When you think of pain, chances are you imagine something physical—a strained back, a sore shoulder, or an old injury that still flares up. But what if the pain you feel isn’t just coming from your body? What if it’s your mind trying to send you a message?
In his book Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain, Dr. Daniel Amen reveals that chronic pain is often fueled by hidden forces we rarely consider: muscle tension and unresolved emotions. Stress, trauma, and repressed feelings like anger, fear, or grief don’t simply disappear when ignored. Instead, they can lodge themselves in your muscles, creating physical discomfort that lingers for months—or even years.
This means that the ache in your neck, the tightness in your back, or the unrelenting migraines may be less about wear and tear, and more about unexpressed emotions and your brain’s coping mechanisms. The good news? Once you understand how muscle tension and emotional repression feed into chronic pain, you can begin to break the cycle and find real relief.
The physical pain you feel might actually be your brain’s way of diverting your attention away from the emotions you don’t want to face. It’s a coping mechanism—but one that keeps you stuck in suffering.
Most of us have experienced emotional overwhelm, chronic stress, or emotional dysregulation—intense mood swings or overreactions to minor events. Some of us are harboring deep emotional trauma that has never been addressed. Science shows us that these issues can lead to a host of mental health issues—and can even rewire your brain.
But when you experience negative emotions like anger, fear, or sadness, those feelings don’t just live in your mind. The effects of these emotions can be physical, too. These chronic pain causes manifest in your body, often as tight muscles and physical discomfort.
Muscle tension is one of the biggest culprits behind chronic pain. When you’re stressed or anxious, your muscles contract.
If this happens occasionally, it’s no big deal. But when it becomes a chronic response to emotional stress, it can lead to persistent pain, especially in areas like your neck, shoulders, and lower back.
If these emotions aren’t expressed or dealt with, they get trapped in your body, creating a breeding ground for chronic pain. When the tension never releases, over time, this constant state of contraction can create a feedback loop in your brain.
Your brain starts to interpret the tension as pain. And, even more surprising, repressed emotions like unconscious anger, grief, or fear can cause your body to hold on to tension. Emotional repression and pain are tightly linked
The pain you feel might actually be your brain’s way of diverting your attention away from the emotions you don’t want to face. It’s a coping mechanism—but one that keeps you stuck in suffering.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a critical player in the mind-body connection. The ANS controls involuntary bodily functions, including heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, and muscle tension.
This system has two main components: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The SNS is responsible for the “fight or flight” response, while the PNS promotes relaxation and recovery.
When we encounter a stressful situation or engage in negative thinking, the SNS is activated, which releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones cause various physiological changes, including increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and tightened muscles.
When muscles remain tense for prolonged periods, it can lead to discomfort, stiffness, and pain. Chronic muscle tension can also result in the development of trigger points—localized areas of muscle that are painful when pressed and can refer pain to other parts of the body.
Catastrophic thinking is a significant source of stress. When we engage in thoughts like “I’m not going to kick this,” or “I’m in trouble for the rest of my life,” our bodies respond as if we are under threat. This perpetual state of perceived danger keeps our stress response activated, leading to chronic muscle tension.
Catastrophizing not only increases muscle tension, but it also increases the perception of pain, according to research in the journal Pain. The brain’s pain processing centers become more sensitive (known as central sensitization). Therefore, negative thinking and pain often create a vicious cycle.
When you experience pain, it’s natural to feel distressed. However, if this distress leads to unbridled negative thinking, it can increase muscle tension further and worsen the pain.
This increased pain then leads to more negative thoughts, which further amplify the muscle tension and pain. Breaking this cycle requires addressing both the physical and mental aspects of pain. As Dr. Amen puts it, heal your brain and chronic pain to dissipate.
Related: Catastrophic Thinking: How to Stop Worst-Case Scenario Syndrome
The good news is, once you begin to recognize and express these hidden emotions, the pain often starts to lift. Stress-relieving techniques outlined in Dr. Amen’s book—such as journaling, therapy, or even simply acknowledging what you’re feeling—can help release the tension that’s been trapped in your body.
Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain explains how your pain isn’t just about what’s happening in your body—it’s also about what’s happening in your mind. You’ll learn habits to help release emotional tension, express your feelings, and free yourself from the chronic pain that’s been holding you back.
Did you know that some people in their 80 years or older have the same memory ability as people 20 to 30 years younger?
It’s true.
These memory whizzes are called “superagers.” Scientists at the Northwestern University Super-Aging Research Program have been studying superagers for 25 years hoping to discover how they’ve avoided common age-related cognitive decline, as well as more serious neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.
In a 2025 study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia, the super-aging researchers disclosed a groundbreaking finding. It turns out that this diverse group of superagers has one unifying commonality: they’re super social.
Did you know that some individuals 80 years or older have the same memory ability as people 20 to 30 years younger? It’s true! These individuals are called “superagers” and they all share one common trait.
It appears that forming meaningful social connections and maintaining social relationships may play a key role in the lasting healthy cognitive function these superagers enjoy.
Here’s what you need to know about superagers and the steps you can take to become one yourself.
Superagers are a rarity, accounting for less than 10 percent of the older population. Experts define them as people who are 80 or over who have memory skills equal to those of individuals who are 20 to 30 years younger.
They also have younger-looking brains—less shrinkage and fewer Alzheimer’s disease–type changes in the brain.
Much more common among aging individuals is what is called cognitive decline. They experience some brain changes and cognitive deficits that occur as part of the aging process, but their ability to function in everyday life is not impaired.
Chiefly, researchers have found that brain aging impacts some cognitive abilities, such as processing speed and some memory functions, visuospatial, language, and executive function abilities.
Medical research has identified the following features as characteristic of normal cognitive aging:
Many health professionals refer to this as “normal cognitive decline.”
However, Dr. Daniel Amen and the brain health specialists at Amen Clinics have found that cognitive decline may be common, but it is not normal. In fact, the brain-imaging work at Amen Clinics shows that age-related deficits can be reduced with lifestyle interventions, according to research.
Related: How Old Is Your Brain (And How to Make It Younger)
Unfortunately, there are millions of individuals who have cognitive decline and structural changes in the brain that are more dramatic. These people may suffer from either mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or some type of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
When concerns with memory go beyond what’s considered normal cognitive changes, the symptoms may be due to mild cognitive impairment. Symptoms of MCI include trouble with memory, language, and judgment.
Yet, while the symptoms are more serious than normal cognitive aging, they still don’t impair daily functioning.
Related: What Is Mild Cognitive Impairment?
It’s estimated that roughly 8 million U.S. adults suffer from MCI—and about 90 percent of them are unaware they have it.
Some of the most common symptoms of mild cognitive impairment may include:
It’s not uncommon for people with MCI to also experience depression, anxiety, short temper/aggression, or a lack of interest in life. More people with MCI than without it will eventually develop dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term for certain neurodegenerative diseases. There are four common types of dementia that damage important brain functions and lead to:
Dementia significantly interferes with a person’s ability to perform everyday activities like bathing, dressing, cooking, managing finances, driving, and social engagement. As dementia advances, the level of support needed for care and increases as well.
An estimated 55 million people around the world live with some form dementia. More than 6.5 million U.S. adults currently have Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and that number is expected to double by 2050.
Common signs and symptoms of dementia may include the following:
There’s no single cause of MCI and dementia, but rather a host of risk factors that contribute to its development, including:
Over two decades ago, researchers at the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University decided to study what is going right in the aging brain as opposed to studying pathology.
They became aware of certain individuals who appeared to defy normal brain aging, more serious memory deficits, and neurodegenerative issues. They sought to study these people in hopes that it might provide information helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and launched the SuperAging Program in the year 2000.
They coined the term superager and defined it as an individual 80 years or older with a demonstratable memory test score at or above the norm of 50- to 65-year-olds.
During initial recruitment, just 10 percent of the people screened who believed they had outstanding memories were included in the research. Since its inception, the program has studies 290 superagers. A total of 79 of these individuals donated their brains to the program for autopsy research after death.
In an initial study, published 12 years into the program, the researchers noted that superagers exhibit significantly greater cortical thickness and volume than their cognitively normal age-matched peers. In addition, they show no cortical atrophy.
Since this region is associated with attention, and attention supports memory, the finding reveals that keen attention may possibly be what supports the exceptional memory function in superagers.
In the 2025 study published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia mentioned earlier, the SuperAging Program researchers compiled new and revelatory observations based on over 20 years of data.
Here are some of the characteristic findings about superagers:
The importance superagers place on building and maintaining social connections was one of the most significant commonalities noted about them.
Their high sociability makes sense and even aligns with previous studies on aging populations. Indeed, social connections and aging well are closely linked.
Highly social people are more resistant to cognitive decline as they grow older, research shows. Studies also suggest a link between larger brain size and greater social connectedness.
On the other hand, loneliness, defined as having a lack of meaningful social connections, appears to have a detrimental impact on aging brains as it is associated with cognitive decline, memory loss, and increased dementia risk.
A 2024 review study on loneliness and aging analyzed data from more than 600,000 participants. It found that feeling lonely increases the risk for dementia by 31 percent.
Related: 7 Ways to Be Less Lonely
While other factors are at play in superagers, this finding alone speaks volumes in terms of the potential protections an aging brain may enjoy from an individual developing strong social connections.
Scientists have discovered that superagers’ brains have special features that help explain why they stay sharp and socially connected well into later life.
Here’s what makes their brains different:
Being more social may be one of the keys to achieving superager status. However, researchers believe what it’s probably a combination of behavior, as well as genetics and biology that makes superagers.
That said, building and maintaining meaningful social connections may help to protect your memory and brain function. Enjoying quality social connections, of course, will also add to your overall well-being.
Consider taking an art class, joining a singing group, pursuing a hobby, trying in-person recreational sports, volunteering, or getting involved at a church. New activities also boost neurogenesis and brain plasticity, which also helps to boost and protect your brain health.
Remember that a variety of relationships lead to greater well-being as they fulfill different types of needs.
While not everyone may reach superager status, research shows that brain-healthy habits—such as staying socially connected, eating well, exercising, and keeping your mind active—can protect memory and slow cognitive decline. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging and personalized treatment plans to help you strengthen your brain at any age.
At Amen Clinics, we don’t just treat symptoms—we look at the root causes of memory loss and cognitive decline. Using brain scans, lab testing, and a whole-person approach, we identify issues such as poor blood flow, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, or untreated head trauma that may be contributing to memory issues. Then we create targeted solutions to optimize brain health.
It’s never too late to take action. Amen Clinics offers advanced diagnostic tools and comprehensive care plans—including lifestyle strategies, nutritional support, and innovative therapies—that can help slow or even reverse decline. Many patients notice improvements in memory, focus, mood, and quality of life after treatment.
Memory loss, cognitive decline, and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
Weintraub S, Gefen T, Geula C, Mesulam MM. The first 25 years of the Northwestern University SuperAging Program. Alzheimers Dement. 2025 Aug;21(8):e70312.
Harada CN, Natelson Love MC, Triebel KL. Normal cognitive aging. Clin Geriatr Med. 2013 Nov;29(4):737-52.
Amen DG, Wu JC, Taylor D, Willeumier K. Reversing brain damage in former NFL players: implications for traumatic brain injury and substance abuse rehabilitation. J Psychoactive Drugs. 2011 Jan-Mar;43(1):1-5. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2011.566489. PMID: 21615001.
Harrison TM, Weintraub S, Mesulam MM, Rogalski E. Superior memory and higher cortical volumes in unusually successful cognitive aging. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2012 Nov;18(6):1081-5.
James BD, Wilson RS, Barnes LL, Bennett DA. Late-life social activity and cognitive decline in old age. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2011 Nov;17(6):998-1005.
Kwak S, Joo WT, Youm Y, Chey J. Social brain volume is associated with in-degree social network size among older adults. Proc Biol Sci. 2018 Jan 31;285(1871):20172708.
Luchetti, M., Aschwanden, D., Sesker, A.A. et al. A meta-analysis of loneliness and risk of dementia using longitudinal data from >600,000 individuals. Nat. Mental Health 2, 1350–1361 (2024).
Have you ever wondered if the challenges you or someone you love faces every day might be more than just quirks or a personality trait?
Maybe social situations feel more overwhelming than it seems for other people? Do everyday tasks drain your energy to the point you need to recharge for days after? Have your relationships never “clicked” the way they do for others?
If you’ve spent years feeling different without knowing why, it’s possible that untreated autism could be part of your story. Understanding what happens when autism goes undiagnosed and untreated is the first step toward finding answers, support, and a path forward.
If you’ve spent years feeling different without knowing why, it’s possible that untreated autism could be part of your story.
Have you ever wondered if the challenges you or someone you love faces every day might be more than just quirks or a personality trait?
Maybe social situations feel more overwhelming than it seems for other people? Do everyday tasks drain your energy to the point you need to recharge for days after? Have your relationships never “clicked” the way they do for others?
If you’ve spent years feeling different without knowing why, it’s possible that untreated autism could be part of your story. Understanding what happens when autism goes undiagnosed and untreated is the first step toward finding answers, support, and a path forward.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects an estimated one in 31 children and one in 45 adults in the U.S., according to statistics. While autism awareness has grown in recent years, many people still face late detection or never receive a formal diagnosis.
This means countless people are living with untreated autism, often struggling in silence and pain.
The consequences of autism aren’t limited to childhood. They extend into adulthood, shaping mental health, physical health, relationships, and even life expectancy.
Understanding the effects of untreated autism is critical for individuals, families, and caregivers. Getting a diagnosis and treatment helps ensure that every person on the spectrum can reach their fullest potential and their healthiest life.
Related: 4 Challenges and 4 Strengths in High-Functioning Autism
Research has shown that untreated autism isn’t simply about behavioral symptoms—it’s rooted in differences in brain function.
At Amen Clinics, over 30 years of brain SPECT imaging has shown that there is not just one brain issue found in adults and children with autism. Brain scans of over 1,000 autistic children and adults reveal brain patterns with areas of high activity, low activity, or both in some cases.
On SPECT scans, abnormal activity is often seen in the following brain regions:
Knowing a person’s brain pattern can lead to more effective treatment options.
Other research supports these findings. A 2021 study found atypical connectivity in the brain networks of autistic individuals, impacting communication between regions responsible for social interaction, sensory processing, and executive function.
Another 2024 study showed that early intervention helps strengthen neural pathways associated with learning and adaptation, while autism without treatment often leads to entrenched difficulties that become harder to address over time.
When autism is left untreated, challenges in processing emotions, communication, and attention regulation can spill over into your personal and professional life. For adults, this may translate into difficulties maintaining employment, managing relationships, or coping with everyday stressors.
All of these are areas where untreated autism has ripple effects on long-term success and quality of life.
Autism without treatment often results in worsening symptoms because individuals often lack strategies to navigate their environment effectively. Without understanding the underlying cause, behaviors such as sensory overload, social withdrawal, or repetitive routines may intensify as coping mechanisms.
Over time, these unmanaged symptoms can contribute to isolation, anxiety, and frustration, creating a cycle that makes daily life increasingly difficult. Early recognition and supportive therapies can break this cycle for the better. However, without intervention, the consequences of untreated autism tend to compound.
One of the most concerning risks of untreated autism is its impact on mental health. Autistic children and adults without a diagnosis or treatment plan are more vulnerable to co-occurring mental health conditions.
According to one study, 78 percent of children with autism spectrum disorder have at least one co-existing mental health conditions and nearly half of them have two or more such issues. In this study, the most common mental health disorders were:
Brain imaging with SPECT can reveal the presence of other brain-based problems so that a targeted autism treatment plan can be developed to address all the issues affecting you or your child.
When these co-occurring disorders also go untreated, it can have devastating effects on a person’s life. A 2023 meta-analysis in Molecular Autism revealed that adults with autism have significantly higher rates of suicide attempts (around 35 percent) and suicidal ideation (about 66 percent) compared to the general population.
Without proper support, the weight of masking symptoms, navigating misunderstandings, and struggling with unmet needs can erode emotional well-being.
The effects of untreated autism also extend into your physical health. Many autistic adults and kids can experience:
When autism goes undiagnosed, these physical symptoms may be overlooked or misattributed, delaying proper medical care. Stress from unaddressed autism can also increase cortisol levels, contributing to long-term risks such as cardiovascular disease.
This highlights how untreated autism affects not just the mind but the entire body.
Living with autism left untreated can greatly impact your independence and relationships. Without tailored support, you may find daily tasks overwhelming. Ask yourself if you’ve ever struggled with…
Socially, difficulties with communication and understanding social cues can often lead to strained friendships, romantic challenges, and workplace misunderstandings.
For caregivers, this uncertainty can evoke something called caregiver burnout. When autism isn’t recognized, families may not know how to support their loved one effectively, leading to frustration, exhaustion, and emotional strain.
Families benefit when the right diagnosis and interventions are put in place, not only for the autistic person but for the health of the entire support system.
Yes! Research shows a direct connection between untreated autism and reduced life expectancy. A landmark 2023 study found that autistic people without intellectual disability die an average of 16 years earlier than the general population, primarily due to mental health conditions and suicide.
Those with intellectual disability face even greater health disparities, with life expectancy shortened by up to 30 years.
In everyday terms, this means untreated autism increases risks tied to unmanaged stress, missed medical conditions, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. Lack of diagnosis can prevent children and adults with ASD from accessing therapies, accommodations, and medical care that extend both quality of life and longevity.
Another hidden risk of untreated ASD is that medical conditions often go unnoticed. Autistic people may have difficulty communicating pain, discomfort, or changes in health, leading to misdiagnoses or delayed treatment.
For example, research shows that epilepsy, which is more common in autistic populations, can be overlooked if behaviors are mistaken for psychological rather than neurological symptoms.
Similarly, sensory sensitivities may mask sleep apnea, hearing issues, or dental pain. Without a diagnosis, the overlap between autism and medical problems can create serious gaps in healthcare.
Whether at age three or 30, proper intervention matters. Both early and late intervention can improve outcomes by teaching coping strategies, strengthening brain function, and reducing long-term health risks. Benefits include:
Even if autism has gone untreated for years, receiving a diagnosis and beginning supportive care can make life more manageable and fulfilling.
There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for autism. Each child and adult is unique and requires a personalized treatment plan to help mitigate the long-term effects of untreated autism. Autism treatment may include:
Related: 5 Foods That Make Autism Worse
These approaches support brain health, emotional regulation, and overall well-being. If you suspect that you or your child may have autism, getting an accurate diagnosis and a targeted treatment plan can greatly enhance quality of life.
At Amen Clinics, we use a comprehensive evaluation process that includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical interviews, and neuropsychological testing. Brain scans help us see where activity may be overactive, underactive, or misfiring—patterns often seen in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This allows us to distinguish autism from other conditions that may look similar, such as ADHD, OCD, or anxiety, and create more precise treatment plans.
Yes. Many individuals with autism also experience co-existing conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression. These additional challenges can worsen daily struggles with focus, mood, and relationships if left untreated. At Amen Clinics, we carefully evaluate for overlapping conditions so that no contributing factor is overlooked in your or your child’s care.
Our approach goes beyond symptom management. We design personalized, science-backed treatment plans that may include brain health strategies, targeted supplements, nutritional support, therapy, and when appropriate, medications. By addressing autism and co-occurring conditions together, we help improve focus, emotional balance, social functioning, and overall quality of life.
Pain isn’t just physical—it lives in your mind too. And the thoughts you think can either turn the volume of that pain up or reduce it to a whisper.
In Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain, Dr. Daniel Amen explains how negative thinking is one of the biggest culprits in keeping you trapped in a cycle of suffering.
Destructive thought patterns stir up feelings of anger, sadness, worry, loneliness, or being out of control. Over time, negativity can steal your peace, fuel anxiety, and lead to mental health issues like depression.
If you struggle with negative thinking and pain, you’re not alone. Research shows the human brain is hardwired for negativity.
But here’s the good news: Just as your brain can get stuck in negative thought patterns, it can also be retrained to think healthier, more positive thoughts for better pain control.
If you can correct negative thoughts, you take away their power. But when you think a negative thought without challenging it, your mind believes it—and your body reacts to it.
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) are the uninvited guests that swarm your mind whenever you’re in pain. They whisper things like, “This will never get better,” or “I’ll always be stuck like this.”
These negative thought patterns might seem harmless, but they’re not. They fuel chronic pain, adding anxiety, stress, and tension to an already overloaded system. ANTs amplify your suffering, turning a bad moment into an all-encompassing reality.
Related: Why Are We So Negative?
Here are the nine types of ANTs that Dr. Amen has outlined through his work with tens of thousands of patients:
| ANT Type | Description |
|---|---|
| All-or-Nothing | Thinking that things are either all good or all bad |
| Less-Than | Comparing yourself negatively to others |
| Just-the-Bad | Seeing only the bad in a situation |
| Guilt Beatings | Using “should,” “must,” or “ought to,” which triggers guilt and emotional pressure |
| Labeling | Assigning harsh or derogatory names to yourself or others, distorting reality and lowering self-esteem |
| Fortune Telling | Predicting the worst-case scenario without real evidence |
| Mind Reading | Assuming you know what other people are thinking even though they haven’t told you, which often damages relationships |
| If-Only and I’ll-Be-Happy-When | Arguing with the past and longing for the future |
| Blaming | Shifting responsibility onto others, which reinforces a victim mindset and powerlessness |
The key to breaking free is to recognize these ANTs and encourage healthier, more productive thoughts. This isn’t about blind optimism or unbridled positive thinking. It’s about building a positivity bias, the mental habit of predicting the best instead of the worst—a path to more honest thinking.
When you stop the ANTs in their tracks and replace them with positive, realistic thoughts, your brain begins to calm down. The suffering circuits that fuel pain start to quiet, allowing you to reclaim a sense of peace and control.
In Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain, Dr. Amen details how to eliminate automatic negative thoughts and replace them with more helpful thoughts. You’ll achieve a more accurate, fair assessment of any situation. This skill alone can completely change your life if you embrace and practice it.
One of Dr. Amen’s favorite techniques, which he learned from author Byron Katie, is to ask yourself, “Is this thought true?” and “Is this thought helping me?” When you notice your negative thoughts, write them down and talk back to them. Often, you’ll find that your negative thoughts are based on fear, not reality.
If you can correct negative thoughts, you take away their power. But when you think a negative thought without challenging it, your mind believes it—and your body reacts to it.
Related: 5 Physical Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
Getting into the habit of questioning your thoughts puts some much-needed space between you and your thoughts. Remember that you don’t have to believe everything you think! Thoughts are automatic and often lie. Instead, you can learn to consciously choose healthier alternatives.
Choosing to think helpful thoughts makes you feel good, and choosing to think toxic thoughts leads to feeling lousy. With practice, you can learn how to change your thoughts and change the way you feel.
At Amen Clinics, people who score high on negativity bias have an increased risk of chronic pain—and also virtually every psychiatric symptom. Changing your thoughts helps you not only reduce your pain but also improve your overall well-being.
In the journey to pain relief, managing your thoughts is one of the most powerful tools you have. You will be more prepared to tackle problems with resilience and calm. Replace the ANTs with healthier thoughts, and watch as your pain begins to loosen its grip.
Hanson, Rick. Confronting the Negativity Bias, http://www.rickhanson.net/how-your-brain-makes-you-easily-intimidated/
Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury, “19 Best Positive Psychology Interventions + How to Apply Them,” Positivepsychology.com, March 19, 2021, https://positivepsychology.com/positive-psychology-interventions/
If you’re exhausted from trying every “happiness hack” only to end up disappointed, don’t give up just yet. Lasting happiness isn’t about forcing positivity or willpower—it starts with your brain.
When your brain is out of balance, even the best self-help strategies can fall flat. But with a healthy brain, it becomes easier to build better habits, lift your mood, and experience genuine, consistent joy. In fact, brain health is the often-overlooked foundation of happiness, strong relationships, and peak performance.
After more than 35 years of brain-imaging work at Amen Clinics, we’ve learned a powerful truth: If you want a happier life, you must first address the 11 major risk factors that damage the brain and steal your joy.
The encouraging news? Most of these factors are preventable or treatable—giving you the power to take control of your brain health and unlock lasting happiness. In this blog, you’ll discover the brain-based happiness hacks you need to know.
The foundational neuroscience secret to happiness that no one is talking about is that you must first optimize the physical functioning of your brain
Dr. Daniel Amen, the founder of Amen Clinics, outlines the 11 major risk factors in his book You, Happier: The 7 Neuroscience Secrets of Feeling Good. In this blog, you’ll get a peek at each of these risk factors, how they’re associated with low moods and depression, and how preventing or treating them can boost happiness.
What does blood flow have to do with the brain and happiness? Blood nourishes every cell in your brain and body and clears away toxins. With reduced blood flow, your brain doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients it requires to function properly.
Based on the world’s largest brain-imaging database at Amen Clinics—nearly 300,000 brain SPECT scans—having low levels of blood flow is linked to mental health conditions, such as depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia. All of these conditions steal your happiness.
Related: SPECT Made Ridiculously Simple
Improving circulation can directly enhance happiness and the brain’s function.
Consider the following:
The “Golden Years” aren’t always so happy. Unfortunately, depression is common in older adults.
The older you get, the more serious you need to be about taking care of your brain. Studies have revealed that your brain typically becomes less and less active with age, which can affect your mood, memory, and overall mental sharpness.
Consider the following tips to slow the aging process:
When inflammation runs high in your body, it becomes like a slow fire, damaging your brain and other bodily organs. A growing body of research shows that chronic inflammation is a potential key factor in the development of depression.
Experts suggest that anti-inflammatory strategies may help reduce that they call “inflamed depression.”
To reduce inflammation, follow these strategies:
Happiness killers like depression, anxiety, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s disease, often run in families, which shows that genetics play a role in mood and mental health. In fact, research suggests that your genes account for about one-third of your overall life satisfaction.
But here’s the encouraging news: genetics are not destiny. Just because a condition shows up in your family history doesn’t mean you’re doomed to experience it. Instead, think of it as a powerful signal to be proactive about protecting your brain and mental health.
Today, genetic testing and professional screenings can help you better understand your personal risk factors. More importantly, the majority of your happiness—roughly 60 percent or more—remains within your control.
Daily choices like nourishing your body with healthy foods, managing stress, exercising regularly, and keeping your mind engaged all work together to support a healthier brain and a brighter mood.
Experiencing head trauma can have an impact on your moods and happiness. Even mild head injuries that occurred decades ago can be a major cause of depression, memory problems, and addictions—all issues that steal happiness.
Even so, there is hope. With the right steps—such as taking targeted supplements, improving your diet, and using therapies like hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT)—you can improve your brain function for a happier life. This can happen even years or decades after a head injury.
Your brain uses up to 30 percent of your calories, oxygen, and blood flow. This makes it highly vulnerable to toxins that can lead to depression, brain fog, and anxiety.
Hidden exposure to heavy metals, mold, cigarettes, chemicals in beauty products, pesticides, and smoke can silently cause damage to your brain and emotional health.
To reduce your exposure to toxins:
When it comes to happiness and the brain, you need to understand that untreated mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and chronic stress can cause physical damage to your brain and lower happiness levels.
Long-term stress can shrink the part of the brain tied to mood and memory. That said, effective treatment is not always about medicine.
Consider natural strategies like:
When your immune system is overactive or weak, it can drain your happiness. A weak immune system makes you prone to frequent infections. On the flip side, if your immune system is overactive, it can trigger autoimmune disorders, raising your risk of anxiety and depression.
Lingering infections—such as Lyme disease or long COVID—often cause fatigue, brain fog, and mood problems that steal your joy. Consider the following to boost immunity:
Healthy hormones keep your mood balanced and your energy high. When they are out of balance, you may feel tired, irritable, or foggy.
The brain-imaging work at Amen Clinics shows that some neurohormone problems, such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid), are associated with brain shrinkage. Having less brain volume is linked to a litany of issues that steal happiness.
Keeping key hormones like thyroid, testosterone, and estrogen balanced enhances happiness, motivation, and mental clarity.
Balance your neurohormones through the following ways:
One of the biggest threats to brain health today is diabesity—a combination of being obese or overweight and having high blood sugar (diabetes or prediabetes). According to research, as your body weight goes up, the size and function of your brain go down.
Related: Does Body Mass Index Impact Brain Health?
Excess body fat isn’t just extra weight. It stores toxins, disrupts your hormones, and triggers inflammation that harms your brain. When blood sugar is added to this, blood vessels get damaged even more, which increases the risk of mood problems.
To prevent diabetes and support a healthy weight, limit sugar, refined carbohydrates, and ultra-processed foods. To help balance blood sugar, eat small amounts of protein throughout the day.
Good sleep is critical for emotional health. Poor sleep is associated with bad moods, irritability, stress, and anxiety. It also zaps motivation and lowers positive emotions.
Surprisingly, research indicates that getting too little sleep or getting too much sleep are both linked to increased risk of depression. Experts typically recommend aiming for seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Here are tips for better sleep:
If you want a happier life, you need to optimize your brain. Try the brain biohacking tips in this blog to get on the path to better moods.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging, detailed clinical evaluations, and neuropsychological testing to uncover the root causes of mood problems. Whether it’s low blood flow, inflammation, head trauma, or hormonal imbalances, our personalized treatment plans are designed to target these risk factors and restore brain health—helping you feel happier and more resilient.
Yes. Genetics may load the gun, but your daily habits pull the trigger. Research shows that factors like diet, exercise, stress management, and sleep have a greater influence on your mood and long-term brain health than genetics alone. At Amen Clinics, we help patients create lifestyle strategies that protect and optimize their brain, even when family history puts them at higher risk.
Most mental health care provides never look at the brain—the very organ they treat. At Amen Clinics, we take a brain-based approach that combines advanced imaging, functional medicine, nutritional strategies, and targeted therapies. This comprehensive model allows us to create individualized treatment plans that don’t just mask symptoms but rather help heal the brain for lasting happiness and emotional balance.
Have you noticed that familiar scents—like peanut butter, fresh lemon, sweet strawberries, or even natural gas—don’t smell as strong as they used to, or that you can’t detect them at all? Losing your sense of smell might seem like just a minor inconvenience, but research shows it can be an early warning sign of bigger brain health concerns.
In fact, a declining ability to smell everyday odors is strongly linked to a higher risk of memory problems. Studies reveal that significant olfactory dysfunction can even be one of the earliest indicators of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease.
In recent years, researchers have been uncovering a fascinating link between scent and brain health. A growing body of evidence suggests that olfactory therapy—also called olfactory enrichment or smell therapy—may support cognitive function and memory.
This approach works by repeatedly stimulating the olfactory nerves and brain pathways involved in processing smells through exposure to a variety of scents. Early findings indicate that this simple practice could enhance memory and even serve as part of an early intervention strategy for those at risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
In the sections ahead, you’ll discover how your sense of smell is connected to brain function, why it matters for dementia prevention, and practical ways to strengthen your olfactory system to help protect memory and cognitive health.
Smell therapy, which involves stimulating the olfactory nerves and brain pathways responsible for processing smells through repeated exposure to varied scents, may help to improve cognition and memory in adults at risk for dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term for progressive neurodegenerative diseases that deteriorate brain function. There are several types of dementia that lead to cognitive impairment, memory loss, difficulty with language, and changes in behavior and personality.
Sadly, dementia is recognized as a global healthcare challenge, with an estimated 55 million people around the world living with some form of this neurodegenerative disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, accounting for approximately 60-80 percent of all cases. In the U.S., it’s estimated that Alzheimer’s affects about 6.7 million Americans.
Common signs and symptoms of dementia may include the following:
There are many factors that lead to the development of dementia, including genetics and lifestyle factors. The underlying pathology of Alzheimer’s disease is generally believed to be the buildup of beta amyloid plaques that occurs between neurons (brain cells) and an accumulation of tangles of abnormal tau protein inside the neurons.
However, this theory is not settled science, and some researchers doubt its validity as a recent article in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease points out.
Importantly, brain-imaging research shows that changes in the brain typically develop more than a decade before a clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s.
At Amen Clinics, brain SPECT imaging studies show that changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease can be detected on SPECT scans more than 20 years before cognitive impairment symptoms develop.
With many questions about memory loss and Alzheimer’s disease still to be answered, scientists have become increasingly interested in the olfactory connection to memory.
Related: COVID Depression: What Does Sense of Smell Have to Do With Moods?
Have you noticed how certain smells can powerfully conjure memories from earlier times in your life? Maybe it’s the scent of a perfume your late grandmother wore. Or perhaps the pleasant and familiar smell of fresh-cut grass takes you back to your youth playing in the yard. These scent-triggered memories are often filled with emotion and nostalgia.
There’s a reason your memories are tied to certain scents. It has to do with the center for processing scent in your brain—the olfactory cortex—being located very close to the brain’s memory and emotional centers. The area called the olfactory bulb, where scent signals are first received, has direct neural pathways to these centers, which allows smells to directly influence emotions and memory.
Memories associated with scent are generally considered more powerful, vivid, and emotionally impactful than other sense memories. Indeed, one research study comparing memory response to visual and olfactory cues clearly showed a greater memory recall response to smells.
That may have to do with how different sensory information is processed in the brain. Whereas nerve signals that relay information about sight, taste, touch, and sound first go to the brain’s thalamus to be redirected, scent information goes directly from the olfactory bulb to the brain’s amygdala and hippocampus, bypassing the thalamus altogether.
Part of the limbic system, the amygdala and hippocampus are the brain’s centers of emotion and memory, respectively. The hippocampus is involved in storing and organizing memories.
If it determines a smell is important—such as when it’s connected to an especially emotional moment—the hippocampus can file the information and store it long-term. Even many decades later, the same scent can stir the memory and feelings of that important moment.
The direct neural pathway from the olfactory bulb to the brain’s emotional and memory centers may explain the association between impaired sense of smell and memory loss revealed in research.
A growing body of research has revealed that olfactory dysfunction is associated with a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
One longitudinal, population-based study tracked more than 1,500 participants who were within a normal range of overall cognitive function at baseline for 10 years. The study found that individuals who rated their olfactory sensitivity as “worse than normal” were more likely to develop dementia than those who reported normal sense of smell.
Additionally, low scores on an odor identification test also predicted heightened risk of dementia.
A more recent 12-year population study published in 2025 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia found that olfactory dysfunction is associated with increased risk of dementia.
Importantly, the study also revealed a stronger risk of dementia in individuals who suffered from severe olfactory impairment or anosmia (having no sense of smell at all). And the strongest dementia risk was associated with individuals who had both a genetic risk of Alzheimer’s disease and anosmia.
Unfortunately, our sense of smell naturally diminishes with age. Olfactory function can also be impacted by infections such as COVID, lifestyle factors like smoking, as well as environmental influences such as pollution.
Statistics indicate that about 11 percent of Americans experience trouble smelling in their 50s, and that number continues rising each decade. A full 39 percent of individual over the age of 80 have difficulty identifying scents.
Experts suggest that improving olfactory function with smell therapy may offer a potential way to treat or prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Related: Can You Pass These Two Tests That Predict Dementia?
A diminished sense of smell may be reversible, according to research. And it may involve something as simple as regular use of an essential oil diffuser.
What’s more, improving olfactory function may help to improve brain and memory function.
In smell therapy, people are consistently and repeatedly exposed to different scents. Research suggests that taking this action can potentially:
Research is now exploring if this kind of therapy may help to reverse or prevent memory loss and boost cognition.
A review study published in 2022 in the medical journal Dementia analyzed 20 research studies that used olfactory stimulation (smell therapy) to improve cognitive function. Although the results were mixed, the review showed some promise and supported further investigation of olfactory stimulation as a non-drug intervention for individuals with dementia.
A new study, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, explored the effect of overnight olfactory enrichment to retain or improve cognition, including memory, in healthy older adults.
For this study, they recruited a group male and female adults (ages 60-85) who were randomly assigned to either the olfactory enrichment group or a control group. Those who underwent smell therapy were exposed to seven essential oils each night for two hours using a diffuser.
Cognitive tests and MRI exams were performed at the start and closing of a six-month period.
Remarkably, the group who underwent olfactory enrichment showed a 226 percent improvement in verbal learning and memory testing as well as improved functioning in certain areas of the brain compared to the control group.
The promising results suggest that minimal, nightly olfactory therapy produces improvements in both cognitive and neural functioning. Although it’s a small study, the implications are far-reaching.
Olfactory enrichment may very well provide an effective, low-effort pathway to improved brain health. It’s possible that smell therapy for Alzheimer’s prevention and other forms of dementia may become a common practice in the future.
You may have already noticed a change in your ability to detect smells. If so, it’s a good indication to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist to have your olfactory function tested.
There are self-testing odor identification kits available at pharmacies and online as well. They provide additional information about how well you are able to identify scents, but they are not a replacement for consulting a physician.
The good news is that your olfactory abilities can be improved. Experts say that you can begin at home by smelling four different strong-smelling items you typically find at home. It might be a spice, coffee, or a fragrant flower or herb from your garden.
Smell them in the morning and evening for 30 seconds each. You can switch up the scents as well. Over time, this can help develop your sense of smell.
If you (or someone you love) are experiencing any of the signs and symptoms of memory loss listed above, reach out to a medical doctor as soon as possible.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging along with a detailed clinical evaluation, lab testing, and a review of medical, psychological, and lifestyle factors. This comprehensive approach helps us identify the root causes of memory loss—not just the symptoms.
Traditional psychiatry rarely looks at the brain directly, but at Amen Clinics, SPECT scans show blood flow and activity patterns. These images can reveal early changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease years before symptoms appear, helping us intervene sooner.
Our treatment plans are personalized and may include nutritional strategies, natural supplements, medications (when appropriate), cognitive training, psychotherapy, and lifestyle interventions to strengthen brain health. By targeting each patient’s unique needs, we help slow decline and optimize cognitive function.
Memory loss and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
Quarmley M, Moberg PJ, Mechanic-Hamilton D, et al. Odor Identification Screening Improves Diagnostic Classification in Incipient Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2016;55(4):1497-1507. doi:10.3233/JAD-160842 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3233/JAD-160842
The Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease website
Articl: “ The Amyloid Hypothesis: Greatest invention or Biggest Blunder in Biomedical Science Ever?”
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Younes L, Albert M, Moghekar A, Soldan A, Pettigrew C, Miller MI. Identifying Changepoints in Biomarkers During the Preclinical Phase of Alzheimer’s Disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 2019 Apr 2;11:74.
de Bruijn MJ, Bender M. Olfactory cues are more effective than visual cues in experimentally triggering autobiographical memories. Memory. 2018 Apr;26(4):547-558.
Bouhaben J, Delgado-Lima AH, Delgado-Losada ML. The role of olfactory dysfunction in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease: A meta-analysis. Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2024 Aug;123:105425.
Stanciu I, Larsson M, Nordin S, Adolfsson R, Nilsson L-G, Olofsson JK. Olfactory Impairment and Subjective Olfactory Complaints Independently Predict Conversion to Dementia: A Longitudinal, Population-Based Study. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2014;20(2):209-217.
Laukka EJ, Ekström I, Larsson M, Grande G, Fratiglioni L, Rizzuto D. Markers of olfactory dysfunction and progression to dementia: A 12-year population-based study. Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Jul;19(7):3019-3027.
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https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/statistics/quick-statistics-taste-smell
Accessed September 4, 2025.
Hwang SH, Kim SW, Basurrah MA, Kim DH. The Efficacy of Olfactory Training as a Treatment for Olfactory Disorders Caused by Coronavirus Disease-2019: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy. 2023;37(4):495-501.
D’Andrea F, Tischler V, Dening T, Churchill A. Olfactory stimulation for people with dementia: A rapid review. Dementia (London). 2022 Jul;21(5):1800-1824.
Woo CC, Miranda B, Sathishkumar M, Dehkordi-Vakil F, Yassa MA, Leon M. Overnight olfactory enrichment using an odorant diffuser improves memory and modifies the uncinate fasciculus in older adults. Front Neurosci. 2023 Jul 24;17:1200448.
Whether physical or emotional chronic pain creates and sustains a cycle of suffering. Each bout of pain reinforces and deepens emotional and fear circuits, the brain’s suffering pathways. And that makes it easier for the next wave of pain to follow.
In Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain, psychiatrist and brain health expert Dr. Daniel Amen introduces the concept of the Doom Loop. This self-perpetuating Doom Loop remodels the brain’s circuits, hardwiring them to expect and feel more pain—a case of neuroplasticity gone horribly wrong.
The more this Doom Loop repeats, the more automatic it becomes, locking the brain into a pattern of suffering.
But if the Doom Loop is the villain of your pain story, then the Healing Loop is the hero. This groundbreaking framework can guide you out of the suffering that has taken over your life and into lasting pain relief.
Whether it’s an injury, stress, or repressed emotions, recognizing what sets off your pain is the first step toward healing.
When trapped in the Doom Loop, you may feel escape is impossible. But instead of letting these triggers control you, you’ll learn how to take charge of them. Think of the Healing Loop as your road map to calming your brain, soothing your body, and taking control of your pain.
In his new book, Dr. Amen reveals that he uses the term RELIEF as an acronym that spells out the steps for interrupting the Doom Loop. It will set you on the path to healing, using the following techniques:
The RELIEF Healing Loop starts by helping you recognize the triggers that activate your pain. We know that a multitude of factors can create chronic pain. Whether it’s an injury, stress, or repressed emotions, recognizing what sets off your pain is the first step toward healing.
Next, you’ll ease your brain’s suffering pathways. This means calming the emotional and fear cir-cuits that have been keeping you stuck. Through targeted strategies that enhance brain health, you’ll strengthen your brain’s ability to handle pain without overreacting to it.
Strategies are inspired by Dr. Amen’s BRIGHT MINDS model, which outlines the 11 major risk factors for brain aging and memory loss:
One of the most critical steps is learning to let go of negativity and ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts). These thoughts fuel your pain, making it worse. But with positivity bias exercises, you’ll retrain your brain to predict the best instead of the worst.
As you start to initiate muscle relaxation and emotional expression, your body will follow suit. You’ll practice techniques that reduce muscle tension and release trapped emotions—two often-overlooked contributors to chronic pain.
The next step is to embrace brain-healthy habits that support your journey toward healing. By adopting a lifestyle that boosts your brain’s health, you’ll enhance the effectiveness of every pain-relief strategy you use.
Your brain has an incredible ability to heal and adapt, and with the right strategies, you can often improve how it processes pain. Therefore, finding relief is not about blaming yourself for your pain. It’s about empowering you to take control of it.
Finally, all of this will help you foster lasting healing, motion, connection, and purpose. Living a pain-free life allows you to improve your relationships, remain physically active, and fulfill your most important goals.
We know that individuals with chronic pain can suffer from depression, anxiety, and negative moods or emotions. The RELIEF Healing Loop helps prevent these and other issues that can rob you of your mental health, destroy your well-being, and even shorten your life.
By following the RELIEF Healing Loop, you’ll find yourself breaking free from the grip of pain and embracing a life filled with peace and vitality.
Just as the brain can wire itself into a negative cycle, it can also be rewired for healing and relief. By interrupting these patterns and guiding your brain towards healthier pathways, you can harness neuroplasticity for good, ending the cycle and paving the way for recovery.
In other words, pain doesn’t have to control your life. With the RELIEF Healing Loop, you’ll have the tools you need to reclaim your health and happiness, one step at a time.
Pain doesn’t have to be a life sentence—and understanding its connection to your brain is the first step toward relief. Dr. Amen’s latest book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain, will teach you how to achieve lasting physical and emotional pain relief.
Walker ER, McGee RE, Druss BG. Mortality in mental disorders and global disease burden implications: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Apr;72(4):334-41. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.2502. Erratum in: JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Jul;72(7):736. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.0937. Erratum in: JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Dec;72(12):1259. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2015.2246. PMID: 25671328; PMCID: PMC4461039.
Have you ever felt anxious or guilty after eating something you didn’t consider “clean” or “pure”? Or do you spend so much time planning and preparing “healthy” meals that it interferes with work, relationships, or joy in life?
If so, it may go beyond healthy living—it could be a sign of orthorexia nervosa, a lesser-known eating disorder. Unlike eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, , orthorexia isn’t driven by weight loss or food quantity. Instead, it’s an obsessive fixation on food quality, purity, and “optimal” nutrition.
At first, striving to eat well might seem like a positive thing. But when that pursuit becomes rigid and all-consuming, it can actually harm both your physical health and emotional well-being. In fact, the restrictions of orthorexia can even lead to malnutrition—the very opposite of what was intended.
In this blog, you’ll learn the warning signs, symptoms, and treatment options for orthorexia, so you can recognize when healthy eating has crossed into unhealthy territory.
Unlike other eating disorders, orthorexia is not driven by a desire for thinness or food quantity control. Instead, it's focused on food quality and purity for optimal health.
The term orthorexia was first coined by Steven Bratman, MD, in an article published in the October 1997 issue of Yoga Journal. “Ortho” is an ancient Greek word that means straight, upright, true or correct—suggesting the fixation on eating purely. “Exia” is borrowed from anorexia, the Greek word that means “possession or condition.”
In the article, Dr. Bratman recounts an earlier time in his life working as a cook and organic farmer at a large commune in upstate New York. At the time he was a staunch believer in nutritional medicine for healing.
However, in trying to serve the dietary needs of the spiritual community—which was a broad, diverse group of vegans, vegetarians, macrobiotic followers, Hindu-influenced visitors, raw foodists, and others—he noticed how often their food theory principles contradicted each other. And he observed how his own obsessive-like ideas around food purity impacted his mental and physical health.
It occurred to him that the overfocus on pure and healthy eating was harmful. Hence, he used the term orthorexia nervosa to describe people whose extreme diets—intended for health reasons—may lead to malnutrition and/or impairment of daily functioning.
Although it is not listed as an eating disorder diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), orthorexia is a serious mental health problem. In a review study Dr. Bratman co-authored, he proposed diagnostic criteria for the condition, including:
Additionally, the mental obsession and compulsive behavior surrounding healthy food and eating becomes clinically impairing in any of the following ways:
In 2022, a group of international eating disorder researchers and specialists met to create consensus on how to further define orthorexia. Their work was published in Eating and Weight Disorders.
Based on their consensus, orthorexia is defined as a mental health disorder associated with reduced wellbeing and falling within the DSM-5 eating disorder category called “Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders.”
They also restated known behaviors and added that orthorexia involves:
If these behaviors sound like you, it could be a red flag that you might be struggling with othorexia.
It is not clear yet how prevalent orthorexia is, but experts estimate it to be less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, according to one study. It is thought to be higher among specific populations.
While there’s no one cause of orthorexia, research points to a number of psychological and sociocultural conditions that lead to its development. At the individual level, certain personality traits are associated with the disorder, including:
Related: What Is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?
An individual with these personality traits may be more likely to engage in the rigid, extreme dietary behaviors that characterize orthorexia nervosa. Also, a history of body image issues and dieting can drive disordered eating patterns centered around health obsessions and consuming pure foods.
Sociocultural influences can add a lot of fuel to the fire with this disorder. Idealized body images and clean eating trends across social media platforms are pervasive. They can create a tendency for comparison and mounting pressure in individuals to conform to impossibly high and unsustainable health and nutrition standards.
Of course, social media is notorious for spreading misinformation and unscientific health claims stoking fears about “toxic” foods and promoting dangerously restrictive and narrow dietary choices.
Western culture has long prioritized physical appearance and equated dietary purity with health, which are believed to play a role in the development of orthorexia nervosa as well.
Experts have also noted the following risk factors for orthorexia:
What’s so insidious about orthorexia is that it often develops from a good-intentioned desire to improve health. Often, an individual will adopt a certain diet or eating plan because of a health condition or simply to feel healthier or have more energy.
Gradually, these good intentions grow more consuming and extreme, and at some point, the obsession with healthy and pure eating starts to cause more harm than good.
Based on brain-imaging research involving nearly 300,000 brain scans at Amen Clinics, it is clear that brain activity plays a role in eating disorders. Brain SPECT scans show that the following brain regions are involved in eating disorders:
In orthorexia, this can look like obsessively rereading nutrition labels or replaying a single worry about whether a food is “clean enough,” even when you try to focus on something else.
If you have orthorexia, this might mean intense anxiety when eating at a restaurant where food preparation feels out of your control, leading you to avoid social meals altogether.
In orthorexia, this could contribute to misperceptions about how food choices are affecting health—such as feeling “unclean” or “toxic” after eating a single processed item, even if their body shows no real signs of harm.
Here’s the good news. Orthorexia is highly treatable. As it can have severe consequences (malnourishment, loss of relationships, and poor quality of life), it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible if you suspect you or someone you love is suffering from orthorexia.
Simply acknowledging the problem is the first step to recovering from it. Understanding if other mental health disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or anxiety disorders, are involved is another critical step. And knowing how your brain functions and if your it needs optimization is yet another essential piece of the puzzle.
Seek the help of a medical doctor as well as a qualified mental health professional. Especially in cases of malnourishment and/or severe weight loss, it’s important to seek treatment from a medical care provider.
Orthorexia treatment can involve a wide range of therapies and techniques. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) are two types of therapy that are used to successfully treat orthorexia, according to research.
Related: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: What Is It and Who Can Benefit?
A mental health professional can also address any co-occurring mental health conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or other eating disorders.
Orthorexia is characterized by an unhealthy obsession with eating only “pure” or “clean” foods. Unlike anorexia nervosa and bulimia, it’s not about weight loss but about food quality. When taken to extremes, it can harm both mental and physical health.
Some orthorexia warning signs include spending excessive time thinking about food purity, avoiding social situations involving food, feeling anxious or guilty after eating “unhealthy” foods, and tying your self-worth to how well you follow strict eating rules.
Orthorexia is treatable. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), and integrative brain-based care can help challenge obsessive food-related thoughts and reduce anxiety. A mental health professional can create a personalized treatment plan.
Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube How Can You Help Someone with an Eating Disorder? Table of Contents Eating disorders are often hidden battles. Behind forced smiles, skipped
Eating disorders are often hidden battles. Behind forced smiles, skipped meals, or seemingly harmless habits may be a struggle that quietly erodes both body and mind. Because the warning signs are often subtle, it’s easy for these disorders to go unnoticed until the situation becomes severe.
What many don’t realize is that eating disorders—including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder—are the deadliest of all mental health conditions. In fact, they carry a higher mortality rate than depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.
How bad is it? An estimated 10,200 people die each year as a direct result of eating disorders, according to a 2020 report. That’s one life lost every 52 minutes.
At Amen Clinics, we view eating disorders not as lifestyle choices or moral failings but as serious brain health issues that require compassion, understanding, and specialized care.
If you’re wondering how to help someone with an eating disorder, the first step is awareness. By learning to recognize the signs, understanding the brain’s role in disordered eating, and responding with empathy instead of judgment, you can offer support that may truly save a life.
Eating disorders are the deadliest of all mental health conditions—carrying a higher mortality rate than depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.
Eating disorders affect millions of people, but three types are especially widespread:
Unlike bulimia, they do not regularly engage in purging behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, or laxative use. Feelings of guilt, shame, or distress are common after binge episodes.
Although many people with binge eating disorder are overweight, not everyone with the disorder struggles with weight issues.
The condition is one of the most dangerous eating disorders due to its serious medical complications and high mortality rate.
The cycle of bingeing and purging can cause significant harm to both physical and emotional health.
Many people believe eating disorders are obvious, but they often hide in plain sight. A 2024 study indicates that subtle shifts in behavior, mood, or physical health may be early signs of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating. These red flags should not be ignored.
It may seem like intense fixation on “healthy” eating (also called orthorexia), rigid dieting rules, constant binge eating, or skipping meals are just lifestyle choices. However, when food rituals become extreme, they may signal deeper struggles.
Here are a few behavioral patterns to watch out for:
➤ Cutting food into tiny pieces
➤ Avoiding eating in front of others
➤ Solely relying on food to solve a problem or celebrate
➤ Disappearing to the bathroom immediately after meals or snacks
➤ Excessive exercise, particularly when done secretly or compulsively
Emotional and social changes are often easier to spot than eating behaviors themselves. Someone struggling may withdraw from social gatherings that involve food, become unusually secretive, or show heightened irritability.
Research has linked anorexia nervosa, binge eating, bulimia, and other eating disorders to a range of mental health issues, such as anxiety, and depression. This can contribute to mood swings that leave loved ones like yourself confused. These emotional signs often accompany the physical habits of an eating disorder.
The body frequently reveals what words try to hide. Warning signs that the body is under distress and in need of urgent care include:
Watch for these and be mindful of how to bring up concern with non-judgmental empathy. It can make all the difference in how they see the problem and whether they seek help.
Eating disorders are not just about food. They are brain-based disorders that distort perception, decision-making, and reward systems.
Understanding the neurological underpinnings sheds light on why recovery requires more than willpower. And why individuals need more support beyond a lifestyle change.
Brain imaging studies have shown that eating disorders disrupt the balance between reward pathways, impulse control centers, and stress-response systems. The brain’s reward system may overvalue the perceived benefits of restricting food or purging, while the prefrontal cortex (your brain’s “brake system”) struggles to inhibit harmful behaviors.
This distorted circuit makes obsessive thoughts about food and body image extremely difficult to silence without targeted treatment.
Trauma, bullying, or high stress levels can overwhelm the brain’s coping mechanisms, pushing some people to seek control through food behaviors. Restricting, bingeing, or purging may feel like a way to manage overwhelming emotions, even though it ultimately worsens mental and physical health. For many, an eating disorder becomes a maladaptive survival strategy rooted in trauma.
Related: Healing Emotional Trauma: The Brain-Based Approach
Chemical messengers in the brain like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, play critical roles in regulating mood, appetite, and self-control. Imbalances in these neurotransmitters can contribute to obsessive fears of weight gain, compulsive bingeing rituals, or distorted body image.
Correcting neurochemical imbalances with intentional treatment is a key part of recovery.
Related: How to Hack Your Brain Chemicals
If you suspect someone close to you may be struggling with anorexia, binge eating, or bulimia, the way you approach them can make all the difference. Compassion, not confrontation, should be your guiding principle every time.
Start with gentle curiosity rather than accusations. You can open the door with statements like:
“I’ve noticed you seem stressed lately, and I care about you.”
Focus on expressing genuine concern for their well-being. Also, avoid comments about weight or appearance to focus more on acknowledging how they’re feeling. Listening without judgment creates a safe space for them to share and builds trust with you for the future.
Even when symptoms appear mild, early medical evaluation is crucial for longer term success. A review of 202 studies on co-occurring physical and mental health conditions confirms that eating disorders can cause serious complications.
Encouraging a loved one to seek help from a doctor, therapist, or specialized clinic such as Amen Clinics can help prevent irreversible damage and set the stage for recovery.
Practical support goes beyond conversations and turns into action. You can start by:
Eating disorders are chronic conditions for many, so relapse prevention is an essential part of the recovery process. Structured and ongoing support helps reinforce progress and protect against setbacks.
Long-term care may include regular check-ins, follow-up brain scans, and therapy sessions to monitor progress and make treatment adjustments. These touchpoints help catch warning signs early and reinforce the skills developed during treatment.
Lasting recovery depends on strengthening emotional resilience. Mental health practices such as mindfulness, journaling, stress-management techniques, and building strong social support networks can protect against relapse.
By nurturing self-compassion and coping skills, your loved ones are better equipped to navigate life’s challenges without turning to disordered eating behaviors.
To help someone with an eating disorder, you must first understand that it’s not about vanity, diet culture, or simply having “willpower.” It’s about the brain.
These disorders distort thinking, hijack reward systems, and can lead to life-threatening complications if left untreated. But with early detection, compassionate support, and brain-based treatment, healing is possible.
Traditional treatment for eating disorders often focus only on behavior. Amen Clinics takes a brain-based, integrative approach that addresses the underlying neurological and psychological drivers of eating disorders.
The brain SPECT imaging at Amen Clinics allows clinicians to see patterns of overactivity or underactivity linked to anxiety, perfectionism, impulsivity, trauma, and other issues. Getting more personalized insight guides targeted treatment for eating disorders, ensuring that care is not one-size-fits-all but rather tailored to their unique brain.
At Amen Clinics, neurofeedback therapy may be an integral part of an eating disorder treatment plan. This noninvasive treatment teaches patients how to regulate brain activity, reducing compulsive urges and calming perfectionist thought patterns.
Over time, this brain training builds self-control and emotional resilience, giving them the tools they need to sustain recovery.
Recovery from an eating disorder requires a whole-person approach. At Amen Clinics, treatment integrates evidence-based therapies (such as cognitive behavioral therapy or ANT therapy as Amen Clinics founder Dr. Daniel Amen calls it), brain-healthy nutrition, and targeted supplements to restore balance in brain chemistry.
This combination strengthens emotional stability, improves energy, and reduces obsessive food-related thoughts.
Eating disorders and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
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Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Table of Contents Gut Health and ADHD: Can Vitamins and Minerals Improve Both? There’s a growing buzz in scientific and mental health
There’s a growing buzz in scientific and mental health communities about the gut-brain connection. The truth is the gut does so much more than digest food. It also talks to the brain, shaping everything from mood and memory to focus and behavior. For people with ADHD, this conversation between the gut and brain may be especially critical.
New research, including a 2025 study, suggests that taking vitamins and minerals can shift the makeup of gut bacteria in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), also called attention deficit disorder (ADD). The evidence shows that supplementation with micronutrients is linked to a high potential for improving focus, attention, and behavior.
With decades of experience in nutritional psychiatry and brain-based healthcare, Amen Clinics is at the forefront of uncovering how lifestyle changes, targeted nutritional supplements, and gut-brain strategies can support better outcomes for people with ADHD.
Here’s a breakdown of how micronutrients influence gut health and why that matters so much for ADHD management.
Amen Clinics is at the forefront of uncovering how lifestyle changes, targeted supplements, and gut-brain strategies can support better outcomes for people with ADHD.
The gut and brain are in constant communication through a superhighway called the vagus nerve, along with chemical messengers like neurotransmitters and immune signals. Inside your digestive tract are trillions of microbes collectively known as gut microbiota. They play a direct role in producing neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA—all of which affect mood and focus.
When your gut bacteria are balanced, the messages sent to your brain are calming and supportive. However, when the microbiome is out of balance, those messages can increase anxiety, irritability, and distractibility—one of the hallmark symptoms of ADHD.
Studies show that children and adults with ADHD tend to have more gut inflammation, higher intestinal permeability (aka “leaky gut”), and microbial imbalances. This heightened sensitivity means that even small disruptions—such as eating artificial food dyes or lacking key nutrients—can set off a chain reaction that impacts your attention, behavior, and mood.
In other words, for people with ADHD, gut health is a foundational part of your mental and physical well-being.
In the 2025 study mentioned earlier, a team of researchers looked at whether giving children with ADHD extra vitamins and minerals could help with focus and emotional control—and whether these changes might be linked to gut health.
In the study, 44 children took either micronutrients or a placebo for eight weeks, then all were given micronutrients for another eight weeks. Stool samples were collected to see how gut bacteria changed over time. The study suggests that taking nutritional supplements improves gut health.
Beyond the gut, the children in the study also experienced notable improvements in ADHD symptoms, including better attention, emotional regulation, and reduced hyperactivity.
These behavioral changes occurred in tandem with shifts in gut bacteria, suggesting a strong relationship between micronutrient-fueled microbiota and brain function.
Several previous studies have linked nutrition to improved mental health outcomes, especially in ADHD. Research from other clinical trials has shown that micronutrient formulas can improve mood, reduce impulsivity, and enhance emotional resilience in both children and adults with ADHD. Gut health appears to be a major mechanism driving these changes.
In the study, the children received a broad-spectrum micronutrient formula—not just one or two vitamins, but a carefully balanced combination of vitamins and minerals. The micronutrient capsules contained 36 ingredients, including:
The supplement used was designed to provide nutrients at levels higher than a standard multivitamin, but still within safe limits. The researchers aimed to address multiple potential deficiencies at once rather than targeting a single nutrient.
Related: What Is the Role of Gut Microbiota in Alzheimer’s Disease?
The 2025 study, which appeared in the journal Gut Microbes, found that micronutrient supplements influenced the gut microbiome in children with ADHD in important ways.
For example, taking vitamins and minerals was associated with an overall increase in the diversity of gut bacteria.
Specifically, the bacterial group Actinobacteriota decreased in children taking micronutrients compared to placebo. At the same time, two families of bacteria known to produce butyrate—Rikenellaceae and Oscillospiraceae—increased in children who showed the most behavioral improvement.
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that supports gut lining health, reduces inflammation, and may positively influence brain function.
These findings suggest that micronutrients may help rebalance the gut microbiome by reducing certain bacteria while boosting helpful butyrate-producing microbes, potentially contributing to better focus and emotional regulation.
A more diverse microbiome is generally associated with lower inflammation, improved digestion, mental stability, and more stable neurotransmitter production. For those with ADHD, increasing microbial diversity can help regulate focus and mood by ensuring a wider variety of bacteria are working together to send helpful signals to the brain.
Related: Does My Gut Health Affect My Mental Stability
Yes, but ideally with a strategy. Not all probiotics are created equal. Look for evidence-based strains like Lactobacillus helveticus or Bifidobacterium longum, which have been studied for their effects on mood. Also, add prebiotic-rich foodslike onions, garlic, leeks, and bananas, which feed the good bacteria and encourage diversity.
The best micronutrient supplement can only do so much if the body is under daily assault from inflammatory foods. That’s why Amen Clinics often recommends an elimination diet, which can calm the immune system and improve nutrient absorption by first removing:
This step alone can reduce ADHD symptoms in some people.
Related: What is an Elimination Diet? (And Why Your Mental Health Needs One)
When you eat something your body doesn’t tolerate well, it can trigger systemic inflammation. That inflammation travels through the gut-brain axis and results in brain fog, poor concentration, irritability, or impulsivity. Identifying and removing certain trigger foods is often a game-changer for ADHD gut health.
While micronutrients are generally safe, testing for deficiencies first is crucial. At Amen Clinics, we use lab testing to identify gaps in nutrition before making personalized recommendations. This ensures targeted support without overloading the system.
Nutritional supplements are generally safe, but taking too many vitamins and minerals may lead to digestive issues or mineral imbalances in some cases. That’s why it’s important to work with a clinician experienced in integrative ADHD treatment.
Most people begin to notice changes within four to 10 weeks of consistent use. The improvements in focus, energy, and emotional balance develop gradually, but are meaningful and long-lasting when paired with lifestyle changes.
Amen Clinics addresses ADHD gut health from every angle and may include:
Our brain SPECT imaging allows us to see how different regions of the brain are functioning. Combined with gut health insights, this helps us personalize treatment plans for better outcomes because no two brains are the same.
If you’re ready to take control of your ADHD symptoms with a gut-first approach, schedule an appointment with Amen Clinics. We’ll guide you through lab testing, SPECT imaging, and a fully customized nutritional and supplement plan.
This goes beyond basic symptom management and focuses on optimizing your brain and body for a better life with ADHD.
Absolutely! Gut-brain health strategies are showing promise for anxiety, depression, fatigue, and brain fog, all of which often co-occur with ADHD. Supporting your microbiome with an ADHD gut health protocol may be the missing piece you need for sharper focus, better follow-through, and greater impulse control.
ADHD and other mental health conditions can’t wait. At Amen Clinics, we provide personalized, science-backed treatment plans designed to target the root causes of your symptoms. Our 360-approach includes brain SPECT imaging, clinical evaluations, innovative therapeutic techniques, medications (when necessary), and holistic lifestyle recommendations to promote the health of your brain, body, and mind. Speak to a specialist today at 888-288-9834 or visit our contact page here.
Ast, H. K., Hammer, M., Zhang, S., Bruton, A., Hatsu, I. E., Leung, B., McClure, R., Srikanth, P., Farris, Y., Norby-Adams, L., Robinette, L. M., Arnold, L. E., Swann, J. R., Zhu, J., Karstens, L., & Johnstone, J. M. (2025). Gut microbiome changes with micronutrient supplementation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: the MADDY study. Gut Microbes, 17(1), 2463570. https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2025.2463570
Zhi, J., Zhang, S., Huang, M., Qin, H., Xu, H., Chang, Q., & Wang, Y. (2024). Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation as a potential therapy for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Modulation of the noradrenergic pathway in the prefrontal lobe. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2024.1494272
Ming, X., Chen, N., Ray, C., Brewer, G., Kornitzer, J., & Steer, R. A. (2018). A Gut Feeling: A Hypothesis of the Role of the Microbiome in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders. Child Neurology Open, 5, 2329048X18786799. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329048X18786799
Wang, Y., & Cao, M. (2025). The impact of a multi-micronutrient nutritional formula combined with cognitive behavioral therapy in managing symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 13, 1624344. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2025.1624344
Toscano, M., De Grandi, R., Stronati, L., De Vecchi, E., & Drago, L. (2017). Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 and Bifidobacterium longum BB536 on the healthy gut microbiota composition at phyla and species level: A preliminary study. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 23(15), 2696–2704. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v23.i15.2696
Appleton J. (2018). The Gut-Brain Axis: Influence of Microbiota on Mood and Mental Health. Integrative Medicine (Encinitas, Calif.), 17(4), 28–32. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6469458/