Smart Pills
I don’t know if it’s just me, but I seem to be targeted for ads about supplements and substances claiming to enhance brain function. Here’s the short list of stuff that’s been coming my way of late:
- Ginkgo Biloba improves memory and mental sharpness. In China, it’s been used for centuries to treat diarrhea, cough, and other conditions. Those things may be related.
- Bacopa Monnieri improves memory, learning, and cognitive processing speed by enhancing synaptic communication. I want to take 1,000 mg of that and go get an EEG.
- Rhodiola Rosea enhances mental Clarity, reduces fatigue, and improves focus under Stress. It’s marketed primarily to married men.
- Lion’s Mane Mushrooms promote nerve Growth, improve memory, and sharpen focus. Contestants often take megadoses before going on Jeopardy.
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids support brain cell structure, reduce inflammation, improve memory and cognitive function, and substitute for transmission fluid in a pinch.
- Phosphatidylserine improves memory, attention, and cognitive decline in Aging; although, most seniors forget to take it.
- Acetyl-L-Carnitine enhances mental energy, focus, and memory by supporting mitochondrial function in brain cells. It’s also used to strip paint at auto body shops.
- Panax Ginseng improves mental performance, focus, and working memory by enhancing blood flow. Vampires often give it to their victims before biting their necks.
- L-Theanine promotes relaxation without sedation, improves focus (especially when combined with methamphetamine), and may enhance alpha brain wave activity in narcoleptics.
- Noopept enhances memory, learning, and neuroprotection. For extra neuroprotection, people who auto-renew their supplies get discounts on WaveCel helmets.
- Caffeine boosts short-term cognition, alertness, attention, and reaction time by blocking adenosine receptors. I drink Murdered Out.
- Prevagen supports brain Health and relieves mild, age-related memory loss. Its active ingredient is apoaequorin, a synthetic protein derived from the Aequorea victoria jellyfish. No, thanks.
Let’s Simplify
Those of you who are familiar with my rantings probably know some of the stories I’ve shared about my two younger brothers — Keith, my Irish twin, and Woody, the baby of the Family. It’s a safe bet neither of those guys knows anything about Occam’s Razor, and Keith’s no friar. But he has an uncanny knack for seeing through things and simplifying them to their utmost. Case in point:
In 1975, our parents and one of my mother’s cousins and his wife split a five-acre lot in Old Lyme, Connecticut, intending to build on the property and move there, which they did in the early ‘80s. Their lot was a corner of a 95-acre parcel that was entirely wooded. One day, Keith, Woody, and I took a drive down to Old Lyme to meet my parents at the property and to see what they had planned for it.
As we walked through the woods, Woody spotted a small pile of deer scat on the ground. He picked up the pellets and walked over to Keith.
“What are these?” Woody asked.
Keith, who’s an avid hunter said, “They’re smart pills.”
“What do you mean?”
“Smell them,” Keith said.
Woody did.
“What do they smell like?” Keith asked.
Woody said, “They smell like shit.”
Keith said, “See. You’re smarter already.”
Originally Published on https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/category/lifecolumns/notes-to-self/
I'm the founder and principal of O'Brien Communications Group (obriencg.com) and the co-founder and President of EinSource (einsource.com). I'm a lifelong writer. My wife, Anne, and I have two married sons and four grandchildren. I'm having the time of my life.
