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Case of the Week: Rick—impulsive overeater

Tag Archives: ADD

Case of the Week: Rick—impulsive overeater

August 30, 2010 – 4:00 am

the holes near the top are associated with impulsivity

Rick, 37, was growing larger by the year. At 5’8”, he was now over 250 pounds. As a highly successful salesman for a large West Coast liquor company, he was always on the run and attended many fancy dinners and sporting events.

His wife was starting to complain about his weight, which made him angry. “Why doesn’t she just love me the way I am?” he thought, even though she married him nearly 75 pounds lighter a decade earlier.

Growing up, Rick had problems with focus and impulsivity. He barely finished his first year of college when he found a job in the liquor industry that he loved. Rick brought his son to our clinic for school-related problems, much like the problems Rick had experienced in school. After he saw how much better his son was on treatment, Rick decided to get an evaluation as well.

Rick was an impulsive overeater. He also had trouble controlling his behavior. His brain SPECT scan showed too little activity in his prefrontal cortex, likely due to low dopamine levels, so he had trouble supervising his own behavior.

Like his son, he was also diagnosed with ADD. With the right treatment and behavioral interventions to boost his dopamine levels, he felt more focused and in better control of his impulses. Over the first year, he lost 35 pounds and was getting along better with his wife and child.

Are you struggling to lose weight like Rick was? Discovering your brain type can help. Take the FREE Change Your Brain, Change Your Body Questionnaire to find your type and find out more about the best treatment and behavioral interventions for each type in my book Change Your Brain, Change Your Body.

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in SPECT Scans Case Study | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (3)

Case of the Week: Gayle on Mike Huckabee Show

May 17, 2010 – 3:00 pm

Gayle having QEEG performed on the Huckabee show

I was invited on the Huckabee with Mike Huckabee Show to talk about my new book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body.  It was great fun. Governor Mike Huckabee was gracious and warm.

Gayle, from New Jersey, volunteered to be our case study for the show. She has had trouble losing weight for many years.  Gayle took our Change Your Brain, Change Your Body Questionnaire online, which suggested she was an “impulsive overeater,” our Type 2.  This type often goes along with ADD, which she has never been diagnosed, but suspected she had for a number of years. She tends to be distracted, disorganized, and has trouble staying on track.

For the show we did a QEEG on air, which revealed excessive theta, or slow brain wave activity, which is consistent with this type.
To help this type, we use fish oil, optimized Vitamin D levels, a higher protein diet, green tea or our Focus & Energy Optimizer.  If a person needs medicine, then treatment for ADD or appetite suppressants that boost dopamine, like phentermine, are the first things to try.

Over time we will follow Gayle’s progress.

You can  watch the clip from the show here:

http://www.amenclinics.com/movie-show/?mid=48

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in SPECT Scans Case Study | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (3)

Amazing technique to help retrain your brain

May 5, 2010 – 4:00 am

Dr. Amen performing qEEG, a form of neurotherapy, on a member of the audience on the Rachael Ray Show.

Did you know that your brain is so powerful that it can take control of its own healing process? Or that your brain is capable of improving your energy, mood, attention span, sleeping patterns, and more… without medication? An amazing natural therapy offered by Dr. Christine Kraus at the Amen Clinics helps you train your brain so you can reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, autism, Aspergers, ADD/ADHD, some sleep disorders, headaches and more. What is this innovative and effective treatment tool?

It’s called neurofeedback, and it is a noninvasive therapy that allows the brain to retrain itself to work at optimal levels.

The scientific community is starting to realize just how effective this treatment can be. For example, recent research in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders suggests that neurofeedback treatment has the potential to become an important and prominent intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Parents of autistic children who participated in the study reported significant improvements in social interactions and communication skills following neurofeedback treatment.

Another new study in the European Journal of Neuroscience found that neurofeedback can establish long-term positive changes in neuroplasticity. This means it enhances the brain’s ability to learn, adapt, and compensate for injuries.

Dr. Christine Kraus, a neuropsychologist at Amen Clinics in Newport Beach who specializes in neurofeedback, has witnessed these and many other benefits first-hand. She has used neurofeedback successfully in her practice with people of all ages—from three to 87 years old— and has seen it reduce symptoms of autism, ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, migraines, sleep disorders, anger and frustration issues, memory loss, and severe brain injury.

And that’s not all.

Read about JJ’s experience with neurofeedback:

“Before doing biofeedback, I was a complete mess.  I was the most anxious and anxiety-ridden person, when it came to everything  When studying for a test, I would worry about it to such an extent that I would get depressed and felt like I hated school.  Then, when test day came, I would be such a mess with worry and self-doubt I would also only sleep an average of four to six hours a night. Most of my nights would be me lying awake in bed, thinking about how nice it would be to go to sleep. However, now that I have been doing biofeedback for six months, I am a completely different person. I now have very little to no anxiety. Now when I have a test or a final, I study confidently for it, and then when test day arrives I feel certain in my abilities that I will do well on it.  I also, now have no sleeping problems. Once I hit the pillow, I am usually “lights out” in about 15 minutes to half an hour of watching television. Now, I am such a happier person and feel proud of myself.” — JJ

Neurofeedback can also be used to enhance peak performance in sports, and Dr. Kraus has helped golfers and hockey players improve their game. For example, she worked with a 16-year-old with ADD who told her, “So what if I’m doing my homework twice as fast. I’m more excited that my golf game has gotten so much better!”

How does neurofeedback work? The process couldn’t be more simple. With painless electrodes attached to the scalp, you sit in front of a computer screen and watch a video game. That’s it. Over time, this strengthens the brain waves that help you focus, stay alert, and be calm. One of the greatest advantages of neurofeedback is that the results can last a lifetime.

What distinguishes Dr. Kraus in the field is that she takes a comprehensive approach to treatment, including not only neurofeedback, but also qEEG, talk therapy, hypnosis, and other treatments depending on the needs of the individual patient. She credits this unique comprehensive, one-on-one approach with her impressive success rate.

Dr. Kraus recently shared one of her many successes with me. This success story is near and dear to me because it involves my very own daughter, Breanne, who is the mother of my beloved new grandson Elias.

Here is what Dr. Kraus had to say about Breanne’s experience: “She initially came to me with problems with sleep and inability to focus. She was lethargic all of the time, suffered with daily headaches, and had a hard time keeping up with her newborn son. Because she is a great mom, this troubled her.

“Since she started neurofeedback, she has not had any difficulty falling asleep and will stay asleep throughout the night (unless the little one wakes her up). She has expressed that she has much more energy and is able to keep up with the arduous but rewarding task of motherhood. She is able to focus on what she needs to get done and no longer has the daily headaches. She comes to neurofeedback treatments twice a week and will continue until she reaches 30 sessions to ensure her improvements last for a long time to come!

“As a mother of five myself, I know how hard it is to keep up with all of the demands of motherhood, and I am so glad that I was able to help her and many others with neurofeedback treatments.”

Read about Breanne’s experience with neurofeedback:

“I initially began my biofeedback sessions to improve my sleep. On average, it used to take me 1½  to 2 hours to fall asleep every night, which became particularly exhausting after the birth of my son. Since sleep is such a precious commodity as a new parent, I was ready to try anything.  After only 13 sessions with Dr. Kraus, I am now able to fall asleep within 15 minutes, without the use of an over-the-counter sleep aid or prescription sleeping pills! As if that wasn’t great enough, I have also experienced a MUCH-NEEDED increase in my energy and focus, along with fewer headaches. I am so grateful for the renewed sense of health that I have gained through biofeedback. I can’t say enough great things about my experience with Dr. Kraus!” — Breanne (Dr. Amen’s daughter and the mother of his beloved new grandson Elias)

Helping people change their brains and change their lives is incredibly rewarding for Dr. Kraus, who says, “It’s so exciting to hear parents say that their kids are more cooperative, more focused, sleeping better, and able to reduce or even eliminate their medication. With neurofeedback, I have helped lots of people get off of medication for ADD, anxiety, and sleep.”

To learn more about neurofeedback, visit our website at:

http://www.amenclinics.com/clinics/patients/neurotherapy/

To make an appointment with Dr. Christine Kraus, call the Amen Clinics at 949-266-3700.

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (9)

Case of the Week: Jeff—Bipolar Disorder and More

April 22, 2010 – 4:00 am

Jeff's brain—active view at rest

Jeff's brain—surface view at rest

Jeff's brain—active view with concentration

Jeff's brain—surface view with concentration

Brain scan comments: The outside surface of the scans look reasonably healthy.  The active view shows excessive activity, especially in the limbic (emotional) and basal ganglia (anxiety centers).  The scan also shows hyperfrontality (a big word to say the frontal lobes are dramatically overactive (so his gear shifter will tend to get stuck).  There is also excessive activity in the temporal lobes.  We need to calm and stabilize this brain in order for him to feel calmer and more stable.
Jeff was a 30-year-old man when he was first seen by Dr. Joseph Annibali at Amen Clinics in Reston, Virginia, in the summer of 2009.  He wanted help for anxiety, depression, and ADD, which had crippled him for many years.  Jeff also reported a short fuse, chronic irritability, and periods of rage when abusing drugs (which he took to self-medicate).  He also had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), due to the tragic death of a close family member.

Incredibly, prior to coming to Amen Clinics Jeff had tried more than 40 different psychiatric medications, with limited benefit.  He had had several serious head traumas, ate an unhealthy diet, and had abused virtually every available street drug in the previous 10 years.  Jeff hoped that by coming to Amen Clinics, SPECT brain imaging combined with a thorough re-evaluation could help him understand his problems and heal himself.

Jeff’s brain SPECT imaging showed a number of interesting findings.  The anterior cingulate system (the brain’s “gear shifter”) was overactive, contributing to his getting stuck on drugs of abuse.  His limbic system (the deeper, emotional areas of the brain) was overactive, which suggests serious depression or a bipolar disorder.  He had a “diamond pattern,” on SPECT, which we see often in those with PTSD.  Jeff’s SPECT findings also showed evidence of physical trauma to his brain, not surprising given his reports of having had several serious head traumas.

Dr. Annibali’s assessment was that Jeff’s history of serious depressive periods and other periods of mood elevation, his pattern of self-medication, his family history, and his SPECT findings all supported a bipolar disorder diagnosis.  Dr. Annibali recommended for Jeff medication to stabilize Jeff’s mood cycles; fish oil and several nutritional supplements to heal and balance Jeff’s brain; a food allergy elimination diet because of suspected food sensitivities; an Alpha-Stim 100, an electronic medical device to treat anxiety, depression, and pain; and a special type of psychotherapy called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which is quite helpful for PTSD issues.

Jeff had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Annibali three months after his Amen Clinics evaluation.  At follow-up, Jeff reported that by following Dr. Annibali’s recommendations his anxiety melted away, his depression was markedly reduced, and his mood cycles were much less of a problem.  He said his progress was “amazing,” and that he was “extremely happy.”

Nine months after his Amen Clinics evaluation, Jeff’s mother called to tell us that she was incredibly happy with everything we had done for Jeff and his family.  She told us that Jeff and his family had struggled for 12 years before coming to Amen Clinics.  Before his Amen Clinics evaluation, Jeff used to sit on his bed all day, every day, doing nothing.  Now Jeff works 40 hours each week.

It gives us immense satisfaction to help good people like Jeff and his family.  Jeff’s case illustrates that a thorough evaluation, combined with SPECT brain imaging, can lead to more accurate diagnoses and targeted treatment recommendations.  Our treatment recommendations are likely to be more successful than what patients have tried in the past because we can see what the brain is doing and better understand what we need to do to balance and heal the brain.

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in SPECT Scans Case Study | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (5)

Case of the Week: Mike and Gerry’s brain-based marital troubles

March 25, 2010 – 4:00 am

Mike's impulsive brain

Gerry's overfocused brain

Mike and Gerry had been in marital therapy for four years when they first came to see me. Their therapist had heard me lecture in their hometown. After my talk, she’d gone straight to her office, called Mike and Gerry, and told them to make an appointment to see me.

“Mike,” she said, “I think you need to take care of some biological brain problems before we can make any progress.”

This couple had been in trouble for most of their twelve-year marriage. They fought constantly. Mike had had two affairs, seemed prone to pick fights, and had to work excessively long hours because he performed inefficiently.

Gerry had a tendency toward depression, was angry that their marriage was such a struggle, and would hold on to hurts from years in the past.

The therapist had tried all the techniques she knew. She even went to a conference on “the resistant couple” as a way to find help for Mike and Gerry. She was frustrated because she couldn’t make any progress with them.

When I first met them, Mike was the IP (identified patient). The therapist felt that if she “fixed” Mike, the couple would make progress. Mike, in fact, had ADD. He had underachieved in school. He was restless, fidgety, inattentive, disorganized, and impulsive.

He had trouble listening to Gerry. His marital affairs had not been planned but impulsive. He tended to seek conflict from others and often inflamed situations by making thoughtless comments.

It takes two to create turmoil

In the first few meetings with the couple, however, I felt that Gerry also contributed to the marital turmoil. She tended to voice the same complaints over and over. She argued over insignificant things. She had a strong tendency toward repetitive worry, and when things weren’t “just so,” she’d be upset for hours.

I decided to do brain SPECT scans of both Mike and Gerry. Mike had markedly decreased activity in his prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is consistent with ADD symptoms. Gerry had a significantly overactive anterior cingulate gyrus, which is consistent with overfocus issues.

I placed Mike on Adderall, a brain stimulant to treat his ADD. Within several days, Mike felt more focused. He was more organized at work, and he acted in a more positive, thoughtful way toward Gerry. Even Gerry noticed a difference.

I placed Gerry on Zoloft, an antidepressant to decrease her tendency to overfocus. After several weeks (Zoloft takes longer to be effective than Adderall), Gerry also felt a significant difference within herself. Her thoughts no longer tended to loop. She was better able to hold on to positive tthoughts. She was more playful, less easily set off.

Mike and Gerry could spend time together without fighting constantly. They began to use effectively the marital techniques they had learned in therapy.

Their therapist was ecstatic to see the couple’s progress. She was initially surprised that both of them had brain misfires. Although she had at first attributed the failure solely to Mike, after seeing the brain pictures, she was struck by how “cingulate” Gerry had been, recalling how she overfocused and had trouble letting go of hurts.

Fixing their brains fixed their marriage

The missing link for this couple was in their brain pattern and neurotransmitter irregularities. They continued in therapy for several more months to solidify their gains.

It was important that they really understand the magnitude of the biological contribution to their problems and that they see each other through new eyes. This allowed them to be more forgiving of each other and to heal the painful memories associated with 12 years of marital struggle.

If I had treated just Mike and not Gerry, she might very well have stayed stuck in the pain and frustration of the past, seeing herself as a victim of Mike and being unable to let go of the past.

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in Love/Sex/Relationships, SPECT Scans Case Study | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (4)
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