How to use Optimal FocusUpdated 8 hours ago
Acetylcholine is your brain’s #1 calming neurotransmitter—by far. Your brain utilizes acetylcholine to help you learn new things, recall names and places, keep your memory sharp, your focus dialed in, your bowels moving, and even support healthy muscle movement. It’s also a key player in REM sleep, which is the time your brain processes and stores new information.1
When acetylcholine levels drop, you may feel mentally foggy, struggle to focus, have difficulty learning new things, experience constipation, move more rigidly, forget names and events, or notice that you don’t dream as much.2
Several factors can contribute to low acetylcholine, including aging, inflammation, genetics (like the APOE4 gene), vegetarian or vegan diets, and exposure to certain pesticides.3,4
Some health conditions, such as difficulty with hyperactivity, dyslexia, spectrum disorder, myasthenia gravis, and dementia, have also been linked to low acetylcholine levels.5, 21 Keeping this neurotransmitter in balance is essential for staying sharp and supporting long-term brain health!
The positive effects of supporting healthy acetylcholine levels are subtle: paying attention, focusing, listening, not switching or interrupting, being calmer in prior stressful situations, better sleep, and the ability to learn more easily.
How Is Your Acetylcholine Doing? Check!
How to Support Healthy Acetylcholine Levels
If needing to support healthy acetylcholine levels, choose the supplement that aligns best for you and
Optimal Focus†: Best for ages 14 and older. In capsule form.
Kids Optimal Focus†: Best for kids 4 and up to adults. In chewable tablet form. Perfect for those who desire lower potency. 2 chewables is equivalent to 1 capsule of Optimal Focus.† The only difference: does not contain ginseng or DHA (tastes bad).
Tip: Having 1 bottle of each allows for more flexible dosing. This way, if you need less than 1 capsule of Optimal Focus†, you can break a Kids Optimal Focus† chewable into smaller pieces.
How to Use Optimal Focus†:
For the past couple of years, Dr. Lynch has learned how people typically respond to this supplement. Following these suggestions supports beneficial outcomes.†
Day 1: The first time taking it is the most powerful, so start with a smaller amount than the suggested serving on the bottle.
The effects of the supplement are typically noticeable on the same day. The effects tend to last 24 hours. 3
Typical Suggested Usage Schedule:
Most people age 14 and older do well with a simplified dosing schedule using Optimal Focus† capsules.
These are examples of various common usage schedules people use successfully:
• Take 1 capsule each day for 5 days, and do not take it on weekends
• Take 1 capsule every other day
• Take 1 capsule every two days
• Take 1-2 capsules on an as-needed basis only (this is how Dr. Lynch and his sons use it)
For more sensitive people, an alternative usage schedule is suggested.
Use the Kids Optimal Focus† instead of the capsule of Optimal Focus† as it allows you more freedom in how much you’re taking.
• For younger kids, 4 to 8 years old, start with a ¼ tablet.
• For kids 9 to 13, start with ½ a chewable.
• If sensitive in general, start with ¼ a chewable. You can always take more of a supplement, but can never take less once swallowed.
• Once taken, observe your child or yourself over the course of the day, starting within 20 minutes of taking.
• Each day, reduce the amount you’re taking by ½ what you took the day prior. If taking 1 chewable, then take ½ the next day and ¼ the third day. Do not take any more the rest of the week.
• Use on an as-needed basis only. Some days, you’ll need more, and other days, you’ll need less. Best to take ¼ to ½ a chewable, wait 20 minutes to see how you feel and take another ¼ to ½ if feeling you need more.
• You can always increase to a full serving size, but you can’t take it back after you’ve already consumed it.
• Take as recommended by your healthcare professional
Real-life Usage Scenarios:
1. A 5-year-old child does very well with ½ a Kids Optimal Focus† on day 1, ¼ on day 2, and on day 3 just a tiny bit, followed by a day off.
2. My son, age 16, uses Optimal Focus† and takes 1 capsule on the days when he has a lot of studying to do. He’s currently in a college program during high school, so it’s demanding. When he has an exam that day, he takes 1 capsule of Optimal Focus† with 1-2 capsules of Stress Nutrients. Typically, he uses 2-3 times per week.
3. An 18-year-old baseball pitcher takes 1 capsule before important games, which would otherwise stress him out. He finds himself in a healthy, calm, focused state despite the pressure.† 4. A professional surfer takes 1-2 capsules before big surf competitions so he can ‘lock in’.†
5. I, Dr. Lynch, use Optimal Focus† when I feel like I’m switching tasks too much and need to dig in and work on a focused single project. Otherwise, I just use ½ to 1 chewable of Brain Nutrients most mornings to start my day.
6. A 20-year-old college student likes using 1-2 capsules of Optimal Focus† with 1 capsule of Dopamine Nutrients
An Interesting Discovery
The longer people continue using this supplement, the longer the beneficial effects tend to last.†
• At first, you may experience that taking 1 capsule of Optimal Focus† daily for 5 days on and 2 days off works well for you.
• A month or two later, you may find that it’s too much for you.
• Adjust to taking it only 3 times a week. That works well for some time.
• If that is still too much, take it on an as-needed basis only. Here’s one possible reason why people need less support over time:
• Acetylcholine naturally supports healthy inflammatory processes in the brain.
• As inflammation becomes more controlled, the need for Optimal Focus† may lessen.†
What Does It Mean To Supplement
The word supplement literally means “to add to or enhance”. Supplementation is used to “top off” nutrients you should already receive daily from eating though sometimes you may not. It is also a tool to aid the body in supporting nutritional balance, which can be offset due to poor food quality and a lack of essential vitamins and minerals.
How to Further Optimize Your Acetylcholine
• Eat more choline. Incorporate choline-rich foods such as meat and eggs into your diet. Choline is needed to make acetylcholine. It is water-soluble, meaning it doesn’t store in the body and must be consumed regularly to prevent deficiency. Only 11% of adults are getting sufficient choline in their diet.15 Vegans and vegetarians may be at risk of choline deficiency unless they consume plant-based forms such as soy or sunflower lecithin.16 Choline requirements increase dramatically during pregnancy. Over 90% of pregnant women are deficient in choline, which may contribute to ‘baby-brain’ typically experienced by mums whilst pregnant.38
• Avoid organophosphate exposure in all life stages—especially pregnancy, breastfeeding, and young children as their brains are developing. This toxic compound is commonly used in pesticides and insecticides. Organophosphates interfere with the breakdown of acetylcholine. This allows for acetylcholine levels to increase in the developing brain, which then causes the acetylcholine receptors to decrease in number. Reduced acetylcholine receptor availability leads to reduced acetylcholine function. The reduced acetylcholine activity leads to symptoms of low acetylcholine.40 Certain genetic variations increase the susceptibility to organophosphate toxicity, so it’s simply best to limit exposure.41 Buy organic, grow your food, avoid the Dirty Dozen, or buy the Clean Fifteen, which is not organic, to save money while limiting exposure.
• Food coloring is suspected to contribute to acetylcholine dysfunction. Research is conflicted.42 Food additives, such as food coloring, are known to cause issues such as food additive intolerance.43 Given the potential issues, limiting exposure to food coloring is best. Some children are going to be more sensitive to it than others.
Life Events Associated with Low Acetylcholine
Nicotine and Acetylcholine: From Vaping, Nicotine Pouches and Patches, and Cigarettes There is a significant biochemical reason why people turn to vaping, nicotine pouches or patches, or smoking cigarettes. Nicotine mimics the actions of acetylcholine in the brain. Improved cognitive function occurs when nicotine binds to the same acetylcholine receptor family.11 If one naturally supports healthy acetylcholine levels, then the need for nicotine decreases.
If one continues using nicotine substances long-term, they may desensitize their acetylcholine receptors. This is not good as their ability to focus, learn, and concentrate goes down. This drives a higher need for nicotine, which in turn further desensitizes acetylcholine activity—a vicious cycle.11 For this reason, it’s not uncommon for smokers to experience some memory symptoms when they give up smoking after many years.
It’s important to support healthy acetylcholine levels on an as-needed basis. This keeps your acetylcholine receptors healthy and sensitive, allowing your brain to function well.†
Learning Disabilities and Acetylcholine: Dyslexia, Hyperactivity, and General Learning Difficulties
Acetylcholine is absolutely required for learning and neurodevelopment. If acetylcholine levels are deficient, then learning is as well. Research shows that dyslexia, hyperactivity, and generalized learning difficulties are often associated with low acetylcholine levels.21,22, 23