I never did this stuff in school, but some of you might. I'm amazed people fall for this. I'm amazed it's actually promoted by the government, education authorities, by schools. Some of it is pretty logical. Drinking water, for example. Yes, being dehydrated probably won't help your brain in anyway. There's also breathing exercises. Great, they help calm you down. But the creators of Brain Gym seem to claim that it helps "oxidation".

Oxidation is what happens when a metal rusts. They probably meant oxygenation-what happens when an oxygen molecule enters the tissue of a body.

There are others which are completely bizarre.

Brain Buttons-Apparently our body has a secret buttons that we can press to turn on the blood flow to our brain. As one description of how to use Brain Buttons says:

  • Put one hand so that there is as wide a space as possible between the thumb and index finger.
  • Place your index and thumb into the slight indentations below the collar bone on each side of the sternum. Press lightly in a pulsing manner.
  • At the same time put the other hand over the navel area of the stomach. Gently press on these points for about 2 minutes.
So it might well work, it might well increase concentration. But there is something called the placebo effect, and I'm completly bewildered as to how we are supposed to have some "increase blood flow" butttons.

Hooks ups-Supposed to help with nerves. However, I've yet to hear of this one mentioned by any psychiatrists or therapists. But, I suppose it could work. I haven't actually tried it...but it just seems a bit...uncomfortable...

  • Stand or sit. Cross the right leg over the left at the ankles.
  • Take your right wrist and cross it over the left wrist and link up the fingers so that the right wrist is on top.
  • Bend the elbows out and gently turn the fingers in towards the body until they rest on the sternum (breast bone) in the center of the chest. Stay in this position.
  • Keep the ankles crossed and the wrists crossed and then breathe evenly in this position for a few minutes. You will be noticeably calmer after that time.
Nevertheless, it might work. I've never tried it. Just doesn't seem very comfortable. Breathing evenly helps with anxiety, it has helped several times. But it hasn't required me to cross my elbows and ankles and wrists to do so.

Water-Processed foods do not contain water, apparently, and the body deals with it as it deals with food. So the water in the tomatoes that was made to make my processed tomato soup? Where did that come from??? Obviously, the person who came up with this idea skipped science. Sound harsh? Sorry, but I can't get my head around the fact that somebody came up with this.

So why do people buy into this? Simple. People are more likely to buy into things like this when long, scientific words are used. The techniques probably work as some sort of exercises, placebos, bringing the class together, break from work...but these scientific explanations are just completely...bewildering.