Nerd Word(s) of the Day: Cosmetic Neurology
Cosmetic Neurology: the practice of using drugs developed for recognized medical conditions to strengthen ordinary cognition.
In other words, taking things like Ritalin, Adderrall or Provigil to help you cram in your studies.
Coined by Neurologist Anjan Chatterjee at the University of Pennsylvania as a play on the term “cosmetic surgery”.
Studies show that in 2005 4.1% of all undergraduate students had taken such drugs for off-label use. I wonder what that figure is today, 4 years later?
Have you ever taken such a drug for off-label use?
Telephone
Hi Marina, as a young woman of russian origin, but that also teaches english. I was wondering what’s your opinion about the character Chekov in the new Star Trek movie, he is portrayed as a brilliant young man of russian origin, but with some problems to speak english.
I swear Americans are addicted drugs in general. Funny I just seen a commercial that stated a side effect was death. What’s next spontaneous combustion?
The below should have gone in as a reply to GP’s comment 29.1 – was misplaced.
Thank you Doctor…
I think I understand the THEORY well enough as presented, my concern lies in the proof of such. What ‘controlled studies’ exist on the subject – for instance. What [methodology] was used in determining ‘improvement’, if such studies even exist. Before and after IQ tests? – or ‘The Child was more Docile and didn’t bother the Teacher so much’ (only mild sarcasm here) – as applies to Ritalin.
Turning the Brains of millions of children into a ‘chemistry set’ with a strong amphetamine (as is Ritalin), seems a little dangerous to me. Giving your 6 year old kid a double espresso before school never caught on for some reason in all the years of home remedies…did it?
Do you know of any such results or testing?
I draw the distinction here to naturally occurring [NUTRITIONAL] substances that may provide such benefits – and those don’t require a prescription…
your move…
Ritalin is like Prozac in that it can causes mood swings which can lead to depression, especially in young children, and since it’s legalized medication I would add ‘guinea pigs’ to your ‘chemistry set’ of possible hazards to look out for.
On a nutritional angle, choline is an active ingredient found in lecithin a natural occuring substance which can be found in health food stores and has been shown to cause an increase in memory function within just minutes after taking (around 15 minutes to a half hour)
*disclaimer: information anyone can find for online and then discern for themselves one way or another
You may be leading me away from the Scotch-based remedies I have been using for years…
I’m going to look into this subject further…
The great american [SOCIETY] is corporation dictated through man made drugs and sports. Just like the 1930′s with national socialism and how schools assimilate the masses into [mold]…pressure at the head gates of “capital-greed”
pease 
How crank was invented by the NAZI’s was a replacement for COcAIne…crank, speed or whatever your doctor wills you…dope-for education and polic[E]cy…run that ball and she balled me back 
Western way of solving everything is with in a pill. My late father had a big part to play with NLP research and practice proving you can change, if you so wish to and for the better! However he was very aware that chemical imbalances do occur for many reasons. Passed down through DNA, ones own environment, perception, diet and life style etc. Exceptional cases do need assistance, especially if someone can not function correctly with out help of. If they do help the individual then great but a trend of ‘smart’ pills (or any thing for that matter) can lead people into ‘believing’ that they or their siblings must have them due to showing a few traits of behaviour which are ticked in a few boxes. Or sadly the vanity of fashion (keeping up with the Jones)! Either way with medical sales cleverly actioned to lead the doctors to prescribe, regardless!
I have been on mood lifters all my life, which also help with my concentration. My father passed away eight years ago, he was a true inspiration to me with sound guidance and was an extremely gifted gentleman. He spotted and harnessed my talents with endless love and encouragement. Since his leaving, my ability to function correctly has been tested fully. Only through trying a new pill a few years ago I noticed a change for the better but ultimately took a girlfriend of mine to verbal me back into action with out her being judgemental or critical, just pure empathy. A few pokes in the right direction to shift my perceptions, over Skype too of all things as she lives over seas, helped me feel more positive but the nuro chemical imbalance remains and I still am currently unable to function with out these pills. Failed attempts to prove otherwise were unbearable, dangerous too.
Also, I look after my friends brother, Jimbo, from time to time who is mentally handicapped and over the years we have witnessed many reactions to many trial and error prescriptions. Thankfully, and after a hellish ride Jimbo has been a very happy chap for the past ten years after finally finding the right pills for him to take. His brother, John, has autism but has been very lucky over the years with the right medication that does work for him. Again, he is happy and adorable to be with. But another friend, Jack who also is autistic has not been so fortunate and is still trying to find a pill that works for him.
So most pills can and do work, eventually but all said and done, and for most people, I truly believe in diet, exercise, family, friends, a comfy environment, a ‘I can and I will’ attitude (learning to silence the self critical voices not being hard on your self, also to relax the perfectionist OCD), with a goal in life, are all the pills one really needs. A willingness to train and focus the mind as if it were akin to a work out in the gym for your body takes perseverance. I concentrate perfectly well when all around me are at ease, get a real kick too out of helping others when they need it the most. If you are lucky enough to have found your soul partner in life 99% of problems disappear, so I’m told! Love is a drug, no substitutions there.
Honestly speaking, I think us westerners are in too much denial. Consume way too much for our own needs, far too materialistic for our own good, its all me me me, most with booze or druggy issues or some inner perversions that eat away losing clarity of thought. The need to self satisfy/ comfort (short term effects)
is partly due to a result of fear propaganda, laziness, self doubt, lack of education, or the need to escape their uncomfortable environment or even thrill seekers. I remind myself each day how lucky I am compared to those less so and this day is my last as no tomorrow is ever guaranteed. To learn something new, start a new project or aim for a goal is always the hardest time and will take all the concentration and energy you have, but as with learning to drive or riding a bike, after practice practice practice, it becomes second nature. Marina is a prime example of this.
Hope post is not too long and that I added something useful even if helps just one other. One last thing to try out is meditation as can help with concentration issues too.
Be well X
M:)
Self-incrimination is something the older heads used to warn me about.
But anway… 
YES, MAM!More than I could tell you w/o it morphing into a 5 page essay. Learned plenty about what not to do in order to maintain both physical & mental health in the long run. 
Forgotten even more, huuuhhhh…? But here as of late, I’ve (mostly) been sticking to my own prescriptions [organic], keeping a careful balance with my psychiatrist’s RX [chemical]. The legal one is the generic form of Dexedrine, the older, cheaper alternative to Adderrall. Works for me, especially when compared to a lot of other pills and potions I’ve tried before. And I’m only 30-something!!The trick is self-control, but once you build up a tolerance for something — anything goes! Better to stick with what you know or just stay sober 
Hey, I remember those candy smokes from when I was 6 or 7 yrs. old, living somewhere around Grand Rapids, MI…
What an interesting concept…
The concept of drugs making you smarter was pioneered by Dr. Timothy Leary in the 60′s with a different substance – today the concept presented is more ‘scientific’ and better packaged…the drugs are now prescribed by Doctors and produced by reputable companies…for children…they make you Smarter don’t ya know…but is there really any real science behind it?
Might be worth looking into before taking that leap…
Makes me feel nostalgic for the days gone by when they sold Candy Cigarettes for kids…and Doctors were making testimonials for Camels…
There is a science to smart drugs and smart pills packaged as cognitive-enhancers; certain compounds used to directly increase intelligence through chemical stimulation. the term for that, better living through chemistry
A branch of that research would be what’s known as “Nootropics”. Nootropics are catagorized drugs which are considered to have a lack of toxicity yet may contain substances which could benefit the user with an increase in intelligence.
I think this kid should eat more bananas, less ritalin-o’s, do more sports and outside activities and yes, spend less time sitting on a school bench.
Amen.
So many Smart and well-oriented people here.
I love your comment.
With the exception of caffeine, I’ve never taken drugs to study for a test.
Artfully done
Of course, taking drugs to help FORGET about tests is a different matter…
GREAT EXCEPTATIONS – Hopefully, an acceptable reply
Yeah but everyone has caffeine in some form.
Like I said…
Space for [rent] not stor-age
This video is a[label] and a ladel for off-label 
happy MAY 1st day
May day help…crazy *****
Nope, never used any of those. I drink coffee and Mtn. Dew like mad, though. I do use that gingko biloba stuff, and it works pretty well. I use it as directed, so I don’t think that counts for this,
Happy MAY_DAYDramatic look
schools and they are foolsfun is the sum 
Hooray hooray
It’s the first of May
Outdoor sex
Begins today!
Ne’er cast a clout till May be out.
Hmm. Cast a clout, you say? And I thought I was oblique.
Farmer’s Almanac? Rime of the Ancient Mariner? Do tell, Bob. Is this a reference to plowing a field or is it something young boys like me shouldn’t know?
It’s Common Sense weather folklore; the full proverb is:-
refer to May blossom.
“Ne’er cast a clout till May be out. Button to chin till May be in”, meaning “Don’t shed any clothing until May is out, and keep well wrapped up until the beginning of May”.
Most people think it refers to the month of May (as I used it in my razz) but it may
(BTW, you may be oblique, but acute and not obtuse.)
I see. So a clout in this instance is a reference to clothing, similar to the usage in the slightly more familiar “breechclout.”
The link also mentions the word clout as being used to denote a clod of earth or a lump of curd, so I guess I don’t feel TOO stooopid. Even so, there’s no call to [impugn] my [perspicacious] [obliquity] with baseless accusations of acuity, ye [stridulous] wee popinjay! I have standards, you know!
Err … Roger that, Dumbskull.
Love you too, Bob.
Hey, I think the class could really use a FIELD TRIP now that it’s okay to cast a proverbial clout, as it were… I wonder if the good Captain’s yacht has a lido…
Cannonball!
Still waiting for Marina to call me for a field trip to her Scottish wood.
I once heard tell you could pilot a plane. Was that true, or just some foul misrepresentation? Huh? Come on Bob! California here we come!
‘Tis true, but you may want to consider the risks of flying with a 67 year old pilot, as summarised in the following report which I am tempted to entitle, “Sometimes it’s not so bad being in the shit”.
Anyway, the quacks took my licence away15 years ago.
Excellent story!
I thought the 67-year-old pilot might have a slightly more familiar name, though. What a lucky guy. I’ll bet he used more than a couple rolls of toilet paper to wipe up after that.
Ahh yes, loved that first one, it really left me hanging on the edge of my seat.
And, of course, the second of the pair we all love those 
.
What cha doin’?
Hello, my friend. School is finally out for about three weeks
. Takin’ a break, hangin’ with the grandkids, played some Rock Band last night, finally got started on the lawn work, got some holes patched in the pool liner and trying to fill it, just got a raise and a promotion (Mrs. Somebody is really happy about that.) You know, the usual spring stuff. Still doin’ the night thing at Wally’s and teaching some. All in all, things are looking pretty good.
BTW, Maia got knocked up (and up, and up, and up, and up…
), so if ya want a kitty, I’ll e-mail one to ya. 
Now, I need to get back in touch with mijj. He was enlightening me before school started this winter.
You know what, man? Life is just good. Life is good.
@ bsomebody
I dont know you, but I read your words and I’m happy for you.
BTW, I would take a kitty, but I already got 3
Glad to hear your life is on the up & up.
I was put on anti-depressants back in high school (Prozac). Really wasn’t my choice, since minors are expected to be obedient. Hell, even in adulthood we don’t have a lot of free will. But I think people have the right to feel miserable when things don’t go their way, it’s perfectly natural. I don’t think you should drug a person up just to make other people feel happy. Too me that’s even more depressing and insane. It’s just a fake sense of happiness that no problems are really solved.
Nice analysis, animalntaz!
Your observation regarding the administration of drugs for the primary benefit of others (besides the patient, that is) is certainly valid. So it seems to me that one judgment call that the doctors have to make may lie in whether:
1) the patient would be better served by reducing the (presumably adverse) reactions of others who occupy their social sphere, or
2) the patient would be better served by reducing any physiological or chemical imbalance(s) resulting in the condition or symptoms.
That’s a pretty intense beam of light thrown onto an area I’ve never even considered. Thanks for being so candid.
Good Night
Goodnight, John!
You a little late with th goodnight, I was up at 7:15 my time this morning.
You too, lol. Your message still reads “good night” whenever I read it, even at 10:14am my time.
But I figure it’s the thought that counts, not the timing. So good night, John.
Never except a Poisoned Chalice, even if it looks good.
I was chosen to lead the final-year group project. However, none of my group delivered much for the report, forcing me to write their contribution. I should’ve cottoned on that they were using the time to study for other exams. Then unbelievably, right on the hand-in date, MS Word went haywire and corrupted the project file! Luckily, word had a feature that tries to recover the file, but it was a jumbled mess. To make matters worse, I didn’t have any sleep in order to meet the deadline. So, armed with stay-awake pills, strong coffee and anxiety, I spent the whole day and night restoring the report.
Never except a Poisoned Chalice, even if it looks good.
Did you mean “accept”. You can see how much it changes the meaning and from what you wrote after, this seems correct. Or not
Did you mean that as a question? As long as we’re correcting each other….
beevee, I accept your exception to my mistake, as long as you accept my exception to yours. If you find that acceptable, then neither of us will take exception to either our exceptions. Then we both may become exceptional (or timid) writers. One exception exists: we should accept, or assume, the possibility of human error, lest we become a lexical Rottweiler – which is not acceptable. Especially when these words are accepted on the ‘most common’ errors list. Please don’t take exception to my exception at your unacceptable exception. Thank you.
This is why people shouldn’t use Word for these projects, Word doesn’t handle large files. If you think you most use Word, first type all the text, do it in Notepad maybe. And only do layout in Word (although Word isn’t even the right program for layout).
Anyway, Word is a strange tool. I don’t use it.
Word!
When a cereal manufacturer (and same for many other products) claims you will be a winner for choosing their cereal (product), immediately I am suspicious/skeptical. For example, “Wheaties” still use a ploy that successful athletes eat “Wheaties”. What a crock of shit!
I knew a guy who won 100m 400m races… he never ate that stuff. He ate Count Chocula, Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles.
I understand what your saying, but isn’t that purpose of advertising. You’re a winner for driving that car, eating that cereal, drinking that cola, etc. Its interesting that a 30 second commercial is so much a microcosm of the society at that time. For example, it wasn’t untill just recently that I ever saw a black family in a fried chicken commercial because of the stigma attached to that and EVERYBODY knows that if you want to dump on somebody, its gonna be a not very intelligent 30-something white guy who WILL be overweight.
Just an observation or maybe I just watch too much of the boob tube! 
How did I just end up in the March 3,2008 lesson on Cosmetic
Oh it was PK fault I hit the link he sent me in an email.
Mystery solved.
You are too funny Che,
I noticed that later and thought, I wonder if he meant
this cosmetic lesson. Hey, we loved solved mysteries.
Bob Dylan Talkin World War III Blues
Very Rare-Black & White
DetoxLine – Kick Some Ass (Original Mix)
Corporation drugs are more common in society today than ever; and the labels established are of an anti-family kingdom, (economic-greed) local school districts directed by and permits for so.cial science answers and studies of state administered(parenting). The order of schooling and hooking on dope… by salaries as based [capital]…****** Coffee*****Roxy Music – Love Is The Drug
[label] of babel 
Space-HEADS of grEEd
Where did the term “off label” use come from? Does that mean people who are using them are getting them from the “black market?”
A guy I knew was a speedy kinda person… an A personality… always determined to achieve and over achieve. It was kinda like a quasi-poindexter on speed. This was his natural energy being over the top in many ways. His mind was fast. He walked fast. He answered questions FAST! The only time he felt relaxed was when he had a bad cold.
A relative told him that back in Russia they came from a clan of hard working farmers. The energy he had was not suited for indoors at a desk. His problem wouldn’t exist if he worked off his excess energy in orchards or agriculture or something similar.
It seemed to make good sense.
He started taking Ritalin and he slowed down a lot. He said he really liked it. Among other effects… he had extra-long sessions of the sexual variety with women… they came back for more satisfaction… (so he said).
He stopped taking it cause he didn’t want to live dependent upon a $60/mth. drug and that he noticed he was going to have to increase the dosage to achieve the same effect.
JOCKS play
[control]…Farm-workers feed the cities both of food and jobs….Lou Reed & John Cale – Work….life is a 10…andy says, “just work” 
Just now read what this is about.
OK,Listen & listen good, drugs are no good for you, especially pharmaceuticals, the side effects cause more damage than the original problem.
Whatever your problem is, seek a natural alternative to heal what ails you.
Amen. Drugs treat the [symptoms].
Much better to treat the condition that causes the symptoms.
Or even, drugs just temporarily mask the symptoms, while the condition and the symptoms actually deteriorate. Often, new conditions/symptoms will develop and appear once the temporary effect has worn off.
Or just do like I did. Get rid of the whole body entirely. Now if I get sick, it’s all in my head, so no worries!
No. When kids in the government based educational system rebel against the lack of education, the government fills them with (other kinds of?) drugs so that the kids become zombies.
PS: I would classify products from NeuroBrands/neurogasm as cosmetic-neurological products.
Hell no.
What about you?
I never have, nor would I. I sort like trudging along at my own speed.
Nope.
I have never used performance enhancing drugs. Such things should be left for recreational use.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related
I made it, powder puff me
Great post Marina!
Never have used any kinds of drugs for off-label use.
Never took any of those, but had to use Percocet for a few years following a serious accident, did’nt get hooked on it. Besides the pain relief, it did give a boost.
Dear Marina,
No, I never used such drugs. To study late, I’d drink coffee, tea, or Diet Coke. (I got good grades, despite this.)
Seesixcm6
Nope, I have never taken any those kinds of drugs.
oh oh hmmmm not