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A diet that works well for one person may be completely wrong for another person. Why? Different brain systems drive different tendencies and behaviors. Most diets fail because they take a one-size-fits-all approach. Our work with SPECT imaging has shown us that there are multiple types of overeaters: • Some are compulsive • Some are impulsive • Some are compulsive AND impulsive • Some eat to improve their mood • And, some eat to calm their worries

Introducing Type 5: Anxious Overeater

People with this type tend to use food to medicate their feelings of • Anxiety • Tension • Nervousness • Fear They may be plagued by feelings of panic and self-doubt, and suffer physical symptoms of anxiety, such as: 1. Muscle tension 2. Nail biting 3. Headaches 4. Abdominal pain 5. Heart palpitations 6. Shortness of breath 7. Sore muscles It is as if anxious overeaters have an overload of tension and emotion. They tend to predict the worst and often complain of waiting for something bad to happen. They may be excessively shy, easily startled, and freeze in emotionally charged situations. Certain behaviors and substances can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and make anxious overeaters more likely to eat in an attempt to make those feelings go away. For example: • Focusing on the negative • Believing every negative thought they have • Too much caffeine or other stimulating substances • Drinking alcohol

What SPECT Tells Us

The SPECT scans of anxious overeaters often show increased activity in the basal ganglia, which is commonly caused by low levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA. Interventions to boost GABA combined with relaxation techniques that calm the brain are generally the most helpful.

We Can Help Today

If you would like to learn more about how Amen Clinics can help you with the stress, anxiety, or panic or overeating in your life, call us today at 877-335-8941 or visit our website. You CAN change your brain and change your life! The brain-body connection is real and more apparent than you might think. While some disease is hereditary, bad health is often born out of unhealthy choice and behaviors. When your brain suffers, so does your body, but it’s never too late to change your brain, and your life. Alzheimer’s disease is expected to triple by 2050, and there is no cure on the horizon. Alzheimer’s disease affects 50 percent of people age eighty-five and older. If you are fortunate to live until you are eighty-five or beyond you have a one-in-two chance of losing your mind along the way. To make matters worse, recent brain-imaging research has demonstrated that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia actually start in the brain decades before you have any symptoms. Depression is one of the greatest killers of our time. It affects 50 million Americans at some point in their lives and has increased 400 percent since 1987. Depression is associated with suicide, divorce, job failure, heart disease, obesity, and dementia. Depression doubles the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in women and quadruples it in men. Attention deficit disorder (ADD), also called attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is now being diagnosed more frequently than ever. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that nearly one in five high-school-age boys and 11 percent of school-age children overall have received a diagnosis of ADD, including an estimated 6.4 million children between the ages of six and seventeen. Many people underestimate the devastating consequences of ADD. Yet, when left untreated, it is associated with school underachievement and failure (35 percent never finish high school), drug and alcohol abuse, job failure, divorce, incarceration, obesity, depression, and dementia. Obesity is a serious national crisis with two-thirds of Americans over- weight and one-third obese. Obesity increases inflammation, which is a low-level fire in the body that destroys our organs and is a risk factor for more than thirty medical illnesses, including cancer, diabetes, depression, and dementia. There are many published studies, including two by the research team at Amen Clinics, that report as your weight goes up, the size and function of your brain go down. If you are not a warrior for the health of your brain and the brains of those who depend on you, ADD, depression, dementia, premature aging, diabetes, obesity, and premature death are the consequences for your loved ones and yourself. Do not be a victim; if you are ready to start fighting for yourself and your loved ones we can help you! Call Amen Clinics at 888-288-9834 or visit us at online. Depression in children and teens can take many forms and is increasing at a shivering rate affecting their social, academic, and familial functioning.  Many children become depressed because of their difficult home life and tense family relations.  However, depression can occur at any point in a child’s life even when things seem to be going well and those affecthed may have difficulty dealing with everyday activities and responsibilities.  For instance, depression may affect the way kids behave at home and at school, how they interact with others, and how they feel about themselves. In a recent study done by Columbia University was the first of its kind distinguishing trends in depression by gender, income, and education. This study looked at children who are the age 12 and older for a ten-year period. The study concluded in 2015 and found that children who are aged 12 to 17 increased from 8.7% in 2005 to 12.7% in 2015.  The authors note, major depression is associated with “significant disability, morbidity, and mortality.”  Be proactive in noticing depression in children and teens with these tips: 

Some of the factors that may predispose children to depression are:

Know the Signs:

Know the Facts:

Distinguishing “normal” misbehaviors of childhood from more worrisome problems can be challenging.  Do you find yourself asking questions such as “Are my child’s behaviors causing problems in his/her life, at home, in school, or in relationships with family or friends?” and “Are my child’s behaviors holding him/her back from gaining confidence or success?” If left untreated, childhood depression can ultimately lead to school failure, alcohol and drug use, and even suicide. Depression in children, teens, and adults is not a personal weakness; it is a mental health problem. The good news, however, is that childhood depression is treatable, especially when it is diagnosed early. In addition, anxiety and depression interfere with school, work, health, relationships and more. Contact us today at 888-288-9834, or have someone reach out to you. Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, and inferiority. Everyone has feelings of anxiety, nervousness, and stress in their lives from time to time. Almost everyone has felt anxious in social situations. Particular popular experiences that make a majority of people uneasy include having to speak in front of a group or when interviewing for a new job. While others are anxious and nervous in almost all social situations. But social anxiety is more than just being shy or having occasional nervousness. It involves intense fear of social situations.  It’s more common among introverts, and because each person has a unique chemical makeup, the intensity and frequency of the symptoms vary greatly from person to person.  In the United States, studies have recently pegged social anxiety disorder as the third largest psychological disorder in the country, after depression and alcoholism. It is estimated that 7-8% of the population suffers from some form of social anxiety. Many learn to cope and overcome social anxiety through self-help methods or seek counseling. However, those who are severely impaired due to high levels of anxiety should seek professional help.

Challenge Your Thoughts

Social anxiety sufferers have negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to their anxiety. Challenging your negative thoughts is one effective way of reducing the symptom. Dr. Amen has created a powerful and effective exercise, called Kill the ANTs, that takes no more than a few minutes to complete and will help reverse your negative thought process.  “ANTs” are Automatic Negative Thoughts that come into your mind automatically but are not true. Left unchecked, these ANTs can infest your mind and ruin your mood, relationships, and life. Dr. Amen says “You do not have to believe every stupid thought that goes through your head.”  Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, write down the thoughts that are bothering you, reveal the facts about the situation and talk back to them.

Brain Healthy Tips to Help With Anxiety

Another way to boost your mood and reduce anxiety is to write down five things you are grateful for every day. Research suggests that focusing on gratitude helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of the brain and enhances the judgment centers. When you focus on what you love, your brain works better, and you’ll feel better. You will notice a significant positive difference in your level of happiness in a short period! Taking supplements like fish oil will increase levels of omega-3 fatty acids that have been associated with anxiety and depression. GABA has shown to promote relaxation by increasing calming, focused brain waves, while also reducing other brain waves associated with worry. A balanced diet between protein and complex carbohydrates is also best for the anxious/compulsive brain type. An example of a balanced breakfast would be two scrambled eggs and tomato salsa in an Ezekiel wrap. Lunch would be a brown rice bowl with Tamari and grilled wild Alaskan salmon. Dinner could be rotisserie chicken with roasted brussels sprouts and quinoa. Meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, listening to relaxing music, intense exercise, hypnosis and optimizing vitamin D levels are also great ways to gain control of anxiety. Anxiety and depression are not the results of character flaws or personal weakness; they are the result of biological problems in the brain that can be balanced. If you or a loved one is struggling, contact the Amen Clinics today or call (888) 288-9834. For daily brain health updates, follow us on Facebook. The experience of anxiety and depression is similar for men and women in many ways. Fifty percent of those who experience an episode of anxiety and depression will have another episode within five years, and many will develop chronic relapsing forms of the disorder. In that case, being male or female doesn’t change the risk. Men and women with anxiety disorders or depression also share the tendency to have complicated, or comorbid, conditions. The risk of suicide and suicide attempts is higher for both depressed men and women.

There are a few differences in the course and experience of depression and anxiety that may be gender-related.

The most impressive difference between men and women becomes apparent at puberty. In childhood, the rates of anxiety and depression are similar for boys and girls. This begins to change as children reach adolescence. The rate of depression and anxiety among girls begins to rise at puberty and accelerates through the teenage years. Women are diagnosed with anxiety and depression far more commonly than men. Some studies indicate that as many as 15-20% of women may be suffering from depression. Amen Clinics specializes in the personalized diagnosis of anxiety and depression. Often, there are underlying reasons or brain trauma that need to be realized and treated. Get more information on the Amen Clinics Method regarding depression by calling 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. One of the challenges for people who experience both anxiety and focus issues, such as a combination of PTSD and ADD, is to calm the anxiety without decreasing focus.  Many anti-anxiety drugs have side effects of sleepiness and relaxation, calming the brain, but as one woman reported, “they also make me dingier.” On the other hand, when a stimulant like Adderall is used alone to help with focus, it can increase anxiety in those who struggle with it. Often we have to use a combination of supplements or medications to help a client achieve “relaxed focus,” an ideal balance in the brain.

Can Green Tea Help Those With Anxiety & ADD?

A study from Japan has found that daily supplements of L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea, may help people with anxiety also focus on their daily activities. A win-win for many with a dual diagnosis of anxiety with attention deficits. L-theanine may help reduce stress, promote relaxation, and improve the quality of sleep. Though it is found in tea, the level is low (less than 2 percent). So the effective dosage levels (of 100 – 200mg/day) cannot be delivered from drinking tea but must come from a supplement. The new study confirmed the dose of 200 mg for “enhanced performance in visual attention task, and reaction time response, among the subjects with higher anxiety.” The l-theanine appears to work by changing the electrical activity in the brain by increasing alpha waves, measured by EEG. Results of the test showed that highly anxious students receiving the L-theanine displayed a slowing of their heart rate, improved attention and better reaction times, compared to members of the same group receiving placebo.  This is a significant improvement over many conventional anti-anxiety treatments that often have side effects of drowsiness, slowed reflexes, or impaired concentration.

Other Health Benefits of Green Tea

In addition to reducing stress and promoting relaxation, there are other health benefits associated with green tea. In moderation, green tea is great for an energy boost since it has only half the amount of caffeine compared to coffee and the l-theanine will keep you focused and not craving more and more. Not only does green tea help keep weight off, boost exercise ability, help muscle recover faster from a workout, but it improves attention span as well. At Amen Clinics we encourage our patients to drink unsweetened green tea two or three times a day. Researchers from China found that when people drank two to three cups of green tea per day their DNA actually looked younger than those who did not. To get the brain you want, try practicing healthy brain habits. For instance, if you are relying heavily on coffee, make small changes to wean off coffee and add green tea into your diet. You can have better energy and focus by paying attention to the health of your brain. At Amen Clinics, we want to help you learn more about your brain and how you can make it better, not only for yourself but for the generations that follow. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit. Ten years prior to coming to Amen Clinics, Theresa would have described her life as “amazing.” However, a series of very stressful life events had sent her into a tailspin. This began in 2006 when her infant daughter was diagnosed with cancer she developed stress, struggles with mood, and anxiety. “Dear God, if I am not going to get any better, just let me die.”  After her decade-long struggle battling trauma, working with a variety of therapists, and trying countless medications, 43-year-old Theresa recalls uttering these words aloud. Theresa began experiencing difficulty sleeping, which was addressed with different sleeping medications. When Theresa came to Amen Clinics for an evaluation, she was suffering from depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation.

Theresa’s Downward Spiral

A few years later, her older daughter was diagnosed with anorexia and a few years after that, her father’s health began failing. Theresa became his primary caretaker until his death two years ago. Additionally, she was experiencing financial stress due to the mounting medical bills and she had gained a substantial amount of weight due to “stress eating” and feeling too fatigued to exercise. She felt that these issues had caused her to become forgetful. During this time, her insomnia, depression, and anxiety significantly increased. Again, she was given a variety of different medications to try to alleviate her symptoms, some of which seemed to work for a little while before losing their effectiveness. She was also in and out of therapy but didn’t seem to be getting any better.
Prior to coming to Amen Clinics, Theresa feared that no one would be able to figure out what was wrong with her.
The findings from Theresa’s scans revealed marked increased activity in her thalamus which is associated with mood problems as well as marked increased activity in her basal ganglia which is found with anxiety disorders. There were some surprising findings as well – notably, flattening of her prefrontal pole and decreased activity of her temporal, parietal and occipital lobe as well as her prefrontal pole. These findings are indicative of past brain injury she didn’t realize she had! The clinical history viewed in the context of SPECT imaging allowed the Amen Clinics physicians to more fully understand Theresa’s underlying brain physiology so they could create the best possible and most individualized treatment plan for optimizing her brain health. This included personalized supplement, nutritional, and exercise recommendations. In addition, it was recommended that she begin Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) which helps address emotional trauma and Neurofeedback which can help train one’s brain waves to produce healthy patterns, activating areas that need greater stimulation, and calming areas that are overactive.

Theresa’s Improvement

By following these recommendations, Theresa began to feel significantly better. “I am really looking forward to going on a date with my husband tonight. But you know the best part? Last weekend, instead of hiding in my room, I played ball with my kids – they have their mom back!” Theresa’s story wonderfully illustrates the importance of SPECT imaging and how it can transform an individual’s life. If the Amen Clinics physicians had not had the ability to physically see her brain, they would have had to simply guess at what was going on in Theresa’s brain – just as all of the other treatment professionals had done up to that point. At Amen Clinics, we want to help you learn more about your brain and how you can make it better, not only for yourself but for the generations that follow. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit today. *names and/or medical details have been changed to protect the former patient’s identity. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 40 million Americans struggle with anxiety disorders, which equates to roughly 18% of the population. Although anxiety disorders are the most common class of mental disorders present in the general population, only one-third of those suffering will receive treatment. There are different types of anxiety, and each has its own unique list of symptoms. Social anxiety, an intense fear of social situations, afflicts many in our society, particularly introverts. According to a recent study, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) more than doubles the risk of cancer mortality in men. Long-term effects of anxiety include high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

There is Hope for Healing Your Anxiety

While daily exercise, quality sleep, supplements and good mood foods are essential stress reducers, there are many other effective strategies for treating anxiety, including: 1. Be Grateful- Write down five things you are grateful for every day. Focusing on the things you are thankful for helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of your brain. 2. Take a Time-Out- There are a variety of relaxation methods, including meditating, diaphragmatic breathing and listening to brain-enhancing music. Find a technique that works for you and use it whenever you become stressed. 3. Face Your Fears- Unless the situation is life-threatening, do not leave, run away from, or ignore whatever is causing you to have anxiety. Like standing up to a bully, you must face the fear or concern directly, or it will always have control over you and increase your anxiety. 4. Learn to Let Go- Accept that you can’t control everything. If you’re holding on too tightly, you might be causing yourself unnecessary stress, which will only make your anxiety worse. 5. Repeat a Mantra- Repeating simple words like “May I be safe and secure” can increase positive emotions and decrease negative ones. Research has shown that Loving Kindness Meditations (LKM) can minimize pain, migraine headaches and the symptoms of PTSD. 6. Talk It Out- This is an absolute must. Let friends and family know when you’re emotionally overwhelmed. Seek professional help if necessary, but don’t fight your battles alone. 7. Use a Visual Anchor- Whether it’s looking up at the clouds or staring at a picture of a tropical paradise, find a visual anchor that will calm you down during stressful situations. 8. Exaggerate Your Greatest Fear- Tell your fear to someone in as dramatic fashion as possible. Repeating the story several times will make your fear seem downright silly. 9. Laugh- When all else fails, laugh. Laughing releases stress-reducing endorphins into your bloodstream. Laughter truly is the best medicine and can work wonders in relieving anxiety. Untreated anxiety robs you of your quality of life. If you would like to know more about how Amen Clinics can help you with the anxiety in your life, it is important that you contact us today at 888-288-9834 or online. Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, and inferiority. Social anxiety is more than just being shy or having occasional nervousness. It involves intense fear of social situations. It is more common among introverts, and because each person has a unique chemical make-up, the intensity and frequency of the symptoms vary greatly from person to person. However, you don’t have to live a life of fear that ultimately neglects you of daily activities and your ability to grow your relationships. Here are some tips for overcoming the social anxiety hurdle:

Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

Social anxiety sufferers have negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to their anxiety. Dr. Daniel Amen has created a powerful and effective exercise, “Kill the ANTs.” Killing your automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) will help reverse your negative thought process.
  1. Write it down. When those automatic negative thoughts start tumbling around in your mind, write them down to clearly identify them.
  1. Ask yourself, are these thoughts even true? Uninvestigated thoughts can lead us to act in harmful ways.
  1. Talkback. If you discover that these negative thoughts are false, talk back to them! Tell these thoughts you know they aren’t true!

What Are You Grateful For?

Another way to boost your mood and reduce anxiety is to write down five things you are grateful for every day. Research suggests that focusing on gratitude helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of the brain and enhances the judgment centers of the brain. When you focus on what you love, your brain works better, and you’ll feel better. You will notice a significant positive difference in your level of happiness.

Take Supplements Daily

Taking supplements every day can help support your mood and increase positivity. Furthermore, a few other suggestions for reducing social anxiety would be a balanced diet, meditation, diaphragmatic breathing, listening to relaxing music, daily exercise, and hypnosis. Anxiety and depression are not the results of character flaws or personal weakness; they are the result of biological problems in the brain that can be balanced. If you or a loved one is struggling, contact Amen Clinics today or call (888) 288-9834. Social anxiety is the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people that can automatically bring on feelings of self-consciousness, judgment and inferiority. Everyone has feelings of anxiety, nervousness and stress in their lives from time to time. Almost everyone has felt anxious in social situations at one time or another. Many people get nervous on occasion, like when having to speak in front of a group or when interviewing for a new job, while others are anxious and nervous in almost all social situations. But social anxiety is more than just being shy or having occasional nervousness. It involves intense fear of social situations.  It’s more common among introverts and because each person has a unique chemical make-up, the intensity and frequency of the symptoms vary greatly from person to person.  In the United States, studies have recently pegged social anxiety disorder as the third largest psychological disorder in the country, after depression and alcoholism. At the present time, it is estimated that 7-8% of the population suffers from some form of social anxiety. Many learn to cope and overcome social anxiety through self-help methods or seek counseling. However, those who are severely impaired due to high levels of anxiety should seek professional help.

Here are four strategies that you can start today to begin feeling calm and more positive:

1. Kill The ANTs

Social anxiety sufferers have negative thoughts and beliefs that contribute to their anxiety. Challenging your negative thoughts is one effective way of reducing the symptom. Dr. Amen has created a powerful and effective exercise, called Kill the ANTs, that takes no more than a few minutes to complete and will help reverse your negative thought process.  “ANTs” are Automatic Negative Thoughts that come into your mind automatically but are not true. Left unchecked, these ANTs can infest your mind and ruin your mood, relationships and life. Dr. Amen says, “You do not have to believe every stupid thought that goes through your head.”  Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, write down the thoughts that are bothering you, reveal the facts about the situation and talk back to them.

2. Be Grateful

Another way to boost your mood and reduce anxiety is to write down five things you are grateful for every day. Research suggests that focusing on gratitude helps to calm the deep limbic or emotional areas of the brain and enhances the judgment centers. When you focus on what you love, your brain works better and you’ll feel better. You will notice a significant positive difference in your level of happiness in a short period of time!

3. Take Supplements

Taking supplements like fish oil will increase levels of omega-3 fatty acids that have been associated with anxiety and depression. GABA has shown to promote relaxation by increasing calming, focused brain waves, while also reducing other brain waves associated with worry. Magnesium is also a helpful, natural supplement that can ease the social anxiety.

4. Exercise

Exercise will not only make you feel better about yourself, but will flood your body with feel-good endorphins. Research shows that increasing your body heat, a natural result of exercise, may alter neural circuits controlling cognitive function and mood, including those that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin. Researchers believe this response can boost your mood, increase relaxation, and alleviate anxiety. Untreated anxiety can rob you of a great quality of life. At Amen Clinics, we take a multi-modal approach to treating anxiety disorders that includes brain SPECT imaging to identify which areas of your brain are working well and which areas are not functioning at optimal levels. We add detailed clinical assessments, cognitive testing, and labs if applicable to ensure we are capturing a 365-degree view of your overall condition. From the results, we construct a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to you and your individual needs. To get your anxiety under control, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit us online to schedule a visit.