A Miracle Nutrient for the Brain
By Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS
Ask any baby boomer for his top five health concerns, and one of them is sure to be preserving his memory. At our age, it's easy to start forgetting things, and easier still to worry that those common "senior moments" are the beginning of something more serious. But there are things you can do to power up your brain. And one of those things is as easy as taking a supplement.
Glycerophosphocholine (GPC) is in the class of biochemicals known as phospholipids, which are critical for the health of your cell membranes. It's also available as a powerful supplement that has been extensively researched for its effect on mental performance, attention, concentration, and memory formation. It's found in abundant quantities in mother's milk - which tells us something about how important it is. But there are only tiny amounts in food.
In one study, researchers gave volunteers either GPC or a placebo over the course of about 10 days. Volunteers then took a chemical called scopolamine, which is known to cause almost complete (but temporary) amnesia. Subjects who had taken the GPC had much less (and delayed) amnesia and performed far better on difficult memory tests. The researchers concluded that GPC protected the brain's attention and memory capacity.
The recommended dose for GPC is 300-1,200 mg taken in the morning. For best results, take it along with 500-1,000 mg of essential fatty acids, such as any widely available fish oil supplement. Both fish oil and GPC can be found in most health food stores. GPC is also available onwww.jonnybowden.com.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Jonny Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition, and health.]
The Language Perfectionist: Solving an Enormous Problem
By Don Hauptman
Consider the following, all found via an Internet search:
- "My aim is to win an Olympic gold," says the 17-year-old Saina Nehwal. But the enormity of the task sinks in as she...
- Headline: [Candidate Greg] Ballard Grapples With Enormity of Mayoral Win
- When does the enormity of a favor cross the line?
In all these cases, enormity is being used to refer to something large. Not correct. The word means a great evil, wickedness, or atrocity, as in "the enormity of Nazism."
This misuse is so common that the distinction has become blurred. And if you look hard enough, you can find authorities and dictionaries that sanction the use of enormity to mean largeness.
But as a prescriptivist, my advice is to respect the distinction. You always want your writing to be clear, precise, and unambiguous. So use enormity only to refer to a monstrous evil. In all other cases, choose another word. You have many options: enormousness, greatness, immensity, magnitude, vastness.
[Ed Note: Don Hauptman was a direct-response copywriter for more than 30 years. For his direct-mail subscription packages, he won The Newsletter on Newsletters promotion award for 10 years. He also writes about the English language and is now working on a humorous new book in that genre.]
It's Fun to Know: The World's Oldest Restaurant
Who says the restaurant business is a tough one? Casa Botin in Madrid has been operating continuously since 1725. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Casa Botin is the oldest operating restaurant in the world.
Some of its centuries-old culinary traditions? Whole roasted suckling pig, baby eels sauteed in olive oil, and baby squid in their own ink.
(Source: The Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods" with Andrew Zimmern)
Something that's "apocryphal" (uh-POK-ruh-ful) is fictitious - of questionable authenticity. The word is derived from the Greek for "to hide away."
Example (as used by Suzanne today): "Do these companiesactually offer excellent customer service? Maybe. Or maybe the stories are apocryphal."
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2280, 02-16-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visithttp://www.earlytorise.com/.
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