Creating a Cognitive Enhancement Program

Optimal brain functioning requires a solid foundation of nutrients, just as your body does, and ideally, your brain needs to reside in a healthy body. A good cognitive enhancement program should be based on a good general health maintenance program. At the top of your list for this purpose should be a high-potency multivitamin-multimineral-antioxidant formulation.

Building the right cognitive enhancement program entails deciding what it is that you want to achieve. Some people are more drawn to retarding or preventing brain aging and recovering lost cognitive function as much as possible. Others are looking for enhancements such as quicker memory, improved long-term memory, better eye-hand coordination, and heightened vigilance.

COMPLEXITY SIMPLIFIED

Many people who are avid users of cognitive enhancers may take six, seven, eight, or even more of these supplements per day. Our idea was to simplify the process and reduce the cost of taking so many brain supplements.

When we first examined the long list of candidates for creating a complex nutritional supplement, there were many important considerations: range of benefits, costs, interactions, stability, convenience, etc. We also considered whether anyone would notbe able to take it. What we decided on was guided, first and foremost, by the scientific literature. The ingredients must have been in use for a long time so as to ensure that there were no unacceptable side effects. There had to be sufficient double-blind, placebo-controlled studies verifying efficacy and safety over a range of dose amounts, and the evidence had to be clear and unambiguous. In addition, of course, any formulation of ours had to be affordable and could include only components that most individuals can take.

From a production point of view, we needed components that were mutually stable and didn't interact adversely, so we could assure a long shelf life. We wanted convenience and potency. And we wanted to combine the right combination of nootropic nutrients, cerebral enhancement herbs, and neurohormones to produce maximum synergistic cognitive effects. (Nootropic means affecting the mind or cognitive functions.)

SYNERGISTIC SUPPLEMENTS 
A key thing to search for when combining nutrients, hormones, herbs, or other dietary supplements is evidence of synergy - interactions producing a whole effect that is greater than the sum of its parts. Many studies have indicated that when certain nootropics are combined, their benefits may complement and overlap one another, resulting in a synergistic amplification of their individual benefits.

You often see alleged synergistic formulations offered for sale that contain only token amounts of the active ingredients. There are no scientific justifications or citations offered for the conclusions that such small amounts of one ingredient, in the presence of other ingredients, can have their effects amplified. Each ingredient should be present in an amount scientifically established as the standard amount for a specific benefit. Our conclusions are based on quantitative data, not speculation. Where there are no clear data to support synergistic effects for some ingredients, we use study-justified amounts found to produce benefits for those ingredients.

THE VALUE OF MORE BRAIN NUTRIENTS
As previously stated, the first step in any basic cognitive enhancement program should be to take a general health maintenance supplement, followed by a general cognitive maintenance supplement. After this, one might add a phenylalanine supplement and a good choline supplement. These last two should elevate mental fitness to also help you more easily handle the challenges of each day. Some products can provide your brain with the nutrients for making additional and necessary neurotransmitters, including beta-phenylethylamine, noradrenaline, and dopamine. The many benefits of acetylcholine include increased mental stamina, determination, motivation, alertness, mental energy, and ability to focus and concentrate.

Finally, you can supplement with additional cognitive enhancers to further your personal goals. There are many choices. Just keep building on your knowledge, experiment, and determine what works best for you.