Memory

[capriciousduck]

Hi, I have a terrible memory. I don't know if I have memory issues or am I just in wrong thinking. I have Schizophrenia(no hallucinations) and I still use medicines(Clozapine and Clonazepam). Is that the cause? Or what can I do to have a good memory? Any nutrition tips? Or should I start playing memory games (available in the android play store)?

[Vipassana]

I would suggest you explore different modalities and approach to treat your Schizophrenia then get on board with doing gentle body & mind purification work. 

I don't see much promise for living a conscious life when people are bombarded with psychotropic drugs for everyday affairs.

I speak from a privileged position & I am completely ignorant of the technicalities however If i were to speak from my intuition (which is groundless) then I would suggest you drop the 'medicines' gradually.

Usually problems related to cognition are structural problems that need to be reconciled with different approaches. 

[Michael569]

Nutrition will only get you so far when on potent psychotropic pharmaceuticals that alter your brain chemistry. On the other hand, Schizophrenia is hard to manage without drugs and any modifications to dosing have to be consulted with your doctor. It may be worth working with a nutritionist or a naturopath to help you. Also, it is essential to make sure that any supplement you self-administer are approved by your doctor and checked for interactions. 

When looking at diet, the considerations are usually to balance blood sugar, to prevent episodes of hyper or hypoglycaemia, to reduce systemic inflammation, to support the gut integrity and to rebalance neurotransmitter balance as excessive dopamine may trigger an episode. As such below are few tips that can help but for a more specific plan, you'd need to work with a qualified practitioner. 

Few essential tips you may find helpful: 

• If you are a smoker, it would be a good idea to cut it down as tobacco was found to worsen schizophrenia episodes and symptoms.
• In terms of diet, some evidence shows that ketogenic diet can be helpful. It is however important that it is the right one so working with a practitioner would be a good idea. 
• Cutting down on animal protein in favour of plant protein can be helpful as this reduces polyamines (a side-product of animal protein digestion) spermine and spermidine that is associated with increased dopamine (more frequent episodes). Animal protein is also rich in methionine that may increase the release of pro-inflammatory compounds
• Avoidance of stimulants such as caffeine, stimulating herbs, redbuls and recreational drugs is a must. You don't want to stimulate your brain as this can trigger psychosis or other episodes. 
• Avoiding sources of fried and barbecued meats can help. These produce something called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are toxic to the human brain and can make your episodes worse
• Cutting down on any sources of added sugar can help to improve insulin sensitivity of brain cells. This includes any sweets, crackers biscuits, fizzy drinks, sweetened pastries. The fruit is good and should not be avoided. 
• Your diet needs to be predominantly based on wholefood plant-based sources. If you eat animal foods, pick things like oily fish and occasional eggs. I'd reduce dairy and general meat to a minimum. 
• Increasing fruit and vegetable intake to decrease inflammation and improving brain sugar balance. 
• You can try experimenting with reducing gluten, even cutting it out. In some people, gluten temporarily (up to 48 hours) separates tight junctions of the intestinal lining and this may cause an influx of larger protein molecules that wouldn't have otherwise passed through. This will provoke an immune response and potentially raise your systemic inflammation markers. Any systemic inflammation may increase the frequency of your episodes.
• Any known food allergies need to be addressed as this food may make the condition worse. It might be a good idea to get general intolerance testing for the most common trigger foods such as dairy, eggs, soy etc.
• Foods rich in quercetin can help control markers of inflammation
• Physical activity can help balance your neurotransmitters and improve insulin sensitivity. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by Michael569

[capriciousduck]

@Michael569 Thank you.

[pluto]

Drink Chamomile Tea often and take Gotu Kola or Make tea.
Tulsi and Lions Mane should help as well.

[crab12]

Unfortunately schizophrenia and meds will affect the memory, and you will struggle more because of that. But there are 2 things you can try to get around this problem.

What kind of information do you struggle with? Is it names, or passwords, facts? I have quite awful memory for text-based information and I get around this issue using memory palaces. You can effortlessly memorize a list of 30 items in a few minutes, for example, and it'll stay there for months, it's pretty cool. You can memorize complex ideas too with memory palaces, and it helps with the learning process as it requires you to understand the topic in a very clear way before chunking it up and memorizing it. Check out memory palaces: https://mullenmemory.com/memory-palace-basics

The other main thing for bad memory is low quality sleep:

 

[capriciousduck]

@crab12 Thanks.