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Health / Nootropics - Smart drugs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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On Nootropics/Smart drugsWe all want our brain to function at its best, to have a solid and fast memory and in general to enjoy a state of "heightened intelligence". Thanks to neuroscience we know the basic systems responsible for each function of the brain and we are aware of many substances that phenomenologically seem to help these systems. Living in a world that has vitamins/supplements for everything it would seem illogical if we wouldn't try to have this extra something for our most precious organ; the brain. The internet is full of sites with glowing references to smart drugs. Many people report that their brains were sleeping before but now they are bright and happy. Many people report that they can remember everything, that their test grades are maximized and that they have enhanced verbal communication skills or extra writing inspiration. Almost all of the sites report that smart drugs are very safe and the only problem that seems to be at the minds of the people there is which drug is the most efficient. So what is the problem? So many people take smart drugs, there aren't any serious side effects referred and the benefits seem endless! Unfortunately, things aren't as ideal as they seem. While many people report these great effects, the vast majority of them report just "subtle" or no effects. Most of these drugs are either used for Alzheimer's disease or prepared for old patients with dementia. It is extremely hard to impossible to find papers on studies made with young healthy individuals. While there drugs may help (and do help) brain systems that have a known problem, not enough research is published yet on whether these drugs may help healthy brains. So the efficacy of smart drugs on young healthy individuals can only be estimated by people reporting personal experiences or by the personal subjective beliefs of certain doctors. Don't forget that most of the people taking smart drugs are very enthusiastic on the subject and that the placebo effect is most of the times the strongest drug in their minds. While Alzheimer's and other FDA approved drugs may seem safe for consuming by people that weren't the original targets of the product, there are many "herbal supplements" that phenomenologically help the function of the brain (especially the memory). While these aren't officially called smart drugs or nootropics they usually go along with them. The biggest concern on these herbal supplements isn't on their efficiency but on their safety. While an FDA approved drug has a limited and known number of approved chemical substances, a herb can have hundreds to thousands substances that their short and long term effect on the body isn't always known. Someone may say that herbs like Gingko Biloba or Ginseng are used for so many hundred years that their are generally believed safe. This may be true but the facts that there are hundred of substances in these herbs, that most of the papers published on them are from countries that sell these products and that there aren't enough (any?) tests on drug interactions and safety in specific health cases introduce a health risk in the consuming of them. As a final word on herbs take note that the manufacturing companies usually don't write any warnings on drug interactions or other special information on their products. By searching the internet someone can find many contraindications that weren't written on the original packaging. So the two advantages of smart drugs and herbal supplements; efficacy and safety are questionable. Nothing is 100% safe, nothing is always efficient and there is no panax. So should you be disappointed by all this hype and dismiss it as a new miracle loose-20-pounds-a-week pill ? I have made extensive reading on this subject. I have read reports of miracles and I have read articles that dismiss all smart drugs treating them as a scam. I've read books of nootropic lovers and haters. I am scientist. I have developed a critical way of thinking and I believe I can easily find out if I'm reading the report of a happy 15 year old or the article of a dismissive old fashioned 60 year old. From my best knowledge I believe that smart drugs is a very promising topic. While someone may decide to try one or two of them and may feel no noticeable effect, it is very probable that there is a specific dose and a specific drug combination that will work for him. The way our brain works is very complicated, a single supplement may not produce any change but many small well weighed adjustments will probably fine tune it. There are three things I always read on forums on smart drugs:
I believe the best thing someone has to do is to do his homework before going to the laboratory for the experiment. First find and read as much information as you can on the subject. The links I supply may be a good starting point. Go to sites that sell these drugs and read the glowing references there, go to forums and read what the people have to say, search in Pubmed for papers, try to search for more info on the specific substances you are interested in. Weigh everything, be very critical but not dismissive and let all these settle in your mind. Take your time. Don't be enthusiastic and don't go and order some after reading just for a week. This is a serious matter; your are doing it first for your health and second for your time and money. You wouldn't like to buy something that you aren't sure it is the best for your needs, right? In case you decide to buy one, be sure that you can't be 100% sure for it's safety. Try to discuss with a doctor before trying, though I believe most of the doctors aren't aware of these stuff. So, be smarter than the drug. Try to know most of the available theory before experimenting with yourself and remember the big truth: In the long term, the best thing you can do for your brain is to exercise it: think much now and you will be able to think better later. |
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