Modafinil - the time-shifting drug

Modafinil - the time-shifting drug

By Mike Hanlon

The wonders of pharmacology keep appearing regularly, each new drug
seemingly too good to be true. In recent times there have been several
killer apps for the drug industry – chemical substances that replace
depression with a happy disposition or bolster a flagging sex drive to
royal command performance (with encore) levels. Prozac and Viagra
provided benefits so compelling they have entered everyday language and
have a global following. Now there’s another
“drug-most-likely-to-succeed” – this one enables you to stay awake for
40+ hours with close to full mental capacity with few side effects




Modafinil improves memory, and enhances one's mood, alertness and
cognitive powers. The drug has a smoother feel than amphetamines and
enables the user to stay awake and alert for 40 hours or more. Once the
drug wears off, you just have to catch up on some sleep.




Marketed as Provigil ', 'Aletec' and 'Vigicer', Modafinil is a
psychostimulant approved by the US Federal Drug Administration for
improving wakefulness in patients with excessive sleepiness associated
with shift work sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea / hypopnea
syndrome and narcolepsy.



Not surprisingly, a drug that enables people to stay awake for 40
hour periods at close to full mental capacity with no real side effects
could quickly gain widespread usage as a time-shifting drug. Got a
project to do, Particularly, when it is devoid of the jitteriness
associated with most drugs commonly used in such circumstance such as
dextroamphetamine, cocaine and the world's most popular drug, caffeine.




"Au natural", (without drugs) humans don't deal well with lack of
sleep and thanks to our fast-paced lifestyle and ever-increasing job
demands, sleep deprivation is a commonplace occurrence in modern culture.




Australian researchers recently found that people who drive after
being awake for more than 17 hours performed worse than those with a
blood alcohol level of .05 percent (the local blood alcohol limit).
Tests the world over have found that sleep deprivation significantly
reduces human performance capabilities, coordination, reaction time and
judgment.




Twenty four hours without sleep is enough to reduce most humans to half their normal mental capacity and it declines rapidly from that point.




Not surprisingly, the military are showing the most interest in the drug.




A large part of battle fatigue is sleep deprivation. When the
military is on the move, almost everybody is required to perform
mission-critical tasks way after they should be asleep. From the
personnel at command HQ to the soldiers at the front, two or three weeks
of activity with just a few hours sleep per day is routine in combat
situations.




For years the military has been exploring new methods to safely combat sleep deprivation and to prevent the associated degradation of performance.




A drug that can double the mental capacity and alertness of a fighting force has more than doubled its effectiveness.




On top of that, with military communications now in real-time, this
is a drug that might keep a small fighting force in heavy contact going
until the sky's open up and help arrives.




But likely candidates for the modafinil fan club aren't hard to find
beyond the military, if the world's caffeine consumption is any
indication.




Caffeine is a drug used across the planet for combating fatigue,
restoring mental performance and enhancing exercise endurance. Caffeine
occurs naturally in more than 60 plant species each contributing to a
whopping global per capita consumption estimated at around 70 milligrams
(mg.) per person per day some 20 years ago. That figure is growing.




More than half of all American adults consume 300 mg. or more of
caffeine every day. Nine out of ten Americans consume caffeine every
day.




The most prolific caffeine contributor is coffee, the second most
valuable legally traded commodity on Earth (after oil) with annual
global retail sales more than US$70 billion. Caffeine is also contained
in tea, chocolate and caffeine-enhanced cold drinks such as Coca Cola,
Pepsi Cola, Red Bull et al.



In recent times, the caffeine-enhanced softdrink market has burgeoned.




In 1970, the average american drank 36 gallons of coffee and 23
gallons of carbonated soft drinks. By the year 2000, coffee consumption
had more than halved to 17 gallons and soft drinks had grown 130% to 53
gallons. Caffeine consumption has grown significantly and a large
proportion of that caffeine was imbibed with the sole aim of performance
enhancement.




Unfortunately, the benefits of caffeine are such that constant use
builds immunity, leaving the jitteriness but not the enhanced
performance and most of the world's habitual coffee consumption is used
to stave off the effects of caffeine withdrawal. Modafinil does not
appear to have such drawbacks, though users should be acutely aware that
prolonged and regular use of the drug will lead to health issues.



Almost any profession requires being switched on (mentally alert) at
least some of the time, and if it's good enough for the most
scientifically-analysed elite warriors on the planet, we suspect it'll
be good enough for all other armed forces personnel, emergency and
rescue workers, police, firefighters, and doctors, who are faced with
very long hours of making potential life and death decisions ... and all
those who need or choose to work long hours in their profession, from
truck and taxi drivers, through to computer programmers.




Sportspeople are another likely marketplace - at the June 2003 United
States Track and Field Championships, a star studded field of athletes
tested positive for modafinil including sprinters Kelli White, Chris
Phillips, Calvin Harrison and Chryste Gaines, hurdlers Sandra Glover and
Eric Thomas and hammer thrower John McEwen. Modafinil now attracts a
two year ban from all elite sports, but can be expected to proliferate
at any level where drug testing does not occur.




Then there will be those who will take Modafinil for recreational
purposes - it just might be the ultimate party drug with the user awake,
alert and balanced and no problems remembering what happened or what
got said the next morning.




So how good is it? Researchers recently had the opportunity to compare a group of America's finest with and without modafinil.




The testing was done using elite F-117A Nighthawk pilots - an F117-A
Nighthawk is one of those black triangular stealth attack aircraft used
with surgical precision by the US airforce in all recent wars.



Just over 60 Nighthawks were built and only one F-117A unit exists -
the 49th Fighter Wing, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. The
single-seater can fly at high subsonic speeds for unlimited distances
with air refuelling. On their first deployment to Kuwait in 1992, a
group of F-117s flew non-stop for 18.5 hours, a record for single-seat
fighters that stands today.




With the right pilot aboard, the Nighthawk is a formidable weapon - a
precision-strike aircraft with exceptional combat capabilities
particularly suited for penetrating high-threat airspace with its
stealth and speed and hitting critical targets with surgical accuracy
using laser-guided weapons.



During Operation Desert Storm the Nighthawk flew approximately 1,300
sorties scoring direct hits on 1,600 high-value targets in Iraq. At
US$45 million each, the Nighthawk is one of America's most effective
weapons. When the United States declares war on you, the chances are the
Nighthawk will be the first to tell you hostilities have begun. It was
the ONLY U.S. or coalition aircraft to strike targets in downtown
Baghdad and it led the first Allied air strike on Yugoslavia in March,
1999.




Our test group was the people who fly these aircraft - people who
push the limits of human performance day-today using one of the most
expensive and sophisticated aircraft on the planet. For the records, the
F117-A is built by Lockheed Aeronautical Systems, is powered by two
General Electric F404 non-afterburning engines is 19.4 metres long, 3.9
metres high, weighs 23,625 kilograms and has a wingspan of 13.2 metres.




The Laboratory and simulator tests studied the effects of being awake for 40 hours on alertness and flight performance.




The tests were repeated every five hours to help track the pilots'
level of fatigue by monitoring body and brain activities. One test is a
one-hour flight simulator mission. Researchers looked at the aviators'
ability to monitor flight gauges and calculate basic mathematical
equations. They also monitored eye movements and changes in pupil size.




While no one crashed or even came close to crashing, researchers said
flight precision most noticeably changed between 33 hours and 38 hours
into the test.




Armed with this initial data, the scientists returned to Holloman a few months later for the modafinil study.




Scientists said that while the pilots were on the medication, their
performance "significantly improved," especially after 25 hours without
sleep. The pilots also sustained brain activity at almost normal levels
despite their sleeplessness.




During the simulator tests, modafinil "significantly" reduced the effects of fatigue during flight manoeuvres, researchers said.




Under the influence of modafinil, flight performance degraded by 15
to 30 percent. Performance by pilots without the medication degraded by
60 to 100 percent compared to fully rested performance levels.




The results of the testing were heavily conclusive - modafinil was effective for reducing the impact of fatigue.




International biopharmaceutical company Cephalon owns the worldwide rights to Modafinil.



Modafinil is available in more than 20 countries and is marketed
under the brand name PROVIGIL in the United States, United Kingdom,
Ireland, Italy, South Korea, Belgium and Luxembourg. Modafinil is
available in other countries under the brand names, ALERTEC, MODIODAL,
MODASOMIL, MODAVIGIL and VIGIL.




Modafinil is listed as a Schedule IV drug under the Controlled
Substances Act. Schedule IV drugs as a class have a lower abuse
potential than drugs listed in Schedule II or III. Other examples of
Schedule IV drugs include Ambien, Xanax and Ativan. Examples of Schedule
II drugs include Actiq, morphine, methadone and methylphenidate
(Ritalin). Examples of Schedule III drugs include anabolic steroids,
codeine and hydrocodone with aspirin or Tylenol, and some barbiturates.




Cephalon recently announced that it has filed an application with the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting marketing approval
of a new proprietary form of modafinil for the treatment of attention-
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents
between the ages of six and 17.

Adderall May Not Make You Smarter, But It Makes You Think You Are | TIME.com

Adderall May Not Make You Smarter, But It Makes You Think You Are | TIME.com

By Meredith Melnick @meredithcmDec. 21, 20105 Comments

JB Reed/Bloomberg News via Getty Images

Adderall, Ritalin and other “smart drugs” have become popular among
college students and young professionals, who use them to enhance
performance. The drugs are normally
prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but
healthy students use them to get a leg up in school, by improving
focus, concentration and memory. The question is, do they work?

Maybe not, according to a new study from the University of
Pennsylvania. Students who took Adderall didn’t actually perform better
on tests of cognitive function — they only thought they did. Casey Schwartz blogged about the findings on the Daily Beast:

The research team tested 47 subjects, all in their
twenties, all without a diagnosis of ADHD, on a variety of cognitive
functions, from working memory — how much information they could keep in
mind and manipulate — to raw intelligence, to memories for specific
events and faces. Each subject was tested both while on Adderall and on a
placebo; in each condition, the subjects didn’t know which kind of pill
they were receiving.

The researchers did come up with one significant finding. The last
question they asked their subjects was: “How and how much did the pill
influence your performance on today’s tests?” Those subjects who had
been given Adderall were significantly more likely to report that the
pill had caused them to do a better job on the tasks they’d been given,
even though their performance did not show an improvement over that of
those who had taken the placebo.

It’s not surprising that Adderall gave students an inflated sense of
productivity, Schwartz writes, given that the drug — a close cousin of
amphetamine — “unleashes the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine,
triggers the brain’s reward system, and can produce a mild sense of
euphoria.” (More on Time.com: Drug Surprise: Meth Makes You Feel Almost As Cuddly as Ecstasy)

So whether or not the drug boosts performance on cognitive tests in
the short-term, could it be possible that its “euphoric” effect simply
makes studying more pleasurable, helping student achievement by ramping
up enthusiasm for academics overall? (More on Time.com: Clues to the Genetic Roots of ADHD)

Schwartz points to a personal essay about performance enhancement by a recent college senior, Molly Young. Writing
for N+1, Young noted, “Of course, I could have studied in college
without Adderall, just like I did in high school — I just couldn’t have
studied with such ecstasy.”

Then again, ecstasy doesn’t necessarily mean creativity, which is
another marker of cognitive performance, and one that’s hard to pin down
in a scientific study. “Though I could put more words to the page per
hour on Adderall, I had a nagging suspicion that I was thinking with
blinders on,” wrote Slate’s Joshua Foer in 2005. (More on Time.com: A Five-Minute Brain Scan Tracks Kids’ Development and May Spot Disorders)

UPDATE: It bears noting that the new study, which
has not yet been published (it was presented at the annual Society of
Neuroscience conference in November), is contradicted by a body of
evidence showing actual cognitive benefits of the drug. Healthland’s
Maia Szalavitz reported:

The benefits of enhancement include increased alertness
and focus and improvement in some types of memory. Research shows that
in normal people, stimulants consistently and significantly improve
learning of material that must be recalled days later — exactly what you
want from a drug when you are prepping for exams. The drugs even seem
to improve certain aspects of judgment. One study of 36 normal women and
men found that they were more likely to choose to delay gratification
and receive a larger monetary reward when given amphetamines than settle
for a smaller amount of money immediately. Improvements in memory and
cognitive control have been reported in multiple studies, mainly using
Ritalin and amphetamines.

Research suggests, however, that the drug doesn’t improve performance
evenly. Many users receive no performance boost, as evidenced by the
current University of Pennsylvania study as well as previous work.
Szalavitz wrote:

Interestingly, those who have the least ability in a
particular area are likely to see the greatest drug-related improvement.
In fact, on some tests of cognition, the smartest people actually
showed performance reductions, a result that may address some of the
concerns over “cheating”: on tasks involving working memory and
impulsivity, stimulants had a leveling effect, allowing below-average
performers to catch up to their peers, not dominate them. According to
Farah, the typical student user is actually not the overachieving
brainiac but a “white male frat brother with a B average.”

Why it works for some and not others isn’t entirely clear, but nota bene:
don’t take Adderall or Ritalin without a doctor’s prescription,
especially if you suffer from psychosis, mood disorders or high blood
pressure.

This post has been updated to reflect the fact that past research
suggests taking “smart drugs” may have a significant effect on
performance.

Related Links:

ADHD: A Global Epidemic or Just a Bunch of Fidgety Kids?

Training Your Brain to Learn Better (Even Without Drugs)

They’re Baaaack! How to Avoid a Holiday Clash When the Kids Come Home From College

BBC - Future - Body bacteria: Can your gut bugs make you smarter?

Body bacteria: Can your gut bugs make you smarter?

Beyond Human | 21 February 2014

(Science Photo Library)

The bacteria in our guts can influence the working of the mind, says
Frank Swain. So could they be upgraded to enhance brainpower?

Do parasites have a way of changing our behaviour?

I have some startling news: you are not human. At least, by some
counts. While you are indeed made up of billions of human cells working
in remarkable concert, these are easily outnumbered by the bacterial cells that live on and in you
– your microbiome. There are ten of them for every one of your own
cells, and they add an extra two kilograms (4.4lbs) to your body.



Far
from being freeloading passengers, many of these microbes actively help
digest food and prevent infection. And now evidence is emerging that
these tiny organisms may also have a profound impact on the brain too.
They are a living augmentation of your body – and like any enhancement,
this means they could, in principle, be upgraded. So, could you hack
your microbiome to make yourself healthier, happier, and smarter too?



According
to John Cryan, this isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds. As a professor
of anatomy and neuroscience at University College Cork, he specialises
in the relationship between the brain and the gut. One of his early
experiments showed the diversity of bacteria living in the gut was
greatly diminished in mice suffering from early life stress. This
finding inspired him to investigate the connection between the
microbiome and the brain.



The bacterial microbiota in the gut
helps normal brain development, says Cryan. “If you don’t have
microbiota you have major changes in brain structure and function, and
then also in behaviour.” In a pioneering study, a Japanese research team
showed that mice raised without any gut bacteria had an exaggerated
physical response to stress, releasing more hormone than mice that had a
full complement of bacteria. However, this effect could be reduced in
bacteria-free mice by repopulating their gut with Bifidobacterium infantis,
one of the major symbiotic bacteria found in the gut. Cryan’s team
built on this finding, showing that this effect could be reproduced even
in healthy mice. “We took healthy mice and fed them Lactobacillus
[another common gut bacteria), and we showed that these animals had a
reduced stress response and reduced anxiety-related behaviours.”

When this bacteria was fed to mice it reduced stress and anxiety (Science Photo Library)

But why should bacteria in the gut affect the brain? There are
several different ways that messages can be sent from one organ to the
other. It can be hormones or immune cells via the bloodstream, or by
impulses along the vagus nerve, which stretches from the brain to
intertwine closely with the gut. Through these pathways, actions in one
produce effects in the other.



So how might you go about altering
your microbiome to do a spot of brain-hacking? Cryan’s team works on
several fronts, investigating the potential to manage stress, pain,
obesity and cognition through the gut. “We have unpublished data showing
that probiotics can enhance learning in animal models,” he tells me.
His team tested the effects of two strains of bacteria, finding that one
improved cognition in mice. His team is now embarking on human trials,
to see if healthy volunteers can have their cognitive abilities enhanced
or modulated by tweaking the gut microbiome.



Another method of
adjusting the bacterial profile of your gut is to undergo a transplant
that involves taking faecal material from a donor’s intestine – often a
close relative – and implanting into a recipient via enema infusion.
This unorthodox treatment has been shown to successfully treat
infections caused by pathogenic bacteria colonising the gut.



Brain boost



Thankfully,
Cryan has a far more appetising method on offer.  “Diet is perhaps the
biggest factor in shaping the composition of the microbiome,” he says. A
study by University College Cork researchers published in Nature in 2012
followed 200 elderly people over the course of two years, as they
transitioned into different environments such as nursing homes. The
researchers found that their subjects’ health – frailty, cognition, and
immune system – all correlated with their microbiome. From bacterial
population alone, researchers could tell if a patient was a long-stay
patient in a nursing home, or short-stay, or living in the general
community. These changes were a direct reflection of their diet in these
different environments. “A diverse diet gives you a diverse microbiome
that gives you a better health outcome,” says Cryan.



Beyond a
healthy and varied diet, though, it still remains to be discovered
whether certain food combinations could alter the microbiome to produce a
cognitive boost. In fact, Cryan recommends that claims from probiotic
supplements of brain-boosting ought to be taken with a pinch of salt for
now. “Unless the studies have been done, one can assume they’re not
going to have any effect on mental health,” he says. Still, he’s
optimistic about the future. “The field right now is evolving very
strongly and quickly. There’s a lot of important research to be done.
It’s still early days.”



Hacking the brain often conjures up ideas
of electrical hardware such as implants and trans-cranial stimulators.
But it might be the case that a simple change in diet can shift your
brain up a gear. The transhumanists and body hackers who believe that
technology is the sole way to improve human ability would do well to pay
as much attention to the living augmentation that already resides in
their gut.



If you would like to comment on this video or anything else you have seen on Future, head over to our Facebook or Google+ page, or message us on Twitter.

• Health
• Science & Environment
• Technology
• Bacteria
• Biohacking
• Biology

Related

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Why I want a microchip implant

The man with 13 legs

How I became a cyborg

The future of food

How parasites manipulate us

Russell Blaylock, M.D. - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com

Russell Blaylock, M.D. - The Skeptic's Dictionary - Skepdic.com

...immunization can be credited with saving approximately 9 million lives a year worldwide. A further 16 million deaths a year could be prevented if effective vaccineswere deployed against all potentially vaccine-preventable diseases.*

Russell Blaylock is a trained neurosurgeon who considers himself an expert on nutrition and toxins in food, cookware, teeth, and vaccines. Contrary to the vast bulk of the scientific evidence, Blaylock maintains that vaccines such as the H1N1 vaccine are dangerous or ineffective; that dental amalgams and fluoridated water are harmful to our health; and that aluminum cookware, aspartame, and MSG are toxic substances causing brain damage.^1,2,3

Science-Based Medicine. 

See also

Antivaxxer Plague,
Andrew Wakefield, the

anti-vaccination movement,
detoxification
therapies, flu vaccine, Barbara Loe Fisher,
Jay Gordon,
Joseph Mercola,
supplements, and

Defending Falsehoods.

further reading

reader
comments

Wallace, Amy. (2009). An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents
Skipping Shots Endangers Us All, Wired.
To hear his enemies talk, you might think
Paul Offit is the most hated man in America. A pediatrician in
Philadelphia, he is the coinventor of a rotavirus vaccine that
could save tens of thousands of lives every year. Yet
environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slams Offit as a
“biostitute” who whores for the pharmaceutical industry. Actor
Jim Carrey calls him a profiteer and distills the doctor’s
attitude toward childhood vaccination down to this chilling
mantra: “Grab ‘em and stab ‘em.” Recently, Carrey and his
consort, Jenny McCarthy, went on CNN’s Larry King Live
and singled out Offit’s vaccine, RotaTeq, as one of many
unnecessary vaccines, all administered, they said, for just one
reason: “Greed.”

Journalists sink in The Atlantic article on vaccines blog by
revere (the article in question is "Does
the Vaccine Matter?" by Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer,
November 2009)

Vaccine Safety Information for Parents

Why should infants and young children be vaccinated?

National
Network for Immunization Information

Aspartame Safety and Internet Urban Legends by Dr. Steven
Novella

Aspartame
– Truth vs Fiction by Dr. Steven Novella

The Mercury Amalgam Scam: How Anti-Amalgamists Swindle People
Stephen Barrett, M.D.

"Holistic Dentistry": A Brief Overview Stephen Barrett, M.D.
William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.

My posts on autism and thimerosal in vaccines

Cookware Safety Materials

Community Water Fluoridation - Scientific Reviews: Assessing the
Weight of the Evidence

Experts dispel detox myths: "One group gave up processed
food, soft drinks, alcohol, salt, sugar, caffeine, wheat, red
meat and dairy, and the others followed their normal diet. After
seven days, toxicologists found no difference in their liver and
kidney functions or vitamin levels."

An Open
Letter to Bill Maher on Vaccinations by Michael Shermer
Shermer lectures Maher on germ theory

Vaccination: A Conversation Worth Having by Bill Maher Maher
responds that he read Microbe Hunters when he was eight

Some
Muddled Thinking from Bill Maher by Stephen Novella Novella
deconstructs Maher's "rambling defensive diatribe in which he
simultaneously protests the criticism pointed his way while
repeating and amplifying the pseudoscientific nonsense that
garnered criticism in the first place....the criticism will
continue – not to shut him up, but to do damage control. Maher
is contributing to the public misunderstanding of science in
perhaps the most important area – medicine."

Last updated
30-Jan-2014

The Blaylock Wellness Report: Save Your Brain

The Blaylock Wellness Report: Save Your Brain



Use These FREE Simple Tips to Save Yourself and
Your
Loved Ones From the Downward Spiral Into Dementia . . .




Dear Friend,

You don't want to fool around with your brain.
Take my word on that.
Of course, before I can expect you to believe me, I should introduce myself.


My name is Dr. Russell Blaylock.


In my nearly three decades as a neurosurgeon, I treated thousands of diseased brains.
And what I've seen truly frightens me.


Perhaps you share my fears.
After age 40 or 50, you may have more frequent 'senior moments.'


You may start to worry about losing your memory — or even worse, becoming senile.


Unable to care for yourself.
Unable to recognize your friends, your loved ones, even common objects around your home.


Even unable to control your bowel and bladder function.
You have good reason for your concern.


Here's why . . .

Brain Diseases Now on the Rise —

Don't Get Caught Up in the Epidemic

You see, brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's now occur:

• Earlier in life . . .
  
• More frequently . . .
  
• To a much more severe degree . . .

You've probably observed how many expensive assisted-living homes for
those with dementia are cropping up all over the country — with their
locked wards to prevent folks from wandering off.


Fortunately, there's good news.


While not widely known, there are many simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing a neuro-degenerative disease.


That's why I hope you take a few minutes from your busy schedule to read this letter. I promise you will not regret it.


One major factor in the development of Alzheimer's involves a common substance you probably consume on a daily basis.

If You Have a Fondness for Sugar,

I Have Some Bad News . . .

High levels of sugar in your diet damage your brain.



New evidence continues to demonstrate this link.


In a recent study of 980 elderly people followed for four years,
those with the highest intake of calories had a 50 percent increased
incidence of dementia.


So why would eating lots of sweets and carbohydrates increase your risk of dementia?


Well, there are three scientific reasons:


Reason 1: Sugar dramatically increases your
metabolism, and high rates of metabolism become a major source of free
radical production. (Pesky free radicals damage your cells and impair
their function.)


Reason 2: High levels of sugar in your body
cause the sugar to react with various critical proteins, including
enzymes that repair DNA damage caused by free radicals.



Reason 3: Continued high sugar consumption
prevents your cells from absorbing the sugar needed to produce energy — a
condition called insulin resistance. Another recent study found a high
incidence of insulin resistance in those with Alzheimer's dementia. The
worst form of sugar is high
Fructose corn syrup.


So if you want to avoid this disease, you can see that minimizing your sugar and simple carbohydrate intake is crucial.


Of course, a sweet tooth isn't the only factor contributing to
the development of Alzheimer's. I've identified many factors — factors
you can take control of starting today.


And I'd like to get the information you need into your hands now. Before any damage already occurring becomes irreversible.

Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia

With These Simple FREE Tips I've Compiled for You

You can see for yourself by sending for your FREE copy of a popular special issue of The Blaylock Wellness Report called Save Your Brain: Protect Yourself from the Ravages of Alzheimer's and Other Diseases.


This easy-to-read report bulges with amazing new medical
breakthroughs that could reduce the chances you or someone you love will
suffer from a neurological disease like Alzheimer's.


I've given you simple steps to follow — an anti-Alzheimer's blueprint, if you will.


Here's just a small sample of the crucial, potentially life-saving information you'll gain in your exciting FREE report:

• How those yearly flu shots may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's. . .
  
• Why you should never add lemon to your tea if you want to save your brain from dementia . . .
  
• The "Old Testament" method to protect your brain from Alzheimer's disease . . .
• A simple fruit extract that not only slows your brain aging, but can also reverses age-related changes . . .
  
• Melatonin is just a sleep aid,
  right? WRONG! See how melatonin is actually one of your brain's most
  important antioxidants. Plus, how it can help protect you from
  Alzheimer's . . .
  
• Why women have a higher incidence of both Alzheimer's dementia and Parkinson's disease . . .
  
• Six potential brain toxins you should avoid at all costs . . .
  
• The little-known connection between heart
  attacks, strokes, and Alzheimer's (you'll discover the common factor
  linking these threats, one you can take action to control) . . .
  
• One easy measure you can take
  to decrease your risk of dementia by a whopping 60 percent (just make
  sure you add this tasty protein to your diet) . . .
  
• How and why children with Down syndrome show the same brain pathology as those with Alzheimer's . . .
  
• Why you should steer clear of aerobic exercise (despite what you may have heard). Discover how aerobic exercise can actually promote disease . . .
  
• Why your brain ages (and what you can do to slow the process) . . .
  
• How the "jelly-bean factor" may have contributed to the late President Reagan's Alzheimer's . . .
• And lots, lots MORE!

Just Click Here Now for Your FREE Anti-Alzheimer's Blueprint!

I've Suffered Personally From Mainstream

Medicine's Inability to Treat Neurologic — and

Many Other — Disorders Effectively and Safely

I'm a board-certified neurosurgeon who practiced "mainstream medicine" for nearly 30 years.

DR. RUSSELL BLAYLOCK

Doctor, Neurosurgeon,

Author, Health Advocate

Russell Blaylock, M.D., not only compiles and edits
Newsmax.com's Blaylock Wellness Report, he's also a
nationally recognized board-certified neurosurgeon, health
practitioner, author, and lecturer.



He attended the Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New
Orleans and completed his internship and neurosurgical residency at
the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. For over a
quarter of a century, he practiced in the demanding field of
neurosurgery in addition to having a nutritional practice.



He recently retired from his neurosurgical duties to devote his full
attention to nutritional studies and research. Dr. Blaylock has
authored three books on nutrition and wellness:

• Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills
  
• Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life
  
• Natural Strategies for Cancer Patients
  

An in-demand guest for radio and TV programs, he
lectures extensively to both lay audiences and other physicians on a
variety of nutrition-related subjects.



Dr. Blaylock is the 2004 recipient of the
Integrity in Science Award granted by the Weston A. Price Foundation.
He serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American
Nutraceutical Association and is a member of the editorial board of the Journal
of American Physicians and Surgeons, official publication of the
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.



He previously was assistant clinical professor of neurosurgery at the University
of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson and is a visiting biology professor at
the Belhaven College, also in Jackson.

I saw what neurological disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's —
and many other diseases — did to people on a daily basis throughout my
career.


What's worse, Parkinson's disease also devastated my family.


You see, both my parents suffered from this horrible disease.


My father was struck first.


Over 10 years, I watched helplessly as my father's condition went
from bad to worse. I was very close to my dad, and to see him go from a
robust, energetic man of great humor to a weak, emaciated shadow of his
former self devastated me.


I tried all the traditional medical treatments I could think of.
None seemed to help. I even subscribed to a special neuropharmacology
journal so I would have access to research on the latest drug treatments
for Parkinson's disease.


Within a few years of my father's death, my mother began to show definite signs of the disease as well.


I lived the nightmare all over again.


I tried to help my mother with newly discovered information on
natural treatments for Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, she was so
depressed over Dad's death that soon she just gave up.


Within 10 years, she also died of complications associated with her illness.


Besides my own parents' experience, several other reasons
prompted me to leave traditional medicine and devote my life to helping
others with simple straightforward measures to prevent and reverse
disease.


Here's another biggie when it comes to mainstream medicine . . .

Today's Doctors Don't
Have

Time to Keep Up
With
the

Latest Scientific Research

As a neurosurgeon, I was part and parcel of the medical establishment . . .


For that very reason, I know the strengths and the weaknesses of conventional medicine.


In fact, I lived through these weaknesses when I saw how little mainstream medicine could do for my own parents.


Every year, our government and a number of private institutions
spend billions of dollars on research, yet a great deal of this research
goes unread.


Worse, most practitioners fail to use the information gleaned to treat and prevent disease.

She Looks Forward to Her

Blaylock Wellness Report!



"I look forward to each new issue. I have received it for
many years and enjoy each month's information. I try to put into
practice what I read and hope that I can continue to receive my monthly
copy. I am a young 72 and I know the information that I receive keeps me
alert and encourages me to be consistent taking care of myself. Thank
you."



— Sandra Burnes

In fact, most doctors never read more than a few articles in popular
medical journals, and they almost never read studies of basic science.
This is why they so predictably say that so-called alternative
treatments don't work.


But the truth is, today's "alternative" treatment often becomes tomorrow's standard of treatment.


One example: For decades, so-called alternative and nutritionally
oriented physicians like myself have advocated omega-3 (fish) oils as a
proven preventative for cardiovascular disease, and as a vital
component for neurological development in the young.


Yet for years many doctors dismissed such recommendations — and
mainstream medical journals went out of their way to attack believers in
fish oil supplements as misguided.


Now, of course, they all sing its praises as a preventative . . . yet it started out as an "alternative" treatment.

Just Click Here Now for Your Anti-Alzheimer's Report —

and the Truth About Your Healthcare!

Mainstream Medicine Often

IGNORES the Evidence!

We hear a lot about "evidence-based medicine," but just how much of traditional medical practice is evidence-based?


Studies show that as little as 30 percent of conventional medical practice is backed by science.


Most medical procedures, treatments, and recommendations are
based on nothing more than accepted custom . . . anecdotal evidence of
what works . . . and of course recommendations from drug company reps.


The term "evidence-based medicine" was invented largely to
discredit all alternative treatments, since it implies that everything
outside traditional medicine is not "evidence-based."

Passed His Physical With

Flying Colors



"As a satisfied subscriber to your Blaylock Wellness Report
I have benefited from your wise advice. Last year I had a complete
physical and passed with flying colors. My personal physician said that
my heart and cardio system was that of a 25-year-old."



— James B. (age 46)

In fact, most alternative treatments have a tremendous amount of
scientific evidence for their mode of action. What they often lack is
large epidemiological studies, since such studies are prohibitively
expensive and the government will not fund well-conducted studies.


That is why I now write and edit The Blaylock Wellness Report.


And in one of the most popular issues, Save Your Brain: Protect Yourself from the Ravages of Alzheimer's and Other Diseases,
you'll discover some amazing new "alternative" therapies that can help
protect you or those you love from the ravages of dementia and other
disorders.


I'll tell you how you can get your FREE copy of this new special anti-Alzheimer's blueprint in a moment.


But first I'd like to tell you more about how my nearly three
decades as a physician and neurosurgeon led me to embrace a more
natural, nutritional approach to healing.

Finally, You Can Get the 'Inside Story'

From a Doctor Who Has Seen It All

You're probably wondering how a neurosurgeon came to champion nutritional and other forms of alternative medicine.


The truth is, I simply believe in good medicine.


I believe in preventing disease if possible — and healing it
whenever I can. And over the years, I've come to believe that one of the
key reasons people get sick and suffer from disease is what they eat.


I've also seen the dark side of conventional medicine as practiced in the United States:

• Medical students and doctors being "indoctrinated" merely for financial gain . . .
• Giant pharmaceutical machines spewing out
  their billion-dollar propaganda for drugs of dubious benefit — or, even
  worse, for drugs they knew had dangerous side effects . . .
  
• Unnecessary surgeries performed when more conservative, less dangerous treatments were available . . .
  
• Expensive, invasive diagnostic tests administered to patients who didn't need them — merely for "liability" reasons . . .
  
• Insurance companies telling doctors how to practice medicine . . .

Finally, I just couldn't sit by any longer and remain silent.


I had to find better, less expensive, more effective solutions to the major health issues plaguing the American people.


I wanted to help people like you, who are not getting the best advice to prevent and treat diseases
— just because of corporate greed and a system that puts the
convenience and profit of healthcare providers above the needs of the
patient.


I am convinced that the average person wants and needs better, more accurate information about threats to his or her health than exists today — threats NOT covered by the mainstream, corporate-controlled media . . .

Just Click Here Now for the Health Help You Need!

Natural Treatments Can Be MORE
Effective

Against Neurological and Many Other

Disorders Than Dangerous Drugs!

When it comes to neurological disorders such as dementia and
Parkinson's, my parents' suffering spurred me to investigate ALL the
conventional forms of treatment available.


And in The Blaylock Wellness Report, I tell you
all about important breakthroughs and new research on health issues like
Alzheimer's — issues that the corporate-owned media ignore or
deliberately suppress.


Plus, I give you practical, real-world advice about what you can
do about health problems such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, heart
disease, stroke, colon and prostate cancer, and many other disorders.
And how you can take advantage of new discoveries cheaply and easily.

Seven Reasons Why You Need
My

Cutting-Edge 'Insider' Health Reports

I will gladly send you this FREE special issue, Save Your Brain: Protect Yourself from the Ravages of Alzheimer's and Other Diseases, when you agree to a risk-free trial of my groundbreaking newsletter, The Blaylock Wellness Report.

Your Newsletter Has Opened

Our Eyes . . .




"I want you to know that your newsletters have opened my
husband's and my eyes to the importance of nutrition in our lives and
our children's lives. Before I found you through the Newsmax
organization, I felt like I was getting slanted information. Your
newsletters are always so objective and forthright (give me truth, I can
handle the facts — to heck with the PC crowd!!!)."



— Elizabeth R. from Houston

I honestly believe you'll find The Blaylock Wellness Report unlike any other health newsletter you've ever seen.


In fact, I'll give you seven reasons why this newsletter is essential for your good health.


Reason #1: You won't
get the whole story on health and wellness — or anything else for that
matter — from the traditional media (this is probably one of the reasons
you're a Newsmax subscriber in the first place).


Reason #2: You won't
get the latest, unbiased disease-beating advice from your well-meaning
friends and family members, or your favorite computer search engine.


Reason #3: You won't
get all the details from your own doctor, who probably also has been
indoctrinated with the traditional medical model, based on drugs and
surgery — and on merely treating symptoms, rather than finding an actual
cure.


Reason #4: I take no money from Big Pharma, the multibillion-dollar drug companies.


Reason #5: I get no kickbacks on any health products or supplements I recommend to you.


Reason #6: I refuse
to bow down before the traditional "party line" of publications like
the New England Journal of Medicine, which receives heavy financial
"subsidies" from pharmaceutical advertisers.


Reason #7: I thoroughly investigate
health issues with an open mind and do not engage in the type of
"pseudo-research" the pharmaceutical industry funds. (The big drug
companies seem more interested in pushing their costly and sometimes
harmful drugs than objectively evaluating them for safety and
effectiveness. Remember Vioxx?)


Because I have no conflicts of interest, I can offer you a
pain-free dose of unbiased health and wellness information you just
can't find anywhere else!

Just Click Here Now for the Health Answers You Need —

Plus Your FREE Report on Preventing Dementia and Alzheimer's!

Information You NEED to Know
From

A Physician Who Pulls NO Punches . . .

Each month, The Blaylock Wellness Report reports on the "real story" behind today's major health issues.

I Count on Dr. Blaylock's Wellness Report




"I count on BWR to be my primary source for health and
wellness information. It has helped me slow down the progression of
prostate cancer and helped me improve my immune system so I rarely get a
cold or flu. That's a big deal because I'm 62 years old."



— Al Sauvageau

Just like the truth about Alzheimer's disease and dementia.


You'll get detailed "insider information" on diseases and health
concerns affecting you and your loved ones — with issues on cancer,
heart attacks, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, cholesterol, weight
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What else can you get for four bucks these days? Nothing this healthy, that's for sure . . .


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Click Here Now for Simple Steps to Better Health for

Yourself
and Your Loved Ones!

There's no risk to you whatsoever.



If you do not agree 100 percent that you are getting much more in
value than your small monetary investment from this cutting-edge
unbiased health information, you may cancel at any time — with no future obligation of any kind!


You'll receive a prorated refund on the unused portion of the
subscription price you paid. Plus, you may keep ALL of the issues you've
received up to that point.


And that's just the start . . .

You'll Claim Your FREE Exclusive Access to the
Entire

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Just suppose you learned one thing this year that helps you
prevent or control a serious disease like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's,
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Push the envelope of what's possible for your health with reports like:

'Prevent Cancer Before It's Too Late'

• Six common medical conditions that predispose you to cancer . . . especially if you've had them for 10 years or more. . .
  
• A common spice with a powerful substance
  that scientists have determined to be one of the most potent cancer
  inhibitors found yet . . .
  
• The six oils that should never be in your kitchen if you want to avoid cancer (and the 2 you shouldn't be without) . . .
  
• The single best thing you can do to slash your cancer risk by a whopping 50 percent . . .
  
• The carb debate continues: Will a high or low carb diet help prevent cancer?

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• Why arthritis sufferers also have a high rate of other diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and Alzheimer's . . .
  
• Options you should consider if you've been told you need surgical joint replacement (before letting your surgeon cut) . . .
  
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— And
How to Truly Protect Yourself'

• How that excess belly fat predisposes you to diabetes and heart disease . . .
  
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Protecting Your
Health — And Saving Your Life

Don't miss out on this limited-time opportunity to fine-tune your
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All you need to do right now is to take one simple, positive step.

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Guaranteed Trial Subscription, and FREE Bonus Archive Access!

My best wishes for your healthy brain,





Russell Blaylock, M.D.

P.S.: You don't have to be a sitting duck for dementia. Claim your FREE special report, Save Your Brain: Protect Yourself from the Ravages of Alzheimer's and Other Diseases. Plus, don't lose out on your FREE access to the entire Blaylock Wellness Report archive (a $600+ value). Act today!

7Things That Trigger Alzheimer's In Your Brain - video

Video Reveals 7 Things That Trigger Alzheimer's In Your Brain

Friday, 21 Feb 2014 04:19 AM

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WARNING: If you're over the age of 45 and aren't terrified of developing Alzheimer's disease, you found this page just in time.



World-renowned brain expert Dr. Russell Blaylock warns that diseases affecting the brain now appear …

• Earlier in life
• More frequently
• And to a much more severe degree

Based on decades of research and experience treating thousands of patients, Dr. Blaylock has identified the seven primary triggers that activate Alzheimer's disease, landing a quarter of a million Americans in nursing homes every single year.



Dr. Blaylock has committed himself to helping as many people as possible
fight back against diseases such as Alzheimer's, now the sixth leading
cause of death in the U.S. That’s why he has recorded and released a free video presentation highlighting these 7 things that activate Alzheimer's in your brain.



Over 5 million have already watched this presentation; however, this may
be your last chance — this video could be withdrawn from the Internet
at any time. And it’s well worth a few moments of your time, because
while 1 in 8 older Americans already suffer from Alzheimer's disease
today, Dr. Blaylock offers viewers some positive news.



These brain-devastating maladies don't have to afflict you or your loved
ones as you grow older. And even if you already experience
forgetfulness and mild memory loss, you can use Dr. Blaylock's
strategies to help repair the damage — but only if you know these 7 things that activate Alzheimer's in your brain.



It’s all in the video, and you can watch it right now.







Editor's Note: For a few more days, Newsmax Health is still making Dr.
Blaylock's special brain health video available at no charge. But this
could be your last chance. Go here now to see these 7 things that activate Alzheimer's disease in your brain. There's no time to waste — click here.

© 2014 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.

High Carb Diet impairs memory in young mice - ApoE4 Forum

ApoE4 Forum • View topic - E4 interaction with a High Carb Diet

E4 interaction with a High Carb Diet

by Juliegee » Sun Nov 17, 2013 8:11 am

Combination of apolipoprotein E4 and high
carbohydrate diet reduces hippocampal BDNF and arc levels and impairs
memory in young mice.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22836186



We've
seen plenty of studies with human subjects suggesting that a high carb
diet (HCD) leads to cognitive impairment, but this is the first (to my
knowledge) that actually studied the effect of a HCD on e4s as compared
to e3s...albeit on our mousie friends



"Our
results indicate that HCD compromises memory processes in apoE4 mice.
ApoE4 mice on HCD showed decreased activity-regulated
cytoskeletal-associated protein (Arc) and brain derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF) levels, as well as decreased BDNF signaling in the
hippocampus. In contrast, apoE3 mice were resistant to the deleterious
effects of HCD on both behavior and memory-related proteins. Our results
support the hypothesis that already in mid-life, genetic, and
environmental risk factors act together on the mechanisms behind
cognitive impairment."