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Amazing technique to help retrain your brain

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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)

What Dr. Amen is eating for better brain health

April 29, 2010 – 4:00 am

In my current public television special “Change Your Brain, Change Your Body,” I talk about the Amen Clinics 7 Rules for Brain Healthy Eating, and I explain how I incorporate those rules into my own daily meals.

Many of you have written in asking me to share my personal meal plan here on the blog. So here it is. This is what I eat on a typical day.

  • I bring fresh-cut veggies with a little guacamole to work as a morning snack.
  • I usually have a 350-calorie chicken and veggie sandwich on whole wheat with green tea for lunch.
  • I have a piece of fruit and a few raw nuts as an afternoon snack.
  • For dinner, I will often have a large salad or soup; some form of protein like ahi tuna, wild salmon, or turkey; and plenty of veggies. For the salad I always put the dressing on the side.  Why? I want to control the calories that go into my body.
  • And, I always have dessert… usually frozen blueberries with Greek yogurt.

With this eating plan, I usually get eight or nine servings of fruits and veggies a day, I lower my risk for cancer, and it is about 1,700 calories. I have no cravings, which I truly love, and I feel great.

If you want to try the very same recipes that my family and I eat in the Amen household, order the Change Your Brain, Change Your Body Cookbook. It has more than 60 brain healthy recipes, including salads, soups, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even desserts.

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in Nutrition | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

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)

How to make holidays and special occasions brain healthy

April 12, 2010 – 4:00 am

I received a wonderful note from one of the women in the Amen Clinics weight loss group, and I just had to share it with you. The next time you are celebrating a holiday, birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion, remember that you can make it a brain healthy celebration.

If you need help coming up with delicious brain healthy meals, order a copy of the Change Your Brain, Change Your Body Cookbook.

From Holly:

You should be very proud because between your new cookbook, your new book, my brother’s influence, and me being in the Amen Clinic weight loss group, my mom is making healthy plans for our family functions. Below is what she sent us for Easter day instructions. YOU are changing lives for the better!

Holly

From Holly’s Mom:

On Easter Day, after the sunrise service on the beach, we can go have a lite breakfast, do a little resting and visiting and then…
I will prepare salmon for the main dish and you each can bring an “Amen approved” side dish!

If you need any help check the web site or call. Put your thinking caps on.

Oh yes, I did buy some yams for a side dish as well.

Love, mom =)

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in Nutrition | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Dr. Bennet Omalu visits the Amen Clinics

March 22, 2010 – 4:00 am

I wanted to share the results of a wonderful meeting we had this weekend concerning our Retired NFL Player Brain Recovery Study.

Our research team consists of Dr. Kristen Willeumier, a UCLA trained neurobiologist and Research Director of Amen Clinics, Joe Wu, MD from the brain imaging laboratory at UC, Irvine, Dr. Jim Fallon, internationally recognized neuroanatomist from UC, Irvine, Dr. Yi Jin, a world expert in quantitative EEG brain imaging, and myself.

We met for over four hours with Dr. Bennet Omalu, who is one of the pioneers in brain injury research.  Dr. Omalu is a forensic neuropathologist, epidemiologist, and coroner for San Joaquin County.  In 2002 he uncovered the first case of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive form of severe brain damage, in former Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Webster.  Reporting this severe and unusual level of brain damage in an ex-football player caused quite a firestorm. He then autopsied the brains of several other former football players, including Andre Waters, who killed himself in his 40s, and wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son and then killed himself.

As can be expected, the NFL did not meet Dr. Omalu’s findings with an openness of spirit.  They saw his work as threatening to the fabric of football.  Dr. Omalu published several papers in the Journal of Neurosurgery, which caused more criticism to be directed his way, including NFL paid physicians writing in the journal that he was practicing voodoo medicine and demanding he retract the article.

Being a deeply religious man, Dr. Omalu persisted on a path that he believed was correct, and continued to seek our the brains of retired players who died.  He has now autopsied 25 brains of former football players, wrestlers, mixed martial artists, and boxers and has seen similar trouble in many of their brains.

CTE is a condition where excessive damage is seen in many areas of the brain.  One of the hallmarks of CTE is widespread deposits of a protein called Tau, which comes from the broken skeletons of the nerve cell backbones. Each nerve cell has a skeletal structure that helps maintain the shape and integrity of the cell.  Brain trauma, especially from a helmet to helmet blow from a 280 pound linebacker, can break up many nerve cell skeletons, leaving excessive deposits of tau proteins.

Dr. Omalu said that for players with concussions they need at least three months rest in order to allow the brain to heal and the tau proteins to be cleared.  This recommendation was not met with enthusiasm by other NFL physicians on the concussion committee, feeling it would be too disruptive to football.  Ironically, if someone blew out a knee or a shoulder, taking 3 months off is standard.

We have such little respect for the brain in our society.

Dr. Omalu also shared his insights into potential treatments for CTE and brain damage in general.  He has a sweet, passionate spirit, but it is also clear he is a very thoughtful and intelligent physician.

As I listened to the grief Dr. Omalu has experienced by being a pioneer in this field, it reminded me of my own journey over the last 20 years where I have had physicians and others attack me, call me a quack and snake oil salesman for using brain imaging in clinical practice.

I shared with Bennet a Romanian curse that someone told me long ago, as it related to my own work.  “I curse you that you know something that is true, that no one else believes.”

Fortunately, even the NFL is beginning to take notice of the potential long term impact of brain damage from playing football.  At this year’s Combine, where teams evaluate potential new talent, players are being given cognitive tests to determine their baseline brain function. At least now they will have something to compare against if they get a concussion.

The football concussion story is a long way from being finished, but pioneers like Dr. Bennett Omalu will help us understand basic truths about the brain that I have been talking about for years. These truths include:

The brain is the organ of loving, learning, and behavior.

When your brain works right, you work right, when the brain is troubled, for whatever reason, you tend to have trouble in your life.

The brain is soft and it is housed in a really hard skull.

Traumatic brain injuries can ruin people lives.

Protecting the brain is the first act of a rational society.

I am grateful that Dr. Omalu decided to spend a day at the Amen Clinics and help us with our study.  Over the coming months I will share with you the exciting findings from our work.  It is mostly bad news for people who want to play football, but good news on the rehabilitation front.  We have already seen that we can make a positive difference in the lives of many of our 90 players.

By Dr. Amen | Also posted in Brain Injuries | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)
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