[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Wise Guy wrote:
bushidobadboy wrote:
Have you heard of the ‘aquatic ape’ theory?
BBB
Nope. Fill me in!
I will try and make a long story short here.
After flunking out of college my first try years ago, I pretty much gave up on all things academia.
After some not so good experiences in the real world without a college degree, I went back in the fall 2007.
I have taken 10 classes in the past year. 9 A’s, one B.
Its tripped out. At first, I attributed it to being a little older, more responsible. But deep down, I knew something WAS different.
One night a few months ago under some “mind expanding” substances, I realized the change - I had been taking fish oil, 1-3 grams a day, frequently and consistently, for the past 3
years.
There is no doubt in my mind that fish oil has substantially increased my cognitive abilities. But its something that probably needs to be taken for months to notice an effect.
So there is no doubt in my mind that noop’s are real, and effective, and do work.
Well the theory goes something like this:
That although early hominids might have arisen in the plains of Africa, etc, it was only when they moved to coastal regions, that they began ingesting enough omega 3 (from seafood and fish) and energy, that their brains began to grow and develop into something approximating the organs that we, modern man, possess today.
This makes a kind of sense when you consider that your brain is mostly fat and water, and that the fat content comprises a high degree of EFAs/omega 3s. The ‘electrical insulation’ of the axons of nerves, the membranes of nerves (and axons) themselves as well as the membranes of all the ‘support cells’ (glial cells) in the brain are made of lipid. The areas of lower density within those membranes (known as ‘channels’) are created by inclusion of a molecule or two of EFA.
Since these channels allow ingress and egress of important nutrients and waste chemicals, it would make perfect sense that in order for the brain to operate in an optimal manner, there needs to be an optimum number of healthy ‘channels’ in the membranes of the hundreds of billions of neurons, not to mention the even more numerous glial cells.
Studies have clearly shown that the developing brain craves omega 3s and other EFAs, or it begins to express abberant behaviour. Why should the ‘developed’ brain be any different, especially when you consider that every component of the neuron is replaced within about a 6 month cycle. OK so the membranes themselves may not be replaced (there is some debate about this from what I understand), but to my mind, that makes it even more critical that we optimise the function of the membranes we are stuck with for life.
Here endeth the lecture, lol.
Anyway, your situation sounds a lot like my own. I was never academic at school or uni (the first time around, lol). I had trouble concentrating. When I began my Mchiro, I was languishing somewhere in the bottom 25% of my cohort.
Then I began with vinpocetine and fish oils. My performance began to improve. I added in oxi, moda, spike and ani during the years when I had copious amounts of anatomy, etc to learn by memory. I began to notice that although I was working hard, I was not working as hard as some of the exceptional students on my course, yet still exceeding their marks, at least on pure memory stuff.
In my final academic year, widely regarded as being the most ferocious, I sat back and just cruised, barely doing any supplemental reading, except in the more academic modules. I found that I only needed to read something once and without realising I knew it, I could puke out the answers before others had even digested the question.
I felt like superbrain to be honest, and passed all my exams first time, though 30% of my year failed.
Nootropics are most definitely real. And they are most definitely effective. It’s just a shame that their use is not more widely understood or practiced.
I know of several good students who have been booted off the course, due to the sheer rigorousness and demand of the course, who would likely have passed and been successful and less stressed out, if they had but grasped the idea of brain boosting.
BBB[/quote]
Great theory. Makes perfect sense.
And yep, sounds like our stories are identical.
I passed highschool with a 2.2/4.0
Right now in college Im carrying a 3.81/4.0
The difference is real. There is no doubt in my mind.
It is quite likely I hardly got any omega 3 fatty acids until I started supplementing with fish oil.
And its weird, but yea, I can pretty much attest that I have profoundly changed since starting it. Even my demeanor and the way I act. But these things take months.
Anyhoot, I plan on picking up Vinpo this weekend!