Dear Member,
Did you know this…?
Most of us lose IQ as we get older.
A lot of my patients worry about this, especially with the coming of the New Year, when we’re all reminded of time’s passing.
Yes—your mental power usually fades as you age. The good news is this is entirely avoidable. You can stop the process, even enhance your learning capacity, no matter how old you happen to be. All it takes is a combination of natural, clinically proven “brainpower boosters” and a bit of mental exercise.
Here’s what I’ve found to be truly effective with my patients over the years:
Vinpocetine: This stuff’s so potent and effective as a guard against fading mental faculties that it’s a prescription drug in Europe and Japan. In fact it goes by the name “Intellectol” because of its mind-enhancing powers. For some strange reason it hasn’t made it onto the radar screen in this country. Clinical studies show it can:
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Limit and even reverse cerebrovascular disorders and prevent senility and age-related dementia.1
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Enhance memory.2
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Increase blood flow to the brain.3
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Halt the breakdown of dopamine, a key neurotransmitter responsible for behavior and cognition, motor activity, motivation and reward.
You can find vinpocetine on line and in most health food stores. I suggest first-time users start out with about 2-5 mg with meals daily to make sure they’re not hypersensitive to it. You can increase the dose from there until you start to see results.
Folate (vitamin B9): Just about everyone doesn’t get enough of this key nutrient, mostly because the best sources are leafy greens, which few folks love to eat.
Even if you were to eat a lot of them, today’s commercial greens don’t have anywhere near what they used to in the old days, before modern farming stripped them of their nutritional value.
That’s a real problem. A study out of South Korea found a direct link between folate deficiency, Alzheimer’s, and age-related dementia. Researchers took over 500 people over 65 and monitored them for about two-and-a-half years.
Forty-five of them developed dementia over that period. Out of the 45, 34 had Alzheimer’s. The one thing everyone in this group had in common was what the researchers called an “exaggerated” decline in folate levels compared to the rest of the people in the study.
They concluded that people with low levels of folate had three times the risk of developing Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Make sure you get at least 800 mcg a day through supplementation, and work more greens into your diet (preferably organic).
Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC): ALC stands for acetyl-L-carnitine. You won’t hear about this high-octane IQ fuel from most doctors. It helps your brain to relay signals between the neurons responsible for abstract reasoning, focus, and memory. Your body stops being able to make enough of it as you age. Supplementation makes up the difference.
Clinical evidence has also shown that ALC keeps your brain’s cellular engines revved in spite of the decreased blood flow that comes with age.
I recommend 250 mg of ALC per day. It works best in liquid form on an empty stomach. Let your doctor know you’re taking ALC, especially if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding.
There’s also powerful mind exercises that boost learning capacity, increase retention, and improve memory. You can use techniques pioneered by a company called Learning Strategies. They just came out with a new technique for boosting your brainpower called “The Genius Mind.”
In this uniquely interactive program they show you how parts of the brain work… and how you can use this knowledge for your own academic, financial and relationship success.
You’ll also discover exercises and techniques that boost whole brain learning. It can activate your own particular kind of brilliance.
I highly recommend it. You’ll find all kinds of ways to give your brain a “workout.” I’ve used some of them myself and with my patients. They work.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
P.S. The Genius Mind is such a great product that I asked my friends at Learning Strategies to put together their best offer. If you order in the next 10 days you will get an additional 37% off, just be sure to mention Customer Code: E1208D-2. In addition you’ll receive 4 bonuses that lead you through special “mental exercises.”
Click here to find out more about “The Genius Mind.”
1“Vinpocetine. Monograph.” Alternative Medicine Review. 2002. (3):240-3.
2.Possible memory-enhancing properties of vinpocetine.” Drug Development Research. 2004. 14(3-4):191–193; and McDaniel et al. “‘Brain-specific’ nutrients: a memory cure?” Nutrition. 2003. 19(11-12):957-75.
3.Szilágyi et al. “Effects of vinpocetine on the redistribution of cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in chronic ischemic stroke patients: a PET study.” Journal of Neurological Sciences. 2005. 229-230:275-84.
4.Yoon et al. “Changes in folate, vitamin B12, and homocysteine associated with incident dementia.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. Published on line Feb. 2008. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.131482.
5.Calvani et al. “Attenuation by acetyl-l-carnitine of neurological damage and biochemical derangement following brain ischemia and reperfusion.” International Journal of Tissue Reactions. 1992. 21(1):1-6.