Bulletproof/Upgradeself sells several supplements aimed at helping your brain. I think everyone is different in how their body will respond. In my case, I'm in my late 20s and I have tried to follow a Bulletproof styled diet for what is over a year now and it has worked well for maintaining weight, dealing with acne, and even improving musculature. I don't take drugs, no smoking, and no drinking. I believe that supplements can be used to fill in what we are missing, but I also like the idea that we can unlock potential and go beyond what we thought was possible. Below are some notes regarding the effects that I have noticed when I have taken these supplements.
I'm taking several classes at a local university and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of nonsense that I'm supposed to memorize, synthesize, and then apply. One time I took a combination of all of these supplements and coffee at the same time. The result was one of the most terrible headaches I have ever had! The headache went on for hours, resulted in one of my worst scores in a quiz on logic,and then I just felt like locking myself up in a quiet room to shut off all the noise in the world. I would not do it again. Doing a single supplement, or timing them for their effect is a much better idea.
I tried to take these supplements as recommended. But I know that sometimes if you want an effect and the recommended dosage is insufficient then you have to increase it--I didn't because I don't want to play with fire.
Alpha Brain
Alpha Brain is the supplement that Joe Rogan sells. This nootropic has the effect of making me incredibly sensitive to anything. This means that it can be a superb supplement for studying if when one is in a very isolated place. However, if you are in a noisy place the increased sensitivity can lead to be easily distracted. I was very sensitive to vibration and noise of vehicles driving by, the wind noise hitting the leaves of the trees, the "tap" sounds of shoes, and so on. In order for this to be effective for studying I need a very quiet place!!! Otherwise Alpha Brain is a waste of money that can have a negative outcome.
Choline Force
Choline Force does not seem to have any immediate effects. This is the type of supplement, I presume, that is better for just maintaining your brain's state. I'm unsure about buying this again any time soon.
Ciltep
In the case of Ciltep I did not notice a noticeable effect either. It could be the case that I needed to up the dosage, or that the effect was there I just didn't "notice it." I'm unsure if I'll purchase this product again.
Upgraded Brain Octane
Upgraded Brain Octane goes incredibly well, when blended, with coffee. Another type of oil is MCT Oil which in my case has the tendency to give me stomach discomfort/irritation (at least when too much is consumed). Upgraded Brain Octane doesn't seem to cause this discomfort (maybe because I have not consumed enough quantity too produce the irritation). Now, regarding my brain's state... I feel like my brain becomes "wired" as if electricity is going through and I can react faster. The coffee by itself does have some of this effect, but the Octane seems to make things better. The one problem that I have with this product is that it's expensive. I might buy it every once in a while, but until then butter and MCT oil will do.
GABAwave
This supplement comes packaged quite differently. There are ampoules that are filled with this dark liquid, the flavor is not the most pleasant, and the substance does seem to stay in your body for hours (if you burp hours after taking this stuff you will know what I'm talking about). One thing that I noticed is the suggestion that you should first take less than one ampoule, and then figure out the dosage that works for you. They also recommend taking no more than three ampoules per week--because you can get "no result" or even "opposite result".
I'm retaking a class that I previously dropped. At the time I felt that I could not cope with the amount of hours that all my classes consumed. And this one stupid 3 credit class was simply consuming too much time, so I dropped it because it was jeopardizing my grades. Now, I'm retaking the one class.
The first time I took GABAwave I kept my focus for about seven straight hours. I did not need a drink of water, did not crave food, and I just pushed on studying for the test. I ended scoring 98% on the test of the class that usually made me nervous.
After taking GABAwave I noticed a great clarity, and a very calming effect. Like Alpha Brain I do become sensitive to my surroundings, but I tend to be able to refocus on what I'm doing very easily. The calming effect is something quite incredible. Even though there are situations that usually frustrate me when I use GABAwave I cannot feel anger or stress about them. Is just as if I can "let go" of things that would otherwise get in the way of thinking. Being relaxed helped me sleep very well. It's a remarkable product that I'm likely to purchase again.
This is how the package looks.
Unfair Advantage
The first time I heard about Unfair Advantage was in one of Dave Asprey's worst quality videos ever. The product uses active PQQ, which help activate the mitochondria. Mitochondria are the little power plants in each of the cell and they produce ATP via the electron transport chain. So, the idea is that with this supplement you can improve your energy production.
I can say that Unfair Advantage has a very sweet taste (likely due to the Xylitol), and as such they are almost like tasty little treats. It may be easy to consume too many, and when I had 4 of them in one day I did not notice any negative effects.
With Unfair Advantage I did not feel "wired," I did not feel an increased in sensitivity to the environment, and I did not get a form of "calmness". For the most part it really was a waste of money, however I did notice one area in which it helped tremendously. I'm a guy, and every few days I get certain biological urges, know where I'm going with this? Well, when I give into those urges, and do so not having that loving company (yes there are different outcomes mentally), then I often have a hideous post-act mental state. This mental state is characterized by a certain inner brain "pressure," fogginess, lack of interest in anything the world has to offer, being a grumpy individual to others, and I simply want to go to sleep. Usually this rather negative mental state carries on for about two to three days after the biological act, which does limit the possibility of me being outgoing, interested, and having a positive attitude. Unfair Advantage does seem to help in carrying on throughout the day of the act, and it also seems that I recover my more positive attitude in just about one day. It's a weird observation, but it's what I got out of it.
I don't think I will purchase this product again in the near future. However, as I age I believe that this can help quite a bit.
The packaging of Unfair Advantage is similar to GABAwave's. There are 15 ampoules in GABAwave and there are 30 ampoules in Unfair Advantage.
The liquid in the ampoules looks a bit more on the brown side when compared to the darker GABAwave.
These were my observations of taking these supplements. It is possible that different dosages give different, or more significant, effects. Furthermore, it is likely that people will react in different ways to these substances. Only you can determine your reactions by testing them.
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