Marblehead scientist wants to improve your memory

PeiPei Wishnow in her home office, with her new Interceuticals Memory supplements. [Wicked Local photo/Leigh Blander] Hide caption Locals say new supplement is making a difference

Judith Black, of Marblehead, started noticing recently that her brain isn’t quite as sharp as it used to be.

“It’s that loose-around-the-edges thing,” she laughed. “It comes with age.”

So Black, who is 68, decided to try a new supplement, created by Marblehead scientist PeiPei Wishnow, that claims to slow age-related memory problems and enhance brain function.

“It had an authentic effect,” Black said. “I started remembering people’s names better. I suddenly remembered the lyrics to a song I had written 20 years ago. I’m a science-based person and completely skeptical of supplements, but I recommend this to people all the time.”

Wishnow started her company, Interceuticals Inc., 20 years ago, in her Marblehead home. It is now based in Salem. She creates natural supplements for seniors struggling with age-related challenges, including bladder control. In September, she introduced a new product, Interceuticals Better Memory.

“Memory issues are on everybody’s mind,” said Wishnow. “Everybody is worried about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.”

Inflammation Fighter

Using a study out of UCLA, Wishnow identified curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, as a powerful tool to fight inflammation, which is often blamed for cognitive decline.

“Our research thus far indicates clear cognitive benefits (of curcumin), which may take the form of stabilization of memory abilities and delay of future decline,” said Dr. Gary Small, author of the UCLA study.

Wishnow added a mix of Chinese herbs which she says improve circulation. “That allows for faster results,” she said. “People can see results within six months.”

Wishnow has personal reasons for her work in memory supplements. Her mother has suffered from worsening dementia for years.

“Her personality has completely changed. She’s verbally abusive. I don’t want to be going there, so when I noticed my memory starting to change over the last couple of years, I started to look at the research,” she said.

Wishnow said she was doing yoga and eating a healthy diet and still noticed her memory was deteriorating and her multi-tasking ability was down.

“I suddenly forgot the entrance code to my office. I needed to do something else, something natural and preventative,” she said.

Mental & Physical Effects

Dr. Nancy DeMuth, 63, is a local physical therapist who works with people suffering from inflammation. She started taking Interceuticals Memory about 10 months ago.

“Not because I’m having particular memory problems, but because I’m interested in not developing memory or cognitive problems,” she said.

DeMuth says she’s seen an impact.

“My memory is better,” she said. “I feel like I have a better ability to remember peoples’ names and sequences of numbers, more like my younger brain.”

DeMuth also saw a physical improvement.

“This hip pain that I’ve been having for about a year got dramatically better. I can do things in yoga and dance that I couldn’t do before. That was the most dramatic thing,” she said.

Mike Elkin, Judith Black’s husband, also noticed a physical benefit when he started taking the supplement.

“I have emphysema and chronic back pain and I’ve seen radical improvements in both. I’m breathing a lot better,” Elkin said.

He says his memory is improving, too.

“I’m 77 years old now,” he said. “I’m just generally more aware, sharper, I can keep track of things better.”Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.“We don’t try to treat dementia or reverse or stop it,” Wishnow emphasized. “We try to help people just like myself do something extra to protect their memory.”Wishnow will be speaking about curcumin at Abbot Library on Sunday, December 1, at 2 p.m.To learn more about Interceuticals, visit https://bebetternow.com /.

Read more at salem.wickedlocal.com