Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood (Paperback)

~ (Author) "We live in an age when we are constantly barraged by information from dozens of television channels, daily newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines, faxes, e-mails,..." (more)
Key Phrases: hormone holidays, mind energizers, mind boosters, United States, University of California, Department of Psychiatry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Physician Sahelian begins his coverage of chemicals, vitamins, and psychoactive herbs that can help improve the mind with a brief account of the brain and how it works. He then describes 15 categories of substances in detail and discusses how specific diseases can be helped by using such substances. He outlines supplement programs, rather analogous to car maintenance routines, for different age groups. Although he draws on many experts, he also cites his own experience, which removes the brackish taste of the textbook from the tome. One of his major points is not to dismiss cholesterol and other fats out of hand, because brain lipids need a supply of these to do their vital work. Tied to that caution is Sahelian's vigorous objection to "brain-busters," such as sedatives, sleeping pills, and anticholesterol drugs, whose long-term use can cause the brain to slow down and produce confusion. William Beatty
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Product Description

Everyone forgets things sometimes. But do you ever feel like you can't keep track of simple things like acquaintances' names, your car keys, and the two things you needed to pick up on the way home? As America's population ages, more and more people are struggling with the fact that their memory and mental power are not that they used to be. Maybe you've tried "exercising" your mind, or maybe you've just started keeping better "to do" lists. But a proven way to improve your mind, memory and mood is to feed your brain the nutrients it needs to function at its peak performance level.Over the past few years, scientists have discovered dozens of new supplements that enhance and sharpen memory, intelligence, vision, and mental performance. In Mind Boosters, one of the world's most respected nutritional experts examines the very latest research on these breakthrough brain nutrients, amino acids, herbs, and hormones.Along with a scientific and practical evaluation of their benefits and risks, Dr. Sahelian explains how to combine mind-boosting supplements to help patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, depression as well as those with normal age-related mental decline. People of all ages can benefit from the sensible, step-by-step programs tailored to the differing needs of the young, the middle aged and the elderly.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (July 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312195842
• ISBN-13: 978-0312195847
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #134,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

104 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best to date On the Subject! Boost Your Mind!, April 25, 2001

By	M. D. MCGINLEY "Chief Highliner" (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Mind Boosters" by Dr. Ray Sahelian, as of today, is the most authoritative and detailed book on the way food and herbal supplements can affect your mental performance. As the cover implies, your mind, memory and mood can be profoundly influenced by what you take in your body, key among it various herbs, tinctures and many supplements and remedies found in specialty stores, and more often, even in the supermarket.

I really enjoy the fluidity of the writing style. If you took out the corporate restraints and told our author, "Okay, doctor, I want you to stick to the basics and use simple English so that anybody could understand." Especially useful is the information which other books leave out due to their own ignorance, whereas Dr. Sahelian gets right down to the 30- and 40-letter names for specific hormones, neurotransmitters, enzymes and other crucial substances, or fluids, in the body that don't HAVE any other name. This is EXACTLY the information that I need for my research, and whether or not you are doing research or just want to improve your overall health, you are really missing out on invaluable information if you have not read this book. For each topic discussed, the author has sub-topics of cautions and side-effects, recommendations, and personal anecdotes filled with specific information about the substance or vitamin at hand. Dr. Sahelian, for example, is a strong believer that many people suffer stress and anxiety needlessly, simply because they fail to supplement their diet with B-Vitamins, and also that they lack "good" cholesterol, or the Omega-3 class fatty acids. I was pleased to know that I have been taking Lecithin, a natural source of choline, as a fat emulsifier and brain booster for over twenty years, and is one reason why I have an excellent memory--not to mention clarity of thinking and good concentration. Not only that, supplements like lecithin, flax, and the omega-3 class fatty acids help to balance your cholesterol levels. Did you know that all cholesterol is not "bad?" That we need balance, and need to focus on low-density lipoproteins? Keep reading this book, do what it says, and you should far outlive your normal life expectancy.

"Mind Boosters" will reinforce or strengthen your knowledge of what you may need to know most in your life. Many of the emotional problems I point out in my fourth book, Highliner: The Nature, Philosophy and Science of Automobile Driving are fundamentally omitted in every other driving book or known drivers education program, but I have made irrefutable links between foods, moods, herbal supplements and driving behaviors, or just human behavior in general. Dr. Sahelian is the authority on neurochemicals and the way in which hormones and neurotransmitters play a central role in regulating the body and fight to maintain a precise biochemical balance.

Dr. Sahelian points out the role of St. John's Wort, Ginko Biloba, 5-HTP, GABA, Kava, and lots more, including the role of fats in the diet (did you know that the brain is made up of 60% fat?). All this perfectly spread over the 22 chapters. Part I starts right at the beginning with, "Using Your Brain..." and can have an ordinary person with reasonable capacity to take in new information beginning to understand some important functions about brain and mind and body interaction. It's like this doctor doing a basic, bare-bones sketch to brand new medical students--and the book does have great, easy-to-understand illustrations. For these reasons, this book will have you so smart by the time you are done that, if you follow the advice (with the help of a doctor), you will have little need to worry about suffering the effects of neglecting your body's precise chemical balances. Also discussed are the role of receptor sites, and how they can be intercepted by pseudo-neurons, or neurons that were "faking" the fingerprint of another.

Dr. Sahelian is a terrific writer. Not one word is wasted, every sentence informs, every chapter educates. I've memorized most of the acronyms, and when you start rattling off these terms at a stressed, depressed or oppressed person because their diet is lacking, they stand back at their impression of your knowledge. "I think you should start by cutting back on the coffee," I tell them gently, and furthermore "pick up a good Vitamin-B complex, along with a choline and inositol supplement. You might also consider some gamma-aminobutryic acid or dihydroepiandrosterone, along with a 50-mg. supplement of 5-hydroxytryptophan." They say, "Whoa! I had no idea I needed those." The bottom line: the foods and drinks we assimilate are all precursors to hormones and neurotransmitters in the body. So if someone is not eating right or getting enough fluids, well, would that explain why, for example, they are depressed, anxious, obsessed, frustrated or angry all the time? Check your diet first! "Boost your mind" is the cornerstone of Dr. Sahelian's work, in which he really knows his subjects. This book should be worth scholarly credits. Recommended for all educated readers. Buy it today! It never leaves my nighttable.

73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENHANCING YOUR MIND, MEMORY AND MOOD, August 13, 2001

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I have found Dr Sahelian's books on Creatine, DHEA and Pregnenolone very useful, and this one is no exception. He discusses brain function and chemistry and how it relates to nutrition, and provides information on how to improve your mind through lifestyle factors. This is followed by detailed explanations of how supplements work, supported by research findings, under the categories Memory Boosters, Mood & Energy Lifters, Methyl Donors, Keeping Your Brain Young With Antioxidants, Mind Energizers, Amino Acids, Brain Hormones, and Psychoactive Herbs. There are extensive mind-boosting programmes for the age groups 25 - 40, 41 - 60 and for age 61 and over. The last chapter provides natural prescriptions for depression, vision enhancement, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. This well-researched, well-written book is rounded off with a glossary, bibliography and references plus a thorough index. It is the most complete and authoritative book of its kind and also a pleasure to read. I would have liked to find more information on Deprenyl, but it is a drug - not a natural supplement - and thus outside the scope of this book. Similar informative books that deal with nutritional supplementation include William Regelson's 'The Superhormone Promise' and Timothy J Smith's 'Renewal.' Mind Boosters however, remains the best overall reference book on cutting-edge nutrition for a healthy mind.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond my expectations, July 7, 2000

By A Customer

I was pleasantly surprised when I received my copy of Mind Boosters from amazon. As I looked through the 300 pages of the book, I was in awe on how much information was packed. On just about every page of the book there was a heading that caught my eye. I was especially drawn to the author's personal experience with the supplements. Dr. Sahelian apparently took the dozens of nutrients he has in his book and it was very refreshing that he included his observations on how they made him feel. He also lists the scientific research on each supplement and the cautions and side effects. What made me trust the information in this book even more is that he mentions a few supplements that don't work or how a cheaper alternative can save the reader a lot of money. Also, his dosage recommendations seem prudent. Everything seems to be well-explained and organized with proper references. I like the way he categorizes the chapters and how he makes brain chemistry real simple to understand and the biochemical basis on how the nutrients work. His chapter on supplements for mood elevation was excellent. Since I have mild depression, his step by step guide is very practical. I also liked his chapter on the top nutrients that improve vision. I followed his guidelines on the fish oil intake and did notice within two days my vision being sharper and clearer. There is a good glossary of the scientific terms used in the book and an excellent index. Over the years I have read quite a few books on brain supplements, and, without a doubt, this is the finest book on this topic that I've come across so far.