Brain Candy

Informationen zum Autor Ted Lidsky, Ph.D and Jay Schneider, Ph.D Klappentext Keep forgetting where you put your keys? Wish you could get through the crossword faster? Experiencing too many "intellectual pauses"? Then this is the book for you.Brain Candy is an authoritative, comprehensive, and above all, cutting-edge look at what you can take to rev up your brain -- enhance memory, think faster, sharpen creativity, focus better. The only authors yet to tackle this subject who are experts in both brain function and drug action, Theodore Lidsky and Jay Schneider explain in plain English what the effects of these substances are on the body. Do they really work? Are they safe? Are they readily available? Topics include: * How to tell if a drug is worth taking * The neuropsychology of forgetting * Why drugs can help you think better * What you can take: smart drugs, amino acids, hormones, vitamins * And much more For aging baby boomers -- and for anyone else who wants a quicker wit -- Brain Candy has all the answers. Leseprobe Introduction We got the idea for this book when one of us -- Ted Lidsky -- developed an aching, arthritic back. As I was unable to get more than partial symptom relief from aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen, my treating physician suggested an alternative: St. John's Wort. (For reasons that are poorly understood, drugs that are normally prescribed for depression will, if given in very low doses, alleviate certain types of chronic pain.) This herb, now so well known, was unfamiliar to me at that time. My doctor explained that it was a naturally occurring antidepressant that should, like the prescription antidepressants, be effective in treating chronic pain. It was effective; after a few days of taking St. John's Wort, I had better pain relief than I was able to get from ordinary painkillers. At about the same time as my back pain let up, however, I began to develop a new problem that was even more disconcerting: I began to have increasing trouble speaking. In fact, I had great difficulty thinking of the simple words that were part of my normal vocabulary. My speech repeatedly stalled as I racked my brain to find words that seemed to be right on the tip of my tongue. Since part of my work is public speaking, it was a definite handicap. In searching for the cause of my jumbled words, I stumbled back upon the St. John's Wort, since it was the only recent change I had made in my life. Yet neither the physician who suggested that I use the supplement nor the "authority" in the health food store where I bought it nor the many magazine and journal articles describing St. John's Wort's effects mentioned adverse influences on speech. Still, I could think of no other explanation, and so as a test, I stopped taking the drug. Miraculously, as my back pain reemerged, so did my ability to find words. I started the St. John's Wort again, my back pain lessened and my speech problems returned. Clearly this was a side effect of the drug that, based on the available information, was impossible to foresee. Some time after I stopped taking St. John's Wort (for good, this time), I noticed a television commercial for an herb that was touted as being useful in fighting off the effects of aging on memory. Like millions of others in my age bracket, I have noticed a decline in my mental powers as I've grown older. Is it possible that the advertised herb, or any of the other cognitive boosters that are aggressively marketed, actually work? Are they safe? My experience with St. John's Wort, particularly in attempting to get information about its side effects, made me wary. What were, really, the benefits and potentially dangerous differences between prescription drugs as compared to the herbs, dietary supplements, and other agents sold in health food stores and other sources of alternative medicines? While it is fairly easy to obtain exhau...

Product details

• Authors: Ted Lidsky, Theodore Lidsky, Theodore I. Lidsky, Theordore I. Lidsky, Jay Schneider
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2008
• EAN: 9780684870809
• ISBN: 978-0-684-87080-9
• No. of pages: 244
• Subjects: Guides > Health; medical; health; well being; healthy