"I came to Dr. Choy as a 21-year- old after graduating from college and moving out to Silicon Valley for my first full-time job. Throughout college, I’d had a very hard time paying attention in lectures, and I would often zone out during important conversations with classmates and teachers. I had made it through classes alright, however, because I picked up concepts quickly on my own and I was a good test taker. Once I got to work, things started to change. It was a lot harder for me to get by like I had in college, learning material on my own time rather than when it was presented to me. I needed to be attentive at all times of the day, and because of my ADHD, I was unable to do that.
 

When I met Dr. Choy, I knew that I’d found the right doctor for me. As a science guy myself, I have an obsession with asking what, why and how. Dr. Choy explained the neurophysiological bases of the difficulties that I’d been experiencing in great detail. I was spending too much time in my default mode network, and not enough time in the task positive network. Medications could help by stimulating my brain’s under active reward and decision centers.
 

Before speaking with Dr. Choy, I was under the assumption—as I believe many are—that an individual only takes ADHD medications for their immediate effect; that is, to improve their mental focus while on the drug. Dr. Choy clarified to me that this was not the case. Because of my young age, he explained, my brain was still in a phase of heightened neuroplasticity. This meant that the wiring of my brain was still changing very rapidly. When the correct neural pathways are activated, the connections between neurons in those pathways are altered permanently. I still had time to develop important, permanent connections, and medication could help.

With Dr. Choy’s guidance, I began doing everything in my power to get over my impairment and to improve the wiring of my brain while there was still time. I stopped using marijuana, after he explained to me how it affects the brain’s reward pathways. I began practicing mindfulness meditation, which is known to help keep the pre-frontal cortex healthy and active. I began cognitive behavioral therapy, which helped me sort out issues with day-to- day scheduling and distractions. I kept myself to a rigid exercise schedule, after hearing about the benefits of cardiovascular training for brain health. My daily attention was improving significantly, and I had a very successful two years at my job. I’m now beginning a PhD in neuroscience, and I feel much more prepared for the ride thanks to my experience with Dr. Choy. I can’t thank him enough."