Beyond Training “21 Ways To Hack Your Brain: A Complete How-To Guide To Enhancing Your Brainpower, Creativity, Focus, Motivation and IQ” – Links, Resources and Bonus Materials

The following are links, resources and bonus materials for Beyond Training Chapter 22: “21 Ways To Hack Your Brain: A Complete How-To Guide To Enhancing Your Brainpower, Creativity, Focus, Motivation and IQ”, listed in order of their appearance in the chapter.

  1. I’d highly recommend you grab the free online manual The Limitless Pill by Mark Joyner, who I interviewed in the podcast episode, “Are Your Expensive Multivitamins Even Absorbed…Or Are There Better Ways To Deliver Precious Nutrients To Your Body?“
  2. For Vitamin D, include a few teaspoons of cod liver oil, and if at a deficit or not in a sunny climate also get additional Vitamin D preferably from a highly absorbable liquid source, such as a spray or an oil
  3. You can find phosphatidylserine in supplement and pill forms, and should also take 1-2 grams of a daily dose of triglyceride based fish oil.
  4. Ketone called “BHB” is not just elevated by consuming things like MCT and coconut oil but is also sold in the form of beta-hydroxy-butyrate salts.
  5. A Deep Dive Into Ketosis: How Navy Seals, Extreme Athletes & Busy Executives Can Enhance Physical and Mental Performance With The Secret Weapon of Ketone Fuel.
  6. One of my top recommendations for a better brain in the morning is to drink caffeinated Bulletproof Coffee.
  7. I prefer edible green tea as a source of theanine, as well as the Neuroscience Travacor supplement and delta-E, a powdered supplement that can be added to water.
  8. There a brain performance-boosting effect of essential amino acids supplements as neurotransmitter precursors.
  9. My article “What Are The Best Biohacks Of The World’s Top Biohackers?”.
  10. The creatine found in the highly absorbable tablet form of CreO2 from Millennium Sports or the powder form CreaPure by Thorne.
  11. Brands vary for l-carnitine, but I recommend 750mg-2,000mg/day.
  12. Brands vary, but the general dosage for a brain-boosting effect is 300-600mg of Alpha Lipoic Acid.
  13. Tim Ferriss mentioned Huperzine in his popular “Four Hour Body”, and TianChi is the only Chinese adaptogenic herb complex that I’ve found that contains both Huperzine as well as a wide range of other good brain-boosting herbs.
  14. Four good sources of L-theanine are green tea (I prefer edible green tea), NeuroScience TravaCor (described in the previous chapter), Delta-E, a powdered supplement that can be added to water and Smart Caffeine pills, which are a blend of Theanine and Caffeine.
  15. For better brain performance especially in the evening, I recommend blue-light blocking glasses, screen dimming applications like Flux, and computer screen covers in the evening. If you don’t have access to good amounts of sun, you can also try waking with a Sunrise clock or waking light in your bedroom
  16. For sounds for the brain, I recommend Dr. Jeffrey Thompson’s neuroacoustics CD’s, and the Entrainer Acoustics downloadable .mp3 audio tracks.
  17. The Encoder wristband emits specific frequencies to amplify alpha brain wave production.
  18. For a combinatin of light and sound frequency, there is interesting device called the DAVID Delight Pro made by MindAlive.
  19. At Foc.us, you can grab a smartphone-controlled tDCS device (Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation device).
  20. For cranial electrical stimulation, a popular device is the FisherWallace stimulator. MindAlive also makes a CES device called an Oasis, and device called the DAVID PAL 36 combines light, electrical stimulation and sound.
  21. I personally use the Earthpulse PEMF device for increasing alpha brain waves.
  22. A good way to test the effects of many brain boosting devices is the website QuantifiedSelf.com.
  23. Another example of neurofeedback is the game “Journey to the Wild Divine”.
  24. To increase heart rate variability and heart-brain interaction, you can use special software made by the Heart Math Institute. There is a device which attaches to your ear lobe called the emWave2, and they also make the smartphone Inner Balance sensor.
  25. For personal biofeedback, visit a licensed biofeedback practitioner, which you can find at BCIA.org.
  26. Dr. Arlene Taylor has a bunch of completely free brain aerobic exercises on her website.
  27. Two of my favorite brain training apps are the Brainscape app and n-Back training.
  28. If you’re going to chew gum to increase blood flow to the brain, I recommend B-Fresh.
  29. The best brain books I’ve read to date are written by Dr. Eric Braverman and they are “The Edge Effect” and “Younger Brain, Sharper Mind“.
  30. One of my favorite sources of this compound is a pill called “Nexus”, which combines aniracetam with ( vital for short-term memory as well as brain speed and acceleration).
  31. I interview CILTEP creator Roy Krebs in the podcast episode you can hear at BenGreenfieldFitness.com/CILTEPpodcast
  32. And finally, just prior to writing this chapter, I experimented twice with the following stack: 3 capsules of Alpha-Brain and 2 capsules of NatureCBD.
  33. Then there’s the “Muse” headband, which uses biofeedback to give you real-time feedback that allows you to monitor what’s happening in your brain while you meditate with a combination of a headband and the Muse phone app.

REFERENCES

1. Bemben MG, Lamont HS (2005). “Creatine supplementation and exercise performance: recent findings”. Sports Medicine 35 (2): 107–25.

2. Booth SL, Suttie JW. Dietary intake and adequacy of K vitamins. J Nutr. 1998;128(5):785-8.

3. Calvo MS, Whiting SJ, Barton CN (February 2005). “Vitamin D intake: a global perspective of current status”. J. Nutr. 135 (2): 310–6.

4. Dorlands Medical Dictionary”. Archived from the original on 2008-01-30.

5. Fukaya, T.; Gondaira, T.; Kashiyae, Y.; Kotani, S.; Ishikura, Y.; Fujikawa, S.; Kiso, Y.; Sakakibara, M. (2007). “Arachidonic acid preserves hippocampal neuron membrane fluidity in senescent rats”. Neurobiology of Aging 28 (8): 1179–1186.

6. Griffin, E. (2011). Aerobic exercise improves hippocampal function and increases bdnf in the serum of young adult males. Physiol Behav, 104(5), 934-41.

7. Holler, Y. (2012). Individual brain-frequency responses to self-selected music. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 86(3), 206-213.

8. Jaeggi, S. (April 28, 2008). Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory. PNAS.

9. Liu, Y. M. C. (2008). “Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) ketogenic therapy”. Epilepsia 49: 33–36.

10. Liu, J (2008). “The effects and mechanisms of mitochondrial nutrient alpha-lipoic acid on improving age-associated mitochondrial and cognitive dysfunction: an overview”. Neurochemical research 33 (1): 194–203.

11. Nehlig A, Daval JL, Debry G (1992). “Caffeine and the central nervous system: mechanisms of action, biochemical, metabolic and psychostimulant effects”. Brain Res. Brain Res. Rev. 17 (2): 139–70

12. Parker AG, Gordon J, Thornton A, Byars A, Lubker J, Bartlett M, Byrd M, Oliver J, Simbo S, Rasmussen C, Greenwood M, Kreider RB (October 2011). “The effects of IQPLUS Focus on cognitive function, mood and endocrine response before and following acute exercise”. International Society of Sports Nutrition 8 (1).

13. Pekala, J.; Patkowska-Sokoła, B.; Bodkowski, R.; Jamroz, D.; Nowakowski, P.; Lochyński, S.; Librowski, T. (2011). “L-carnitine–metabolic functions and meaning in humans life”. Current drug metabolism 12 (7): 667–678

14. Smith, A. (2012). Effects of chewing gum on the stress and work of university students. Appetite, 58(3), 1037-1040.

15. Sprenger, G. A. (2007). “Aromatic Amino Acids”. Amino Acid Biosynthesis: Pathways, Regulation and Metabolic Engineering (1st ed.). Springer. pp. 106–113.

16. Sun, QQ; Xu, SS; Pan, JL; Guo, HM; Cao, WQ (1999). “Huperzine-A capsules enhance memory and learning performance in 34 pairs of matched adolescent students.”. Zhongguo yao li xue bao = Acta pharmacologica Sinica 20 (7): 601–3.

17. Van De Rest, O.; Geleijnse, J. M.; Kok, F. J.; Van Staveren, W. A.; Dullemeijer, C.; Olderikkert, M.G.M.; Beekman, A. T.F.; De Groot, C. P.G.M. (August 2008). “Effects of Fish Oil on cognitive performance in older subjects”. Neurology 71 (6): 430–38

18. Yokogoshi, Hidehiko; Kobayashi, Miki; Mochizuki, Mikiko; Terashima, Takehiko (1998). “Effect of theanine, r-glutamylethylamide, on brain monoamines and striatal dopamine release in conscious rats”. Neurochemical Research 23 (5): 667–73.

19.  Raymond J. M. Niesink, and Margriet W. van Laar; Front Psychiatry. 2013; 4: 130.  Published online 2013 Oct 16. doi:  10.3389/fpsyt.2013.00130

20.  Havranek MM, Vonmoos M, Müller CP, Büetiger JR, Tasiudi E, Hulka LM, Preller KH, Mössner R, Grünblatt E, Seifritz E, Quednow BB; Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 May 27. doi: 10.1038/npp.2015.146. [Epub ahead of print]

21.  References are here.

22. Paul Stamets, Founder, Fungi Perfecti; Advisor, Program of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Medical School, Tucson

23.  http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/ginkgo/evidence/hrb-20059541