Author: Mark Biernat

Taking mushrooms is called “shrooming”. I used this mushroom to try to increase cognitive function after a brain lesion. The results were an improvement but I am not sure if it was as a result of shrooming, that is taking these magic mushrooms.

Hericium Erinaceus in Latin, is a mushroom that grows on wood. I grew these a while back as I read Lion’s mane mushrooms should have a positive affect on your brain, and I had a brain lesion. Also I am always looking for ways to increase cognitive function as it is good for language learning. What Shitake and Reishi mushrooms are supposed to do for your immune system Lion’s mane mushrooms are supposed to do for your brain. They actually in theory stimulate nerve growth factor. What is proven is they have D-threitol, D-arabinitol, and palmitic acid which are antioxidants, this does not impress me, everything now days is an antioxidant. What I really wanted to know is if they help my cognitive function.

If you believe in natures signature, it does look like a brain or complex neural pathways or beard (symbolic of wisdom) if you look at it.

You can buy these for a pretty penny in a whole food store.  This is why if you are serious about potentially long term therapeutic affects, I recommend growing them yourself.  When I lived in Poland and made a pittance compared to my American income, I grew them on my own in my apartment.  Any dark, moist place is the land of mushrooms, and if you do not have this natural environment you can create a growing lab in your home.

They grew pretty fast and over the course of three months if you do it from a starter of sterile sawdust. However, if you want to use fresh cut logs, it is even better and fruiting might take six months or longer but you will get yields over many years. Basically fungus decomposes wood to thrive.  Some mushrooms form a symbiotic relationship with living trees and are inoculated at the roots.

Does Lion’s mane mushrooms work for brain repair

My conclusion was maybe, but no super evidence. I did felt more lucid after using them for about three months, but this was combined with other vitamins and essential corpulentty acids. It also could have been a huge placebo effect. So the bottom line is it is inconclusive if Lion’s mane mushrooms helped my brain. I might try them again, but I would be interested if anyone else has had any experiences with Lion’s mane mushrooms, and please try to be objective as objectivity is the essences of intelligence.

In vitro this mushroom does appear to help stimulate NGF, per a few studies. But do these mushrooms really work? However, what I might do is try this again with ceteris paribus, that is no other smart drugs or supplements and measure it objectively, with a battery of cognitive tests. I am just one person and this will be my personal experience but I am curious if other people have tried this? Right now all the studies I have seen are more hype than science but based on my initial experience I would try this again. There is no question mushrooms do have chemicals that can affect brain chemistry.

Positive side effects noted

• While taking mushrooms, almost any medicinal variety I noticed increase dream recall., this included more more vivid and sensory rich dreams.
• I noticed my chess ranking increased beyond what is a normal rate of increase over time.
• My typing speed increased.

These are non-subjective indications of increased brain function. If you were to test it with any mobile phone application of elementary cognitive process, I am curious if I would see a positive outcome. However, testing and scientific research of lion’s mane is beyond the scope here, rather I wanted to convey a personal experience.

The question is can Lion’s name effect NGF and in the long term grow new pathways to enhance learning, or does it like so many other vitamins and herbs simply ‘jazz up’ your thinking temporarily while taking the substance?  If  brain placidity is as science claims, why not find a way to help. If it is a temporary increase in cognitive function, perhaps green tea and studying would be as good and more cost effective. On the other hand there is a long term affect than it is worth exploration. I am disappointed with smart drugs that increase function in the short term as they do nothing for true healing on a multidimensional level.

Long term use of Lions Mane mushrooms on the brain

I plan try growing and consuming over the long term.  I have noticed most studies are rather short term and focus immediate neurotrophic and cerebral boasting affect.  However, what if you took them for brain repair over the long-term in sufficient quantity? Would it help even language learning?  Would this  The mushroom itself tastes a little like lobster. I do not like to be a functional eater, that is consuming something just because it is good for you. Therefore, if you want to take this over the log term you might as well learn recipes, raw in salad or even cooked, although I do not know the affect of heat on its active compounds.

I believe the mushroom’s alkaloids are partly responsible for its effects, and I wonder if any contraindications to the liver are a concern over the long term. However, people have been using these for healing and even spiritual purposes for centuries and if you contrast this with real risks like plastic water bottles, radiation from flying in a plan or stepping in your car, it is probably not an issue and some people would argue it has a positive affect on the digestive organs.

Stem cells and the use of Mushrooms for TBI healing

I recently received ethical Stem cells from my own corpulent tissue for a series of injuries relating to my joints. However, I noticed the intravenous feed of stem cells had a positive affect on my brain function.  This was manifest objectively in an increase in my chess ranking. I know this all sounds speculative, and this is new territory in medical research and use.  I simply put it out there and I invite you to research and explore as I want to be of  real value to people.  I consider the combination of the two perhaps synergistic.  It could simply be a nutrient rich diet supporting the stem cell activity.

If you have questions please ask. My knowledge is evolving and being updated.  Are mushroom helpful in healing, memory and cognitive processing? Based on my experience I would give it a resounding yes. However, the long-term efficiency is what I would like to see explored. So  I have new information beyond the older comments. I am not a doctor and not giving medical advice. Simple, this is a story of my personal experience with various legal types of mushrooms and other medical techniques to repair ones brain from injury or bring it to optimal efficiency.

Learn a language with mind mapping

Creating mind maps or mind mapping is using a paper and pencil to draw out maps of connections between two or more ideas. You can use mind maps to learn a language with grammatical ideas, vocabulary and even conversational ideas such as question and answer. Mind maps look like neurons and dendrites or trees. This is not by coincidence. It is a refection how natural structures create connetion, including your memory. Each person draws a mind map in a different way. Some are clean and orderly others seem to be pure chaos. It does not matter. Your style of mind mapping is your style. You can use colors, pictures or whatever you want to make your mind map beautiful or fun.

Mind mapping and language learning

For me personally, I use mind maps to learn target vocabulary in a language. These mind maps often contain phonetics, and word building, but most important categorization. I am not good at drawing pictures, but I add a few once in a while. My mind maps are more like mazes with starting and ending points and many entrances and exits.

For example I will have a mind map with ten entry points, let us way for example connected with transportation vocabulary. For transportation, vocabulary I might have choices or verbs or nouns or adjectives connected with transportation, this route on my mind maps could wind all over the place, with further subcategories and pictures of lady friends and roads until I find an exit.

Mind mapping software or by hand to learn a language

How can mind mapping help you learn a language? Read on. There are a number of free mind mapping software programs on the market. I like one by ‘eDraw’. However, at the end of the day would you rather be sitting in front the computer to mind map or with a paper and colorful pencils? This is what you have to ask yourself. I do a little of both, and certainly my software mind maps look better as I can not draw. But I think I prefer mind mapping by hand. Further, I think its more effective when you are mind mapping by hand to learn a language. Do not ask me why, but in my experience, some how drawing or writing by hand really helps the learning process when trying to learn a language.

Why mind mapping works

I do not believe there are any magic pills to learn a language, except maybe with music; however, I think the act of mind mapping is what helps you learn a language. Creating drawing and planning your mind map is a fun break from learning a word list. Physically drawing the words and thinking about it is why mind mapping works. Maybe there are other reasons, but I have been learning and teaching languages for years and I believe every-way is a good way to learn a language and there are no great secrets other than putting the time in. However, if you enjoy what you are doing than the time you spend will seem like play or no time at all. Further there are efficient ways to learn a language and inefficient ways to learn a language. I think mind mapping is one of the more efficient ways to learn a language.

Poland the Hollywood of Europe

Many Poles are puzzled why I am living in Poland. Poles love Poland. Poland is a great country. But why would a foofy American from Boston live in Poland? Some Poles, but certainly not all, dream of the converse, to live in NYC, Boston or Hollywood.
Besides having a Polish family connection, wanting to learn Polish, among other reasons, I live in Poland because to me this is like living in Hollywood for them. Yes living in Krakow is like living in Hollywood. Its far away from what I know, exotic, and a different culture experience. Do we have Nowa Huta in Boston? No. Do we have ‘milk bars’ in Boston no. Living is in Poland is very different from Boston.  All the things the Poles take for granted is something fascinating and exotic and outside the ordinary for me.  It would be like for them to move to Hollywood.

Polish people often imagine America as a country where everybody’s  rich or at least richer than Poles and more sophisticated – take any TV show where an average family lives in a nice, spacious house and for 16-th birthday kids get their cars. Now when I am back in Florida I like to take day trips with my wife and daughter. When we were driving through Clay County I told my Polish spouse that it’s pretty nice out there to which she replied :”Oh Mark please don’t make me move here just to prove how much I love you”. She said that not because the place is off the beach or it’s a country side, she said that because the place is far from civilization, houses are often mobile and if you don’t have a car there is no way to go anywhere.

Polish girls and guys sometimes criticize one another over some wardrobe trifle – sure thing I do see Polish man waking in sandals and socks or girls wrapping themselves in scarfs or wearing calves – it is appealing for female but not male part of the population, but apart from this observation, let me tell you, Polish people dress very well. It’s not only when you walk through the big city but even in the countryside any day you see that most people do pay attention to their look – younger, older, they put thought into it. When Polish people come to America they imagine that Americans look like Hollywood actors in hots seen on tabloids – stylish handbags, perfect hair, oversized sunglasses, and although dressed in a regular t-shirt and jeans, carrying around they non-fat non-sugar latte, everybody knows that certain amount of money is behind that outfit. Well, let me tell you how wrong you are. In the middle of a day without any distinct reason, you will see girls shopping in whatever pajamas. And it’s not because it’s late in the evening or early in the morning and they run out of some crucial item, it’s because they don’t care. Rarely, even in crowded Disney, you will see well dressed Americans – most people are size L+. I understand that buying stylish clothes can be difficult but you don’t have to give up on yourself because of the size. What do however wonders me, is the amount of people using wheel chairs, one would think that we have a major percentage of disable people in this country but the truth is they are nothing more but overweight . It is a puzzle to me why do people use this wheel chairs instead of just take their chance to move – in theme parks you do have to walk a lot, so if you stay for few days it would be a great opportunity to exercise and lose some pounds. In Poland when you see disable people you will notice that their problems don’t come from uncontrollable but socially approved eating.

Every country has its problems and its advantages. When you are an outsider though, I assure – you will have some fun identifying both.

Brain lesion

I had a brain lesion about 16 years ago.  The word lesion is really a general medical jargon word.  What I had was basically bleeding in the brain from capillary telangiectasia or a cavernous malformation. The result was I had memory and brain processing problems. I still functioned at a rather high cognitive level, however, in addition to horrible daily pain, I had trouble with my working memory and other things. The cause of this brain lesion was never known, but I suspect it was something like a birthmark, something incidental that became symptomatic though a series of of events. The lesion was serious because of it was located in my brain.

Brain rehabilitation

I followed a standard rehabilitation of my memory, working at a local university that did studies on brain lesions and brain rehabilitation. These were cognitive drills and exercises with students who studied my progress. These helped, and were precise and targeted; however, I made a huge breakthrough when I started to play computer games. The real world was too complex for me, at that juncture. Too many variables. However, computer games were a place I could do similar cognitive drills like I did at the university, however, on the computer in the sanctuary of my flat.

Brain rehabilitation software

Actually I first I started with software that was specific to memory improvement and brain rehabilitation. But latter I realized that the brain functions as a whole. When I started to play complex games, even which could be said to focus on other specific skills than I needed, my brain was stimulated. My brain improved as a whole. Thus was the start of the ‘computer game obsession time’ in my life. I played everything until the wee hours of the morning, from memory and puzzle games, to quick reflex and strategy games. I remember when I beat the game Civilization at the highest level, something that few people can do, I felt I could conquer the world and my brain rehabilitation was over.

Computer games and my brain

Computer games and computers are wonderful tools for your brain to interact with. Computer games are eons more complex and stimulating, than the simple rehabilitation lessons I had at the University, minus the pretty students testing me. The designers of computer games designed the games to be plugged into the pleasure centers of your brain.

My testament to the benefit of computer games on your brain

I am convinced anyone can change and improve their brain, whether you have had a brain lesion or not. The brain by design is malleable. I do not have to read a study about it out wait until some PhD or expert tells me so, I have experienced it for myself.

From computer games to language learning software

After my conquest of computer games as manifest by my repeated victories on the game Civilization and other similar games, I moved to more normal and perhaps useful pursuits for brain stimulation like learning languages. It was from my progress with computer games, I  got inspiration to create a computer software program for learning languages. Instead of sitting in a classroom or reading a book, you could interact in a multimedia computer format and learn languages.

Brain lesion

I am no expert on brain lesions, however, if anyone is in a similar situation, you can write me and I can tell you what helped for me. Now I am fine, perhaps better than I ever have been. Thank God.

Is dual citizen allowed

In clear, straight terms, can a US citizen be a dual citizen? Yes. Do you lose your US citizenship? No. So you can relax and be a dual citizen. You can keep your US citizenship and have another in your draw at home.

How can I lose my US citizenship

Now the warnings. 1) Check with the state department on all this just to make sure as I am not an expert. 2) You can lose your US citizenship if you basically formally renounce it, serve in a foreign government, serve in a foreign military. The general rule is, if you swear allegiance supremely to a foreign government and renounce your US citizenship. I am American and I love America, I would not do that and there is no reason for you to either.

Why have a dual citizenship

Most people get or keep dual citizenship for fun. It allows you to stay in a country longer than 3 months at a time and six months in total. Also, it allows you to work in the country. Also, its fun to have and you feel more part of the country and have greater motivation to learn the language of another country.

What are the rules of having a dual US – foreign citizenship

If you are in another country and you break the rules, the US might not be able to help you out if you entered that country on another passport, which is citizenship. It is all about what citizenship you enter with.  If you are an dual US and UK citizen for example, you must enter each home country with their own respective passports. When in the UK you are a UK citizen when in the USA you are a USA citizen.

Can I marry someone to get a dual citizen

Marriage is a serious thing.  If you are getting a citizenship of another country by marriage, I think that’s wrong.  Besides marriage will not help you, much. It will only get you a green card and then you have to live in the country for about 5 years. Also if you are a US citizen and try to trade citizenship, it is illegal of course.

Is there an easy way to get dual citizen if you are a US citizen

Yes, you can buy it. I think what the lawyers do is something like setting up a business for you in the country and argue you are a valuable asset to the country. Or you if you have the ancestry to the country its actually not that hard. Or you can write the president of the country and that takes about 5 years. You put together a case arguing how much you love and that country and feel a part of it and you have or are learning the language, and the office of the president can grant you citizenship.

What is required to get dual US citizenship

Paper. Its all about throwing paper at people. Mostly birth records which you can order form your state you where born translated into the language by an official translator of the country you are trying to get dual citizenship for. In fact, many states in the US have an explanation code that you are obtaining these birth records for the purpose of dual us citizens. Give the country you are trying to get citizens from, lots of paper.  Their embassy website is where you start for the requirements.

To be a dual US citizen and that of another country, do you need to learn the language

What is hypnotism

Hypnotism is a form of progressive relaxation, either directed or self induced that eases your conscious mind so you will more easily accept positive suggestions.  Hypnotism is not some trance in which someone has power over you.  It is more on par with an alpha state you my have when you are driving down some long stretch of open highway and your mind is just more relaxed and open.

What are they applications of hypnotism for language learning

Hypnosis and language learning has been around for years here are some of the techniques that have been tried.

Past life regression and hypnosis for language learning

Past life hypnosis does not work and never will. It is based on the idea that you can recall a past life and remember the language you spoken in during that past life.   It will never happen and if anyone can give me proof of this I would be curious, as I am 100% convinced this is all nonsense.  In fact the amazing Randi has a million dollar reward for anyone who can prove such thing. I believe in God but being spiritual is not the same as being a supernaturalist.

Age regression hypnosis and language learning

This hypnosis will not work, but more probable than past life regression hypnosis when connected with language learning.  It is based on the idea that you can go back with hypnotism to a time when you either herd a language when you were young, or open up the pathways of learning that were closed during adolescent.

Going back with hypnosis to a time when you were young and heard a language spoken perhaps by your parents or grandparents will not work fully.  I think even if you could access some latent memories they would not be at a critical level for you to put it all together.   However,   I do recall words that my Ukrainian grandfather spoke to be when I was 2 years old and use them today when speaking Polish or Ukrainian which I am learning.  So maybe you can access vocabulary you herd and forgot, using hypnosis. But I think using hypnotism it’s not enough, you need to access words and sentences and in many ways.  If anyone has any experience with this I would be curious.  I for sure use words I learned at age 2.

Age regression hypnosis for opening pathways

A few years ago I would say this would not work.  I am pretty skeptical.  But I think there is a reasonable body of mind body research to suggest that your conscious mind can influence automatic bodily process, especially connected with hormones.     But connected with language learning, I think you brain has pruned away, therefore eliminated the brain cells that could give you language learning abilities of a child.   So even if you could access and open these pathways with hypnosis, I think there would be nothing to open.  But again I am curious what other people think about using hypnotism or progressive relation to open up pathways in the brain.  I think there are ore efficient ways to learn a language.

What does not work with hypnotism and language learning

What really might help with hypnotism and language learning

So can hypnosis or self directed progressive relation help with language learning?

I think yes.  Most of the resistance I encounter during my learning and teaching of languages is psychological self doubt and fear.   If you can be fearless and have a take no prisoners’ attitude toward learning your target language, you will not need to any magic hypnotic bullet to implant a language in your brain.   So if you use hypnosis or relaxation more as a motivational boaster, maybe it would help.   Something that would remind you not to give up when learning a language,   the hypnotic suggestion might be, when you hit the point of frustration this is when you start to learn your target language.

Motivational learning and my language learning program

I have included positive motivational phrases in my mp3 language program. But this is not hypnotic or hypnotism or anything like that, just some motivational phrases that are integrated into the program.

Easiest language

English– no cases, no gender, no word agreement, arguably no grammar. The language is everywhere and can be heard, absorbed and used anywhere.  Short words, verbs change only in the third person. Native speakers are very forgiving of mistakes as so many people speak it as a second language. This makes English the easiest foreign language to learn. No tutorials or tutors needed to get off the ground. Just start watching films and listing to music and step out your door and use it, it is in a word,  elementary.

Easy to learn

Italian – No cases, easy clear pronunciation, vocabulary of derivative of Latin, therefore the vocabulary has congruences throughout the Indo-European Latin influenced world.

Spanish – similar to Italian in that the grammar and pronunciation is easy, also ubiquitous, everywhere, but Spanish people talk fast and you can get lost when trying to understand.

German– logical grammar but does have cases and long words as word building is important.

French – sixteen tenses and some grammar twist and a specific pronunciation that makes it a little harder the Spanish.

Esperanto – Although I respect the people who created this, I do not consider this a living language and should not be considered when ranking the Easiest language to learn.

This is in contrast to the hardest language to learn

• Some languages are just easy and some are hard to learn, that is a fact.

Languages are easy to or difficult dependent on one’s initial native language. However, they also have a range  of how hard they are, based on what the human brain can process. This means some are objectively more complex and others are more basic and go into the human brain easier. Therefore, despite the relative aspect of language learning people argue, we can objectively state which language can be learned without difficulty compared to ones that take more effort. This is the thesis of this post. That is that there is some objective measure that goes beyond your linguistic starting point.

Languages have an absolute scale of tediousness depending on the complexities and expectations in:

• Grammar – Grammar is a nothing more than a ritualistic method of word changing and order. It brings clarity to the sentence if you are a native speaker because you are used to hearing it this way. For example, Slavic languages function without articles while English sentences are sparse on cases.  It just so happens that because of the number of speakers native and nonnative using English to communicate, many of these grammar rituals have simply dropped off though linguistic evolution. Hence, English grammar is flexible, simple and in a word child’s play compared to case based Central and Eastern European languages. Asian languages are surprisingly elementary also in grammar.
• Pronunciation – For similar reason to grammatical evolution, words in English are short. If you have the average number of letters of in the English language it is like 3.8.  That is a short language. English is a one or two-syllable language and if you can use a three syllable Latin based word than you are part of the intelligentsia.
• Receptiveness of the languages speakers to communicate with foreigners – This is a overlook evaluation criteria. For example, Americans have little inhibition to talking to foreigners while Slavic people are reserved and tenuous just to get them to open up a bit. To demonstrate this point you could say, Americans talk and ramble and speak loud. Slavic people talk in cautious whispers. The sheer number of words a person trying to immerse themselves in the language is many times more for English than any other language, just based on the social customs of communication.
• Media – Is the language used in films and music? If so there is a good chance that people can absorb the language through osmosis and have for years subconsciously. The average person as a twenty-five year old from any country has been exposed to about, well, twenty-five years of English regardless where they grew up.
• Scales of difficulties listed by websites or even the government or respected educational organizations are not the end of discussion as many of these are based on outdated methods, written by academics not normal people learning, based on reading and writing rather than speaking (the method that was used in the first one million years of human evolution).
• Script – People immediately conclude that when a language uses another alphabet it must be inaccessible to all those who are not language savvy. Many people are intimidated by Asian language scripts. They immediately declare with passion that Mandarin is the hardest language for example. This is not true. Writing was only accessible for the elite and educated for most of human existence. Communication was first gestures, tones and then vocalization for about thousands of years, therefore I would not put a high weight on written communication. Granted English is has complicated spelling, but who cares if you can speak it.

The language of friendship isn’t words but meanings. – Thoreau

Concluding remarks about second language challenges

Brain considerations – Neurobiologists are not studying Broca’s area the motor for speech and Wernicke’s area, the center for understanding or comprehension  with MRI and PET scans studying aphasia patients and the gyri and basal temporal cortex to understand the algorithm of language. They look at neural plasticity and how other areas of the brain can recruit neurons for language. We are all different in the way our brains can process language, based both on experience acquiring a language and our interaction in the world. However, I think there can be an objective measure of difficulty. Saying that I think that English is the easiest language in the world. This is considering all factors, including media, ease of communication and opportunity to speak with native speakers, grammar and word length and pronunciation.

I invite you to participate in the conversation by commenting on your experiences with languages. I am open to revising my position but at this juncture I am sticking to my thesis that English because of its universality and flexibility and tolerance that nonnative speakers show others, it is an easy to communicate.