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This post has been updated since it’s original publish date. What part of the brain makes up about 30 percent of the total human brain – compared with just 11 percent for chimpanzees, 7 percent for dogs, 3 percent for cats (perhaps why they need nine lives), and 1 percent for mice (perhaps why they’re eaten by cats)? If you guessed the prefrontal cortex (PFC), you’re right.

What is the “Executive Center” of the Brain?

Your brain is responsible for every aspect of your life—how you think, how you feel, how you act, and how you interact with others. But do you know which region of the brain plays the biggest role in your ability to think, problem-solve, plan ahead, and communicate effectively? It’s the prefrontal cortex, otherwise known as the executive center of the brain. This region makes up about 30% of the total human brain. Compare that with just 11% for chimpanzees, 7% for dogs, 3% for cats, and 1% for mice. Learning to love and care for your brain’s executive center can mean the difference between struggling in life or living the life you want. Healthy habits contribute to a well-functioning brain while unhealthy habits increase the risk of brain dysfunction.
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PREFRONTAL CORTEX BASICS

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the most evolved part of the brain. It occupies the front third of the brain, behind the forehead. The PFC is divided into three sections: • Dorsal lateral section, located on the outside surface of the PFC • Inferior orbital section, located on the front undersurface of the brain • Anterior cingulate gyrus, running through the middle of the frontal lobes The PFC is involved with executive functions, such as: • Focus • Empathy • Judgment • Organization • Impulse control • Learning from mistakes Our ability as a species to think, plan ahead, use time wisely, and communicate with others is heavily influenced by this part of the brain. The PFC is responsible for helping you be goal-oriented, socially responsible, and productive in every area of your life. Brain-imaging research shows that the PFC continues to develop throughout childhood, into late adolescence, and even into a person’s mid-20s. As such, an individual’s daily habits greatly impact how the brain develops. The brain-imaging work using SPECT scans at Amen Clinics clearly shows that healthy habits contribute to a well-functioning brain while unhealthy habits increase the risk of brain dysfunction.

THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND SELF-CONTROL

Why are some people able to say no to cocktails, drugs, potato chips, gambling, and other behaviors that aren’t good for them, while others impulsively partake in risky activities? It has to do with self-control. In large part, self-control is tied to the PFC. When the brain’s reward system drives you to seek out things that bring you pleasure, it’s the PFC that puts on the brakes to prevent you from engaging in risky behavior. In a healthy self-control circuit, an effective PFC provides impulse control and good judgment. At the same time, the reward system offers an adequate dose of motivation, so you can plan and follow through on your goals. But what happens when the PFC isn’t working well?

PROBLEMS IN THE PFC

Think of the PFC as your boss at work. When the PFC is low in activity, it’s as if the boss is on vacation, so there’s little to no supervision and nothing gets done. On the other end of the spectrum, when the PFC works too hard, it’s as if the boss is micromanaging everyone and people are left with anxiety and worry. Decreased activity in the PFC has been associated with lack of forethought, poor judgment, impulse control problems, and poor internal supervision. If the PFC is underactive, it can create an imbalance in the reward system and cause you to lose control over your behavior. When this is the case, you’re more likely to fall victim to your cravings.

HEAD INJURIES AND THE PFC

Due to its location, the PFC is especially susceptible to concussions. Unfortunately, much of the PFC sits on top of several sharp, bony ridges inside the skull, and it lies just behind the area where many blows to the head occur. Your brain wasn’t made to endure the punishment of soccer headers, tackle football, or boxing. Even mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) can have far-reaching health consequences. Post-concussion syndrome can lead to brain fog, aggression, substance abuse, and more. A growing body of research shows that head injuries are a major cause of psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression, and even memory issues and Alzheimer’s disease. ADD/ADHD AND THE PFC Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), also referred to as attention-deficit disorder (ADD), typically occurs as a result of neurological dysfunction in the PFC. When people with ADD/ADHD try to concentrate, PFC activity tends to decrease. Normally, the PFC sends inhibitory signals to certain areas of the brain, quieting stimulation from the environment so that you can concentrate. When the PFC is underactive, it doesn’t adequately dampen the sensory parts of the brain. As a result, too many stimuli bombard the brain at once. For those who struggle with ADD/ADHD, distractibility is evident in many different settings. Common ADD/ADHD symptoms include: Without proper PFC function, it’s difficult to act in consistent, thoughtful ways, and impulses can take over. Impulse control problems may lead to behaviors such as lying, stealing, having affairs, or excessive spending. Increased death rates have been associated with impulsive behaviors, such as: tobacco use, poor diet, excessive alcohol use, violence, risky sexual behavior, aggressive driving, suicide, and drug use. According to research, these factors can have a huge impact on a person’s longevity.

4 WAYS TO STRENGTHEN THE EXECUTIVE CENTER OF YOUR BRAIN 

  1. Get your heart pumping.
Exercise is literally the fountain of youth. It boosts blood flow to the brain and increases chemicals that are important for learning, memory, and stimulating the growth of new brain cells. Exercise boosts blood flow to the PFC, which can help you be more productive. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes every day. 
  1. Get adequate sleep.
While you sleep, your brain is still working hard to carry out essential tasks. According to a 2019 study, as you slumber, your brain washes itself, clearing away toxins and neural debris that has accumulated during the day. When your brain doesn’t take out the “neural trash,” it accumulates and contributes to sluggish brain function. Sleep disorders can lead to brain and mental health problems, such as slower reaction times, brain fog, and poor decision-making. To keep your executive center operating at peak condition, it’s recommended that you get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. 
  1. Balance your blood sugar.
Low blood sugar levels are associated with lower overall blood flow to the brain, poor impulse control, irritability, and bad decisions. Basically, it drains your executive center. For optimal executive center function, keep your blood sugar balanced throughout the day with healthy snacks. Also, supplements, green tea, and Rhodiola can increase blood flow to the PFC which can help you make better decisions.
  1. Ask yourself this question.
Whenever you’re about to make a decision, ask youself, “Then what?” When it comes to your health, these are the two most important words in the English language. Think about the consequences of your behavior before you act. Exercising self-control is one of the best ways to strengthen your PFC. To develop your PFC, you can practice saying no to the things that aren’t good for you and, over time, you’ll find it easier to do the right thing.

SUPPORT YOUR PFC

Taking care of your brain is the single most important thing you can do for your health, your life, and the lives of those around you. When your executive center works optimally, it helps you be smarter, healthier, happier—and even wealthier. Isn’t that what you want? ADD/ADHD and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. This post has been updated since its original publish date. If you sliced your finger while chopping carrots, sprained your ankle while hiking, or broke your wrist after falling on a slippery floor, you’d probably race into action to: But what if you injured your brain from a car accident, a fall off your bike, or a hard hit during a sporting event? Since you can’t see your brain, would you even know it’s been injured? Would you follow the same steps? Or would you just hope it’s OK and return to your daily life? Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to crack your skull or lose consciousness to damage your brain. A concussion or other mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) may also result from a sports injury, a blow to the head from a seemingly innocuous fall, or an explosive blast. Brain injuries can also occur from the sudden, jarring movement of the head and neck (like whiplash from a car accident). Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to crack your skull or lose consciousness to damage your brain.
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A SILENT EPIDEMIC OF HEAD TRAUMA

Over 2 million head injuries are diagnosed each year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That’s not counting the hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of unreported incidents of head trauma, including undiagnosed concussions. Why are there so many brain injuries? There are several reasons, including:

CONCUSSIONS AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

Brain injuries are commonly associated with physical issues, such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches, visual disturbances, trouble sleeping, sensitivity to light and sound, and poor balance. But the impact goes much deeper. Research shows that brain injuries are also a major cause of mental health disorders, such as: However, few people (including psychiatrists) know this, because psychiatry remains the only medical specialty that almost never looks at the organ it treats.

CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS

Head injuries, including mild ones, can lead to a host of cognitive and psychosocial symptoms, such as: These symptoms can last for hours, days, weeks, months, years, or even decades. At Amen Clinics, the SPECT scans of 40% of all patients who undergo brain imaging have signs of underlying brain injury. Surprisingly, many of them either don’t remember getting injured or think the incident was so mild that it didn’t warrant attention. They’re usually stunned to discover that a past head injury may be contributing to their mental health problems and cognitive issues.

WHAT ROUTINE BRAIN IMAGING MISSES ABOUT HEAD INJURIES

If you seek medical treatment for a head injury, you may undergo certain types of brain imaging, such as MRI or CT. These neuroimaging technologies show the structure of the brain, but they don’t provide information on how it is functioning. For this reason, an MRI scan or CT scan can show “normal” results even if you’re struggling with symptoms. Brain SPECT imaging, on the other hand, shows how the brain functions. It measures blood flow and activity in the brain and shows 3 things: This can be more valuable in cases where cognitive dysfunction, psychological issues, or behavioral problems are present.

PREVENTION IS THE BEST MEDICINE FOR BRAIN HEALTH

To help keep your brain safe and prevent brain injuries:

HOW TO HELP YOUR BRAIN HEAL AFTER A CONCUSSION

Many people have a first-aid kit for life’s mishaps. It’s just as important to have a concussion first-aid kit that can minimize damage and accelerate the healing process. In addition, you should protect yourself from hurting your brain again as repeat injuries increase the risk of serious long-term problems. Other self-care techniques you can use to help your brain heal include: Concussions and the cognitive and mental health issues associated with them can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. Content updated from previous publish date. It has been said that boys will be boys and girls will be girls. But what are the true differences between the two sexes when it comes to the brain? We now know the answer thanks to one of the largest functional brain-imaging studies ever done. Amen Clinics, which has built the world’s largest database of functional brain scans, compared 46,034 brain SPECT scans to identify the differences between male and female brains. The study analyzed a total of 128 regions of the brain, and in this blog, you’ll discover the main ways male and female brains work differently. These differences help us understand some of the unique strengths and vulnerabilities of the female brain and give us important clues on how to optimize it. One of the largest functional brain-imaging studies ever done helps us understand the unique strengths and vulnerabilities of the female brain and give us important clues on how to optimize it.
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ANALYZING MALE AND FEMALE BRAIN SCANS

The study, which was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, involved a brain imaging technology called SPECT, which looks at blood flow and activity patterns. In general, SPECT reveals 3 important things: areas of the brain with healthy activity, too much activity, and too little activity. For the study, the researchers performed 2 sets of brain scans—one at rest and one while performing a concentration task—on 119 healthy participants as well as 26,683 patients.

FEMALE BRAINS ARE MORE ACTIVE

On brain scans, female brains showed significantly more activity in many regions. Because of the increased activity, females often exhibit greater strengths in the areas of: This increased activity, however, also makes females more vulnerable to a number of mental health issues. For example, women experience and depression at twice the rate as men, and they are also twice as likely as men to struggle with anxiety. These brain differences also increase the likelihood that females will have insomnia, eating disorders, and chronic pain.

KEY DIFFERENCES IN THE FEMALE BRAIN VS. MALE BRAIN

The Amen Clinics study also found that females have stronger activity in an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, which is involved with planning, judgment, empathy, and self-control. Think of the prefrontal cortex as the brain’s brake. It helps keep you on track toward reaching your goals and stops you from saying or doing things you shouldn’t. When the prefrontal cortex is low in activity, which is more common in males, according to the study, people can struggle with short attention spans, distractibility, problems with impulse control, and in some cases ADD/ADHD. When it works too hard, as it often does in women, it’s like the parking brake is always on, and you can get stuck on certain thoughts or behaviors, such as worrying or holding grudges. An area deep in the prefrontal cortex called the anterior cingulate gyrus is also more active in females. It is involved with error detection, which is why women can sometimes focus too much on what is wrong in their life—their relationships, career, children, weight, and so on.

WOMEN & SEROTONIN

A brain-imaging study from Canada showed that the rate of serotonin synthesis in women is 52% lower compared with men. This is very important as serotonin helps calm and relax the prefrontal cortex. When serotonin levels are too low, people often struggle with: Other brain-imaging research has found that females also have more connections than men between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, improving communication between analytic and intuition. There is also increased activity in the regions of the brain responsible for gut feelings and intuition. They also have more activity in the limbic or emotional and bonding areas of the brain, which may explain why women tend to be primary caretakers for children and the elderly, and why they often excel at collaboration.

5 WAYS TO UNLEASH THE POWER OF THE FEMALE BRAIN

Based on these differences, female brains tend to have 5 special strengths: empathy, intuition, collaboration, self-control, and a little worry.

1. Balance empathy with self-care.

Women are doing more today than ever before, and the constant stress is stealing their health and making them sick. Women tend to make health appointments for everyone else, but not themselves. Make stress-reduction part of your daily routine and consider the supplements l-theanine, magnesium, and Holy Basil, which can help lower stress.

2. Tap into your Intuition.

Those gut feelings are an important skill that keeps us alive and gives women an important edge. If you tap into it, you can get to solutions faster. To do so, pay attention to your physical sensations. Do you have a pit in your stomach? Are you getting chills? Do you have goosebumps? Tune into these signs to help guide your decisions.

3. Boost collaboration by working to include others.

This is why women often make great bosses. They have gifts of empathy, collaboration, and intuition and also tend to make fewer risky decisions when stressed. Create teams to help you reach your goals.

4. Boost serotonin to enhance your moods.

Healthy serotonin levels are associated with better moods. Your body needs the essential amino acid tryptophan in order to produce serotonin. Try adding foods that are rich in tryptophan, such as chicken, beef, turkey, salmon, pork, pumpkin seeds, and eggs.

5. Balance worry with wellness.

Some anxiety is good if it keeps you on track, but too much is painful. To get your nerves under control, avoid anxiety-inducing foods and try natural solutions to calm anxiety. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. Having bipolar disorder can make you wonder who is the real you. Is it the manic you who is full of big ideas and energy? Or is it the depressed you who can barely crawl out of bed in the mornings? Anyone who suffers from this condition knows that dramatic mood swings can make you feel like a different person from day to day. That’s how actress and singer Talia Jackson describes what having bipolar disorder feels like. Best known for her role in Netflix’s Family Reunion, Jackson says one of her biggest issues is “the back and forth of never knowing who I am.” In an episode of Scan My Brain with Dr. Julie Brush, a doctor of naturopathy at Amen Clinics, she says she also struggles with panic attacks, “horrible anxiety,” “awful frustration,” and anger. It’s a lot to cope with. Jackson wanted to have her brain scanned to gain a better understanding of herself and who she is.

IS THERE A BIPOLAR IDENTITY?

Jackson is one of an estimated 4.4% of Americans who will experience bipolar disorder in their lifetime, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. This condition, which used to be called manic-depressive illness, is characterized by extreme changes in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out everyday tasks. With bipolar disorder, people often cycle from manic episodes to depressive episodes. Manic episodes are associated with abnormally elevated mood, heightened energy, grandiose ideas, and in some people, delusions, and hallucinations. On the downside, depressive episodes come with persistent negativity, decreased energy, loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities, and in some cases, suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Researchers have noted that this can lead to issues with identity. In a 2020 issue of the Journal of Personality, researchers write: “These experiences confront people with bipolar disorder with a subtler and more chronic struggle related to self and identity.”

THE CONSEQUENCES OF BIPOLAR IDENTITY ISSUES

Along with the challenge to find an identity, people with bipolar disorder also have trouble with self-esteem. The 2020 study mentioned above shows that for those with the condition, self-worth is often linked to goal attainment. This leads to instability in terms of self-esteem, as it rises and falls with perceived successes and failures. A 2009 study in The British Journal of Psychiatry found that over the course of one week, daily self-esteem scores fluctuated more widely among those with bipolar depression compared with healthy controls. A lack of clear self-identity has negative consequences. Findings in the journal Self and Identity show that inconsistencies in self-concept are associated with decreased life satisfaction and a lower sense of well-being. This is further evidenced by the fact that 20-60% of people with bipolar disorder (especially when it goes untreated) attempt suicide at least once in their lifetime, according to a 2019 review in Medicina.

HOW A BIPOLAR DISORDER DIAGNOSIS INFLUENCES IDENTITY

Being diagnosed with bipolar disorder can spark an identity crisis. A diagnosis can make you feel like your life story has suddenly changed, causing you to reevaluate your sense of self. For some people, a diagnosis is a positive step that helps you understand who you are and find effective treatment. For others, it’s a label that invites shame and stigma. Educating yourself about the condition and gaining an understanding that it is a brain-based disorder rather than a character flaw or personal weakness can be beneficial. The brain imaging work at Amen Clinics shows people with bipolar disorder and other mental health issues that their problems are medical, not moral. It also decreases shame and guilt and encourages understanding and forgiveness among family members. Most of all, it elevates hope and provides valuable information to help find the least toxic, most effective treatment plan.

FINDING A BALANCE WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER

With a targeted, comprehensive treatment plan, people with bipolar disorder can find more balance in their lives and a greater sense of self. That’s what Jackson is hoping for. Her SPECT scan, which can be seen in the video of her session at Amen Clinics, showed abnormal activity in various brain regions. Seeing her brain scan helped her understand that her issues have biological roots. “That is so relieving to me, because I know I’m not insane,” the actress says. On the right treatment to improve blood flow and activity levels in the brain, better balance can be achieved. People with bipolar disorder can experience more stable moods, energy levels, and activity patterns, which help lead to a clearer sense of identity and greater self-esteem. Bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, clinical evaluations, and therapy for adults, teens, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here. Can being dropped 10 feet on your head as a small child change the trajectory of your life? “Anxiety can paralyze me. The older I get, the worse it seems to get. It rules my life.” That’s how Cameron, 21, describes his anxiety, which started when he was just a youngster in grade school. That’s also the time when depression first set in. At school, he felt like he didn’t fit in, people made fun of him, and he cried every day. That eventually led to substance abuse as a teen when he started using cocaine, crack, opiates, and benzodiazepines. He became short-tempered, grumpy, and mean and began experiencing panic attacks. He tried Ativan (an anti-anxiety medication), but he says it made him “angry, heavy and put me in a weird mood at night.” It all escalated to a point where Cameron was using substances all day and all night. “I was hoping to die,” he says. The young man, who still hasn’t graduated high school, has since been to rehab at least 5 times and struggled through 3 stays in psychiatric wards. He’s been sober from “hard drugs” for about a year, but still smokes marijuana and has used LSD. And anxiety and depression? They remain his constant companions, holding him back and keeping him from living the life he wants.

LOOKING INSIDE CAMERON’S BRAIN

Cameron revealed all this on The Dr. Phil Show on November 4, 2020, which featured neuropsychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, MD, the founder of Amen Clinics and a 12-time bestselling author. In search of help, Cameron visited Amen Clinics where he took neuropsychological assessments and underwent a series of brain SPECT scans. SPECT is a functional brain imaging technology that measures blood flow and activity in the brain. Basically, it shows 3 things: areas with healthy activity, areas with too little activity, and areas with too much activity. On the Dr. Phil Show, Dr. Amen shared Cameron’s brain scans, which revealed evidence of:               Cameron’s brain was clearly troubled, which helps explain why he had so much trouble in his life. As Dr. Amen explained on The Dr. Phil Show, mental health problems are really brain health problems that steal your happiness and can ruin your life.

DIGGING DEEPER INTO CAMERON’S LIFE

At Amen Clinics, which is the global leader in brain health, the team of neuropsychiatrists, integrative medicine (also called functional medicine) physicians, nutritionists, and other specialists take a brain-body approach to treatment that looks at 4 circles of wellness or illness. To end mental illness, you need to understand all the factors in one’s life that can contribute to mental health (or brain health) problems and optimize them. At Amen Clinics, these factors are called the “4 Circles” of a whole life. The 4 Circles are: Investigating the 4 Circles of Cameron’s life revealed several areas of concern: Based on Cameron’s comprehensive evaluation, he was diagnosed with a TBI, mood disorder, ADD, substance abuse, and specific phobia (a form of anxiety disorder).

TREATMENT SOLUTIONS FOR CAMERON

Among the personalized solutions recommended for Cameron are: Cameron really wants to get healthy and says he’s committed to getting well in all 4 Circles of his life. By taking the necessary actions to enhance his brain health, it will help him feel better and can change his life. He’ll join tens of thousands of patients at Amen Clinics who have already gone through this process and benefited from it. If you’re struggling, you can change your brain and change your life too. Anxiety, panic disorders, depression, TBIs, and other brain health conditions can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time. At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

The coronavirus pandemic is having a devastating impact on so many people. To try to battle it, we’re spending trillions of dollars, making people stay home, and damaging our mental well-being. But what’s really irritating is that nobody is talking about the really big issue. Why are there more deaths in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world? Japan has 126 million people and less than 1,000 deaths from COVID-19. Why does the U.S. have over 70,000 deaths?

The Bible verse John 8:32 is applicable here: “Know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

COVID-19 is attacking us because as a society we are sick. We have damaged immune systems due to the Standard American Diet (SAD) and because dermatologists won the battle and have made us afraid of the sun. This has resulted in low vitamin D levels, which drains the immune system.

On top of this, what other society’s population is 72% overweight and 40% obese? Amen Clinics has published two studies showing that as your weight goes up the size and function of your brain go down. Excess fat on the body produces inflammatory cytokines, which can be a problem with COVID-19. With COVID-19, people develop pneumonia, which sparks an immune response, and this inflammation can cause what’s being called a “cytokine storm.” If you’re already inflamed from too much fat on your body, your chances of surviving that storm are a lot lower.

That’s not all. Half of the people in America are diabetic or prediabetic. And 60% have hypertension or prehypertension. These underlying chronic health conditions make you more likely to suffer severe illness or die from COVID-19. Rather than spending trillions of dollars and scrambling to find a vaccine, we should start putting in the effort to get healthy as a society. That would be a much better use of our resources.

That’s just one of the things we’ve learned at Amen Clinics from 160,000 brain scans.

Here are the other most important lessons brain imaging has taught us.

Lesson 1. Current psychiatric diagnostic models are outdated because they don’t assess the brain

The typical way most people are diagnosed and treated for mental health issues is by going to a professional and telling that person their symptoms. If you have 5 of 8 symptoms that are listed in the DSM, which is like the Bible of psychiatry, you get a diagnosis. For example, if you tell them you’re depressed, then they give you a diagnosis with the same name as what you just told them. And then they give you antidepressants, which in large-scale studies work no better than placebo. (When we target the right medication to the right brain, it works better.)

Or if you say, “I’m anxious,” you usually get an “anxiety disorder” diagnosis and end up with a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication, such as benzodiazepines that increase your risk for dementia later in life. Or you say, “I can’t concentrate,” and they say you have ADD and give you a stimulant but without asking why you have trouble concentrating. Is it because of a head injury or something else?

Or, my favorite diagnosis to explain the insanity of the current diagnostic model is if you have temper problems, and you explode intermittently. There’s a diagnosis called intermittent explosive disorder, or I.E.D. What the heck does that mean? Quite simply, it means you explode intermittently. The acronym is ironic, and these people often wind up in anger management classes or on any number of medications. But brain imaging shows us that this is usually from a   head injury to the left temporal lobes.

The current model is not based on any underlying neuroscience. It will tell you what it is, but it won’t tell you what causes it or what to do to fix it. That’s the first thing imaging taught me —that I had learned an outdated system.

Lesson 2. All psychiatric diagnoses are not single or simple disorders; they all have multiple types, and each requires its own treatment

Autism is not one thing. ADD is not one thing. I wrote a book called Healing ADD about the 7 types of ADD that sold about 500,000 copies. Brain imaging shows us that healthcare professionals need to stop giving everybody Ritalin. It’s a miracle for some people but a nightmare for others.

Lesson 3. Looking at the brain decreases stigma, increases compliance with treatment, and completely changes the discussion around mental health.

This is why I wrote my book The End of Mental Illness. I hate the term mental illness. And you should too. It’s wrong. They’re brain health issues that steal your mind. The term mental illness is stigmatizing, it’s shaming, and it causes people to not seek help because no one wants to be labeled as having a mental illness. But everybody wants a better brain.

Lesson 4. If what you’re doing is not working, look at the brain.

I had this one boy who had seen 6 psychiatrists, he had been in residential treatment and failed, and he had been in drug treatment and failed. After scanning his brain, it turned out he had a cyst the size of a tennis ball in his frontal lobe and temporal lobe. Do you really think psychotherapy is going to fix that? Is medication going to fix that? No! We had to drain the cyst, then work really hard to rehabilitate his brain.

Lesson 5. Looking at the brain completely changes the discussion about good and evil

It’s easy to call people bad. It’s a lot harder to ask why. I’ve scanned about 1,000 convicted felons and over 100 murderers. I published a study on murderers and most of them had very low activity in the frontal lobes. Does that mean they didn’t do it? No. Does that mean they aren’t responsible for it? No. But when you judge them you need to consider the biological underpinnings of why they did what they did.

Lesson 6. Looking at the brain helps to prevent mistakes.

Seeing the brain helps manage people’s cases by helping find the right treatment solutions and by seeing how the treatment is working or if it needs to be adjusted.

Lesson 7. Mild traumatic brain injuries ruin people’s lives, and nobody knows it.

Most psychiatrists never look at the brain, so they don’t realize that symptoms may be caused by underlying damage to the brain. One of my favorite patients had everything in life—he was good-looking and wealthy—but he woke up one morning with panic attacks. He went on Xanax, but it made him worse. Then he went on antidepressants and got even worse. Then he started having suicidal ideation. When we scanned him, you could see that he had suffered from a brain injury.

I asked when he had a brain injury, but he said he’d never had a brain injury. I pressed on, asking if he had ever fallen out of a tree, fallen off a fence, or dived into the shallow end of a pool. Then there was an a-ha moment. He recalled that two weeks before his first panic attack he’d had a bike accident on a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains, and he cracked his helmet. He didn’t lose consciousness, but he didn’t feel right for a couple of days.

Repairing his brain repaired his life. How would I have known that his brain needed repair if we didn’t look?

Lesson 8. Toxins can prematurely age the brain.

Drugs and alcohol age the brain. Marijuana is legal now, and there are some medicinal benefits, but I’m not a fan of rampant use. At Amen Clinics, we did a study that shows it prematurely ages the brain.

Other things that cause premature aging include mold exposure and anesthesia. I saw this first-hand when my assistant had to have surgery for an aneurysm. We had scanned her brain previously, and she had a beautiful brain. But after the surgery, she seemed sadder and not as sharp as usual. Her SPECT scan showed that the anesthesia had damaged her brain. We helped rehabilitate her brain, and she was much better. But nobody tells you when you have surgery that it may harm your brain.

Our SPECT brain imaging work shows that people in certain professions—such as firefighters, who are exposed to carbon monoxide from fires—are more prone to having brains that look toxic.

Lesson 9. You’re not stuck with the brain you have. You can make it better. I can prove it.

This is the most important lesson I have learned from 160,000 brain scans. I’ve done thousands of before-and-after SPECT scans, and they clearly show that the brain can improve. We did a study on over 300 NFL players, and over 80% of our players saw improvement after just two months of following the program we gave them. We’ve seen the brains of firefighters, police officers, soldiers, adults, elderly people, and children.

Even if you’ve been bad to your brain, if you get serious about making it better, you can change your brain and it will dramatically change the trajectory of your life.

You can find out more about how I got hooked on brain imaging and what we’ve learned from it in my book The End of Mental Illness and in this video below.

Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment until the pandemic is over is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

At Amen Clinics, our clinical practice and brain imaging work have led us to 12 core principles that underlie everything we do. They provide the foundation for the work we do with people suffering from a range of issues, as well as those looking to optimize their brains. These principles are incredibly simple, but don’t let that fool you. They are extremely powerful and can change your life.

Principle #1. Your brain is involved in everything you do.

How you think, how you feel, how you act, and how well you get along with other people has to do with the moment-by-moment functioning of your brain. After quarantining with family during the coronavirus pandemic, you probably have a sense of which family members have a healthy brain and which ones could have a better brain.

Principle #2. When your brain works right, you work right. When your brain is troubled, you have trouble in your life.

When your brain is healthy, you’re happier, physically healthier (because you make better decisions over a long period of time), wealthier (also because you make better decisions), and more successful overall. When your brain is not healthy, for whatever reason (a number of concussions from playing sports, a bad diet, a family history of bipolar disorder, etc.), you’re sadder, sicker, and less successful. It’s the whole idea behind the book The End of Mental Illness—these are not mental illnesses they are brain health issues that steal your mind.

Principle #3. Your brain is the most complicated organ in the universe.

Your brain weighs about 3 pounds and has about 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) and more connections than there are stars in the universe. Your brain accounts for only 2% of your body’s weight, yet it uses 20% to 30% of the calories you consume, so the food you eat really matters. And it uses about 20% of the oxygen and blood flow in your body, so anything that damages your heart or blood vessels ultimately damages your brain.

Principle #4. Your brain is incredibly soft—about the consistency of soft butter—and it’s housed in a really hard skull with multiple sharp bony ridges, making it easily injured. 

Mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) ruin people’s lives, and nobody knows about it because most psychiatrists never look at the brain.  Undiagnosed brain injuries are a major cause of suicide, homicide, incarceration, depression, panic attacks, ADD/ADHD, and learning problems.

If you’ve had a head injury and you find that you have lasting mood instability, irritability, temper problems, memory problems, learning problems, or mood problems, somebody should look at your brain.

Principle #5. Your brain has needs that must be met in order to work at optimal efficiency.

The requirements for optimal brain function include:

Principle #6. Many things hurt the brain.

In The End of Mental Illness, you’ll find a mnemonic—BRIGHT MINDS—to help you remember the things that hurt the brain. The same things that increase the risk of death from COVID-19 also raise mental health risks—hypertension (blood flow problems), aging, inflammation, genetics, head trauma, toxins, mind-storms, immunity issues and infections, neurohormone problems, diabesity (as your weight goes up the physical functioning of your brain goes down), and sleep problems.

Principle #7. Many things help the brain. 

As you go through your day, ask yourself, “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” If you love yourself, you’re going to choose what’s good for your brain.

Principle #8. Like an orchestra, all parts of your brain need to be working well together to make you the best that you can be. Certain brain systems tend to do specific things.

For example:

Principle #9. Understanding your brain helps you know how to fix it.

For example, if you have low frontal lobe activity, you need clear goals. Write out your goals and then ask yourself, “Does my behavior fit what I want?”

Principle #10. All psychiatric “illnesses” are not single or simple disorders; they all have multiple types that require their own treatments.

Taking a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment invites repeated failure and frustration. Amen Clinics has identified:

You can learn if you tend to be spontaneous (impulsive), persistent (compulsive), sensitive (sad), or cautious (anxious), or a combination of these. And you can learn which supplements will help balance your brain type.

Principle #11. The amount of “brain reserve” you have can help you handle life’s stresses or make you more vulnerable to them.

Brain reserve is the extra cushion of brain function you have to help you deal with the stressors life throws at you—like a pandemic. It’s like immune reserve. If you have a very strong, healthy immune system and you’re exposed to COVID-19, you can handle it. But if you have a weak immune system, it can take you out. It’s the same with the brain.

Principle #12. Looking at the brain changes everything.

The most important lesson from imaging is that you are not stuck with the brain you have, you can make it better. This is perhaps the most exciting and hopeful lesson of all. We all need to work hard to improve how our brains function, because with a better brain, always comes a better life and better mental health. Your brain can be better tomorrow if you begin doing the right things today. Follow these 3 steps:

You can find out more about the 12 principles and how they relate to brain health and mental illness in Daniel G. Amen, MD’s book The End of Mental Illness, or in this video on the topic.

Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment until the pandemic is over is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

In a week-long series of the Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast, Dr. Daniel Amen and Tana Amen talk about sleep with Dr. Shane Creado, a psychiatrist at Amen Clinics and an expert in sleep medicine. Dr. Creado completed a sleep medicine fellowship at the University of Wisconsin and has created a 21-lesson online course to help you get the restful sleep you need.

In this remarkable series, you’ll discover:

Listen to the 4-part series on sleep with Dr. Shane Creado on the Brain Warrior’s Way Podcast.

At Amen Clinics, we understand how important sleep is to overall brain health and we evaluate all the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors that can be contributing to sleep issues and mental health problems. If you’re having trouble sleeping and it is affecting your life, make an appointment with Dr. Creado by calling 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.

 

Did you know that psychiatrists are the ONLY medical specialists who rarely look at the organ they treat? Psychiatrists today still diagnose and manage conditions the same way they did back when Abraham Lincoln was being treated for depression: conduct a brief interview, quickly assess the symptoms, form a diagnosis based on those symptoms and then prescribe a high-powered medication. This method makes the patient a guinea pig and often does more harm than good since many medications come with adverse side effects. At Amen Clinics, our primary goal is to improve your brain health and overall quality of life. If you’re dealing with a mental health problem, know that you’re not alone and that you’re not stuck with the brain you have – you can change it and we can help with the right method. Our well-researched and proven process results in higher-than-average success rates utilizing the least toxic, most effective solutions to diagnose and treat your brain.

What We Treat

At our clinics, we treat a wide array of mental health conditions, including: • Emotional issues such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder • Behavioral challenges such as addictions, weight control, anger • Cognitive problems such as brain fog or memory issues • Brain injuries such as concussions and TBIs (traumatic brain injury) • Learning or concentration issues such as ADD (attention deficit disorder), also known as ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) If you’re struggling with any of these symptoms, it would be insane not to get an image of your brain.

Take a Look

At Amen Clinics, we believe that you can’t possibly know what’s going on inside your brain unless you take a look. Imaging changes everything. It removes the guesswork from the standard psychiatric approach of prescribing high-powered medications to mask symptoms, which is like throwing darts at a dartboard in the dark. By contrast, the Amen Clinics approach is to look inside the brain and treat it with as natural a regimen as possible. We treat the root of the problem rather than just the symptom. Amen Clinics has provided education and insight on the clinical use of brain imaging in psychiatry. Over the past 30 years, Amen Clinics has built the world’s largest database of brain scans related to emotional, relational and behavioral problems. Our study is comprised of brain SPECT images.

What is SPECT?

SPECT stands for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography. Because brain activity is directly related to blood flow, SPECT effectively shows us the patterns of activity in the brain. SPECT allows physicians to look deep inside the brain to observe three things: areas of the brain that work well, areas of the brain that work too hard and areas of the brain that don’t work hard enough. Amen Clinics has performed over 150,000 scans on patients from age 3 to 103. In addition to diagnosing and treating patients with symptoms such as ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, autism, addiction, head trauma and many other complex or resistant psychiatric problems, we’ve also scanned many health-conscious individuals interested in learning more about their brains and how to keep them optimized far into the future.

Benefits of SPECT Imaging

There are many advantages to taking a look inside your brain. Brain SPECT imaging can: • Help identify if there has been brain trauma • Show brain blood flow deficits NOT visible in anatomical studies, such as CT or MRI • Identify affected brain systems • Help determine if there are co-occurring conditions that need treatment • Increase treatment compliance by showing pictures of results • Provide scientific documentation that may help with special services or legal issues

The Amen Clinics Method

The Amen Clinics Method combines the information gathered from SPECT imaging along with questionnaires, neuropsychological testing, and a detailed clinical history, which concentrates on 4 specific areas of your life: biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. After gathering all this information, we’re able to create a targeted treatment plan specifically for your needs. Although treatment plans vary based on individual results, our aim is to use the least toxic, most effective solutions to help alleviate your symptoms. We prefer to heal the brain naturally, which means our doctors typically recommend diet, exercise and supplements first and foremost before medications. A lesson that SPECT imaging has taught us is that one treatment doesn’t fit all. We can help you and your loved ones overcome the stigma and suffering associated with ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression, brain injury, addictions, memory issues, and other emotional and cognitive issues. If you’re ready to regain control over your life, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit us online to schedule a visit. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD), is one of the most common psychiatric challenges among adults. Symptoms vary widely, from inattentiveness and procrastination to outbursts and impulsiveness, resulting in a condition that can be challenging to treat. Shedding light on that complexity, Daniel G. Amen, M.D. has successfully defined seven sub-types of ADHD and for four of them, typical stimulant medications make symptoms worse.  This is where the cycle of unsuccessful treatment, stress, and despair often begins. There is hope:  Amen Clinics has pioneered innovative ADHD treatments that are highly successful. A recent six-month Outcome Study of 500 Amen Clinics’ patients of varying ages revealed that 75% showed significant improvement in their condition, and 85% reported improved quality of life after implementing their personalized protocols. The statistics are impressive. But every ADHD case is unique; it’s the individual success stories that are really inspiring. Just ask Adam, who was diagnosed with ADHD and learning disabilities as a teen. Treatment with Ritalin made no significant improvements for Adam, but he found ways to cope. Then a tragedy happened that made his symptoms much worse.

Adam’s Story

When Adam was 18 he was in a motorcycle accident. He survived, but things were not the same afterward; his ADD symptoms got much worse. “I had bad impulse control and anger problems. I lost control of my emotions. I just didn’t know what was wrong with me,” relates Adam. “I would be okay and then all of a sudden lash out in anger…I couldn’t let go of an argument. I was impulsive and bought three cars in two weeks.” Adam’s wife couldn’t ignore how ADD was limiting his everyday life. It was clear he was struggling with focus and attention, impulse control and anger. The couple went through a list of psychiatrists—and medications. But sometimes they made things worse! It was exhausting, but Adam’s wife kept looking for answers. Finally, she found Amen Clinics. “I did the Full Evaluation with a brain SPECT scan and entire personal history,” Adam said. A brain SPECT scan (Single-Photon Emission Computerized Tomography) is a vivid image of the brain’s activity, which helps us better understand how it works and what is going on inside it. Adam’s Amen Clinic psychiatrist showed him a SPECT scan of a healthy brain and compared it to the SPECT scan of Adam’s brain. The comparison was a shock but Adam was grateful for the comprehensive evaluation of his condition. There was no more need for “trial and error meds”.  The Amen Clinics Method offered targeted treatment for Adam’s unique brain and defined exactly what was needed in terms of medication and nutrition. “After starting my treatment plan at Amen Clinics, it changed my life dramatically. I was able to regain focus and get my anger under control.” “I had a follow-up brain SPECT scan after one year. We could see how my brain improved!” Adam said. He has continued to have additional scans to follow the progress. Today, Adam regularly refers others to Amen Clinics. He regards his experience as nothing short of life-changing. “I know if my wife hadn’t found Amen Clinics, we would not be married today,” he said. “Now she’s able to rely on me. I’m able to sustain a fairly normal life. Thank God my wife found Amen Clinics.”

Amen Clinics Can Help

The Amen Clinics Method of integrative psychiatric care has brought hope to Adam and many others dealing with a wide range of conditions. Using innovative and personal care, our outcomes consistently demonstrate improvement for patients – including many who have tried other unsuccessful treatment approaches in the past. Amen Clinics utilizes a highly unique whole-person clinical intake and strategic brain-focused nutrition alongside conventional treatment options. Leading edge brain SPECT technology literally provides inside information needed to guide treatment strategies and confirm results.

What can a Full Evaluation do for you or a loved one?

It’s time to stop guessing. Amen Clinics Full Evaluation of your biological-psychological-social-spiritual history including two brain SPECT imaging scans at rest and at concentration, cognitive testing, and clinical assessment is designed to address your unique needs and offer targeted treatment options. For more information, call us at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today.