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Think we’re living in an unprecedented time of fear? Consider the following passage from CS Lewis’ Atomic Age from 1948 and replace “atomic bomb” with “COVID-19.” In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb (COVID-19). “How are we to live in an atomic age (COVID-19)?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.” In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb (COVID-19) was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world that already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty. This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb (COVID-19), let that bomb (virus) when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs (viruses). They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that), but they need not dominate our minds. CS Lewis could have easily been describing life in the current pandemic. The same fears and anxiety people felt about the atomic bomb are replaying today. The atomic bomb isn’t the only example from history that relates to what people are feeling in the pandemic. Look at the following quote: “The hospitals will be stormed, traffic will cease, the homeless will shriek for help, the city will be a pandemonium.” Sound like a description of life today during the pandemic? It’s actually a quote that appears in Erik Larson’s book The Splendid and the Vile from a British military planner about the World War II bombings in London. Other officials during that time predicted that British civilians would sink into undisciplined mobs, widespread panic would take hold, and people would be driven insane, according to research in the Journal of British Studies. To prevent the German bombers from being able to identify cities as targets for air raids, the British government imposed strict blackout restrictions. Citizens covered the windows of their homes and businesses to keep any light from filtering out. Car headlights and streetlights were turned down. And people hunkered down in underground shelters during nighttime air raids. Despite thousands of lives lost and many buildings destroyed during the Blitz, the Brits showed true grit and resilience. They carried on. The overwhelming fears we’re facing today echo those that Londoners felt about the WWII bombings, as well as those that people faced during the atomic age, those people faced when the Black Death plague swept Europe and took the lives of 200 million, and so on and so on. Like so many past generations, we’re facing fears about losing our lives, losing our loved ones, and losing our way of life.

Fear in the Brain

Fear is deeply ingrained in the brain and is a useful emotion in terms of survival. However, when fear is disproportionately high compared to the actual danger at hand or when it is prolonged, it leads to mental health issues such as anxiety. When researchers look at the brains of fearful and anxious people, they often find a number of areas of the brain with heightened activity, including the: Brain SPECT imaging shows that when areas such as these are overactive, people are more likely to be overwhelmed by stressful situations and may have a tendency to freeze or become immobile in their thoughts or actions. If your brain is overactive and you’re filled with fear, anxiety, or panic, you can calm your brain to reduce anxious feelings with a variety of natural therapies, including: In addition to these techniques, you can also benefit from some of the strategies that helped the Brits fear during WWII.

What You Can Learn from the Brits in WWII on Coping with Fear and Anxiety

You don’t have to let fear rule your life or fill you with anxiety, even when you’re faced with dire situations like a war or pandemic. The following strategies that helped British citizens overcome fear and anxiety during WWII can help you today during the pandemic. Take action: During WWII, the British government and its citizens were taking actions every day that provided some sense of control over their situation. The Royal Air Force was carrying out missions, Prime Minister Winston Churchill was firing off memos with red “Action This Day” labels for his staff, and citizens were doing their part to contribute to the efforts. Pandemic strategy: In the face of fears, look for things you can control, no matter how small they may seem. You may not be able to control the virus, but you can take responsibility for your own health by shoring up your immune system, eating brain healthy foods, and exercising to Stay connected: During the Blitz, Londoners huddled together in bomb shelters, building community and a sense that “we’re all in this together.” Unfortunately, this is much harder for people to accomplish with the pandemic. Pandemic strategy: Take advantage of technology to stay socially connected. Video phone calls, online meetings, and virtual events can help you feel more connected to others. Laugh more: The Brits were able to find humor in their situation no matter how dire it was. Pandemic strategy: You may not think there’s anything funny about the threat of COVID-19 or being in lockdown, but you can seek ways to laugh a little. Watch a comedy on TV, watch funny videos on social media, or listen to a humorous podcast. Laughter also supports the immune system, boosts moods, and gives your brain a healthy dose of the feel-good neurotransmitter oxytocin, as shown in a brain imaging study in The Journal of Neuroscience. Develop a sense of purpose: During the war, civilians felt a tremendous sense of purpose in fighting for a common cause. Pandemic strategy: In our fractured society today, it’s hard to find common ground. However, knowing your own purpose in life can give you the resilience to withstand challenging times. According to Dr. Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and World War II concentration camp survivor, and the father of Logotherapy, a form of psychotherapy based on the idea that humans are strongly motivated to live with purpose, “We find meaning as a result of responding genuinely and compassionately to life’s challenges.” Frankl believed there were three ways to create meaning: Anxiety, panic attacks, excessive fear, depression, and other mental and behavioral 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. A powerful documentary featuring Daniel G. Amen, MD, is set to be released November 10, 2020, on Amazon (DVD and SVOD). Based on Adam and Andrew Marr’s bestselling Tales from the Blast Factory, EMMY Award-winning director Jerri Sher’s latest documentary Quiet Explosions: Healing the Brain tells the compelling story of veterans and others whose lives were shattered after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI), but who eventually made miraculous recoveries.

THE TBI/PTSD EPIDEMIC

Did you know 16.8 U.S. military veterans commit suicide every day? Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are underlying factors in many of those deaths. Every year, over 2 million Americans—military and others—sustain a TBI. Even when it doesn’t lead to suicide, TBI and PTSD can ruin a person’s life. Head trauma is a major cause of psychiatric illness, but very few people know it because most mental health professionals never look at the brains of their patients. Research shows that TBIs increase the risk of: Head trauma is a major cause of psychiatric illness, but very few people know it because most mental health professionals never look at the brains of their patients.
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At Amen Clinics, brain SPECT imaging shows that 40% of patients have experienced some form of head trauma. Many patients don’t remember experiencing a head injury, or they never connected the incident to their emotional, behavioral, or cognitive symptoms. Following a head injury or traumatic event, some people develop PTSD, which affects an estimated 3.5% of U.S. adults. With the pandemic, however, research is showing that rates of PTSD are likely to rise. Some of the symptoms associated with PTSD include distressing memories, flashbacks, anxiety, depression, feeling emotionally numb, guilt, shame, problems sleeping, anger, and irritability. All of these can keep you from living the life you want.

AMEN CLINICS PATIENTS FEATURED IN QUIET EXPLOSIONS

Among the people featured in the documentary, Quiet Explosions are Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien, famed “Notre Dame Killer” running back from USC Anthony Davis, and big-wave surfer Shawn Dollar—all of whom received treatment at Amen Clinics. Each of these world-class athletes had brain SPECT imaging scans performed at Amen Clinics. SPECT is a nuclear medicine tool that measures blood flow and activity in the brain. It shows three things—areas with healthy activity, areas with too much activity, and areas with too little activity. Each of their scans showed signs of brain trauma. Dollar says his brain scans showed he’s suffered “hundreds, if not thousands, of concussions.”

DISTINGUISHING TBI FROM PTSD

Many of the symptoms seen in PTSD are also seen in people with TBI. Unfortunately, most healthcare professionals never look at the brain with functional brain scans, so they can’t detect the brain patterns associated with TBI and PTSD. This results in too many people being misdiagnosed and given the wrong kind of treatment. Getting the wrong treatment can make your symptoms worse, which leads to more unnecessary suffering. Functional brain imaging with SPECT can help. The research team at Amen Clinics, in collaboration with other scientists, has published two groundbreaking studies showing that brain SPECT imaging can distinguish TBI from PTSD with 94% accuracy. This research was named in Discover Magazine’s Top 100 science discoveries of 2015. This is important because MRI or CT scans, which show the brain’s structure, often find that people with mild TBI or PTSD have “normal” results. This leaves people who are suffering feeling like they’re imagining their symptoms and that there is no hope for recovery. This is wrong. TBI and PTSD can be treated effectively.

TREATING TBI AND PTSD

Each of the three TBI survivors who visited Amen Clinics got their lives back with treatment protocols that are ignored by most traditional healthcare providers. At Amen Clinics, concussion rescue treatments may include: These are in addition to a comprehensive concussion rescue brain-body approach that also includes brain healthy nutrition, lifestyle changes, targeted nutraceuticals, and more. For PTSD, treatment may also include EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), a powerful, non-invasive therapy for overcoming emotional trauma. The documentary Quiet Explosions explores the treatments that helped Rypien, Davis, Dollar, and several other remarkable people get their lives back. It may give you or a loved one hope for healing. TBIs, PTSD, and other mental 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. 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. Cholesterol has been demonized. For decades, we’ve been hearing about “bad cholesterol” and how it’s related to heart disease. The medical community’s directive to lower cholesterol has been so strong that more than 1 in 4 American adults over the age of 40 take cholesterol-lowering statins. One of the most commonly prescribed drugs in America, statins are a $31 billion business. It’s as if our nation has become obsessed with pushing levels down in an effort to protect heart health. But they’ve got it all wrong. “Cholesterol is a poor predictor for heart disease,” says Dr. Jonny Bowden, a board-certified nutritionist known as the Nutrition Myth Buster and author of The Great Cholesterol Myth (with Steve Sinatra, MD), which has a new revised and expanded edition. Dr. Bowden recently appeared on the Brain Warrior’s Way podcast to bust some cholesterol myths. What traditional doctors don’t tell you is that low levels of cholesterol can have negative effects on the brain. “Your brain without cholesterol? You’re dead,” says Dr. Bowden. “It’s one of the most important compounds in the body, and it’s involved in memory and thinking and much more.” Mythbuster: What traditional doctors don’t tell you is low levels of cholesterol can have negative effects on the brain.
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WHY YOUR BRAIN NEEDS CHOLESTEROL

Do you know which part of the body has the highest concentration of cholesterol? Your brain! Cholesterol is a waxy type of fat found in every cell in the body, but it is most abundant in the brain. Your brain accounts for only 2% of your body’s weight, but it contains 20% of your cholesterol. Why is cholesterol so important? Cholesterol in the brain is involved in the communication process for neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. It makes up the majority of myelin, the white fatty sheath that provides a protective coating on neurons to increase the brain’s processing speed. And they play a role in the development of “lipid rafts,” membranes that are involved in brain cell signaling. Bottom line? Approximately 60% of the solid weight of the brain is fat, so you need healthy levels of cholesterol for optimal function.

THE CHOLESTEROL-HORMONE-MENTAL HEALTH CONNECTION

In addition, cholesterol is a critical building block for the production of hormones. From cholesterol, your body makes a chemical called pregnenolone, a mother hormone, from which all the other hormones are derived. Hormones play a vital role in the health of your brain and how you think, feel, and act. If your cholesterol is too low, you won’t have the precursors to produce adequate levels of hormones. Hormonal deficiencies are linked to a number of psychiatric and cognitive health symptoms, including:

HOW LOW IS TOO LOW?

Cholesterol that is too low is bad for the brain. What’s considered normal? Normal total cholesterol levels are 135-200 mg/dL. However, be aware that several studies show that lowering total cholesterol levels below 160 mg/dL can increase the risk of depression, suicide, and homicide, so 160-200 mg/dL is optimal. Don’t go too low. Surprisingly, if you have cholesterol on the higher side of the healthy range later in life it could improve your cognitive performance, according to research in Psychosomatic Medicine. In fact, findings in the journal Neurology show that having higher levels of total cholesterol later in life decreases your risk of dementia. According to Dr. Bowden, the typical cholesterol tests that simply measure total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides are obsolete, and they’re missing the most important numbers that matter for heart health. “What’s important to understand is that cholesterol doesn’t travel in the blood. Cholesterol has to be in a container,” he says. “Those containers are the lipoprotein. Lipoprotein is the ship; cholesterol is the cargo. It’s the number of boats in the water that’s important, not the cargo.” When having your cholesterol levels tested, ask your healthcare professional to also test your lipoproteins and the particle size of your LDL cholesterol because larger particles are less toxic than smaller ones. If you want to find out more about cholesterol, read the revised and expanded editions of The Great Cholesterol Myth.

WHAT TO FEED YOUR BRAIN

Low-fat diets are not good for your brain. Focus on healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and sustainable, clean fish. Fat is not the enemy. Good dietary fats are essential to your brain health. For example, omega-3 fatty acids have been found to reduce symptoms of depression. In a study from the Mayo Clinic, people who ate a fat-based diet had a 42% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease; those who ate a protein-based diet had a 21% percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s; but those who ate a simple carbohydrate-based diet (think bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, and sugar) had a 400% percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s. It’s the sugar, and foods that turn to sugar, not the fat, that’s the problem. However, not all fats are equal. Avoid trans fats (found in foods like processed crackers, baked goods, and frozen pizza), which are associated with an increase in depression. Also skip fats that are higher in omega-6 fatty acids, such as many refined vegetable oils, which are associated with an increase in inflammation, which also has negative effects on brain health. Memory problems, brain fog, depression, and other mental and cognitive health issues 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.