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There are some nutrients that the brain required to function properly and to produce neurotransmitters which are basically substances that control mind, mood, behavior and mind. A number of researches have shown that a proper nutritional supplementation can increase ones IQ, it can also improve learning ability and also help students gain higher test scores. The well documented study conducted by the California research have found out that when the school children take proper vitamins there can be an increase in their non verbal IQ at average of nearly six points. However when the team increased their study to three more years they found out that not every child can experience increase in IQ but there are also other children who can experience a whopping raise in IQ. There are a number of vitamin supplements easily available to increase your memory power but the not known by everyone are the smarter nutrients and smarter drugs which can offer you outstanding results in boasting memory power.

These smart nutrients and drugs are just the popularized tern for some natural substances which have been demonstrated and tested to improve human memory which also improve your concentration and the ability to learn. In scientific terms these nutrients are usually referred to as the cognitive enhancing supplements and there are a number of terms that fall under this category. Among these supplements there is the Acetyl-L-Carnitine that is said to boast memory power.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine Boasts Memory Power

This Acetyl-L-Carnitine in simple is derived from amino acid which is found accruing naturally in the body. This moves fats to the mitochondria which are the energy producing structures in the cells and the Acetyl-L-Carnitine is also available as dietary supplement. There are a number of studies which are done showing that this Acetyl-L-Carnitine supplement supercharges the production of cellular energy so that it in return maximizes your memory, longevity and health.

In order to prove that this Acetyl-L-Carnitine supplement has a positive impact on young as well as old people, the Italian research team had tested nearly 17 young healthy men and women who were aged between 20 to 26 among whom nearly ten were physically active who regularly played competitive sports. The other seven were however a bit sedentary who rarely exercised. Every individual was offered either placebo or Acetyl-L-Carnitine of around 1500 mg for a month and they were tested prior and after the treatment though a video game like device that was designed to evaluate eye hand coordination, attention span and reflexes. The complete group consumed the give dose of Acetyl-L-Carnitine regardless of whether they were previously active or sedentary and they had clearly increased their reflex speed. The group had also been noticed to make less errors and also took shorter time to complete a task.

Most of the researchers do believe that this Acetyl-L-Carnitine helps in improving cognition or memory power as it increases the production of acetylcholine in the brain. This acetylcholine plays a major role in brain and memory functions. It can also work by increasing the dopamine activity in a part of the brain where the dopamine is produced. There are also some recent researches and studies conducted that the individuals with Acetyl-L-Carnitine supplementation can actually supercharge mitochondria that plays the most important role in improving memory power and also longevity and ones health status.

Too often when I ask the question: “Do you have a bad memory? The automatic answer I get is an emphatic Yes!

My next question to them is what if someone were to borrow from them say a million dollars would they forget the person? And this time they give me a resounding No! Of course not! When I ask them why that is so and they say “well its obvious isn’t it? I mean how can you possibly forget that?

So back to the original question: “why do you think you’ve got a bad memory?” This time they give me another excuse.

Unless you’ve been diagnose with some kind of brain debilitating disease there is no such thing as a bad memory. For that matter there is no such thing as a good memory either. What most of us have is an untrained mind that can be nurtured to develop a razor sharp memory. The main reason why some of us feel that we cannot achieve this is that they are expecting it to occur overnight and they hope that there is some kind of pill that they can swallow that will boost their memory power.

Although some kinds of food can in some ways keep our memory power intact, what it really boils down to is to train our brain to remember what we want and recall them when we want to. In a recent seminar that I conducted, I had an 80 year old gentleman who after having been taught on how to remember was able to recall a long list of words in a short period of time. This is indeed a testament to the fact that old age does not destroy our ability to remember. Consider this metaphor: what happens if you never use a knife for a long period of time? The answer is obvious – it will not be as sharp as it should be. However, once you’ve sharpened it and use it regularly you find that it stays sharp. After some time you find that it gets blunt again and you have to sharpen it once more. This is how your memory works. You have to sharpen your memory from time to time. Just like you keep your physical body healthy by engaging in regular exercise, you can keep your memory razor sharp by doing the following things.

Improve your power of observation


One of the key reasons why many of us feel that we’ve got a lousy memory is because we do not boost our power of observation. If you drive, how many times have you parked your car in a multi-story carpark and were unable to find where you’ve parked the car when you return? The reason why you’ve got this problem is because when you parked your car, you failed to connect or link your car to the surrounding environment. You perceive the world that is in front of you and your car. What you need to do is to turn and have a good look at your car and see where you’ve parked it. Link your car to a pillar or remember the lot number where you’ve parked.

When you are introduced to someone new the first thing that you do is to find out the person’s name. And yet a few seconds later you cannot remember the name. Again this is due to your lack of power of observation. What you can do is to ask the person to repeat their name if you did not get it the first time. If the person gives you a name card, look at the card and make an association of the person with the name and his/her organization.

Example: Let say you were introduced to Theresa Lim who is a HR manager with Alphabet Pte Ltd. Perhaps you could see a “Tree” with lots of letters from the alphabets hanging from it. Then you know who the person is as ‘tree’ sounds close to Theresa and the letters on the tree may trigger your brain to recall the name of the company she is working.

However, I need to caution you here to be sensitive to this as it might look impressive on your part if you are able to recall the person you met, but you certainly won’t want to tell the person how you remember her.

Boost your concentration


This is important if you really want to develop a razor sharp memory. You don’t have to sweat over it. You could do it slowly and steadily. Boosting your concentration helps your brain to intensify its various activities and thus helps you to recall information with ease. You can boost your concentration by trying to link unrelated list of words by creating a story between them. Try to remember a whole song lyric by hard and sing it. You can also take a paragraph from a book or a list of countries and see whether you could remember them by hard. When you force yourself to remember such list of items there is a tendency for your brain to make many neural connections that allows you to boost your concentration and this in turn helps you increase your ability to recall information with ease.

Learn a new thing everyday


This is one of the most effective ways to keep your memory razor sharp. When you learn something new everyday you will find yourself becoming increasingly more alert and focussed on what you are doing. One effective way to do this is to learn a new word from the dictionary everyday and try to use it in your daily conversation or writing. Or you could keep an encyclopedia by your bedside and learn a new bit of information before you sleep. The Internet has many useful search engines that give you an immediate access to almost any information that you want. Try not to search for things that you already have a prior knowledge in. Learn something new as in that way your brain will take notice. When you do this regularly you will find that the new information seems to attract your interest and this will inspire your brain to make effective connections with existing information you have to help you boost your memory and make it razor sharp.

The human brain is one of the most sophisticated organs nature has ever made. One of the most interesting aspects of the brain is its power to retain information, which we call as memory. Memory is perhaps the most vital of the aspects that differentiates human beings from other animals. However, memory can become faulty due to several reasons, and in that case the person is not able to make full use of his or her potentials.

Since ages, drugs and natural remedies have been prescribed to enhance memories in people. Ayurveda has a treasure-chest of such memory enhancing drugs, which are today popular all over the world due to their proven effective qualities. The following is a list of the most effective herbs used in memory enhancement all over the world.

1. Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri)

Brahmi is perhaps the most investigated of all herbs for its memory enhancement properties. Now it is certified that brahmi has several chemicals that promote the protein synthesis process in the nerve and the brain cells, which is directly responsible for developing the mental capacity of the brain. Brahmi can make a person think clearer, and hence the memory becomes more vivid. In India, brahmi is used in countless forms to improve mental capacity for school-going children. Brahmi also increases the grasping power of the brain, due to which people can understand and assimilate information easily.

In adults, brahmi helps in relaxing and soothing the cells of the brain, and brings it to a normal state of functioning. Thus, brahmi is a valuable anti-anxiety agent and an antidepressant. Brahmi oil is quite often used to massage the head. This sort of massage immediately puts the mind at rest and the mental abilities rise drastically after its use.

2. Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Ginkgo works by improving the blood circulation to the central nervous system. This is the primary requisite for a healthy and capable brain. Apart from this, ginkgo corrects any damage done to the cells of different parts of the body, including the brain. It also minimizes the effects of the blood clotting. All these properties of the ginkgo have been studied in detail by western experts and they have obtained very encouraging results.

Ginkgo has got a place of respect in Ayurveda. The extract of the ginkgo is prescribed to people who have amnesia and Alzheimer’s disease. Several herbal brain tonics have ginkgo as one of the chief ingredients.

3. Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica)

The gotu kola is very effective in increasing the circulation of blood to different parts of the body, including the brain. It protects the brain from damage due to the wear and tear of its cells. Gotu kola can regenerate lost energy from the human system, and make the person feel more zestful.

Gotu kola is generally used in tonics intended to re-vitalize the brain. It improves concentration, makes the brain more receptive to information and also brings about an enhancement in the memory.

4. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

Ashwagandha is one of the most essential components used in enhancing memory and overall brain functioning. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen, stress-buster and a re-vitalizer. Ashwagandha has a cooling and calming effect on the brain. After a hard day’s work, ashwagandha can bring the brain back to its normal state of functioning.

Ayurveda regards ashwagandha as a medha rasayana, i.e. a brain tonic. It has direct results in improving the memory capacity of the brain. Ashwagandha is very powerful in making new concepts seem clearer and easy to understand. It is a vital component of almost all herbal brain tonics available in the market.

5. Mulethi (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Mulethi is none other than licorice, the herb already known worldwide for its various curative properties. Mulethi is an efficient brain tonic and a re-vitalizer for the brain. Like most of the other herbs mentioned here, mulethi also rejuvenates the brain. In times of stress, mulethi can stimulate mental functions so as to feel a calming and relaxing effect. Mulethi increases the circulation into the central nervous system and balances the sugar levels in the blood. Mulethi is frequently provided to students who are preparing for important examinations, as it helps to remember small facts and bits of information.

6. Vacha (Acorus calamus)

Vacha is a very vigorous brain tonic, because it shows results in a very short time. It increases the overall memory of the person and strengthens the nervous system. Vacha is prescribed to people who have amnesia.

Improving the memory is a quest on which human beings have embarked centuries ago. In almost all civilizations, there have been attempts to discover the best herbs for brain enhancement with minimum side-effects. Perhaps, Ayurveda wins the race in this. All the herbs Ayurveda uses for its brain tonics have minimum side-effects and are quite safe for the human beings. Western science is now warming up to these herbs and is looking upon them as effective supplements for the human brain.

Back in 1885, the German scientist Hermann Ebbinghaus made the first experimental studies in remembering and forgetting. What he discovered then still holds true today -- that using the common method of memorizing, we forget forty percent within twenty minutes and seventy-five percent by the end of the week! Doesn't it stand to reason, then, that if you are going to bother to learn things once, you might just as well go to a little extra trouble and protect your investment of time? You can do this easily by repeating briefly what you have learned once a day for a week, and then once a week for a month.

There have been men with a genius for memory, but their feats lie entirely outside the experience of us ordinary mortals. Lord Macaulay could memorize entire books at a single reading, Mozart as a boy wrote down the score of an oratorio after hearing it once, and Dumas pere never forgot anything he had read. My course in memory training cannot claim to teach you to duplicate such miracles. It is based simply on the laws of the workings of the minds of normal men, and its success is due to the fact that few people realize the potential powers of their thinking processes.

You and I remember only what we know, and we know only what we remember. The art I can teach you is the ability to use to the best advantage what you know, to be able to draw upon the great storehouse of your memory when you will, at a moment's notice. The more easily you can accomplish that seeming miracle, the farther and faster you will travel toward your ultimate success in life.

This brings us to our next important consideration: what shall we take the trouble to remember? We know of course that we neither can nor want to remember everything. To make our memories serve us intelligently, we have to be able to choose the things we want to remember and concentrate on developing a selective type of memory. Dr. R. S. Woodworth, of the National Research Council and Columbia University, after testing the memories of countless subjects, has come to two significant conclusions:

1. That everyone has greater power of memory than he imagines.

2. That although intensive training produces great improvement in memory, training does not develop the general faculty of memory, but simply increases the particular kind of memory job that is practiced.

From this you will conclude that to develop your memory in order to increase your personal efficiency you must first choose the kind of remembering on which you want to concentrate. If you learn to memorize poetry effectively, your friends may consider you more cultured and you may get extra enjoyment out of life, but it will not help you to remember the grocery list. Nor will strengthening your memory for geography or history help you to remember names and faces.

To help you decide what kind of memory you yourself want to cultivate, I suggest that you get a piece of paper right now, and write across the top the business or profession in which you are now engaged. Below that write the answers to the following questions. Take your time, thinking about the answers carefully:

1. Do my activities bring me into constant contact with people?

2. Would cultivating a better memory for names and faces pay dividends in my work?

3. Does my work necessitate my knowing many facts and figures?

4. Is a general cultural background of miscellaneous information important in my work?

5. Outside of business, what specific kind of memory would I like to cultivate for my own enjoyment?

6. Based on these questions, what kind of memory should I go about developing first?

By studying your answers thoughtfully, you will have a pretty clear and definite idea of what things you should make an effort to remember, and what you can afford to forget.

A surgeon, for instance, will want to remember the bones and tissues of the body, the kinds of surgical instruments and their uses, the virtues of the drugs and medicines in his materia medica, the history and development of the art of healing, and most of what he has read or learned of the achievements of other medical scientists.

In addition, he will want to retain enough of his nonmedical reading to hold up his head in a general conversation. If he is fortunate enough to have some outside interest, such as collecting stamps or amateur photography, he will want to develop his memory along that line too. He, like all people, will also find it advisable to remember the dates of his wedding anniversary and family birthdays, as well as personal data about his patients and colleagues.

With all this information and more to remember, wouldn't it be the height of folly for him to waste energy remembering the precise date of Congress's approval of the act authorizing the Reconstruction Finance Corporation? You agree, of course, that the chances are a thousand to one against a surgeon's ever requiring such information. On the other hand, a lawyer, a politician, a banker, or an editorial writer might be called upon to produce such an item at a moment's notice, out of his head. Inability to do so might even appear a serious reflection on his general qualifications.

So by simply going through the questions above, you are on your way to remembering more by allowing yourself to forget the right information.

Humans won the race in the struggle for survival on this planet and became civilised only because they have more brain power than any other living-being on this earth. It proves the value of brain power. The more brain power a person has the more chances of success are there in every competitive field. From a school student, to a research scholar, from a clerk to an CEO of a big company everybody needs brain power to move ahead fast. It makes a person more productive and efficient. We get more ideas to solve a problem. And fortunately any person can develop his or her brain power with determination and continuous efforts.

Thomas Alva Edison is considered the greatest scientist of the world. No other scientist in the world has yet got as many great inventions patented as he did. His brain power was excellent. He was a great genius. But when he was a child his teacher threw him out of the school saying that the child was very dull and could never study.

Fortunately the child had a mother who understood his hidden talent. She was extremely frustrated at the irrational attitude of the school. She took a determination that she would work very hard to strengthen the brain power of her son. She worked day and night made her son a great genius - one of the most brilliant minds of this earth.

BRAIN IS LIKE A MUSCLE

Psychologists say that you can develop your mental faculties as much you want. In fact your brain is like a muscle. The more you use it the more powerful it becomes. Similarly the easiest way to destroy your brain power is not to use it. Then see how fast it deteriorates. Still to develop brain is not an easy task. We have to work very hard on it.

Most of the people live in the illusion that due to the aging process mind gradually loses power. On the contrary there are people in the world whose minds function even better in old age than the young persons. Even today most of our great politicians, scientists, businessmen, journalists and writers are old people. In fact, a human mind has unlimited energy which never gets exhausted.

Scientists have discovered that if you use your mind properly you can also add years to your life. People with healthy and active brains live longer. Lazy brains die early.

STIMULATING USE

To remain powerful and dynamic a brain needs training and constant stimulating use. With various activities you need to exercise your mind and fill it with enthusiasm. Problems of life are actually good for your mind if you are positive and try to solve them. So don’t be afraid of problems. A problem free life often makes the brain of a person dull and saps its hidden energy. The more challenges you face in your life the stronger your mind gets.

PHYSICAL EXERCISE

Medical scientists say that physical exercise stimulates the release of endorphins - chemicals in the brain that refreshes and re-energise you, decreases stress and pain. Our brain then begins to store everything more efficiently. A second change is an alteration in the levels of neurotransmitters, brain chemicals that increase alertness and reduce strain. So make it a rule to take physical exercise five days a week.

OTHER STEPS TO DEVELOP YOUR BRAIN

The roots of transformation from failure to success, from disease to health lie in your brain. Brain is a marvellous creation of God. Today almost everybody is interested in developing the faculties of one’s mind to maximum. Without having a powerful brain it becomes very difficult to face tough competition and move ahead towards your goals. To get a good brain take the following steps:-

1. The best method to improve your brain power and memory power is to use your memory as often as you can. You can start it by memorising phone nos. of your friends and relatives. Instead of finding those nos. in your diary try to recall them from your memory.

2. Read books on various topics and think analytically (think in a systematic way from different angles) .

3. Watch informative and general knowledge based programs on television - too much entertainment makes your mind lazy. Also watch discussions.

4. Creative hobbies are good to refresh and energise your brain. At least take up one such hobby - participate in debates, make paintings, make cartoons, stitch clothes in different designs, write articles, arrange files of clippings and read them time to time, read various magazines, make new scientific things etc. Pursue a hobby according to your mental inclination.

5. Learn new vocabulary every week and ask others to listen it from you.

6. Discuss with your friends or family members on different topics. It is good exercise for your brain.

7. Make a habit of thinking ideas and solving something (puzzles, sums, problems whatever you like).

8. Have an aim in life and work very hard to achieve it. When you have an aim in life your mind has to work hard to achieve it. Consequently it gains power.

9. Keep fix hours of sleeping. Don’t sleep too much or during day.

10. Learn to keep your mind relaxed with the help of meditation. It will think better and work smartly.

Mental Muscle

As with all your organs in the body,your brain is subject to age-related fatigue. Levels of nutrients and vital oxygen slowly decline. Conditions such as Diabetes and hypertension can accelerate aging and increase the risk of memory problems.

Flex Your Grey Matter

Just as Physical exercise inreases muscle mass.Working out your brain can stimulate
and keeps your brain active.Strengthening existing neuron pathways and building new ones.

Feed The Brain

Flax seed oil and cold water fish like salmon,sardines and herring are all rich in Omega-3
fatty acids.Essential for proper mental function.

Brain Boosters

Ginko Biloba has been proven to improve circulation to the brain,improving memory.

Natural-Inflammatories

Inflammation to the brain has been linked to age-related memory loss.Fish oil,
curcumin and ginger are natural anti-inflammatories and have been known to help.

Whats In Your Medicine Chest

Prescription Medicines can also alter brain function.They may include:

-barbituates

-tranquilizers

-anti-depressants

-ulcer drugs

-digitalis

-painkillers

-certain eye drops

-antihistamines

See your doctor if you are concerned that your meds is affecting your memory.

Clean Living

And of course getting your 8 hours of sleep and
drinking sufficient amounts of water(typically
8 glasses of water should do you).And also
a multi-vitamin wouldnt hurt.

Get Active

Exercise is important in preventing memory loss
and general overall decline in the human body.It
can also reduces the affects of stress and improve
immune system function.

Drop The Extra Weight

As far as memory loss, goes being overweight bogs
everything down as your body isn't running at
peak performance - not to mention the health issues.