Submitted by lughnasadh t3_zbmall in Futurology
Reply to comment by RedComet313 in Researchers claim a human trial with 90 people has shown a simple laser therapy improves short-term memory by 25%. The treatment, called transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM), has had claims in previous studies to also improve reaction times, accuracy and attention by lughnasadh
ADHD here with brain fog from fibro. If this turns out to work, and becomes widely available, I am going to bawl my eyes out. I hate the memory issues, I hate forgetting what I'm doing in the middle of things, the time blindness that comes with ADHD, the fact I have to have 3 things going on at once just to keep my brain quiet...This would be an actual life-changer.
My god! This post feels like I’m writing it. I can’t believe all the people posting in here who are like me. I feel some form of relief knowing there’s all these people with these struggles out there like me. I don’t feel people really believe in the disorder when you tell them you have it. Like it’s some made up thing you use to as an excuse for when you forget or misplace things.
Hahaha. This was my reaction too. Reading these posts makes me think we are all one brain discovering ourself. Sad and broken and happy and hopeful. This kind of breakthrough is too exciting for me to believe at present. I've come to terms with the way that I am and the daily struggle required. I'll try to carve room for a tiny bit of cautious optimism amid the muddle
I don't forget things with my adhd... I just get excited to start something else.... a move on fast!!!
I fucking hate ADHD I would do anything to get rid of it, I would do nearly anything at all…. I hate it and even with meds it still manages to ruin my life.
Can you explain the "3 things going on at once bit"? I never got diagnosed with ADHD but I can relate to your post so much that I'm wondering if I need to get tested!
Our brains are constantly in overdrive trying to scrape up the dopamine and noroepinephrine which we can't produce or regulate like normal brains. So we need a lot of extra stimulation. That can mean trying to do a bunch of things all at once, or watching a show while playing a video game and talking to someone, using a fidget toy while engaged in other things, etc.
It can also mean taking hours to fall asleep because your brain can't stop. It can mean being super distracted because whatever you're doing isn't stimulating enough (with adhd most things aren't because our brain lacks the necessary chemicals to generate that feedback) so your brain keeps going on a little adventure. When we do find something that interests us enough and provides that extra stimulation, novelty, etc we need to get those chemicals, we can become hyperfocused and obsessed. My mom thought I was deaf and got my hearing tested when I was 6 or 7 because I'd just be gone when I was in that mode. Wouldn't hear a word she said. It's common for us to go through hobbies constantly because we get obsessed for a short period, then the novelty wears off, and we can't get interested again, leading to one form of ADHD tax where we waste money on tons of supplies and tools, then a month later forget about them and never touch them again.
It also causes issues with working memory and short term memory, impulse control and executive function (either you can't stop yourself or no matter how hard you try you can't make yourself do something). ADHD can be debilitating. I was a disaster before I got help.
I got diagnosed at 32. I didn't ever consider it, because I didn't know enough about it, until a friend who had a degree in early childhood education recognized it and suggested I look into it. Once I read more into it it made sense, and especially once i went over all my old school records and my symptom history with the specialist. Getting diagnosis, therapy, and meds completely turned my life around.
It's worth at least looking into if you think you might have it.
‚‘brain fog from fibro‘ Would you mind explaining that further ?
Fibromyalgia causes "brain fog": you have a hard time focusing and your memory is unreliable. You find ways to cope but it never completely goes away.
Fibromyalgia also causes fatigue and outright pain, which can become unbearable if not medicated.
Thanks! I didn‘t know that and I wasn‘t sure Fybriomyalgia was meant with „fibro“ (+ made me listen up). thing is, I believe that I‘ve got fibro. Now even more… It‘s complicated bc on top of that and a few other things I was going through a burnout phase for the last 9 months.
My ‚medication‘ is Buprenorphine for now but I think I need to see a doctor again…
For sure, it's not a diagnosis that's handed out lightly.
I definitely recommend seeing a doctor once in a while, as fibromyalgia sufferers respond differently to the variety of appropriate medication, and can even respond differently as years go by. Getting the right medication is life-changing.
Got it. It‘s really weird when you‘re unwell all the time with random aches and all that. On top the dizzyness and all. I think I‘ve left 20% of my brain capacity on the way along so far. Sidenote: have tried microdosing psychedelics, not only for the contentration side of things.
Which category of meds are you talking about explicitly? From painkillers to anti inflammatory meds, there is a broad variety.
Broad variety, as you say, and it depends on what's available/legal and what insurance covers. But I'm no medical specialist, I simply helped someone close cope through every step, from the initial confusion at their body, through the lengthy misdiagnoses, and trying different medication over years. This summer they finally found a great fit, enough to prompt the occasional spontaneous "I'm feeling so well", when they realize that at times all symptoms are gone.
I wish it can happen to you.
Thanks for your feedback and being a genuinely great human being :)
Medical system in my country was great once but did suffer of the covid crisis a lot.
One last question (just if you know) Which kind of med school did the physician practice who diagnosed your friend correctly? Neurology?
They're asleep right now, but that I remember, they did have to meet a specialist, either a neurologist or a rheumatologist.
Have you tried mushroom supplements? I had a stroke something like 5 years ago, and had brain fog and lethargy, and I took a stack of lionsmane mushroom, cordyceps, reishi, turkey tail and Chaga. These helped me regain my ability to think "in a straight line" and respond a hell of a lot easier to questions etc. I also microdosed psychedelic mushrooms as well during this period and believe it helped.
Unfortunately they don't help with adhd. Our brains are actually formed differently from normal brains and have some specific chemical deficits which shrooms can't supplement.
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