@SJB944: basically, I think we need to go after our brain chemistry in the same way (or somewhat of the same way) we're going after our physical energy with the Deadlock Quartet. We can't achieve peak physical energy if our brains can't keep up with what our bodies are capable of doing.
I recently had a little epiphany when using sulbutiamine (a synthetic version of thiamine that passes the blood-brain barrier), acetyl-l-carnitine (ALC), a couple different kinds of choline, and a nootropic called noopept.
I did the sulbutiamine stacked iwth the ALC for a couple weeks and noticed a real lift in mood. But it wasn't quite what I wanted. So I started doing some research and decided to try the other stuff.
Wow! Within a few hours of adding in the cholines and noopept, I was literally LOOKING AROUND for chores to do. Zoooooom! It was crazy.
That Sunday I did a solid *7 hours* worth of housework. I haven't done that much housework in one day without physically collapsing or having a psychological meltdown in probably a decade.
I did not get bored. I did not get tired. I did not get overwhelmed. And I did not have any muscle soreness on that day or any subsequent days, despite all the bending, lifting, etc. I was like the Energizer Bunny...I just kept going and going and going...
Seriously, it was like a little miracle. It gave me a glimpse of what life might be again.
In fact, I got so carried away by how great I felt that I ignored the instructions of these nootropic substances and overdid them.
You really need to cycle all nootropics, even ALC. Typically you take them for one week and then take a week off. Like that. It keeps them from giving you sides, and also is supposed to keep the effects "fresh". Ultimately you need to find your own rhythm, but that's the general cycling guideline.
But I I didn't cycle...I felt so great I just kept taking them. I kept thinking I'd cycle down after the holidays were over. After a few weeks solid of daily use I began experiencing some sides. Blurry vision (citicholine and sulbutiamine), feeling a bit strung out (not bad, just a little) mild insomnia and headache (attributable to all of them), and dry skin (sulbutiamine).
So I stopped taking them for a week. Started back again for a couple days but then came down with a horrid stomach flu right before Christmas. I couldn't take anything in my regimen at all, not even the Deadlock, for nearly a week. I couldn't eat. It was a bummer to happen on the holidays. It might actually have been a crash from the nootropics instead of a flu, but I'm thinking flu because it was quite virulent, and I had fairly high fever for several days. I've never had a crash involving gastrointestinal symptoms before. My crashes always involve extreme fatigue, respiratory symptoms, and muscle soreness.
Anyway, the side effects ave resolved, but I'm still not taking the nootropics again yet. I'm still a little "off" from the flu and I want to give myself time to get it all out of my system.
The good news is that even though I'm not taking the nootropics any more, some of the residual motivation remains. My attention span is noticeably better, and I'm more motivated to do things like housecleaning that normally I have difficulty even thinking about, let alone actually doing them.
Like I said, although this experience with brain-boosting (i.e., nootropic) supplements didn't go smoothly, it has given me a littlle glimpse of what my life could maybe be like again. That day I did the seven hours worth of housework was as close to normal brain and body functioning as I've come in I can't remember when.
Perhaps what I experienced is what we all can achieve that if we can hit on the right combo of stuff.
The fact that some brain changes are apparently sticking around for a while even though I'm not taking the stuff any more has also gave me hope that maybe over some finite amount of time we can permanently and beneficially "retrain" our brains with supplements that address our neurochemistry, so that we don't have to take them forever. Or if we do need to take them forever, only very episodically, in the way booster shots are needed for effective innoculations.
FWIW, I don't think I would have responded nearly as well to the nootropics if I hadn't had the physical foundation given me by doing
@Freddd's protocol for almost a year first.
Main point being that we cannot be at our physical peak without finding a way to get our minds caught up with our improving physical health.
@Radio has a lot of good posts about lipids and whatnot to boost cell integrity and neurotransmitters for peak mental functioning.
I'm not recommending these nootropics to anyone because I'm still not entirely sorted with them myself. But the experience they gave me regarding the mind-body connection is definitely worth mentioning. It's been an eye-opener for sure.
HTH.