As a doctor to be you should know by now that you are what you eat. It’s imperative that you have a proper diet in order for your brain to function. Cookies and milk is not going to do if you want to kick butt in the USMLE exams.
You have the ability to master how much and how fast your brain can absorb information as you study for the USMLE. Now a lot of medical students in the US and in the Caribbean use stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin, illegally or legally.
My advice is do not get them illegally, as a matter of fact if you don’t need them then don’t use them. Adderall and Ritalin has side effects which can deplete your dopamine reserves leading a person to short-term depression and anxiety; also those drugs are very dangerous for people with heart conditions such as arrhythmia.
Some of us can’t get those stimulants and so we need an alternate source. There are so many nootropics I used but I had to prepare myself for it over time; I’ll write a separate post about it. The following are the basics which will enhance your focus and it will do so in a subtle manner.
- Multivitamins
If you studied biochemistry well then you should know that multivitamins are very important. As medical students we cannot get all the vitamins and minerals that our body needs to make the proper amount of dopamine and other neurotransmitters.If you look at the catecholamine syntheses of the USMLE First Aid, you will see the cofactors that’s required for the synthesis of dopamine, which is a very important for studying. - Fish Oil
Whether you deny it or not, research shows that the omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, in fish oil benefits the brains. Omega-3 fatty acids increases the myelin sheaths around the axon of the neuron, which allows the individual to think faster and recall things faster.Those East Indians, Chinese, and Japanese consume heavy amounts of fish and you wonder why they get those high scores. Of course you can’t eat fish all the time because of the mercury content, so when I studied I bought isolated and purified fish oil with high amount of omega-3 fatty acids. I take a teaspoon of it every other day. - Focus Formula
This type of supplement helps a lot only if you take it with coffee. Studying for the USMLE is very boring and you need something to keep you going. It’s very easy to lose focus and lose motivation, but Focus Formula has the right combinations of balanced noortropics, in order to enhance your learning. - Magnesium (Updated on 1/31/2014)
Magnesium is one of the most depleted minerals in our body. And with depletion it causes tremendous amount of anxiety and brain fog. I take almost 200 mg to 400 mg every night because it helps me relax and go to sleep easily. Magnesium is also great for the heart.For those with anxiety and stress and loss of focus add Magnesium glycine to your daily diet because other Magnesium has poor absorption, especially the ones you get in the multivitamins.
But, Step 1 is one exam you don’t want to play with and take the risk. So what do we have to do? We have to master Biostatistics. I mean trust me they don’t leave you alone.
