It took a while for me to figure out that something wasn’t right with my brain.
In my high school and college years, I’d read questions on an exam without comprehending what I had read. It wasn’t because I didn’t understand the concepts. When I looked at the words, they just wouldn’t penetrate my brain and stick!
Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t function. I still managed to graduate and move on to a productive career.
But as the years progressed, it was sometimes hard for me to hold a conversation with a friend. I could not stay focused. By the time I hit 35, I had trouble keeping track of my things. My life was a constant hunt for my keys and reading glasses.
And then something changed. Suddenly I could focus and remember. Taking language classes as an adult was easy. Not only could I stay tuned in, but I was excelling. I was a regular Hermione Granger at the front of the class, the teacher relying on me for the correct answers.
Changing My Brain
I’ll be honest, until I reached my mid 30’s, I didn’t think much about food beyond the pleasure I got from eating it. I didn’t necessarily overeat, but I didn’t eat well to feel better or nurture my body in a meaningful way. I ate for satisfaction.
As I aged and pounds crept up, I started to take nutrition more seriously. And when I did that, I noticed that my brain felt less clouded, and my focus improved along with my memory.
And then I made the connection – my diet of bread, pizza, sugary cereals, soda, and treats was clouding my thinking.
And boy, did that switch – choosing to nurture my brain – change my life.
When you fill your body with vitamins and minerals, your physiological needs are met. And your brain benefits too. Studies show that proper brain nutrition is directly linked to your brain’s health. (1,2) That was the key to me feeling and thinking better.
The change – and improvement – in my ability to learn and comprehend was so profound that I looked for ways to improve my thinking even further.
And that’s how I discovered Lion’s Mane.
Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
Lion’s Mane mushrooms are not your traditional cap and stem variety you find at the grocery store. They are functional mushrooms with a centuries-long tradition of boosting overall health. They also contain two stand-out brain boosters – aromatic hericenones and diterpenoid erinacines. No other food has this powerful combination; that’s why Lion’s Mane is so special.
Hericenones and erinacines have been shown to promote the synthesis of nerve growth factor. (3) Nerve growth factor is responsible for neurogenesis, also known as the birth of new neurons.
Neurons are brain cells that communicate information and play a critical role in your memory, learning, and reasoning. The more neurons you have, the faster your brain cells can communicate with each other, which translates into quicker thinking. (4)
Combining Lion’s Mane with a comprehensive brain health supplement such as Stonehenge Health’s Dynamic Brain™ is a way to help promote clear thinking and a strong memory now while also helping stave off future cognitive decline.
I consider Dynamic Brain™ my foundational formula for maintaining my brain health. It contains most of the minerals and vitamins my brain needs to preserve structural integrity, essential for safeguarding cognitive ability as I age. (5-6) It also includes the nutrients that help form the compounds involved in brain energy metabolism. (7-9)
Think of it this way; Lion’s Mane unlocks more brain potential by encouraging new neural cell growth. While Dynamic Brain™ provides the fuel, your brain cells need to fire on all cylinders.
I’m happy to report that while I am now in my mid-50s, I’m sharper, and my attention to detail is better now than in my 30s. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t eat well and exercise every day. But I also feel fortunate that I have found my personal “brain” fountain of youth.
Not A Typical Mushroom
Lion’s Mane is not the type of mushroom you’d find in the produce section at your local grocery store. It’s in the class of functional mushrooms that deliver health and therapeutic benefits beyond the nutrition they provide.
The easiest way to experience Lion’s Mane is through a supplement. Stonehenge Health’s Dynamic Mushrooms™ is an expertly crafted blend of Lion’s Mane 4:1 extract of mushroom fruiting bodies and four other powerful functional mushrooms – Maitake, Reishi, Chaga, and Shiitake. 1,000 mg of Lion’s Mane extract per serving, which is the amount studies show helps elevate your cognitive function and boost mental energy.
Take Dynamic Mushrooms™ with Dynamic Brain™ daily as part of an overall healthy lifestyle – for better memory and focus, increased mental strength and physical endurance, improved ability to adapt to physical and mental stressors, and support for your immune system’s health.
Sources:
1. Effects of sucrose and high fructose corn syrup consumption on spatial memory function and hippocampal neuroinflammation in adolescent rats – PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25242636/
2. Nutrient biomarker patterns, cognitive function, and MRI measures of brain aging | Neurology – n.neurology.org/content/78/4/241.abstract?sid=22557f7c-d732-4ce6-a48f-a4bd08316626
3. Neurotrophic properties of the Lion’s mane medicinal mushroom, Hericium erinaceus (Higher Basidiomycetes) from Malaysia – PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24266378/
4. Brains of smarter people have bigger and faster neurons – humanbrainproject.eu/en/follow-hbp/news/brains-of-smarter-people-have-bigger-and-faster-neurons/
5. Choline – Health Professional Fact Sheet – ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Choline-HealthProfessional/
6. Folate and brain function in the elderly – PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15534434/
7. Vitamin B6 – Health Professional Fact Sheet – ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
8. The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders – PubMed – pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29882776/
9. Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and dementia – PMC – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4846521/
