I realize that I couldn’t have been broader or more general when I said “pagans” and “christians”, but in actuality I really only had 2 of my friends in mind when I wrote that entry. One calls herself pagan and the other calls herself christian. They’re 2 chicks that have an awful lot in common, but are at “opposite” (heh…the magic word) ends of the spiritual spectrum. I call myself an alchemist (which I’m sure makes a lot of people laugh, but hey, laughter is the best medicine). I don’t necessarily think that God will be peering through some kind of magical peephole that day at all of us insane little human creatures, but the whole thing just sounds like fun to me. 
BTW, good luck kicking the sugar. Sounds hard to me at the moment. *glances at huge coffee mug at left hand* 
I applaud you and your clan for being disciplined enough to stay off the sugar…would that I had half of your drive…
Ya I been taking a lot those herb, for high blood. Works for me. Never did drugs, except, some doctor drug, and soon quit that.
I need something for memory
I have noticed much less “brain fog” since cutting down my sugar consumption.
Keep it up!
I recently read an article in SciAm about gingko. Not so unexpectedly, the author concludes that the sucrose found in a candy bar produces more of an empirical “boost” than the herb. Personally, I rather get the slighter stimulation from less refined products.
Assuming everyone who has the fortitude to settle (and thrive) in Alaska has a minimum IQ of >3 sigma I’m curious if anyone in your household is a member of any of those 999 society, Megafoundation.org or Prometheus-like groups?
I’m on enough brain drugs as it is.
Heavily medicated for your protection, that’s me!
A fellow roadrunner told me that thinking slows you down, but I just can’t help it!
The only thing appertinent I know for sure – it must be true because I read about it many times – really I did – is that nicotine definitely stimulates the cognitive factors of the human brain. Probably would in other animals, too, like horses (who really need it) or giraffes, etc. but they don’t know how to smoke.
Seriously, if you’re taking doctor medicine, like pills for the blood pressure, you could do some serious damage with a lot of Gingko Biloba, et. al. on top of blood thinners, etc. In other words, don’t forget you can get too much of a good thing.
PS. It’s not hard to quit smoking; just wait till you develop an undying cough.
See above–nope, everything I take is legal and OTC.