Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

 

 

A breakthrough program for conquering anxiety, depression, obsessiveness, anger and impulsiveness 

 

Daniel G. Amen, M.D. 

 

Daniel G. Amen, MD is a child and adult psychiatrist, brain imaging specialist, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is the CEO and medical director of Amen Clinics, Inc. in Newport Beach and Fairfield, California, Tacoma, Washington and Reston, Virginia. Amen Clinics, Inc have the world’s largest database of functional brain scans relating to psychiatric medicine, totaling now more than 34,000 scans, and the clinics have seen patients from 51 countries.

 

Dr. Amen is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine where he teaches seminars on brain imaging, brain injury, behavioral neuroanatomy, Adult ADD, hypnosis, biofeedback, and the use of supplements in psychiatry

 

Dr. Amen is the author of many books including the one addressed today, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. 

 

If you’ve been struggling unsuccessfully to overcome a problem, this book is for you! Your inability to change probably isn’t for lack of trying, thinking, or motivation. You’ve most likely never had the right answers or the right tools . . .

 

Research shows that these problems are related to the physiology of the brain. And the good news is there’s compelling proof that you can fix what’s wrong for many problems!

 

This book can teach all about the brain systems and what mental disorders correlate with each different part of your brain, for a more individualized treatment plan. Follow Dr. Amen as he takes you through each case study and shows you how each disorder can affect each person differently.

 

Do you feel like you suffer from any of these symptoms?

 

       Plagued by anxiety? The problem may lie in your basal ganglia...

 

       Trouble focusing? It could be that your prefrontal cortex needs attention...

 

       Difficulty connecting with others? Perhaps it’s a deep limbic problem...

 

       Temper out of control? You temporal lobes may be to blame...

 

At last, here are the answers you’ve been looking for. You can optimize your brain to achieve your fullest potential today. If you’ve been thinking your problems are “all in your head” . . . and purely psychological, this book will be a breath of fresh air!

 

Optimizing Brain Function

 

From our work as clinical neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and brain-imaging experts, our clinics have developed a simple 7 step program for optimizing brain function. Incorporate these steps into your own life and the lives of your clients to keep the brain healthy for as long as possible.

 

1.      Protect Your Brain -- Protecting the brain from injury, pollution, sleep deprivation, and stress is the first step to optimizing its function. Wear your seatbelt when you're in a car, and wear a helmet when you ride a bicycle, motorcycle, or go snowboarding. Make sure children wear helmets. One head injury can ruin a life. Along the same lines, do not let children hit soccer balls with their heads. Soccer balls are heavy. Repeatedly slamming a child's head against a soccer ball may cause minor repetitive trauma to the brain. At this time there are not enough studies to say heading soccer balls is safe. I encourage my children to play golf, baseball, and tennis, rather than football, soccer, or hockey.

 

Current brain imaging research has shown that many chemicals are toxic to brain function. Alcohol, drugs of abuse, nicotine, much caffeine, and many medications decrease blood flow to the brain. When blood flow is decreased the brain cannot work efficiently. Avoid these toxic substances. In a similar way, sleep deprivation also decreases brain activity and limits access to learning, memory, and concentration. A recent brain imaging study showed that people who consistently slept less than 7 hours had overall less brain activity. Getting enough sleep is essential to brain function.

 

Scientists have only recently discovered how stress negatively affects brain function. Stress hormones have been shown in animals to be directly toxic to memory centers. Brain cells can die with prolonged stress. Managing stress effectively is essential to good brain function.

 

2.      Feed Your Brain -- The fuel you feed the brain has a profound effect on how it functions. Lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids (large cold water fish, such as tuna and salmon, walnuts, Brazil nuts, olive oil, and canola oil) are essential to brain function. Unfortunately, the great American diet is filled with simple sugars and simple carbohydrates, causing many people to feel emotional, sluggish, spacey, and distracted. Balancing your diet is essential to brain health and longevity. I also recommend taking a 100% vitamin and mineral supplement, along with extra Vitamin E and C for brain longevity.

 

3.      Kill the ANTs That Invade Your Brain -- The thoughts that go through your mind, moment by moment, have a significant impact on how your brain works. Research by Mark George, MD and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health demonstrated that happy, hopeful thoughts had an overall calming effect on the brain, while negative thoughts inflamed brain areas often involved with depression and anxiety. Your thoughts matter. I often teach my patients how to metaphorically kill the ANTs that invade their minds. ANTs stand for Automatic Negative Thoughts. The ANTs are automatic. They just happen. But they can ruin your whole day, maybe even your life. For example, I once treated a college student who was ready to drop out of school. He thought he was stupid because didn't do well on tests. When his IQ was tested, however, we discovered that he had an IQ of 135 (in the superior range). He just wasn't a good test taker. Whenever you feel sad, mad or nervous write out your automatic negative thoughts and talk back to them. You do not have to believe every thought that goes through your head. It's important to think about your thoughts to see if they help you or they hurt you. Develop an internal anteater to hunt down and devour the negative thoughts that are ruining your life.

 

4.      Work Your Brain -- Your brain is like a muscle. The more you use it, the more you can use it. Every time you learn something new your brain makes a new connection. Learning enhances blood flow and activity in the brain. If you go for long periods without learning something new you start to lose some of the connections in the brain and you begin to struggle more with memory and learning. Anatomist Marian Diamond, PhD, from the University of California at Berkeley studied aging in rats. Those rats who were allowed an easy life without any new challenges or learning had less brain weight than those rats who were challenged and forced to learn new information in order to be fed. New learning actually caused increased brain density and weight. Strive to learn something new everyday, even if it is just for a short period of time. Einstein said that if a person studies a subject for just 15 minutes a day in a year he will be an expert, and in five years he may be a national expert. Learning is good for your brain.

 

5.      Exercise For Your Brain – Regular physical exercise enhances brain function. People who exercise on a regular basis have better memories with age, they have better blood flow to the brain and many cerebral processes are enhanced. Physical exercise is the fountain of youth that many people seek. Exercise protects you from illnesses of aging. In a large study from Quebec, Canada, Dr. D. Laurin and colleagues explored the association between physical activity and the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. They gathered information from a community sample of 9,008 randomly selected men and women 65 years or older, who were evaluated in the 1991-1992 Canadian Study of Health and Aging, a prospective group study of dementia. Compared with no exercise, physical activity was associated with lower risks of cognitive impairment, Alzheimer disease, and dementia of any type. High levels of physical activity were associated with even more reduced risks. They concluded that regular physical activity could represent an important and potent protective factor for cognitive decline and dementia in elderly people. The best kind of exercise improves the pump force of your heart (cardiovascular exercise) and strengthens the muscles of your body (resistive exercise).

 

6.      Develop A " Concert State" For Your Brain -- Optimal performance is best achieved when a "concert state" exists in the brain. By "concert state" I mean "a relaxed body with a sharp, clear mind," much as you would experience at an exhilarating symphony. Achieving this state requires the ability to relax and focus. Deep breathing, prayer and meditation are excellent ways to achieve this state. Deep relaxation is easily achieved by most people through diaphragmatic breathing exercises (learning how to breathe with your belly). This is the most natural, efficient way to breathe. A quick way to learn belly breathing is to lie on the floor and put a book on your belly. As you breathe in make the book rise as you fill your lower lungs with air. As you breathe out make the book fall as you use your belly to exhale all the air out of your lungs. Take slow, deep breaths, less than 7 a minute. One of my patients told me that it was impossible for him to be anxious or mad when he breathed in this way.

 

Studies on prayer and meditation have also shown brain changes that help people block out the external world but focus internally. In Andrew Newberg's book, Why Won't God Go Away, he described a series of experiments with Tibetan Monks meditating and Catholic Nuns praying. Both states enhanced brain function. In the fall of 2003 I performed a study that demonstrated meditation had significant positive effects on brain function. Work to develop a "concert state" by relaxing your body and developing mental clarity.

 

7.      Treat Brain Problems Early -- Many people sabotage themselves by denying they have brain problems until significant damage has been done to their lives. Most psychiatrists feel that there is a significant brain component to depression, anxiety problems, attention deficit disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse problems, and even violence. Unfortunately, the stigma associated with seeing a psychiatrist still prevents people from seeking help for obvious problems. Clearly, the earlier people seek help for these problems the less negative impact they will have on their lives. If you struggle with any of these problems you are not alone. According to the National Institutes of Health 49% of Americans will have a psychiatric illness (depression, anxiety, ADD, OCD, substance abuse problems, etc.) at some point in their lives. Successful people have problems; they are smart enough to seek help. The earlier the better.

 

Understanding our patients and clients through the lens of brain science helps us be more effective and less judgmental. It teaches us to focus on brain health as well as the psychodynamics that might be present. This is a very exciting time to be a mental health professional. We are on the verge of a radical new shift in our profession that will be more open to integrating the mind, body and the soul in mental health.