Nootropics 4: Racetams

Racetams

As I said last time, Racetams are the most outstanding members of the Nootropic family. Many believe the Racetam genius kick-started the entire Phyla of agents we call Nootropics. It is fitting that I begin with the Racetams.

The first thing that must be understood about the the Racetams is that they are not stimulants. They do not increase your heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, body temperature, or adrenaline levels. Ergo, they cannot be classified as stimulants. Racetams will not wake you up in the morning if you are having a bit of trouble summoning the energy to get out of bed.

How do they work? The mechanism of the racetams is not completely understood. We believe they work by modulating the most important neurtransmitters in the brain; particularly acetylcholine and glutamate. Some strongly interact with glutamatergic AMPA receptors on your neurons. Because AMAP receptors are in the same location as cholinergic receptors they increase the firing rate of cholinergic receptors. This increases memory capacity. Racetams also optimize communication across the corpus collosum, the neuro synapse that allows the right brain and left brain to communicate and cooperate.

When taken, the user feels enhanced mental clarity, focus, calmness, recall of facts and techniques, an easier time identifying patterns in data, or drawing distinctions between points of data. You simply feel an enhanced capacity to deal with mental work, analyze problems, and work out solutions. I would say it easier to combine analysis and creative work at the same time, due to a better functioning neuro synapse.

I should mention, in passing, that programmers usually get pretty excited when I tell them this. It would appear to be the perfect thing for us.

There are many members of the racetam family. Among them, four stand out for their Nootropic effect. In order of age and power (lowest power first, strongest power last) these four are:

1. Piracetam: The Granddaddy of them all.
2. Oxiracetam: The second generation water soluble improvement.
3. Aniracetam: The third generation fat soluble improvement
4. Pramiracetam: The fourth generation fat soluble improvement.

As you can surmise, the Racetam family has been getting more powerful with each new generation. The newest agent, Pramiracetam is the most powerful member of the family

All four of these agents are unique and distinct. All are similar in most ways. Broadly speaking, these four agents break down into two categories: water soluble and fat soluble. Piracetam and Oxiracetam are water soluble. Aniracetam and Pramiracetam are fat soluble.

Water soluble racetams have a shorter half-life, and a weaker effect. Fat soluble racetams have a longer half-life and a more powerful effect. It is not just a longer effect, it is a more powerful effect. We'll discuss ampakines in a moment. Water solubles are processed out of your system by your kidneys and excreted in your urine. Fat solubles are processes out of your system by your intestines, and excreted with your feces. The urine cycle is faster than the feces cycle. This is the key reason for the shorter and longer half-life.

Piracetam has a stated half-life of approximately 4 hours. This means you will need to take it twice during a standard 8 hour work day. Oxiracetam has a stated half-life of 3 hours. I found it to be shorter than that. You might need to take it three times per standard 8 hour work day. The half-life for Aniracetam is stated at 2.5 hours. That figure was computed in rat studies, not human studies. I say that figure is absolute rubbish. I have found that a single 800mg dose of Aniracetam can sustain the Nootropic effect all day long. Pramiracetam has the longest stated half-life of 4.5 to 6.5 hours. Based on personal use, I find this figure to be reasonable.

The power of each Racetam agent is usually measured in terms of dossage necessary to achieve the Nootropic effect. Piracetam, the granddaddy, is used as the benchmark, or the reference point.

Most authorities believe a dosage of 2.4 grams of Piracetam is necessary to trigger a substantial Nootropic effect. Folks often take 3x800mg tablets of Nootropil (Piracetam) and this will work. Piracetam is both the oldest and the weakest of the four agents. It is better than nothing, and its effect is measurable. However, it is the least desirable of the four. It is still favored by many. I regard it as an out-dated and outmoded technology.

Oxiracetam is rated at 2 to 4 times the power of Piracetam, meaning that a single gram should trigger the Nootropic effect. People often take just one 800mg capsule of Oxiracetam. This produces an excellent effect. Allowing Oxiracetam powder to dissolve under the tongue is much better still. It is water soluble, will dissolve in your saliva, and does not taste bad. When absorbed sublingually, the effect is felt almost immediately. There is powerful and pleasant calming and focusing effect that takes hold within a minute or two of sublingual administration. For my money the calming effect is a bit too strong, and the Nootropic effect is too short. Oxiracetam is still favored by many. I regard it as an out-dated and outmoded technology.

Aniracetam is rated at 4 to 8 times the power of Piracetam. This should indicate that you need no more than 300-600mg to trigger the Nootropic effect. For reasons unknown, Aniracetam is usually shipped in 800mg capsules. {It was also offered in a bulk powder form, but no more.} This dossage is more than sufficient to trigger the Nootropic effect. For more than a year, I considered Aniracetam to be the most desirable member of the Racetam family. It had the longest effect, and the most impressive effect of the three I had tried, thus far. Most other experianced users felt the same.

Pramiracetam is rated at 8 to 30 times the power of Piracetam. This should indicate that you need no more than 300mg to trigger the effect. You might be able to get by with as little as 80mg. Pramiracetam is commonly sold in 300mg and 400mg tablets and capsules. Pramiracetam is the newest agent of the four. It has been available on the market for less than 1 year. It has been readily available for less than 4 months. I have only been using it now for approximately 2 months. I am still evaluating this substance.

I am not prepared to issue a final verdict on Pramiracetam, however I will give you a few pointers. As stated, Pramiracetam is extremely powerful. Due to the recession, we are going through a slow cycle here at my company. I have not been challenged to do anything substantial at work in some 6 months. Ergo, I have not tested this agent under combat conditions.

However, when given minor challenges {like setting up a full Java web application server and JTrac for the first time} I have been shocked by how easily I have risen to meet the challenge, and how quickly it all came together. The focus and brain power has been there when I have needed it. On the downside, Pramiracetam produces a nervous anxiety which is quite the opposite of the Oxiracetam effect. Whereas Oxiracetam has a pleasant calming effect, Pramiracetam did create a form of nervous anxiety during the first week or two. This seems to have been tapering off lately.

If you are prone to anxiety, you will prefer Oxiracetam or Aniracetam. If you are not naturally anxious, you will probably like Pramiracetam. I am borderline. Often enough, I am calm. Occasionally, I have anxiety. Pramiracetam can tip me over into an worried and nervous state, if I don't have something good and challenging to focus on.

There is another dimension to the Racetam family that must be addressed. That is the ampakine effect. The minority report states that all Racetams are ampakines. The majority report states that the fat-soluble Racetams are ampakines, and the water soluble Racetams are not ampakines. This much is certain: Aniracetam and Pramiracetam are ampakines. Piracetam and Oxiracetam are very doubtful.

So just what is an ampakine anyhow? According to Wikipedia, Ampakines are a new class of compound known to enhance attention span, alertness, while facilitating new learning and memory. Amapakine agents strongly interact with glutamatergic AMPA receptors on your neurons. Ampakines are being used against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Schizophrenia, and ADHD. They are also being researched by DARPA, where it is believed they could enhance the combat readiness of soldigers.

At this moment in time, July 2009, Pramiracetam is the king of the Ampakine hill. A newer agent called CX717, invented in 1996, is currently in phase II of FDA clinical trials. It should eventually dethrone Pramiracetam, and become the new king. Funding for CX717 research & FDA trials has been provided by DARPA, a fact I find very interesting.

I think the defense department has high hopes for a CX717 powered military machine. This would be a military where commanders and troops make better decisions in combat, under duress, because their brains are functioning better and faster than those of the enemy. This is the power amplifier of intelligence, initiative and strategy. Peace advocates can hope they will do fewer stupid things, and get it over with faster, due to better brains.

In conclusion

The Racetam family is known for its super-low toxicity level. Even large over-doses are tolerated well by the body. The most negative consequence of Racetam overdose is gastro-intestinal upset, gas, and diarriah. In other words, you get an upset tummy, and possibly the runs. This is nothing in comparison with the ghastly consequences of over dosing on numerous other drugs.

For this reason, the FDA has chosen not to regulate access to members of the Racetam family. No perscription is necessary to purchase any Racetam family member in the United States. It is perfectly legal to buy through the internet here in the U.S. Buy from an English or Canadian pharmacies if you like. They can ship it straight to you via plain old USPS with no issues.

I did experiance a bit of gas-pressure and a bit of constipation when I first began using Piracetam, but that went away after a few short weeks. Even large dossages don't upset my tummy anymore.

So where can you buy these things? Well, I am not paid to make endorsements, so I won't make any endorsements. But if you were to do a google shopping search or an ebay search for these names, you will find what you are looking for. I purchase through ebay.

Nootropics 3: Categories of valid Nootropics

The following is a brief coverage of the small number of important categories within the broad fields of Nootropics. There are many more besides these. The legitimacy and veracity of many of the other agents in other categories is question. Outright fraud is indicated in several of other categories. For the purposes of this piece, I am only willing to discuss Racetams, stimulants and a few nutraceticals. I treat all other agents with suspicion rather than trust.

Racetams

Racetams are the most outstanding members of the Nootropic family. Many believe the Racetam genius kick-started the entire Phyla of agents we call Nootropics. It is fitting that I begin with the Racetams.

The first thing that must be understood about the the Racetams is that they are not stimulants. They do not increase your heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, body temperature, or adrenaline levels. Ergo, they cannot be classified as stimulants. Racetams will not wake you up in the morning if you are having a bit of trouble summoning the energy to get out of bed.

How do they work? The mechanism of the racetams is not completely understood. We believe they work by modulating the most important neurotransmitters in the brain; particularly acetylcholine and glutamate. Some strongly interact with glutamatergic AMPA receptors on your neurons. Because AMAP receptors are in the same location as cholinergic receptors they increase the firing rate of cholinergic receptors. This increases memory capacity. Racetams also optimize electrical communication across the corpus collosum; the neuro synapse that allows the right brain and left brain to communicate and cooperate.

When taken, the user feels enhanced mental clarity, focus, calmness, recall of facts and techniques, an easier time identifying patterns in data, or drawing distinctions between points of data. You simply feel an enhanced capacity to deal with mental work, analyze problems, and work out solutions. I would say it easier to combine analysis and creative work at the same time, due to a better functioning neuro synapse.

There are many members of the racetam family. Among them, four stand out for their Nootropic effect. In order of age and power (lowest power first, strongest power last) these four are:

1. Piracetam: The Granddaddy of them all.
2. Oxiracetam: The second generation water soluble improvement.
3. Aniracetam: The third generation fat soluble improvement
4. Pramiracetam: The fourth generation fat soluble improvement.

As you can surmise, the Racetam family has been getting more powerful with each new generation. The newest agent, Pramiracetam is the most powerful member of the family

All four of these agents are unique and distinct. All are similar in most ways. Broadly speaking, these four agents break down into two categories: water soluble and fat soluble. Piracetam and Oxiracetam are water soluble. Aniracetam and Pramiracetam are fat soluble.

Stimulants

Stimulants are agents that are said to enhance mental and/or physical function. They raise your metabolic rate, accelerate the Krebs cycle, raise energy levels, blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, increase stress hormones such as Norepinephrine and Cortisol. They are called Uppers or 'Pick me ups' by many.

Stimulants include such agents as Caffeine, Nicotine, Amphetamines, MDNA, Cocaine, NRIs, NDRIs, and Dafinils. Some also attempt to place Ampakines in this class. I categorically reject that statement. Several of these agents are FDA Schedule-1 illegal drugs. MDNA and Cocaine are in this category. Several are absolutely legal and availible everywhere, such as caffeine and Nicotine. Some are prescribed for children with ADHD, such as NRIs and NDRI. Some are prescribed for individuals suffering from Narcolepsy, Sleep Apnea, and chronic fatigue syndrome. These are Dafinils.

While some would argue that all of these categories could be considered Nootropics in certain ways, I categorically reject that statement. I believe only two categories are of interest under the heading of Nootropics:

1. NDRI agents

2. Dafinil agents.

No member of either of these two families can be purchased in the United States (legally) without a Doctor's prescription. Just about any member of these two families can be purchased at your local drug store with a prescription. Most will be covered by your HMO or PPO.

NDRIs include the classic and ever popular Ritalin, Focalin, Concerta, and Wellbutrin. They all work by surpress the re-uptake and destruction of two key neurotransmitters: Norepinephrine an Dopamine. When the body re-uptakes and destroys Norepinephrine and Dopamine at a reduced rate, these two neurotransmitters tend to accumulate, and rise to higher levels. The result is a much higher overall energy levels, awakeness, alertness.

There are now two Dafinils: Modafinil and Armodafinil. Modafinil was first of these agents. It was originally designed and developed as an anti-narcolepsy drug. It is also approved for treatment of grogginess associated with sleep apnea. The purpose is to maintain wakefulness and alertness. It does so without most of the negative side-effects of a classic amphetamine. The Dafinils have been deployed again ADHD, depression, Cocaine addition, Parkinson's Disease, Schizophrenia, and even jet lag. The difference between these two prescription drugs is that one is the Right enantiomer formula and the other is the Left enantiomer formula. Modafinil is the lefty and Armodafinil is the righty. In most cases, the righty formula is better tolerated, with greater potency, and fewer side effects. Many HMOs and PPOs will no longer pay for Modafinil. Most will cover Armodafinil.

The importance of these substances is that they both elevate energy levels, which necessary for work. They are both Dopaminergics. A Dopaminergic agent is any substance that impacts the neurotransmitter dopamine, or components of the nervous system that use dopamine. Dopamine is associated with attention, alertness and certain forms of antioxiant activity.

Nutraceuticals

1. 5-HTP a precursor to Serotonin. Helps to elevate Serotonin levels and may have a neurogenesis effect.
2. Theanine: GABAergic activity. Increases brain serotonin and dopamine levels.
3. Vinpocetine: A semisynthetic alkaloid reported to enhance blood flow in the brain.
4. Ginko Biloba: Strictly speaking this a genus and species of a tree native to Zhejiang China. Has been popular for more than a decade. Shows some promise as an Alzheimer's treatment.

Many others

There are many other substances on the market. If you have a look at the Wikipedia article on Nootropics, you will find a large number of categories and subcategories. I regret to say that the article is poorly written. It is a case of poisoning, where each vendor of something had to get his substance listed in its category. Various vendors make various claims for the categories I omitted. I am not willing to discuse more than these. Next time we will discuse the Racetam family in some depth.

Nootropics 2: Just what is a Nootropic?

In my previous piece, I set the ground work for serious minded discussion of Nootropics. We discussed how poorly adapted humans are for their new line of work. We discussed the fact that humans are outliving their natural lifespans dramatically these days, and particularly the problem of the cessation of learning around age 40. We discussed the problem of the age pyramid turning into an age cylinder, and how this must bring about the collapse of Ponzi retirement scheme, like Social Security.

So with this in mind just what is a Nootropic?

Nootropics have been described as Steroids for the mind. They are referred to as smart drugs. These are a collection of prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, supplements, and nutraceuticals that purportedly improve mental functionality. Various Nootropics are said to have the following effects:

1. Improved cognition
2. Faster recall of long term memory
3. Better detail of long term memory
4. Faster formation of new long term memory.
5. More detailed new long term memory
6. Increased IQ as measured by standardized IQ testing.
7. Improved focus, clarity, motivation, concentration, attention span.

There are more claim made by various vendors. The claims listed above are the empirical claims that are subject of scientific testing, via standard educational testing tools and psychological methods. So far the experimental tests are looking pretty good.

How were Nootropics discovered/designed/developed?

Most of the good and effective Nootropics were discovered as part of medical research into curing or mitigating the effect of several of the degenerative diseases and/or trauma. For instance Piracetam was first developed to combat brain damage resulting from stroke. Piracetam was later discovered to have a positive impact on victims of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Curious medical researches wondered what impact Piracetam would have on normal health brain function. Many experimented on themselves. They began with the hypothesis that Piracetam would have no effect (positive or negative) on normal healthy brain. They were surprised to find measurable improvements. Many question the sincerity of the original hypothesis. Given what little we know about its mechanism, many believe these pioneers actually did expect positive results from Piracetam, but this is conjecture.

What good are Nootropics?

I don't know. You tell me: Do you think you would benefit in life from improved cognition, memory, focus, clarity, motivation, concentration, and attention span? If you are C# programmer, you understand that you cannot be wrong by so much as one upper case or lower case letter. The same is true for C, C++, and Java. Do you think any of these things would help you?

So just what is a moral difference, if any, between use of Nootropics for a programmer, and the use of Steroids for a Football or Baseball player?

First of all, we are not talking about athletic events between kids & teams here. We are talking about scientists, doctors, and engineers responsible for saving and building the world.

If you were about to undergo quadrupole bypass surgery, I think you would want the doctor in his sharpest and most focused state. I don't think you would be inclined to think about whether he 'cheated' to reach that level of concentration. The IOC rules for fair competition do not apply or pertain to this domain. This is not about fair competition. This is about doing a stupendous job in order to save a human life. You are throwing a flag for illegal formation at an Easter Egg hunt.

Likewise, if you had an engineer responsible for designing the new Oakland Bay Bridge, you would want to ensure that man was in the best possible mental condition to approach these large scale design problems. One major design flaw and it could cost society thousands of lives when that bridge collapses. Let's leave out the billions of Dollars lost on a bad bridge and a good replacement. The IOC rules for fair competition do not apply or pertain to this domain. This is not about fair competition. This is about doing a stupendous job to guard human life. You are throwing a flag for illegal formation at an Easter Egg hunt.

By the same token, the programmer who is on the verge of obsolescence and the employer who pays him both have a vested interest in ensuring that this guy is mentally sharp, ready to adapt to the new prevailing conditions, able to learn new tricks of the trade, capable of staying current in an ever-radically changing industry.

If said programmer works at a bank, and he is responsible for the transactional integrity of your banking website, you'd better hope he is sharp and functional. A few mistakes here and there and your payments for vital services (such as gas and electricity) will fly off to no where. The money may disappear from your account, and you may never see it again. You got nothing out of it, and you might as well have been robbed. Whether you know it or not, that programmer is vital to your financial health and well being. You depend upon him for your financial survival. If he slips up, you are in trouble. I think you want him to be as sharp as a scalpel, and you are disinclined to worry about how he got that way.

By my writing, I think you can gather that I don't believe the morality of international athletic competition applies or pertains to these trades at the core of our survival. I think I can make that argument stick. You bring me any moral philosopher you like. I'll argue him down.

So just what is the moral difference, if any between the use of Nootropics and other mind altering drugs such as LSD and Heroine?

This is a specious question and it leads to a specious argument. Some believe all drugs are created equal. No human should be ingesting any drug. Leave them all out. Go natural all the way. This is the Christian Scientist or extreme Pentecostal argument. I don't buy it. I never have.

For the record, let us recall that LSD and Heroine belong to the FDA Schedule-1 list of illegal drugs. These are drugs with no medical application or redeeming quality to recommend them. Many have poked holes in the Schedule-1 philosophy, but we won't consider that here. The purpose of these drugs is to run away from reality, and achieve an altered (high) state of mind. Rather than improving brain function, the brain actually takes damage, and the vital centers of judgement are impaired immediately. Over the long term, the brain incurs terrible damage.

Nootropics have quite the opposite effect. Rather than incurring brain damage, pre-existing brain damage can actually be reversed. Rather than impairing cognitive function, cognitive function is enhanced. Rather than running away from reality in an altered state of mind, you deal with reality in a more focused and clear mindset. Over the long run the brain gets healthier. If you are an Alzheimer's victim, the progressive degeneration the disease foments will be retarded.

But Nootropics don't do anything positive for healthy brains, do they?

Once upon a time in the 1960s and 1970s, Football players, Olympic Weight Lifters, and Power Lifters were all trying and using Steroids. To be quite frank with you, they still are. One strategy used to deter them from using Steroids was to form a conga-line of medical experts who all protested that Steroids were the latest snake oil sold by patent medicine con artists. Steroids don't work, or so they said. This was a pretty stupid strategy. Those who used Deca Durabolin, Anavar, Nanadrolone Deconate, etc., could measure explosive growth in strength. It showed up loud and clear at competitive lifting events. Increases in lean body mass with decreases in fat mass could also be measured. Losses in strength and lean mass were also obvious during off-cycles. Quite frankly, everybody knew these items worked as advertised.

Right now, a few individuals are forming a new conga-line of experts who claim that Nootropics don't work. The line is surprisingly short. They are getting surprisingly little respect.

Medical experts learned from the Steroid epoch that simple denial doesn't work. People do experiment for themselves. They can tell whether or not "it" works, whatever it is. Many experts are debating the question of how to use these agents, when to use these agents, how much to use, and just how broad the distribution should be. Many, such as the experts writing articles at Discover Magazine, argue for a broad spectrum deployment of Nootropics.

The argument focuses on the issues laid out in my first blog entry about Nootropics.

Forward...

In my next piece I will outline the several different categories of Nootropics, and explain their functions.

Prelude to a discourse on Nootropics

A recent issue of Discover Magazine featured an article called "Building a better Brain". The pitch below presented the question "Should Everyone be on Ritalin?" For any cognitive worker, this is a very interesting subject. For a software developer in his 40s, this is probably one of the most pointed questions you can ask.

I majored in Anthropology. Not the study of cultural basket weaving techniques, mind you. Not the excavation of ancient cities. I do have an interest in Cultural Anthropology and Archaeology, but I majored in human evolutionary biology. I graduated Suma at UCLA with departmental honors. I was also elected the Golden Key Honor society. I know a little something something about human biology. My expertise will be sufficient for the following treatise.

Human beings were not designed to sit for long hours at a desk solving complex logical and mathematical problems in 3GL and 4GL OOPs code. We were not designed to work with automata, interpreters or compilers. We are designed to engage in nomadic hunting and gathering behaviors in a Pleistocene environment. Homo Sapien Sapien have been roaming the Earth for some 105 thousand years now. Some would say 150 thousand years, but this is a bit outside the pale. It is possible, but not likely. It is only the past 15K years that some of us have been living in cities. It is only in the past 5K years that most of us have had a hand in complex political economies and agriculture. It is only in the past 10-20 years that most of us (in the U.S.) have taken a seat at a desk.

The overwhelming majority of our time on this earth has been spent in several Pleistocene hunting and gathering environments. Our genes, our bodies, our minds have been shaped by a process of natural selection to fit that ancient prehistoric environment. The human animal is ill suited for this new line of work we are now engaged in. This is why good programmers are rare. This is why good programmers are weird people. We are both statistically abnormal, and anomalies within the natural order. This is also why programmers burn out, get stuck on one language or technology, and are unable to keep up with the current flow and progress of technology. It is a miracle when one programmer learns one language and technology. This is why people leave our field at a remarkable rate, and change career paths frequently. This is why programmers have a very difficult job to do. This is why so very few in the power structures of this world comprehend the first rudiments of what we do.

There is another important series of fact which anthropological study confronts us with. There is no evidence to suggest that any average man would ever live past the age of 50 in the EEA (environment of evolutionary adaptedness). A rare and exceptional man might live to the age of 50. Most men would die before that time. Speaking in natural terms, Michael Jackson was not too young to die. He outlived most men who have ever passed through this veil of tears. Truly old men, say 65 or older, were incredibly rare and venerated elders. Very few would ever have seen this age. Women had it worse. Death in child birth was quite common. Death after menopause due to ovarian and uterus problems was probable. A study of the bones teaches that women usually died before the age of 40. Bones of women over 40 are extremely rare. Most female remains discovered by archaeologists belong to women who died before 40. In most cases, we can find no apparent reason why these women died. No signs of violence. No signs of accident. No teeth marks or animal attacks. No signs of extreme infections. They just dropped dead. Forensic examiners are left to speculate about indeterminable organ failures killing these women.

One theory of menopause suggests that women are simply outliving their natural lifespan these days due to modern medical miracles. Women loose fertility around 40 because this is when they were supposed to die in a natural environment. This is the natural lifespan limit of the female body in the EEA. Pleistocene women may rarely have hit menopause. Rather, they simply died before reaching Menopause. If they reached menopause, they most often died shortly afterward due to organ problems that often develop during menopause.

Humans don't learn well as we get older. A lot of evidence in the field of education indicates that most humans stop learning around 40. Old dogs don't learn new tricks. We become hardened and set in our ways. We don't even want to learn new tricks. Once again, it appears that we are pressing against the natural limits of our lifespan. Perhaps we stop learning because we should be dying around this point in the lifespan?

There are other theories about the cessation of learning. A man over the age of 40 would have been a venerated father/grandfather/clan leader. He would be expected to govern and lead conservatively based on his experience in life, not devise entirely new and radical notions about what aught to be done. For complex reasons, it is believed natural selection would favor men like this. He would also be at the end of his natural lifespan. There isn't a lot of need for learning at this point.

With all this in mind, lets talk about today. Humans are living into their 80s. The demographic tables show that we no longer have an age pyramid in our modern industrial and post-industrial societies. There are almost equal numbers of very young humans and very old humans. This is absolutely without precedent in the entire history of our species. Throughout all of human history, there have been many young humans, and very few old ones. One of the most stable and reliable demographic facts about human society is now dead. This age pyramid is a feature of almost every species on the Earth. Many are born, few make it to old age. It is true for snakes, frogs, spiders and sharks also.

One major problem we will very soon be faced with is this: there are not enough young humans to support the lives of the old humans. Soon, one young worker will have to bear the full weight of one retired worker. This is categorically impossible and unworkable. The young worker is having an incredibly difficult time getting by and financing his family as-is. The core concept behind Social Security is now empirically refuted and invalid.

In the future, most of us will never be able to retire. Some may be fortunate enough to slow down. Most will not retire. Current projections by T. Row Price suggest that a guy like me needs to have $5 million USD in good core investments before he can even consider retiring. I don't know how I will ever amass $5 million. How will you? If you already do have $5 million, will it survive the coming bought of hyper-inflation our Federal Government is fomenting? In the future, the retirement figure will be larger that $5 million.

Knowing that I may need to work for the rest of my natural life, how can a 42 year old computer programmer on the cusp of the biggest parallel processing revolution ever seen stay relevant and competitive in this world? How can I learn to use the new languages and technologies necessary to perform this style of programming well in the future? How can I learn to change the entire way I play the game? I need to learn to work all over again. It was a miracle that I ever learned to do this work in the first place. How can I remain a productive and valuable programmer until the age of 84, when I am expected to drop dead? I may only be half done at this point. Perhaps I have only 21 years to go. Perhaps I have only 1 hour to go. The actuarial tables suggest I am half done at this point.

Let's be honest: It may not be possible. I may not be able to stay self-sufficient, productive, independent, or useful. I may become a burden to society and my family. How can I give myself a shot at the title?

Well, for one thing I could loose 77 to 100 pounds. If I did that, I would be in all-around better health. I would sleep better. I would breath better during my sleep. I would probably not have a case of mild sleep apnea and/or narcolepsy. I probably would be able to do without Armadofinil, which my doctor has now prescribed for me. My arthritic knees would love this. I would be able to exercise more. My circulation would be better. This is a wonderful idea, and major steps are underway to ensure this happens... permanently. We shall discuss this subject some other time.

On the other hand, there are other problems of aging that cannot be addressed by weight loss and exercise. Demyelination of the neurological system cannot be stopped through the loss of body fat. Some say aerobic exercise helps, but not per se. As stated, this prescription is wrong. What about the cessation of learning? How will you learn Scala at 42? How will you learn the next thing at 53? What do you do about the preliminary bits of short-term and long term memory loss that naturally accompany aging?

With all of this in mind let us now discuss the subject of Nootropics. This will be the subject of my next blog.