I would like to take a moment to tell you about a fascinating documentary film I participated in called After the Last Round. The film exposes the not-so-sweet side of the sport known as the “sweet science” “” boxing. It reveals the serious and often irreparable damage boxing can do to the brain.
Among the many boxers featured in the film are former junior middleweight champion Denny Moyer and his brother Phil, who both fought in the 1950s and 1960s. Like so many boxers, the Moyer brothers sustained long-term brain injuries that have changed their lives forever. Their injuries weren’t the result of a devastating knock-out punch, but rather the cumulative effect of years of blows in the ring.
Once agile and athletic, Phil is now wheelchair-bound while Denny uses a walker to help him shuffle ever so slowly through the halls of a nursing home. The pair, who are barely able to communicate, appear to be ghostly shells of the vibrant men they once were.
Phil and Denny aren’t alone. I’ve scanned the brains of several champion boxers, and I can tell you that their brains are a mess. What else would you expect when you’ve spent your life taking repeated blows to the head? Boxers are susceptible to a particular form of severe brain injury called dementia pugilistica. This results in impaired mental and physical abilities, including dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Despite the fact that boxing is a bad brain sport, it continues to fascinate audiences and entice athletes to enter the ring in spite of the risk.
After the Last Round is currently making the rounds at film festivals and is earning tremendous accolades. You can check out the trailer at www.afterthelastround.com or at www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcZPxFQlxvg. Stay tuned for screenings to be announced.
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I would like to ask you if you think EMDR is helpful. What is your experience with it? If you think it can be helpful, do you see it as a possible approach to dealing with lifelong chronic anxiety?
I first saw you on PBS and since then, have ordered several things from you, including supplements that I’ve just started taking. I love whatyou are doing and want to learn more. Thank you.
Dear Dr. Amen,
A few years ago, when I was in my fifties, I was studying for a General Contractor’s examination. I was having trouble concentrating so I went to a vitamin shop in Long Beach, California. The proprietor had a PHd in nutrition. Every Thursday she provided free consultation services in an office at the back of her store for customers. I explained my problem and she suggested a combination of supplements and dosages to deal with it. I remember that it included phosphatidal choline, and RNA/DNA. But I do not remember all the other supplements. What I can remember is after starting to take the supplements my concentration was such that I only had to read the material once to remember it, and when I took the test, the answers came to me as soon as I read the questions. I was the first to finish the test, which was difficult and required considerable memory. That store has since closed, and I have not been able to rediscover the “magic formula” which enabled me to achieve such short term concentration and recollection. I have tried many supplements which I have found in various vitamin stores. I have been unable to find anyone as knowledgeable as the PHd nutritionist at that store, until now. With your considerable knowledge and experience, what supplements do you suggest for the above purpose? Would you consider this nutritional advice versus medical advice?
Respectfully,
John Bollinger
mentorj@aol.com
Dear Dr. Amen,
My husband was a boxer for 13 years, two of which were as a pro. He is now 52, is there anything we can do to heal the possible damage done to his brain? He has been a pastor for the last 20 years. I hate to think of him experiencing any major brain issues due to his boxing career.
Sincerely,
Cindy C.