Brain Health

BRAIN Maintenance By ARCHURE. Music on this page: "Beyond" by Archure

Has Archure gone Bananas? You bet!
NEW: Feb 2006 Update. BANANAS contain NEURO TRANSMITTERS (more below)
NEWER UPDATE April 2007: MELATONIN (new section below), and with additions to SEROTONIN (section below) suplements newer better 5-HTP (and previous "L-Tryptophan")

Also see: Archure's Quick Guide to MENTAL HEALTH!

STABILITY:

The Periodic Table of Elements (used by Chemists) shows on the far left column, the ALKALINE METALS; which are the most Stable of the elements. The first 4 being: Hydrogen, Lithium, Sodium, and Potassium. Lithium has been prescribed by Psychiatrists to help with mental stability. These chemicals also help with the bodies Physical Stability. One should avoid the Gases (right side of the chart), as they are totally unstable (yea its fun to breathe Helium gas as it make your voice sound funny, but it makes a person very unstable). Avoid all gasses in general. Having a Candle to burn off gasses in your bathroom, and around the house is a good idea (do not place them near curtains or in a fire hazard area, do put a plate underneath the candle, and do not leave them unattended).

LITHIUM, SODIUM, POTASSIUM, & HYDROGEN:

LITHIUM: I lived with someone who had a prescription for Lithium, and realize that this person was the Most Stable person that I knew, even if the person had some psychological issues, and some instability, we all relied on this persons stability. In many respects, this person was more stable than most. Lithium is available over the counter without prescription, and can be ordered at Health Food or Vitamin stores, if not already in stock.

SODIUM: This is also why people crave TABLE SALT (sodium chloride). Sea Salt (unprocessed, with no added chemicals is much better, as processed salt causes arterial damage). BAKING SODA (sodium bicarbonate) is an excellent aid to ones health, due to its high pH.

POTASSIUM: can make leg cramps go away, and is essential for good health. My grandfather (a chemist) said “eat a handful of raisins a day, and you will have all the potassium you need” (there is more potassium in Raisins than Bananas. Bananas are good, but can be binding and fattening, while raisins are better, they are high in carbohydrates, so easy, just a handful). Carrots are very high in Potassium. Carrot Juice is high in vitamin A, Potassium, but also a bit Acidic (no more than one pint per day), and dangerous in Glycemic Index (again, no more than one pint per day). Thus I tend to get my Vitamin A in tablet form (good for skin and eyes). Soy Juice or Soy Milk is also high in Potassium.

HYDROGEN: I use Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with at least 50% water to gargle. Some Health Food stores may stock, or may be able to order, "Hydrogen Peroxide for Internal Use" (even then it should include instructions on proper diluting with water, do not ingest regular Hydrogen Peroxide). Hydrogen Peroxide helps Oxygenate your body (as per "Chemistry for Sucess"), and is commonly used externally to draw out infections.

SEROTONIN: suplements of 5-HTP ("L-Tryptophan") AND St Johns Wort

Serotonin and L-Dopamine are nero transmitters, essential for proper brain functioning and pleasant disposition. Lack of Serotonin in the brain has been directly linked to violent behavior. Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw (scientists turned nutrition experts, and used to appear on TV shows back in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s) wrote their famous “LIFE EXTENSION” book, and I remember going into health food stores back in the late 60’s asking for L-Dopamine, only to get some crazy looks. But now we can find ST JOHNS WORT, and 5-HTP (also called "L-Tryptophan") in most health food stores. According to one article I found (.edu), 5-HTP ("L-Tryptophan") is like the Fuel (serotonin), while St Johns Wort is like the carburetor which helps you use Serotonin you already have stored in your body. Serotonin can be found naturally in Tofu, Pumpkin Seeds, Bananas, Almonds (the only high pH reactive nut, making it the only decent nut, except Brazil nuts which are high in anti-cancer “Selenium”). I personally take St Johns Wort daily as recommended, read the label (Andrew Wyle recommends "The starting dose is 300 miligrams three times a day, and full antidepressant effect will not develop in less than two months of regular use. St. John's wort is nontoxic but may increase sensitivity to sunlight in high doses" -Dr. Andrew Weil "Spontaneous Healing" pg 261 ). Only occasionally do I "Archure" take a 5-HTP supplement (before bedtime), else I am sleepy for a day or so; and I already have enough serotonin in my body, due to eating lots of Tofu and raw Almonds.

SEROTONIN UPDATE 2011.02.13 I have increased my intake of 5-HTP to 100mg daily, and gradually reduced the St Johns Wort, which I am no longer taking (but can resume if I feel the need) and that is currently working for me, and I enjoy it better. I did not mind the St Johns Wort as much as I mind peoples opinion of me while I am on St Johns Wort; have you ever met someone who is on strong anti-depresants? somehow, many people tend to not respect the person on anti-depresants, like they are some sort of zombie person or something; and the 5-HTP has been working real good for Music (along with at least 400 mg of each B vitamin except 25,000 mcg of B12, all per day). I'd say the 5-HTP adds depth and intelligence to my more recent works, more cooperation with the unconscious mind in the process of improvisational music (my main thing). NEXT: I plan to experiment (musically) with higher doesages of 5-HTP (after first checking out OK doseage levels for 5-HTP, ALSO: I have not been doing the Melatonin, but its good for music too (take it the night before, then wake up and record music), so now I will now try some Melatonin, now that I am taking more 5-HTP

http://www.advance-health.com/5htp.html
QUOTE:
5-HTP Dosage
As with all nutritional supplements or medications, individual response is a variable. It is clear that large excesses of serotonin in the peripheral circulation can cause cardiovascular disease and other adverse effects. Too much 5 HTP in the diet could potentially result in too much serotonin in the peripheral circulation.

Some sources suggest that 5 HTP can be safely used as a nutritional supplement at a dosage of up to 100 milligrams (mg) per day. Some authorities maintain that much larger dosages can be consumed without adverse effects. Some also suggest that 5 HTP, especially in larger doses should be used with the prescription drug carbidopa. The purpose of this drug is to prevent the 5 HTP from being converted to serotonin in the peripheral circulation.
:UNQUOTE

http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/view/5-htp-the-natural-alternative-to-prozac-section-5/
QUOTE:
Because 5-HTP may make you sleepy, it is usually best to take it at bed time, especially if you're taking a high dose (200-300 mg or more). If you find that 5-HTP makes you sleepy, do not take it if you need to drive a car, operate heavy machinery, or do anything else that requires you to be awake and alert.

Paradoxically, some people find that taking 5-HTP at bedtime causes insomnia. It is not known why this happens, but it reinforces the idea that individuals need to experiment with the dosages and scheduling to find that which works best for them. :UNQUOTE

http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/sleep/sleep_ins_melatonin-and-5htp.htm
QUOTE:
Recommended Dosage for 5-HTP: Take 100 to 300 mg, thirty to forty-five minutes before retiring. Start with the lower dose for at least three days, then consider increasing the dose if results are not what you expected.
:UNQUOTE

UPDATE 2008.12.09: WALNUTS are very high in neuro-transmitters (and are Omega 3, don't cook walnuts, else they might taste fishy (same if spoiled))

NEW UPDATE FEB 2006 ON "BANANAS": As per "SUPER NUTRIENTS HANDBOOK" by Lyndel Costain BSc, SRD, pg 104 "Bananas and plantains are sources of two biogenic amines, serotonin and dopamine" (see chapter above this about serotonin and L-dopamine in "Life Extension" by Pearson and Shaw. AND also on page 105 of "Super Nutrients Handbook "....bananas are a good source of vitamin B6" (cures depression in most people hospitalized for depression as per "Idiots Guide to Vitamins & Minerals" by Dr. Pressman (see B Vitamins below for link to quote), also note, most ANTI DEPRESSANT drugs contain an extra additive, B6 "Pyrodoxine", which is over the counter, but Psychiatrists make a living by monitoring people on perscriptions of Anti Depressants, when its really the over the counter B6 which is really doing the good work). Thus, a Banana a day, keeps the Psychiatrist away. CORRECTION 2006.04.27..01:28am I takes around 6 Bananas to get the minimum daily requirement for B6, but even that is not enough to keep you happy; so get some B Vitamin suplements (more below). Bananas are also high in Potassium, a desireable nutrient which prevents and cures leg cramps instantly (a handfull of raisins or a glass of carrot juice also contians enough potassium to cure cramps). "They call it Mellow Yellow.... ....Electrical Banana, is gonna be a sudden craze...." ("Mellow Yellow", a song by Donovan, from the 1960's, goes to show how long sceince has known about it, but who will admit it? Archure). Back in the late 60's some people were smoking banana peels (not me). But I am now back to eating a banana a day (for my neuro transmitters). The DIFFERENCE between a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist: If you need help, do see a Psychologist (a Psychologist will help get to the root of your problems, while a Psychiatrist will automatically put you on a perscription and montitor you without getting to the root of your problem, its the nature of the business, the Psychiatrist does not make money by telling you to go out and buy some B Vitamins, he makes money by turning you into a zombie, with some heavy medication, which also includes a trace of B6 aka Pyridoxine), then monitors you on a regular basis (expensive, B Vitamins are cheaper, and www.ARCHURE.Net is Free Reading).

Aggression linked to lack of Serotonin
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web1/Iskander.html

Re-activation of the Pineal Gland
http://leda.lycaeum.org/?ID=9126

Serotonin in Fruits and Veggies
http://onsager.bd.psu.edu/~jircitano/seraton.html

B VITAMINS:

B vitamins are the Vitamins of the mind. They keep you of a good disposition (happy, eliminating melancholy), they keep you coherent, they keep you rational. Many books will verify this (Idiots Guide to Vitamins & Minerals has quite a few chapters on the B vitamins alone). Shari Libermans “Real Vitamin & Mineral Book” suggests the Optimum Daily Intake for the B Vitamins is 25mg to 300mg per day (she says the RDA or RDI set by the Federal Government, is enough to keep you alive, but she specifies the Optimum Daily Intake as what your really need for proper body functioning). The experts say there is no known overdose level for B1, B2, and B12 (B12 is always in mcg instead of mg, so 25mg to 100mcg is what Shari Liberman recommends). However, there is an Overdose level for B6 (Pyridoxine) of 2,000 mg per day (which can cause Nerve Damage, Shari Liberman says this is Temporary; and although she does not say it, I think that B6 may be Cumulative, so if you have some nerve issues, you might want to eliminate B6 for a week or so, and take B1, B2, and B12 separately (more expensive that a B Complex or B Stress formula, or B-1000, or a B-100 found in most grocery stores. Wal-Mart has a B-150 which is 150 mg of each B Vitamin (B12 in mcg), and Target has a B-100 (100 mg), ALWAYS GET A BRAND WITH AT LEAST 100 mg of each B Vitamin. Shari Liebermans "Real Vitamin & Mineral Book" says get 25 mg to 300 mg per day, but I advise up to 1000 mg per day (perfectly safe). I typically get 600 to 900 mg /day, with a separate 5000 mcg of B12, and take at least 4 of those per day, usually all at the same time, Target and Wal-Mart both carry 2,500 mcg sizes of B12 (cobalamin)).
MORE ABOUT B VITAMINS http://www.archure.net/salus/bhappy.html (includes quotes by Dr Pressman regarding B6 Pyrodoxine curing depression in patients hosptialized for depression).

MELATONIN:

Melatonin (comes in sizes 5mg, 3mg, or less).

Melatonin is already produced by the brain, it increases the sensitivity to light or no light affecting sleep. I personally find I can get by on less sleep if I take some Melatonin (but I try to get lots of sleep in general, great for ones mental health and physical health). But I also noticed something more with Melatonin. When I play music in the morning, after taking melatonin the night before, I get much deeper unconscious inspirations, which can be summed up with a quote by Albert Einstein ""There comes a point where the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge, but can never prove how it got there. All great discoveries have involved such a leap". In other words, with Melatonin, inspirations just come to you. Some of my songs, written after using around 10mg of melatonin (the night before, sleeping, the playing music) are "Beyond" for Evie #2 LISTEN (music background for this page) OR re-synthesized AND a very deep, very powerful: "In The Wind II" LISTEN

If I seem like a sleepy head to people, its not as much the Melatonin as the 5HTP L-Tryptophan ("Seratonin" the minds neuro transmitters), which makes me real sleepy, but coherent and helps deal with a stressful world (and it is stressful with people non-verbally questioning "what are you doing in my lane, on my road, on my sidewalk, in my store, in my way....".

Back to Melatonin
Andrew Weil MD (famous health author) says Melatonin is good, but he does not advise it for every night

www.wikipedia.org The Online Encyclopedia says Melatonin affects your biological clock, and is basically safe, helps the immune system, helps the Thyroid (possibly great for people like me with hypothyroidism, see my article on that), and (note further below) wikipedia talks about better REM sleep with large 50mg dosages (have to work my way up, I am (at the time of writing this) at around 10 mg before bedtime.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

"powerfull antioxidant"

immune system

The body of research is overwhelmingly supportive of the claim that melatonin interacts with the immune system.[20] Melatonin may help fight disease,[21] but its true role in disease treatment is unknown.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#Fertility

Fertility

Recent research has concluded that melatonin supplementation in perimenopausal women produces a highly significant improvement in thyroid function and gonadotropin levels, as well as restoring fertility and menstruation and preventing the depression associated with the menopause.[33]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin#In_dreaming

In dreaming

Many melatonin users have reported an increase in the vividness or frequency of dreams. High doses of melatonin (50mg) dramatically increased REM sleep time and dream activity in both narcoleptics and normal people.[22]

It is interesting to note that many psychotropic drugs, such as LSD and cocaine, increase melatonin synthesis.[22] It has been suggested that nonpolar (lipid-soluble) indolic hallucinogenic drugs emulate melatonin activity in the awakened state and that both act on the same areas of the brain.[22]

In a 2005 editorial of the British Journal of Psychiatry, Ben Sessa suggested that psychotropic drugs be readmitted in the field of scientific enquiry and therapy.[23] Melatonin, being two endogenous hallucinogenic indoles like N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), is likely to be research priorities in this reemerging field of psychiatry.

Use as a dietary supplement

The primary motivation for the use of melatonin as a supplement is as a natural aid to better sleep, with other incidental benefits to health and well-being due to its role as an antioxidant and its stimulation of the immune system and several components of the endocrine system.

Victor Herbert, M.D., J.D., of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, cites studies from Massachusetts Institute of Technology that say melatonin pills sold as supplements contain three to 10 times the amount needed to produce the desirable physiologic nocturnal blood melatonin level for enhancement of nighttime rest. Dosages are designed to raise melatonin levels for several hours to enhance quality of sleep, but some studies suggest that smaller doses are just as effective at improving sleep quality.[37] High dose melatonin can even be counterproductive: Lewy & al[38] provide support to the "idea that too much melatonin may spill over onto the wrong zone of the melatonin phase-response curve." In their study, 0.5 mg of melatonin was effective while 20 mg wasn't. A practical implication of these results is that effective melatonin supplementation (for sleep problems) thus becomes very accessible: it costs a fraction of what most researchers thought it might cost.

A number of studies indicate melatonin supplementation helps to reduce the age-related decline in hormone production from the thyroid and pituitary glands, among others, with animal models suggesting these effects are associated with an overall enhancement of health[citation needed]

Melatonin is involved in the regulation of body weight, and may be helpful in treating obesity (especially when combined with calcium).

Safety

Melatonin is practically nontoxic and exhibits almost no toxic side effects. However, melatonin taken in combination with monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) can lead to overdose because MAOIs inhibit the breakdown of melatonin by the body. Exogenous melatonin normally does not affect the endogenous melatonin profile in the short or medium-term, merely advancing the phase of endogenous melatonin production in time.

In individuals with auto-immune disorders, there is concern that melatonin supplementation may exacerbate symptoms due to stimulation of the immune system.

Melatonin causes somnolence, and therefore should not be taken within five hours before driving, operating machinery, etc. As melatonin is almost always taken at the end of the waking day, this is generally not an issue.

Individuals who experience orthostatic intolerance, a cardiovascular condition that results in reduced blood pressure and blood flow to the brain when a person stands, may experience a worsening of symptoms when taking melatonin supplements, a study at Penn State College of Medicine's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center suggests. Melatonin can exacerbate the symptoms by reducing nerve activity in those who experience the condition, the study found.

As a natural substance with a virtual absence of problematic side effects, with health benefits to users without illnesses, melatonin has been classified as a dietary supplement and made freely available in the USA, but in the EU, over-the-counter sale without prescription is not yet officially permitted.

end of wikipedia quotes......

SLEEP: Sleep is essential to allow proper functioning of the body, including the brain. In this TV world, many people tend to watch TV till very late, and never get enough sleep. People have sleeping cycles of around a couple of hours (not certain of the time spans, will add this info later), and people tend to sleep around several cycles. It is important to wake up during the right time during these cycles, because if you wake up at the wrong part of the cycle, you will be sleepy all day, even if you slept over 10 hours. Thus, alarm clocks are not the best for you. What is better for you is to get to bed early (look whose talking), and wake up naturally, allowing plenty of time to sleep as much as you feel like. And if it happens to be just a couple of cycles (maybe only 5 hours) on some occasions, at least it was a proper sleep, and hopefully it will sometimes be around 9 hours (not just 8, which if I do recall, interrupts your sleep cycles at the wrong time).

http://www.archure.net/salus/somnia.html

GINKO:

My Boss at work is into Ginko, and suggested it to me; I was hesitant (I didn't want to be like The Boss, you know how Bosses get?), but eventually I tried it and liked it quite a bit, not what I had expected from what I had read. I did feel more alert and calculating, but in a more positive way than I expected, I have been pleased with Ginko on a daily basis

MUSIC:

Music makes the mood, and is a powerful mood enhancing tool. But there is good and bad music, of all types, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Bluegrass, Western, Soul, World Music, etc. Example: Maurice Ravel (the father of modern classical music) is very good, while most of Brahms (except his 4th symphony, and even then) is not up to par with Ravel, and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, although Interesting, is not exactly soothing to the soul.

ALPHA WAVES: more http://archure.net/midi/waves/

Your bodies brain waves, go at around 11 cps (11 cycles per second, or Alpha waves) when in a calm state, and go around 18 cps (Beta waves) or higher when agitated. (Delta and Theta waves of around 1 to 4 cps occur when sleeping). A good friend of mine John Sinclair Sr. (who invented the kick down door stop and hundreds of patents), got a grant from the Federal Government to study Biofeedback, so that a person could learn to control their own brain waves by listening to them, learning how to control them in the process. John said, you don’t really need biofeedback equipment. Most people can put themselves in an Alpha State (11 cps) merely by envisioning A MEADOW and a STREAM or BROOK (with birds flying around). STAY CALM and PLEASANT (avoid being Agitated) by envisioning a meadow and a stream. There are environmental sound recordings available or streams and birds in meadows and wind thru the trees sounds (ocean wave sounds too might help).

HEAR ALPHA WAVES (11 cps): Alpha 11 music by Archure

HIGH pH DIET:

A low pH or Acidic diet causes one to be unhealthy (the low pH acids eat away at the body organs, your body struggles, this makes people cranky and irritable, and well as causes disease and even death (indirectly in most cases, as when the body pH is low, the body becomes run down and open harbor to diseases of all sorts.
AVOID: Sodas, Meats, Dairy Products, Vinegar, Alcohol (or drink high proof with water)
USE: DRINK LOTS OF WATER, eat lots of vegetables (especially cucumbers).
MORE ABOUT pH: http://www.archure.net/salus/ph.html

VEGETARIAN VEGAN DIET: A vegetarian vegan diet is recommended for both physical and psychological reasons, and both affect the brain, and ones disposition.

"It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living by its purely physical effect on the human temperament would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind." - Albert Einstein Letter to 'Vegetarian Watch-Tower', 27 December 1930

ALBERT EINSTEIN "Nothing will benefit human health, and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth, as much as the evolution to a Vegetarian Diet" -ALBERT EINSTEIN "Bite-Size Einstein" pg 10 by Mayer & Holms QC16.E5A25

MORE ABOUT VEGETARIAN DIET: http://www.archure.net/salus/neobio.html

LSD
Many people including myself, believe and have seen that LSD and Marijuana (both termed "Hallucinogins", as apposed to uppers or downers), are very good when taken in the proper doseage, in the proper conditions. I took LSD and smoked Marijuana in the 60's, it did me lots of good, and I saw it do lots of good for others. I wish I could partake again, except for the evils of government oppression. There is lots of evidence that "Hallucinogins" are what started the worlds major religions

Dr Albert Hofmann, the inventor of LSD, lived to be 102 years old http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann

Dr. Albert Hofmann, on the occasion of celebrating the 50th anniversary of his famous bicycle ride (first LSD Trip): "You, my dear friends, and millions all over the world who now commemorate the 50th birthday of ergot's child, we all testify gratefully that we got valuable help on the way to what Aldous Huxley said is the end and the ultimate purpose of human life--enlightenment, beatific vision, love. I think all these joyful testimonies of invaluable help by LSD should be enough to convince the health authorities, finally, of the nonsense of the prohibition of LSD and of similar psychedelics."

Marijuana is much safer than nicotine or alcohol, and LSD is even safer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_diethylamide#Possible_risks

LSD at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_diethylamide

See my article on the Legalization of Marijuana