BrainHQ for diagnosys?

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ChristineAZ
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BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by ChristineAZ »

First of all, glad I found this forum (away from FB!) when I searched for BrainHQ. I kept thinking that it was just another scam and so regret not having signed up sooner. Trained 34 days since February.

I'm totally fascinated by the incredibly detailed records and I made a couple extraordinary discoveries: Both marijuana and coffee can significantly improve my brain performance. I suffered stress induced working memory loss in late 2019 and have been unable to get any diagnosis or treatment...

I made the mistake of signing up at Inside Tracker last year and paid for their DNA test. Recently finally found out that it does NOT test for APOE4. I would sign up for PRECODE, but can't afford it.

In 2017/18 I had trouble remembering words in conversation and thought I might have early onset Alzheimer's. In summer 2018 I changed my diet to somewhat Keto and substituted sugar with erythritol. I'm a sugar addict. Lost about 60 lbs, implemented some lifestyle changes and by Labor Day 2019 I had PERFECT blood pressure while actively in stressful discovery and no sign of memory loss. ...

I've gone from being EXHAUSTED after just a couple of business phone calls / emails... in early 2020 to working 10 - 14 hour days again with zero days off since at least March. My work includes many different activities as I manage a vacation rental and I run a micro organic permaculture farm, so I consider some of my work relaxation.

BUT, I still lose my working memory and do the stupidest (dangerous!) things when facing hard deadlines.

I'm now 64 years old and 74 / 72% compared to others in BrainHQ, following the personal trainer recommendations 100%. Even though the sound sweeps are somewhat annoying, it's good to see improvement. I also "cheat", use the notebook monitor for visual exercises so it's easier to see/track objects than on my big monitor. One of my external speakers is best for audio sweeps and I have it on the left side since I got slight hearing impairment on the right....

Has anyone looked at BrainHQ performance data to diagnose brain issues?

I feel that as I practice, I quickly get very good at most exercises and I definitely improve. Confirmed by the data. But I also feel that I'm a SLOW learner. And even with exercises I know well, the first round in a new session is generally awful. It takes me a while to get into it.

Is there any way to compare the RATE of IMPROVEMENT to others?

And I can't wait to move on to different exercises as I'm approaching the final levels in the current ones. One time I had an exercise that was TIMED and I did HORRIBLE -- the STRESS!

Is it possible to develop allergies to stressful activities just like becoming allergic to gluten from eating too much bread?

As happened to me, but after I stopped eating so much pasta and bread for at least several months, I'm fine with the occasional sourdough and spaghetti now....

I definitely think that EVERY person should be using BrainHQ, no matter what age. Establish a baseline. And nobody has the perfect brain.
Last edited by ChristineAZ on Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
NF52
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Re: BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by NF52 »

ChristineAZ wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 4:26 pm First of all, glad I found this forum (away from FB!) when I searched for BrainHQ. I kept thinking that it was just another scam and so regret not having signed up sooner. Trained 34 days since February.

I'm totally fascinated by the incredibly detailed records and I made a couple extraordinary discoveries: Both marijuana and coffee can significantly improve my brain performance. I suffered stress induced working memory loss in late 2019 and have been unable to get any diagnosis or treatment...

I made the mistake of signing up at Inside Tracker last year and paid for their DNA test. Recently finally found out that it does NOT test for APOE4. I would sign up for PRECODE, but can't afford it.

In 2017/18 I had trouble remembering words in conversation and thought I might have early onset Alzheimer's. In summer 2018 I changed my diet to somewhat Keto and substituted sugar with erythritol. I'm a sugar addict. Lost about 60 lbs, implemented some lifestyle changes and by Labor Day 2019 I had PERFECT blood pressure while actively in stressful discovery and no sign of memory loss. ...

I've gone from being EXHAUSTED after just a couple of business phone calls / emails... in early 2020 to working 10 - 14 hour days again with zero days off since at least March. My work includes many different activities as I manage a vacation rental and I run a micro organic permaculture farm, so I consider some of my work relaxation.

BUT, I still lose my working memory and do the stupidest (dangerous!) things when facing hard deadlines.

I'm now 64 years old and 74 / 72% compared to others in BrainHQ, following the personal trainer recommendations 100%. Even though the sound sweeps are somewhat annoying, it's good to see improvement. I also "cheat", use the notebook monitor for visual exercises so it's easier to see/track objects than on my big monitor. One of my external speakers is best for audio sweeps and I have it on the left side since I got slight hearing impairment on the right....
Has anyone looked at BrainHQ performance data to diagnose brain issues?

I feel that as I practice, I quickly get very good at most exercises and I definitely improve. Confirmed by the data. But I also feel that I'm a SLOW learner. And even with exercises I know well, the first round in a new session is generally awful. It takes me a while to get into it. Is there any way to compare the RATE of IMPROVEMENT to others? And I can't wait to move on to different exercises as I'm approaching the final levels in the current ones. One time I had an exercise that was TIMED and I did HORRIBLE -- the STRESS!

Is it possible to develop allergies to stressful activities just like becoming allergic to gluten from eating too much bread? As happened to me, but after I stopped eating so much pasta and bread for at least several months, I'm fine with the occasional sourdough and spaghetti now....

I definitely think that EVERY person should be using BrainHQ, no matter what age. Establish a baseline. And nobody has the perfect brain.
Hello Christine!

We're glad you found us and we're glad you're seeing results (and a good challenge once in a while) from BRAINHQ. I haven't personally used it, but do like to do other online puzzles, and some brain game challenges and know that feeling of feeling like Goldlilocks and the 3 Bears: You want the challenge to be "just right", not too high or too low.

I once worked with a great child psychiatrist who said we all tend to have an innate personality type that includes how quickly our brain (specifically our amygdala) is programmed to say "TIGER!!" when it might be "squirrel". What helps, he said, is learning how to "talk to ourselves" and "self-soothe", sometimes using phrases like "I've done this before; I can get through this and will take a break when I finish" to "it's okay not to be perfect!" (As you said!!)

As a Moderator on the forum, one of my roles is to try to balance the needs of our members to share their stories with the need not to get into areas that may be too personal, or expose someone to unwanted attention. So, for example, we usually delete someone's personal email if they include it in a post, or we ask people not to post their views on controversial topics not related to ApoE 4 and Alzheimer's.

So in that spirit, I've edited your post to leave in all the wonderful steps you've taken in the last few years to lose weight, be able to work a demanding job and be able to measure your progress on BRAINHQ, and took out the info that was more relevant to specific, outside issues or experiences that are deeply painful to you, or maybe deeply meaningful, but which fall outside of our forum's focus.

I'd like to share a few links that may help you find great topics here:
1. The Search function is in a text box under your user name in the upper right corner of the page. You can type in a word like BRAINHQ and see what comes up!
2. The PRIMER is a guide to strategies that may add to what you already know, written by a doctor who is herself ApoE 4/4.
3. You don't have to test your genes to know how to help your brain! Some on this forum have decided to never test and to simply live each day doing their best to make good choices--and not beating themselves up for the bad ones!
Here's a link to think about that: Thinking about Testing?

Be well, Christine, and know you are among friend here.

Nancy
4/4 and still an optimist!
Nicnac0526
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Re: BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by Nicnac0526 »

ChristineAZ wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 4:26 pm First of all, glad I found this forum (away from FB!) when I searched for BrainHQ. I kept thinking that it was just another scam and so regret not having signed up sooner. Trained 34 days since February.

I'm totally fascinated by the incredibly detailed records and I made a couple extraordinary discoveries: Both marijuana and coffee can significantly improve my brain performance. I suffered stress induced working memory loss in late 2019 and have been unable to get any diagnosis or treatment...

I made the mistake of signing up at Inside Tracker last year and paid for their DNA test. Recently finally found out that it does NOT test for APOE4. I would sign up for PRECODE, but can't afford it.

In 2017/18 I had trouble remembering words in conversation and thought I might have early onset Alzheimer's. In summer 2018 I changed my diet to somewhat Keto and substituted sugar with erythritol. I'm a sugar addict. Lost about 60 lbs, implemented some lifestyle changes and by Labor Day 2019 I had PERFECT blood pressure while actively in stressful discovery and no sign of memory loss. ...

I've gone from being EXHAUSTED after just a couple of business phone calls / emails... in early 2020 to working 10 - 14 hour days again with zero days off since at least March. My work includes many different activities as I manage a vacation rental and I run a micro organic permaculture farm, so I consider some of my work relaxation.

BUT, I still lose my working memory and do the stupidest (dangerous!) things when facing hard deadlines.

I'm now 64 years old and 74 / 72% compared to others in BrainHQ, following the personal trainer recommendations 100%. Even though the sound sweeps are somewhat annoying, it's good to see improvement. I also "cheat", use the notebook monitor for visual exercises so it's easier to see/track objects than on my big monitor. One of my external speakers is best for audio sweeps and I have it on the left side since I got slight hearing impairment on the right....

Has anyone looked at BrainHQ performance data to diagnose brain issues?

I feel that as I practice, I quickly get very good at most exercises and I definitely improve. Confirmed by the data. But I also feel that I'm a SLOW learner. And even with exercises I know well, the first round in a new session is generally awful. It takes me a while to get into it.

Is there any way to compare the RATE of IMPROVEMENT to others?

And I can't wait to move on to different exercises as I'm approaching the final levels in the current ones. One time I had an exercise that was TIMED and I did HORRIBLE -- the STRESS!

Is it possible to develop allergies to stressful activities just like becoming allergic to gluten from eating too much bread?

As happened to me, but after I stopped eating so much pasta and bread for at least several months, I'm fine with the occasional sourdough and spaghetti now....

I definitely think that EVERY person should be using BrainHQ, no matter what age. Establish a baseline. And nobody has the perfect brain.
Hi ChristineAZ, As a welcome intern I would like to congratulate you on your amazing curiosity combined with a love of learning. The changes that you have seen are a true testament to the enthusiasm that you have for integrating these many aspects into your life.
Nancy has highlighted the main areas of the forum that people benefit from in the early days of exploring us.
I would encourage you to combine your amazing vitality and enthusiasm with some nurturance to support your stress levels. I am not sure if it is possible to develop and allergy but the effect of cortisol on the immune system is clear, so it may well be possible.
Wishing you well and please do shout if you have any further questions. As you have probably gathered, we are a warm and friendly group who thrive in supporting each other.
Warm regards
Nicky
circular
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Re: BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by circular »

NF52 wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:38 pmI … know that feeling of feeling like Goldlilocks and the 3 Bears: You want the challenge to be "just right", not too high or too low.
Hi Nancy,

Like ChristineAZ I also just started using Brain HQ (I discovered they had 30% off the annual fee on 12/31 :). Their trainer program, if you chose to use it, is designed to keep you in the middle bear zone, because, they say, that's where the neurogeneis happens. So assuming their programming does it right, you don't have to guess at whether you're "in the zone."

One reason I decided to try it for a year at the discounted price is that they claim they are the only "brain game" program that satisfies the five criteria that a brain training program should fulfill that were set forth by the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). I emailed the NAM to see if they agree with that statement, since otherwise I would need to "confirm" it with an uneducated deep dive into the research papers Brain HQ says fulfill the criteria. I doubt I'll hear back. In the meantime, so far I find it fun.

I'm also interested in ChristineAZ's question about how well this compares to other available assessments of cognitive health. I'm doing pretty well, so I like to fantasize that no one needs anything else to know whether they're in good shape, but if it were that easy, then BrainHQ would be a blockbuster app, but it only has 22K 5 star ratings in iOS, compared with 102K for Lumosity and 354K in for Elevate :lol: :? Elevate's dominance among these three is probably mostly if not entirely explained by the brain health experts at Apple dubbing Elevate their app of the year in 2014, using highly efficacious criteria: 'Apple singled out brain-training apps like Elevate and rivals Lumosity and Peak-Brain Training, and says Elevate stands out due "to its great design, the best progress tracker, loads of interactivity and smart daily motivation reminders."'
Last edited by circular on Mon Jan 02, 2023 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
NF52
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Re: BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by NF52 »

circular wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 6:01 pm
NF52 wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 6:38 pmI … know that feeling of feeling like Goldlilocks and the 3 Bears: You want the challenge to be "just right", not too high or too low.
Hi Nancy,

Like ChristineAZ I also just started using Brain HQ (I discovered they had 30% off the annual fee on 12/31 :). Their trainer program, if you chose to use it, is designed to keep you in the middle bear zone, because, they say, that's where the neurogeneis happens. So assuming their programming does it right, you don't have to guess at whether you're "in the zone."
...In the meantime, so far I find it fun.

I'm also interested in ChristineAZ's question about how well this compares to other available assessments of cognitive health. I'm doing pretty well, so I like to fantasize that no one needs anything else to know whether they're in good shape, but if it were that easy, then BrainHQ would be a blockbuster app, but it only has 22K 5 star ratings in iOS, compared with 102K for Lumosity and 354K in for Elevate :lol: :?
Keep us posted, Circ! And for those ratings, think of yourself as going where the crowd hasn't yet been!
Nancy
4/4 and still an optimist!
circular
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Re: BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by circular »

NF52 wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 6:06 pm Keep us posted, Circ! And for those ratings, think of yourself as going where the crowd hasn't yet been!
Nancy
Oh not that again! My New Year's resolution was to be normal! :lol:
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
NF52
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Re: BrainHQ for diagnosys?

Post by NF52 »

NF52 wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 6:06 pm Keep us posted, Circ! And for those ratings, think of yourself as going where the crowd hasn't yet been!
Nancy
circular wrote: Mon Jan 02, 2023 6:10 pm Oh not that again! My New Year's resolution was to be normal! :lol:
Best joke I've heard on this forum!! :lol:
4/4 and still an optimist!
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