Blood flow is critical for life. It transports nutrients, including oxygen, to every cell in your body and flushes away toxins. Even though your brain, which weighs about 3 pounds, makes up only 2% of your body’s weight, it uses 20% of the oxygen and blood flow in your body. Anything that impairs blood flow or damages your blood vessels hurts your brain and your mental well-being.
On brain SPECT imaging scans, low blood flow is associated with depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, hoarding, murder, substance abuse, seizure activity, and more. It’s also the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Over 90% of teenagers do not get the recommended level of exercise, which could be one of the major reasons why mental health issues among teens have skyrocketed in the last 30 years.
Drinking more than 2 cups of caffeinated beverages a day reduces blood flow to the brain.
Smoking constricts blood flow to the brain. On brain SPECT scans, the brains of smokers tend to look older than they are.
In particular, drinking alcohol lowers blood flow to the cerebellum, an amazing part of the brain that is associated with physical movement, which means it can make you less coordinated. Plus, people who drink every day have smaller brains.
Coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, and heart arrhythmia are all indicators that cerebral blood flow is decreased.
High levels of LDL cholesterol, and in particular having a high content of small LDL particles, is a sign that blood flow isn’t optimal.
High blood pressure negatively impacts blood flow to the brain.
Experiencing a stroke indicates that blood vessels are already damaged or vulnerable to trouble.
If you have blood flow problems anywhere, it likely means they are everywhere, including in the brain.
High blood sugar levels, associated with diabetes and pre-diabetes, cause blood vessels to become brittle and more likely to break, delaying healing and causing disease complications.
Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder that lowers overall blood flow to the brain, especially in the areas that die first in Alzheimer’s disease.
If you want to keep your brain healthy, your mind sharp, and your mental health strong for as long as possible, you need to keep your blood flowing freely. If you have any of the lifestyle factors that lower blood flow, work to change your habits, and if you have medical conditions that impact blood flow, don’t hesitate to seek treatment. Here are 3 additional ways to boost blood flow.
Both prayer and meditation have been shown to improve blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, decrease anxiety, and improve mood.
HBOT is a simple, non-invasive, painless treatment with minimal side effects that use the power of oxygen to enhance the healing process and reduce inflammation. Before-and-after SPECT scans from a 2011 study showed remarkable overall improvement in blood flow following 40 sessions of HBOT.
Nutraceuticals with research-based evidence to help maintain healthy blood pressure and increase blood flow include ginkgo biloba, cocoa flavanols, omega-3 fatty acids, green tea catechins, and resveratrol.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging and lab testing as part of a wrap-around evaluation and treatment plan to determine the root causes of your symptoms. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective therapies and strategies to optimize your brain function and feel better again.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Nearly everywhere you go (schools, work, shopping malls, movie theaters, airports, ballparks, and so on) someone is trying to sell you low-quality, tasty food that will hurt your brain health/mental health and kill you early. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is filled with pro-inflammatory, allergenic foods laced with artificial chemicals that research shows will damage and prematurely age your brain and increase your risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer as well as depression, ADHD, anxiety disorders, and dementia.
The real weapons of mass destruction are foods that have these 9 characteristics:
These low-quality “foods” are destroying the brain health/mental health of America, especially when you consider that corporations pay big money to professional athletes and coaches to visibly drink Coke, Pepsi, or Gatorade (all filled with sugar, artificial colors, and preservatives) on the sidelines of games, effectively marketing these products to children and teens.
They also get children hooked on so-called “happy meals” with fun toys that create diabesity (a combination of diabetes and obesity) and inflammation—definitely not a prescription for happiness. Many schools serve Pizza Hut or McDonald’s for lunch—foods that can give you brain fog and make it harder to concentrate on learning. Not so smart! Without thinking, we are destroying the mental and physical health of our children.
Many corporations brag about the addictive nature of their foods, “Bet you can’t eat just one.” They hire food scientists to combine fat, sugar, and salt with the perfect “texture,” “crunchiness,” “meltiness,” and “aroma” to overwhelm the brain with flavor to trigger the “bliss point” in your brain, which is akin to taking a hit of cocaine, making you literally fall in love with low-quality foods.
This is one of the reasons why people say they “love” candy, doughnuts, pastries, French fries, and bread, and can’t even conceive of giving them up. They are not eating to live; they are eating for momentary pleasure and to feed addictions that were artificially created for a corporate profit motive. Some people are so addicted they say they would rather get Alzheimer’s disease than give up sugar.
We must do better because our children will never be able to afford the tsunami of illness headed their way. Shocking statistics show that 75% of the healthcare dollars in the U.S. are spent on chronic preventable illnesses, most of which are driven by poor nutrition.
In a fascinating study about diet and depression in Nutritional Neuroscience, researchers went to two remote islands in Australia—one with plentiful fast food and lower fish consumption, the other without fast food and higher fish consumption. On the island with fast food, 16% of the people had moderate-to-severe depression, compared to only 3% on the island without fast food. That is a 500% increased risk of depression, based on diet!
Being in love with something that hurts you is an abusive relationship that needs serious intervention. No food of any kind belongs in the same emotional place in your brain as the love you have for your spouse, children, or grandchildren.
The most important rule to remember is to only love foods that love you back. If you can follow this one rule, it will go a long way to ending mental illness in you or your loved ones.
At Amen Clinics, we take a whole-body approach to helping people overcome debilitating symptoms and achieve peak performance. We perform comprehensive evaluations that include brain SPECT imaging, as well as looking at the many lifestyle factors, such as diet, that can contribute to mental health symptoms or hold you back from reaching your potential. Our wrap-around services focus on the least toxic, most effective solutions, including brain health nutrition coaching.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and optimized their performance at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Recognizing that you or a loved one has a problem isn’t easy. For many people, substance use disorders and behavioral addictions creep up gradually and the changes are hard to notice. Usually, by the time you realize that you, your significant other, your child, or your parent is in the grips of addiction, the brain has already been rewired to fuel the addiction, and it is harder to stop.
To find out if you might have a problem, take the following quiz. This questionnaire is called the CAGE Assessment and it has been used for decades in the addiction field to help identify problem drinking. These same questions can help you pinpoint problems with other substances—such as opioids, cocaine, or heroin—as well as with behaviors like gambling, compulsive shopping, or even overeating. In the quiz below, simply substitute the word “drinking” with “prescription drug use,” “cocaine,” “meth,” “gambling,” “compulsive shopping,” “internet porn,” “overeating,” or whatever your bad habit may be.
1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking…or other behavior?
2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking…or other behavior?
3. Have you ever felt Guilty about your drinking…or other behavior?
4. Have you ever had a drink…or engaged in other behavior…first thing in the morning (as an “Eye opener”) to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?
If you answered “yes” to 2 or more of these questions, then you may have a problem.
There is one more critical question to ask. It is not part of the CAGE Assessment, but it is often the most telling.
5. Do you drink…or engage in other behavior…despite the negative consequences of the behavior in your health, relationships, your money, or with the law?
If you answered “yes” to this question, then it is time to take a hard look at your behavior. Continuing to drink or engage in other harmful behavior despite negative consequences is one of the clearest signs that you have an addiction.
If you suspect a loved one may have a problem, you may think you know what to look for in terms of the signs and symptoms of addiction. Most people immediately think about finding drug paraphernalia, empty bottles of alcohol, receipts from casinos, or other physical evidence. But often the signs are far more subtle and can be mistaken for other issues or may co-exist with conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or ADD/ADHD.
Here are 11 common signs:
Noticing any of these signs should be a cause for concern. Addressing problem behaviors early is important because left untreated, addiction ruins lives, devastates families, destroys relationships, negatively impacts careers, decreases the ability to perform well in school, and causes health problems. People with addictions are more likely to get divorced, less likely to graduate from high school or college, less likely to get promoted at work, and more likely to develop diseases related to their addiction. And addiction affects our society as a whole and burdens us all.
Seeking treatment for yourself or a loved one is the first step to healing. Functional brain imaging with SPECT can be a very powerful tool in the recovery process because it helps:
In addition, when people with addictions see before-and-after brain scans of people with addictions, it shows that healing is possible and elevates hope that they can break the chains of addiction.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help our patients see and understand any underlying brain dysfunction. This is often a powerful first step to breaking the chains of addiction. We use an integrated brain-body approach to healing the brain and treating any co-occurring mental health problems.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their addictions and psychiatric symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Do you know someone who is annoyingly full of themselves or who seems to have absolutely zero remorse for their actions? You might call them a narcissist or a sociopath. Many people throw these terms around interchangeably, but they are two separate personality disorders. What’s the difference, and how can you tell if someone has one of these dangerous personality types?
In our “selfie” culture, it’s not unusual for people to seem self-absorbed, act like they’re very important, seek validation, or come off as entitled. Does that make them a narcissist or a sociopath? Not necessarily. It’s only when these characteristics are so extreme that they cause problems at work, at school, with the law, or in relationships—getting fired, flunking out, getting arrested, or losing loved ones—that they meet the diagnostic criteria for these disorders.
People with narcissistic personality disorder or sociopathy, also known as antisocial personality disorder, share many similarities. They both view themselves as special, think primarily of their own needs, and don’t consider other people’s feelings. And they can both be disarmingly charismatic, superficially charming, and frighteningly intelligent.
These personality disorders are more common than you might imagine. The number of people with narcissism is estimated to range from less than 1% to over 6% of the population, and research shows that the lifetime prevalence of antisocial personality disorder ranges from 2-4% in men and 0.5-1% in women. This means millions of narcissists and sociopaths are populating our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and churches.
1. Every sociopath is a narcissist, but not every narcissist is a sociopath.
2. They both hurt people, but with sociopaths it’s intentional. Narcissists can take advantage of people, but it’s often a consequence of their heightened focus on their own needs and desires and their lack of awareness of how what they do affects others. With sociopaths, however, exploiting or hurting others can actually bring them pleasure.
3. Sociopaths are more dangerous than narcissists. People with antisocial personality disorder are more likely to be engaged in an abusive or controlling relationship. They’re also more likely to be involved in illegal activities or financial fraud schemes. If dating someone like this, you’re in trouble. It could be a very dangerous situation. Most people who engage in domestic violence are narcissistic or sociopathic
4. Narcissists are actually insecure. Behind all their bravado, narcissists often have a fragile ego. They can’t handle criticism and will usually turn the tables on anyone who dares to point out a flaw or mistake. They are experts at gaslighting.
5. Sociopaths are masterful actors. These people are skilled chameleons, able to take on many forms based on what they want out of a relationship.
6. Sociopaths stay in touch with their exes. Antisocial personality types keep their exes around when they are beneficial to them, according to a 2017 study in Personality and Individual Differences. They maintain relationships with people from their past when it provides them something they want, such as information, money, sex, or admiration.
7. Narcissistic brains work differently. A 2013 brain imaging study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that narcissists have less gray matter volume in brain regions associated with empathy. Other brain imaging research has found that people with NPD also have hypersensitivity in brain systems associated with distress and social pain networks.
8. Sociopaths have brain abnormalities. Neuroimaging research in a 2017 issue of Scientific Reports suggests that people with antisocial personality disorder may have reduced white matter integrity. Another brain imaging study in the Journal of Neuroscience on prisoners found that those with antisocial personality disorder have reduced connections in areas of the brain related to empathy and guilt as well as areas associated with fear and anxiety.
9. The stress response system works differently in people with antisocial personality disorder. Research shows that the autonomic nervous system, which is what triggers the fight-or-flight system in stressful situations doesn’t function normally in these people. In people who don’t have the disorder, running a red light, telling a bald-faced lie, or stealing something from a friend’s home flips the switch on the fight-or-flight system and causes the heart to beat faster and breathing to quicken. Not in people with antisocial personality disorder. They simply don’t get stressed about the consequences of their actions.
If you’re in a relationship with a narcissist or sociopath, it may be a dangerous situation for you. Getting these people to seek treatment is challenging because they won’t admit anything is wrong with them. Getting treatment for yourself can be beneficial in helping you learn how to cope with these difficult personalities or how to walk away before it’s too late.
At Amen Clinics, we have helped thousands of people overcome personality disorders as well as spouses and significant others who need help living with these people. We use brain SPECT imaging to help people understand that their personality issues are brain-based rather than a character flaw. This can be a very important first step in the healing process. For more information on how we can help, call 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are helping others, you can or schedule a time to talk that is convenient for you.
If you have to have surgery, your doctor will typically advise you of possible complications, such as bleeding, pain, blood clots, infection, and even death. However, you may not hear about the risk of cognitive problems, such as memory loss and confusion, after anesthesia.
Sandra didn’t know anything about the potentially toxic risk of general anesthesia when she went in for knee surgery. After the operation, her knee felt better, but she felt like she had brain fog and was afraid she was getting Alzheimer’s disease. She broke down in tears and called a psychiatrist for help. Years earlier, she had gotten a brain imaging scan using a technology called SPECT. Her mental healthcare professional suggested rescanning her to see if her brain had changed.
On the new scan, Sandra’s brain looked toxic and was dramatically worse in her frontal and temporal lobes, both of which are involved in memory and attention. It was clear that something had negatively affected her brain after that first scan.
Current research on general anesthesia is mixed, with some studies showing no lasting negative effects and others showing toxic effects, but the following two studies stand out.
1. In the journal Pediatrics, children who had undergone general anesthesia before the age of 4 had lower IQ, diminished language comprehension, and decreased gray matter in the back of their brains. This is very concerning.
2. A before-and-after SPECT study of patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery showed that 68% had diminished blood flow, which was linked to decreased verbal and visual memory six months later.
What makes this even more alarming is that low blood flow is a risk factor for mental illness. Low blood flow on brain SPECT imaging has been seen with depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADD/ADHD, traumatic brain injury, hoarding, murder, substance abuse, and more. In fact, decreased cerebral blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor that a person will develop Alzheimer’s disease.
If you have to undergo surgery, opt for local or spinal anesthesia whenever possible. If that is not an option, make sure you do everything you can to optimize your brain before going under the knife. And practice brain healthy habits after surgery to improve cognitive function.
To see what anesthesia does to the brain, look at Karen’s SPECT scans below. Karen discovered she had an aortic aneurysm and had to have surgery with general anesthesia. She had a prior SPECT scan and wanted to know what effect the anesthesia had on her brain, so she had another scan done shortly after the procedure. The post-anesthesia scan looked much worse than her original scan, which motivated her to work really hard to rehabilitate her brain. No doubt, the surgery had a very negative impact on her brain and mind, but that was recoverable with brain healthy habits. And her follow-up scan showed marked improvement.
For tips and strategies on how to prepare for a surgical procedure and how to recover more quickly, check out these 3 episodes of the Brain Warrior’s Way podcast in which Dr. Daniel Amen and his wife Tana Amen discuss her experience having a hysterectomy.
How to prepare for unexpected health emergencies.
https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/how-to-prepare-for-unexpected-health-emergencies/
How to recover quickly after a medical procedure.
https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/how-to-recover-quickly-after-a-medical-procedure/
What are the best pain management strategies after surgery?
https://brainwarriorswaypodcast.com/what-is-the-best-pain-management-strategies-after-surgery/
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help our patients see and understand any underlying brain dysfunction due to toxins, such as anesthesia. We use an integrated brain-body approach to heal the brain and minimize any symptoms associated with exposure to toxins.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome symptoms, such as memory loss or brain fog, at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Aaron Hernandez was supposed to be the epitome of the American Dream—overcoming childhood setbacks to earn a spot in the NFL on the New England Patriots. Millions of kids across America wish they could be so lucky. But the 2020 documentary on Netflix, “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez,” takes a deep dive into his life to investigate how his dream unraveled into a nightmare. Convicted of murdering his friend Odin Lloyd and accused of killing two other men (but found not guilty), Hernandez took his own life in a prison suicide in 2017. He was only 27.
The compelling docuseries explores many of the factors that could have contributed to the tragic end of such a promising life—childhood abuse, unstable parenting, hidden bisexuality. And then there was his brain. The docuseries delivers a fascinating look at his troubled brain, but it misses one key factor that may have contributed to Hernandez’ brain dysfunction.
After Hernandez’s death, his brain was delivered to Boston University, where researchers made razor-thin slices for examination. Their findings? His brain was “riddled” with Stage 3 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This neurodegenerative disease, which has 4 stages, has been found in athletes like football players, boxers, and soccer players who endure repeated concussions and other blows to the head. It has been associated with memory loss, cognitive dysfunction, and suicidal thoughts and behavior.
A Boston University publication reported that Ann McKee, director of BU’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, said that his brain was the worst case of CTE ever seen in someone so young. “Especially in the frontal lobes, which are very important for decision-making, judgment, and cognition, we could see damage to the inner chambers of the brain,” she said. The frontal lobes are also involved in impulse control, empathy, and learning from past experiences.
The documentary focuses heavily on CTE and the significant role it likely played in Hernandez’ downfall, and for good reason. The filmmakers also hone in on another aspect of his life that may have contributed to his troubles—cannabis use. It is reported that the football player began smoking marijuana regularly in high school and continued to smoke throughout his pro career. The docuseries calls him a “chainsmoker” with a serious habit, but it neglects to connect the dots between marijuana use and brain dysfunction.
A growing body of evidence shows that marijuana use impairs brain activity. In the largest known brain imaging study, which appeared in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, scientists from Amen Clinics, Google, Johns Hopkins University, UCLA, and the UC San Francisco evaluated 62,454 brain SPECT scans of more than 30,000 individuals (ages 9 months to 105 years) to investigate factors that accelerate brain aging. SPECT (single-photon emission computed tomography) is a brain imaging technology that measures brain activity and blood flow. The study found that a number of brain disorders and behaviors predicted accelerated aging. Of all the disorders and behaviors analyzed, cannabis abuse ranked as the second-highest brain ager, topped only by schizophrenia.
The study, which included brain scans from 1,000 cannabis users, 25,168 non-cannabis users, and 100 healthy controls, showed reduced cerebral blood flow among the cannabis users compared to non-users and healthy controls. A significant decrease in blood flow was noted specifically in the right hippocampus, an area of the brain that helps with memory formation. This part of the brain is severely affected in those that suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
Other research has concluded that marijuana harms the teenage brain in numerous ways. For example, a 2019 review found that it increases the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. And marijuana use at a young age has also been associated with increased impulsivity.
Although pot promoters would argue that most people who smoke marijuana don’t become murderers and don’t die by suicide, it’s important to understand that in vulnerable people it may have negative impacts on brain function that contribute to unhealthy behaviors. Sadly, considering that Hernandez’s brain was so damaged by CTE, marijuana use was likely only making bad brain function worse.
Unfortunately, this information is too late to help Hernandez, but it isn’t too late for other football players who have endured years of helmet-to-helmet tackles. A study at Amen Clinics on 30 retired professional football players who had suffered head trauma showed that after following a brain healthy program for 6 months, 80% showed significant improvement in blood flow to the frontal lobes, as well as improvements in overall cognitive functioning, processing speed, attention, reasoning, and memory. Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw spoke openly about his own brain rehabilitation after suffering multiple concussions.
Likewise, it isn’t too late for people who grew up in traumatic households. See how a man named Kevin overcame his traumatic upbringing to enhance his brain health using a variety of innovative therapies. And it isn’t too late for people who have been bad to their brain with drug use. Find out how Arnie broke free from the chains of addiction. It’s never too late to start enhancing brain function.
The world’s largest database of brain scans related to behavior—over 160,000 and growing—shows that when you adopt a brain health program, you can change your brain and change your life for the better.
At Amen Clinics, we take a unique brain-body approach that gets to the root cause of your symptoms. Our comprehensive evaluations include brain SPECT imaging, as well as laboratory testing and assessing other important factors that could be contributing to symptoms. By getting to the root cause of your symptoms, we can create a more effective, personalized treatment plan for you.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health, overcome their symptoms, and improved their quality of life at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
If you think depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder are the mental illnesses most commonly linked to an early death, you’re wrong. Eating disorders—including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating— are the most lethal mental health conditions, according to research in Current Psychiatry Reports.
How bad is it? The Eating Disorders Coalition reports that every 62 minutes, at least one person loses their life as a direct result of an eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa is linked to the highest mortality rate of all, and sadly, one in five individuals with anorexia who die take their own life, according to findings in Archives of General Psychiatry.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder in which people have a distorted body image and view themselves as overweight or obese even though they may be significantly underweight. People with AN tend to have intense fear about gaining weight, and they severely limit the amount of food they eat.
At least 30 million Americans will struggle with an eating disorder during their lifetime, and an estimated 0.9% of women will suffer from anorexia. Men also suffer from the disorder, but at a lower rate than women. Experts suggest eating disorders may be vastly underreported, and the actual numbers of people who are struggling may be much higher than the published statistics.
And the problem isn’t getting any better. In fact, hospitalization rates for eating disorders have been on the rise, jumping 18% from 1999 to 2006.
Anorexia is such a deadly disease because it ravages physical health. It’s well known that over time, it damages the cardiovascular system, strains the gastrointestinal system, and disrupts neurohormone production. What many people don’t realize is that it also has negative impacts on the brain, including the following:
Considering its devastating impact on physical and mental health, you might expect healthcare professionals to be vigilant about early diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
Part of the reason why eating disorders, such as anorexia, are so deadly is that they aren’t always taken seriously. These conditions are often dismissed as insignificant. Family members and loved ones may think the person struggling is just “going through a phase” and will “snap out of it.” But eating disorders are deeply complex conditions that rarely just go away.
In the healthcare arena, a lack of training about eating disorders is contributing to too many avoidable deaths, according to a 2019 report in BMJ. In this paper, experts reveal that training on these deadly conditions is limited to “just a few hours.” This needs to change.
Another pressing issue lies in the fact that because most healthcare and psychiatric care providers don’t look at the brain, they can’t always effectively diagnose and treat co-occurring mental health conditions. And they often take a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment, which will never work because eating disorders and mental health conditions aren’t single or simple disorders.
Understanding any underlying dysfunction in the brain is critical to getting a complete and accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment plan to start the healing process. Brain SPECT imaging can help you see that your problems have a biological basis and that it isn’t your fault. The most beneficial treatment plans go far beyond nutritional counseling and include addressing psychiatric issues as well as assessing any other biological psychological, social, or spiritual factors that may contribute to the condition. With a comprehensive approach, even people who have long-term eating disorders can recover and get their life back.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a wrap-around evaluation and treatment plan for people struggling with eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective therapies and strategies to optimize your brain function to help you regain control of your eating and learn to love your life again.
If you want to join the tens of thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
If you’re like most people, you probably think your brain shuts off at night while you’re sleeping. Wrong! While you’re snoozing, your brain is actually hard at work performing some very critical functions necessary to keep it operating at optimal levels.
Emerging research shows that during sleep, your brain cleans or washes itself by eliminating cellular debris and toxins that build up during the day (basically taking out the neural trash). This trash includes the beta-amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Your brain is so busy managing your life during the daylight hours that this cleaning system is pretty much turned off. One theory about why people with dementia sleep so much is that their brains are trying to clear out the accumulating plaques/gunk.
During sleep, the brain also consolidates learning and memory, and it prepares for the following day. The brain processes that occur during sleep are also important for the health of your immune system, appetite control, and neurotransmitter production. And sleep is also linked to mental health.
Getting adequate sleep is vital for your brain, but an estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have some form of sleep disorder. Nearly one-third of us suffer from short-term bouts of insomnia, the most common sleep problem. Chronic insomnia affects approximately 1 in 10 people, and the rates are even higher among people with psychiatric disorders. In fact, over 50% of the time, insomnia is tied to stress, anxiety, or depression.
Sleep and brain health/mental health issues are tightly linked. Research shows that about 75% of people with depression also have insomnia. A 2016 study shows that from 69% to 99% of people with bipolar disorder experience insomnia or feel a reduced need for sleep during manic episodes. Over half of the people with anxiety have trouble sleeping, and children with ADHD are more likely to experience sleep disorders than kids without the condition, according to research in Sleep.
The relationship between sleep and brain health/mental health issues goes both ways. In general, a night of staring at the ceiling can make you wake up feeling angry, irritable, sad, or stressed the next day; lower your ability to concentrate, and impair your judgment. Over time, sleep problems can lead to a higher risk of depression, ADHD, panic attacks, brain fog, memory problems, and dementia.
How important is just one hour of sleep? A study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that teenagers who on average get one hour less sleep at night are 38% more likely to feel sad and hopeless, 42% more likely to consider suicide, 58% more likely to attempt suicide, and 23% more likely to engage in substance abuse.
1. A bedroom that is too warm, bright, or noisy. The ideal temperature is personal, but it should be on the cool side. Consider blackout shades if you live in a city, where light pollution is sometimes hard to avoid. Try earplugs if you live in a noisy neighborhood or sleep with someone who snores.
2. Gadgets by the bed. Put your phone, tablet, digital watch, and more in another spot, or at least turn off the volume. Turn your digital clock toward the wall so you aren’t distracted by glowing numbers.
3. Medications. Many drugs, including asthma and cough meds, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, and stimulants (such as Adderall or Concerta, prescribed for ADHD), as well as others, disturb sleep.
4. Naps. Taking a nap because you feel sleepy during the day interferes with your nighttime sleep cycle.
5. Alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana. Although these compounds initially induce sleepiness for some people, they have the reverse effect as they wear off, which is why you may wake up several hours after you go to sleep.
6. Hormonal issues. Changes in hormones related to pregnancy, PMS, perimenopause, or menopause can disrupt your sleep.
7. Stressful situations. Death, marital conflict, work deadlines, moving, or an upcoming exam can keep you awake at night.
1. Set up your bedroom for sleep. Keep it cool, dark, and quiet.
2. Address emotional problems before going to sleep. Send a positive text or email or set an intention to deal with the issue tomorrow. If you forgive the other person first, you may just end the argument. If you’re a worrier, devote a before-bed time period (about 10-15 minutes) to journal or pray about your nagging concerns, then stop.
3. Try sound therapy. It can induce a very peaceful mood. Consider soothing nature sounds, wind chimes, a fan, or soft music. Slow classical music, or any music that has a slow rhythm of 60 to 80 beats per minute, can help with sleep.
4. Drink a cup of warm, unsweetened almond milk. Add a teaspoon of vanilla (the real stuff, not imitation) and a few drops of stevia. The combination may increase serotonin in your brain and help you sleep.
5. Refrain from checking the clock if you wake up in the night. If you know what time it is, it can make you anxious.
6. Try hypnosis. Medical hypnosis is a safe and effective tool to promote better sleep.
7. Get evaluated for a sleep disorder. A complete evaluation can help you pinpoint what’s causing your sleep problems and can give you a blueprint to getting more restful sleep.
At Amen Clinics, we take an integrated brain-body approach to evaluating sleep disorders, including brain SPECT imaging, lab tests, and lifestyle assessments. If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome sleep issues, at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
Think of all the things you may have inherited from your parents, such as your height, hair color, and risk for heart disease. But what about your vulnerability to addiction? Research on families shows a strong connection between your genetic makeup and your risk of developing an addiction. Most experts agree that as much as 50% of your risk for substance abuse disorders or behavioral addictions, such as gambling, depends on your DNA.
A 2012 review of the existing research on twin studies found that heritability for substance use disorders can be even higher—ranging from 40% (for hallucinogens) to 70% (for cocaine). Other studies have found that children of alcoholics and drug abusers are 8 times more likely to develop an addiction compared with kids whose parents didn’t have a substance use disorder.
Genetics aren’t the only way your relatives influence your risk for addiction.
You have a genetic vulnerability.
You are more likely to have experienced lasting stress, because of the challenges in your family. For example, children who grow up with stress or abuse from a parent or relative who has addiction problems are significantly more likely to experience anxiety and depression. And people with anxiety and/or depression are twice as likely to abuse drugs and alcohol compared with the general population, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
The stress of the addictions in prior generations changed your genes to become more vulnerable to trouble. Stress, poor diets, environmental toxins, and prenatal nutrition in earlier generations changed their genes (known as epigenetics) to be more likely to express trouble.
If your family members self-medicate with bad habits, you are likely to pick up those same behaviors, which increases your risk of substance use disorders. Plus, when a parent has a substance abuse problem, they are less likely to provide children with healthy meals on a consistent basis. A junk-food diet is linked to fatigue, fuzzy thinking, moodiness, and increased cravings. In addition, if your mother was one of the nearly 5% of women who abuse one or more substances while pregnant, this decreased your brain reserve. That’s the extra cushion of brain function you have to help you deal with whatever stresses come your way. The more brain reserve you have, the more resilient you are. The less reserve you have, the more vulnerable you are to stress and addictions.
If your family doesn’t care enough about their own health or about your wellbeing to change their behavior, it can be harder for you to learn to love yourself enough to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Although it’s becoming clearer that genetics plays a role in addiction, it’s important to understand that your genes are not your destiny. Knowing that a parent, grandparent, or close relative has a problem with substance abuse, or a behavioral addiction is not a death sentence; rather, it should be a wake-up call. It means you need to know your vulnerabilities and get serious about taking care of your brain.
Genes load the gun, but it’s your behavior and environment that pull the trigger. A growing body of evidence shows that our diets and lifestyle habits have the ability to either turn on or turn off the genes that predispose us to problems like addiction.
Food has an immediate effect on the moment-by-moment functioning of your brain. Ditching a junk-food diet in favor of foods that enhance brain health will boost your willpower, focus, craving control, and judgment.
Addiction isn’t just a brain disorder; it’s also a thinking disorder. Many of the negative things we tell ourselves—like “I have no control”—are lies that keep us locked in our unhealthy habits. Adopt healthy thinking patterns and learn how to eliminate ANTs.
Practice stress-relief techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, and hypnosis.
If your family engages in bad habits that promote addiction, find ways to spend time with others who are committed to leading a healthy life. Studies have shown that those who surround themselves with a support group are far more likely to have success in implementing major changes.
Functional brain imaging with SPECT shows how the brain works. It can reveal areas with too much activity or not enough activity, so you’ll have a better understanding of what you can do to balance brain activity. Brain scans also show if there is evidence of toxicity from substances, such as alcohol or drugs, and this can be a powerful step in overcoming addiction.
If you have addiction in your family history, it’s even more important for you to be a good role model for your children. Teach your children from a young age how to eat right, kill the ANTs, and manage stress. In doing so, you will increase their brain reserve and decrease their risk of addiction.
Based on the world’s largest database of functional brain scans related to behavior, people with addictions tend to have the worst-looking brains. But when these people follow a brain healthy program, they show some of the most dramatic improvements. Even if you have been bad to your brain, you can make it better.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help our patients see and understand any underlying brain dysfunction. This is often a powerful first step to breaking the chains of addiction. We use an integrated brain-body approach to healing the brain and treating co-occurring mental health problems.
If you want to join the thousands of people who have already enhanced their brain health and overcome their addictions and psychiatric symptoms at Amen Clinics, speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.
We recently got a frantic call from a patient. From her ragged breathing and racing dialog, it was clear that she was close to having a panic attack. After she was instructed to take a few deep breaths, she calmed down somewhat and got to the reason for her call. She had just learned that 3 children at her daughter’s school in Southern California had visited China, and she wanted to know if she should rush over there immediately and pull her own child out of school.
She isn’t the only one freaking out about the coronavirus. On January 31, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared the virus a public health emergency here in the states.
So what should you do?
Coronaviruses are a common group of viruses that can cause an infection in the nose, sinuses, or throat. Some coronaviruses are mild and simply produce symptoms often seen in the common cold, such as a runny nose, sore throat, and fever. Other types are far more severe and can lead to pneumonia and early death. You may remember the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronaviruses that killed hundreds of people.
In early 2020, the World Health Organization identified a deadly new strain of the virus, the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), also referred to as the Wuhan coronavirus. To date, over 560 people have perished and over 28,000 have contracted the disease, mainly in China where the government has ordered a lockdown on about 60 million people. The illness has already spread to 25 countries, including the U.S. where at least a dozen cases have been confirmed so far.
The new coronavirus is transmitted from human to human and symptoms can appear within a couple of days or up to 14 days from the time of exposure. The symptoms of this coronavirus include the typical cold-like symptoms, and can also include shortness of breath, cough, and fever. Most people experience mild symptoms and recover, but others develop lethal complications.
Whenever there’s a potential pandemic, it’s a good idea to know the basics of preventive measures you can take. Here are 3 strategies that can shore up your immune system to help you fight off the virus in case you are exposed to it.
Freaking out about a potential pandemic raises stress levels, which actually hurts your immune system and makes you more vulnerable to infections. Techniques to soothe stress include laughter, diaphragmatic breathing, prayer or meditation, listening to calming music, warming your hands with your mind, hypnosis and guided imagery, and flooding your 5 senses with positivity.
Foods that are natural immunity boosters include onions, mushrooms (shiitake, white button, portabella), garlic, vitamin C-rich foods (oranges, berries, peppers, dark leafy green vegetables), vitamin D-rich foods (fatty fish, eggs, tuna), zinc-rich foods (oysters, beef, lamb, spinach, asparagus, sesame and pumpkin seeds), and selenium-rich foods (Brazil nuts, seeds, grass-fed meats).
In general, everyone should start taking a multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin D whether you are healthy or not. Only about 25% of the U.S. population has healthy levels of vitamin D. Get yours checked and optimize your levels if necessary.
Work with an integrative practitioner to determine other supplements and nutrients from the following list that enhance immunity:
See an integrative medicine, also known as functional medicine, doctor immediately if you develop symptoms and suspect you may have been exposed to the virus. Experts are currently working on a vaccine, but as of yet, there is no known treatment for coronaviruses. Most people recover on their own. To treat symptoms, drink lots of water, rest, and take pain or fever reducers if necessary.
At Amen Clinics, our Integrative Medicine physicians treat complex conditions and make recommendations for pro-active therapies to enhance the immune system. If you are having physical or psychiatric symptoms that aren’t improving with traditional treatment, it’s important to get a comprehensive evaluation that includes brain imaging and sophisticated lab testing to identify any underlying infections. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.