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by Shane Creado, MD

If you work with people who are trying to lose weight, build lean muscle mass, or improve athletic performance, it’s critical to talk to them about getting adequate rest. Let’s look at just some of the many ways sleep can impact the ability to reach fitness goals.

1. Sleep deprivation tanks testosterone levels.

Anyone who is trying to build more muscle or get leaner needs healthy testosterone levels. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone that promotes muscle growth and strength in both men and women. It also plays a role in fat loss and preventing fat gain. For example, research shows that the testosterone levels of obese men are about 30% lower than those in men at a healthy weight.

Lack of sleep lowers testosterone levels. In a trial with healthy young men, sleeping just 5 hours a night for a week caused testosterone levels to decrease by 10-15%. Sleeping less means less testosterone, which results in less lean muscle and more fat.

2. Lack of deep sleep decreases growth hormone.

Deep sleep coincides with the release of growth hormone. Many of the body’s cells also show increased production and reduced breakdown of proteins during deep sleep. Since proteins are the building blocks needed for muscle growth, repair of damaged tissue, and bone-building, deep sleep is critical for athletic achievement and recovery from tough workouts. It is also vital for healthy growth and muscle development in children and adolescent athletes.

Unfortunately, 69% of high school students in the U.S. do not get adequate sleep. Because of this, children and teen athletes may potentially suffer from stunted growth as well as other direct impacts on sports performance.

Additionally, when a child or adolescent has growth hormone deficiencies, concentration and reaction times can be affected (frontal lobes), math and art skills can suffer (parietal lobes), and memory centers (temporal lobes) take a big hit.

3. Sleepless nights spike stress hormones.

Physical activity increases the production of cortisol and testosterone. Cortisol plays a central role in the body’s response to physical activity and the regulation of the immune system. The balance and timing of the release of anabolic (testosterone) and catabolic (cortisol) hormones are considered essential to muscle adaptation, especially muscle growth.

Sleep deprivation can lead to more cortisol production, which can worsen stress, accelerate muscle breakdown, and further contribute to insomnia/excessive wakefulness, setting up a bad feedback loop.

4. Poor sleep can make you fat.

If hormones are the gatekeepers of your cells, then sleep deprivation is a Trojan horse. Short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity. In one massive review study, children and adults with short sleep duration were 89% and 55% more likely to become obese, respectively.

Possible mechanisms include:

To quantify this, approximately 4 hours of sleep deprivation results in a perceived deficit of 900 calories, which means your body will think you need 900 more calories for every 4 hours of sleep you lose. Eating an extra 900 calories can quickly add up to excess fat on the body.

Many of the patients I see tell me that they rarely lose 4 hours of sleep in a week. But I explain to them that the brain needs 9 hours of sleep a night, so even if someone is getting what they think is a “healthy” 7 hours of sleep a night, at the end of the week, it adds up to 14 hours of sleep deprivation. When you help patients or clients think about it this way, they begin to see how their lack of sleep may be holding them back from reaching their fitness goals.

It’s our job as clinicians to help people who are trying to lose weight or trying to build muscle understand that getting quality sleep is just as crucial to their fitness goals as nutrition and exercise.

About the Author: Shane Creado, MD, Amen Clinics Chicago 

Dr. Shane Creado is a board-certified sleep specialist, who works not only on the treatment of sleep disorders but also on perfecting and optimizing sleep. He is the host of the Overcoming Insomnia course, which teaches the best evidence-based strategies to improve sleep. Dr. Creado is also the author of Peak Sleep Performance: The Cutting-Edge Sleep Science That Will Guarantee A Competitive Advantage, available on Amazon.

This book is primarily geared toward coaches, trainers, and elite athletes, but this step-by-step guide to sleep optimization can also be beneficial for anybody who wants to boost their brain health and productivity. For updates about the book, free sleep tips, as well as special offers, follow @peaksleepperformance on Instagram.

 

Do you (or your child) have ADD (attention-deficit disorder) or ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)? Do you think prescription stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall are the only treatment options available? They’re not.

Although stimulants may be helpful for some people with ADD, they aren’t effective for everyone and they can make some people worse. It all depends on which type of condition you have. Brain imaging studies show there are 7 types of ADD, and knowing your type is critical for finding the right solutions.

In general, medication should never be the first or only thing you do for any mental health condition. There are many alternatives to medication that can improve ADD symptoms, such as lack of focus, impulsiveness, being easily distracted, having difficulty staying organized, and a tendency to put things off until the last minute.

Here are 7 alternatives to ADD medication that can be effective.

1. Get moving.

A wealth of research shows that physical exercise works like a drug in children and adults with ADD. Classic ADD (one of the 7 types of the condition) is associated with low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is a chemical heavily involved with attention span, focus, follow-through, and motivation. Medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are believed to work by boosting dopamine availability in the brain. Similarly, physical activity increases the production of dopamine. A 2019 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine found that exercise minimizes ADD symptoms and enhances cognitive performance in children with the condition.

2. Reduce screen time.

Endlessly scrolling through your social media feed or playing video games for hours on end can be harmful and addictive for people who have vulnerable brains. More screen time has been linked to a greater risk of problems with inattention. A 2019 study in Plos One found that children with more than 2 hours of screen time per day had a 7.7-fold increased risk of meeting the criteria for ADD.

3. Try an elimination diet.

Some foods may trigger a worsening of symptoms in people with ADD. To find out if you or your child has a food sensitivity, try a 3-week elimination diet by getting rid of the most common food allergens—artificial dyes (including red dye #40, which has been connected to symptoms of ADD), preservatives, sugar and artificial sweeteners, gluten, corn, soy, and dairy. In 2011, researchers put children with ADD on a restricted diet that allowed them to eat only turkey, lamb, vegetables, fruit, rice, and pear juice. Their findings in The Lancet showed that the elimination diet decreased symptoms associated with the condition in 70% of children.

4. Protect your head.

Common accidents, like falling off a ladder, getting into a car crash, or taking a tumble down the stairs can cause a concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), which increases the risk of problems with attention and concentration. According to research in The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, people with ADD are more likely to have head injuries.

5. Investigate sleep problems.

Did you know that kids with ADD have higher rates of daytime sleepiness compared with kids who don’t have the condition? Or that according to a study in the journal Sleep, half of ADD kids have sleep-disordered breathing compared with only 22% of kids without the condition? Having large tonsils or adenoids can lead to sleep-disordered breathing in children which can lead to attentional issues and hyperactivity. A study in the Eurasian Journal of Medicine found a reduction in these symptoms when the tonsils and adenoids were removed. Sleep problems are also common in adults with ADD, so be sure to investigate any sleep issues.

6. Check important health numbers.

Your physical health can impact symptoms of ADD. Some of the most common biological issues that are associated with symptoms include:

Having a functional medicine physician check these levels and help balance them can be helpful.

7. Try neurofeedback.

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, interactive therapy that helps you retrain your brain to achieve the desired state.  A 2014 review of existing research on children with ADD who did neurofeedback found that teachers noticed a significant improvement in their attention and parents noted improvements in hyperactivity and impulsivity. According to findings in a 2019 study in Current Psychiatry Reports, researchers stated that neurofeedback “should be considered as a viable treatment alternative” for ADD.

ADD, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting until life gets back to “normal” is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer in-clinic brain scanning and appointments, as well as mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

 

When 3 psychiatrists from Amen Clinics hosted a webinar to answer people’s questions about the coronavirus pandemic, they received such a flood of queries they couldn’t get to them all during the allotted time.
Dr. Robert Johnson, Dr. Jennifer Love, and Dr. Jay Faber graciously agreed to respond to some of the most common additional questions they received. Here’s what they had to say.

“Would a couple of hyperbaric treatments a week be preventative for COVID 19?” 

Dr. Johnson: There was a study out of Wuhan, China, involving the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases. It involved 5 COVID-19 patients, 2 of whom were critically ill and 3 of whom were suffering from “severe” illness. They were treated with HBOT at the Department of Hyperbaric Oxygen in Wuhan Yangtze River Shipping General Hospital.

In that report, hyperbaric oxygen was added to the current comprehensive treatments being performed at the hospital for COVID-19 affected patients, with a dose of 90-120 minutes at treatment pressures of 1.4 to 1.6 ATA. The results were very encouraging; 5 patients received significant therapeutic benefits, including rapid relief of symptoms after the first session. The rationale for the improvement was the ability of hyperbaric therapy to quickly reverse progressive hypoxemia (low blood oxygen levels).

However, there is no data regarding HBOT’s ability to prevent COVID-19 infection.

“How do we shift focus to our values and stop obsessing with goals? Especially when our goals seem further away due to the economic and social shifts we are seeing?” 

Dr. Johnson: A good model for this comes from the domain of sports. As an athlete, all you can control is your process. In fact, most athletic breakthroughs occur when you relinquish concern about the result and focus on your preparation and execution. The same principle holds as it relates to our obsession with goals in everyday life; we as individuals don’t have control over the macroeconomic effects of the coronavirus, but we can focus on clarifying the following:

  1. “What have I learned is most important to me going forward in this next chapter of my life (relationally, physically, spiritually, vocationally)?”
  2. “What are the changes I need to make in order to live those values?” 

So, it starts with clarifying your core values at this point in time, then developing, implementing, and sustaining the habits, practices, and mindset that will serve those core values/priorities. The key is to slow down and find joy in each step of the process—really enjoying your body’s ability to move when exercising, being present to your breath during mindfulness meditations, mining a feeling of gratitude for each small pleasure in your life, and enjoying the fruit that grows from being as authentic and vulnerable as possible in your relationships.

“How can we help our friends and family not falling to depression at this time when some are isolated alone?”

Dr. Love: FaceTime, send flowers or small tokens—books, a candle, a hand-written letter. Even a picture drawn by a 50-year-old of something ridiculous like a dinosaur walking through a garden with a robot would make anyone laugh (maybe at you, but whatever).  Write a series of encouraging notes, drawings, articles of interest, crosswords from the newspaper; put them into separate envelopes with dates to open, and send them together in a large envelope.  Find out whether there is a certain time of day when they feel the most lonely, sad, or anxious, and contact them half an hour before. Send them a TikTok. Video record the family singing a favorite song or a silly song. Send things randomly, frequently, and follow up with regular FaceTime calls or phone calls.

“I have an adolescent who is experiencing some paranoia. We are mainly staying home during the pandemic and not allowing him to visit his friends during this time. What are some recommendations for him?”

Dr. Faber: Loneliness and not seeing friends has been a big issue during the pandemic. Here are my suggestions. I would highly encourage using social media like FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom to spend time with friends. With that recommendation, your adolescent may be spending more time on social media than recommended before the COVID-19 restrictions. If social time is being used constructively, parents might think of giving their children more time to be on social media to talk with friends.

“My 26-year-old daughter is out there working with kids with autism. how can I help her cope with the added stress of being exposed to Covid-19?”

Dr. Faber: This is a great question. In order to cope with the stress, I would work closely with your doctor to make sure you’re doing everything possible to promote healthy immune functioning. Talk to your doctor about the proper use of multivitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc, as well as other agents. To decrease stress, simple relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga can help keep our body in a protective state to stay calm and promote healthy immune functioning.

If you missed the webinar, click here for the video and the first round of questions answered.

Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and other mental health issues can’t wait. During these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment until the pandemic is over is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

 

 

You’ve got questions. These 3 psychiatrists from Amen Clinics have answers. Dr. Robert Johnson, Dr. Jennifer Love, and Dr. Jay Faber recently hosted a webinar to allow viewers to ask them anything about the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on emotional health. Here’s what they had to say.

https://youtu.be/Mh_u90orH3k

“I’m early in my recovery. How can I cope?”

Here are 5 key things people in addiction recovery can be doing right now for their health.

  1. Stay connected to a sponsor or someone who’s a sober encouragement through FaceTime or video chat, not just telephone.
  2. Find small groups of people that you’re comfortable with and do group chats, so they can have accountability but also just hang out and have a cup of coffee together and have some social time.
  3. Stay on your sleep schedule. Don’t stay up all night and sleep all day and going into bad behaviors, staying on a clean diet.
  4. Schedule. Take time at the end of the day and write out everything you’re going to do the next day and fill your schedule. Even if it’s just like “Call mom, watch a film on Netflix, make lunch,” it gives a sense of structure to the day.
  5. Set an intention. Pick a word of the week—kind, honesty, bravery, peace, calm. Really think about that word and how it applies to you in your life.

“My kids are driving me crazy. They’re just arguing and getting on each other’s nerves constantly. I tried different things to entertain and distract them. It just doesn’t seem to work for very long. Any recommendations?”

“I hear this every other day from one of my patients,” says Dr. Faber. Here are 3 strategies to try.

  1. Keep a schedule. You don’t have to schedule something every hour, but just break up your day in the morning, afternoon, and evening and make sure your kids have something to do in those 3 time slots. You might want to do that for yourself too to keep your own sense of wellbeing.
  2. Keep your kids active. Kids who get fidgety or antsy at home may start taking it out on themselves and play can sometimes turn into fighting, arguing, and other unpleasantries. Take advantage of the internet. For example, if your kids are into dance, you can find some of the coolest dance lessons for free or for a nominal charge.
  3. Encourage your kids to get creative and use FaceTime or Zoom to connect with others. For example, a couple of my older kids have brunch in the morning with their friends online and talk to each other for 30 minutes. This really gives your brain and your whole body an escape from all the internal things that are coming at us on a daily basis.

“I can’t stop worrying where all this is headed—whether I’ll have a job or be able to keep my car. I just end up monitoring events constantly on my phone, my laptop, and TV. Help.”

At this time, we have to figure out what we can control and what we can’t control. And the things we can’t control we have to just put in a box. Here are some techniques based on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) you can use these to distract yourself from your stressful thoughts.

  1. Get engaged in activities. This can be anything like doing puzzles, coloring, or painting. “A lot of my patients are doing paint by numbers,” says Dr. Love.
  2. Contribute to others. Thinking about what you can do for other people is one of the best ways to stop negative ruminations and to help with depressive or anxious ruminations. Who can you be kind to today? If you’re going to the market, can you pick up something for an elderly neighbor? Can you call someone you know is vulnerable?
  3. Gratitude. Train your brain to look at the things in your space around you that you’re grateful for.
  4. Limit TV news and social media. The information we get from these sources may be sensationalized and can be harmful to our emotional health. “I had a patient this week in Spain, and she and her 3 children are literally locked up in their apartment. They can get out for 1 hour a week to go grocery shopping and that’s it,” says Dr. Faber. “She’s been trying to contain her own emotions as she watches a lot of social media.”

“What are some healthy grounding techniques to ease or cope through a busy, racing, or anxious mind?”

Practice DBT principles of self-soothing and use all 5 of your senses to help stay grounded. Here are some well-known grounding techniques for people who have trauma in their background or who can dissociate in the context of being triggered emotionally. They’re very simple but very effective.

  1. Sights. “When I’m really anxious, I like to look at color, I like to look at art. I like a fire in the fireplace or just watching candles,” says Dr. Love. “Even just noticing where you see squares in a space or the color of the carpet can help,” says Dr. Johnson. “Or try standing on one leg with your eyes closed because you can’t stay dissociated, you can’t stay in that anxious space if you have more of a present moment sensate focus.”
  2. Sound. Listen to the rain or the wind or use white noise machines. You can also go online and play ocean sounds, music, or whatever you love.
  3. Touch. For touch, many people have animals they can pet. For kids, you can get a huge bucket and just fill it with dried beans and let them stick their feet and hands in it. It’s a very tactile, calming thing. “I’ve even had patients take an ice cube out of the freezer and just stick it on their wrist because it brings you back into the moment faster,” says Dr. Love.
  4. For scent, you can use candles, food. Add spices when you’re cooking. It smells wonderful. Lavender and vanilla are really calming. “A lot of my patients are using aromatherapy or lotion with a special scent that’s really relaxing,” says Dr. Love.
  5. Taste. Don’t scarf down junk food. Make something healthy and really savor the bites and take time to enjoy the meal as if you were at a 5-star restaurant. “Yesterday one of my patients asked, ‘Can I take a bite of a lemon?’ and I told them to go for it,” says Dr. Love.

“After surviving the COVID-19 illness, with moderate symptoms for 7 days, what recovery strategies do you suggest for supplements, exercise, nutrition, or other therapeutic techniques to help you when you come out of isolation?”

  1. Focus on nutrition. Stay away from inflammatory foods like sugar, junk food, cookies, candy, and potato chips. Eat more protein—chicken, fish, or low-fat beef—with no breading. And eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
  2. Boost your immune system. Some simple things you can do right now is take Vitamin C (500 milligrams twice a day for adults), Vitamin D (5000 IUs), zinc (particularly zinc
    picolinate at 25 mg a day), omega-3 fatty acids (try Omega-3 Power) Throw garlic in there as well.
  3. Saunas. If you look at the MERS syndrome that occurred, which was a coronavirus, there was some work done in test tubes looking at how heat causes the virus to die. If you have access to heat, especially saunas that get to 170 to 180 degrees, look about doing that.
  4. Exercise. “The first several days of this quarantine, I was in absolute CrossFit withdrawal. I was cranky and impatient until I got disciplined enough to start doing some kind of exercise every day,” says Dr. Johnson. Many companies have stepped up and provided free, home-based exercise options.
  5. Boost your brain. BrainFitLife—a personalized brain training site created by Dr. Daniel Amen and based on research derived from the world’s largest database of functional brain SPECT scans—has lots of awesome content about exercise, nutrition, sleep induction tapes, and brain training games.

“Can you talk about sleep needs during these times and how to improve sleep hygiene during these stressful times?”

Sleep hygiene is so important right now. “If you don’t get eight hours of sleep, we’re more likely to keep inflammatory toxins in our brain,” says Dr. Faber. Be very consistent with the time you go to bed and wake up, don’t take naps, and skip caffeine after lunch. “I create transition times in that hour before bed and in that hour when I get up. That hour before my bed is my spa hour,” says Dr. Love.

“Can we talk about when you’re staying home with an abusive family member and not feeling safe?”

We may be on lockdown, but you have to stay physically safe, emotionally safe, and sexually safe. If you’re with someone 24/7 who’s harmful to you, you’ve got to get out of that situation. Domestic shelters are open or stay with a friend where you can have a refuge. Also be aware of when these episodes more likely to occur, such as if someone is using alcohol or drugs or if someone’s not taking their psychotropic medications. “If your significant other is doing any of those, be much more watchful and be ready to get plan B ready,” says Dr. Faber.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other mental health issues, you aren’t alone—45% of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their mental health. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever, and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time.

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

 

As the coronavirus continues to spread around the globe and more people hunker down at home, you may get sucked into binge-watching TV shows or endlessly scrolling through your social media feed. Neither of these activities is good for your brain, and they could increase feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.

To boost your mood, fire up your brainpower, and feel more productive, try these 11 amazing brain healthy activities.

1. Have an indoor dance party.

Get your blood pumping and the oxygen flowing to your brain with an indoor dance party. Just turn up your favorite tunes and start moving. Coordination activities like dancing activate the brain’s cerebellum, an area associated with thought processing. Dancing can be a helpful treatment for depression, according to a 2017 study, and research in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that it reduces dementia risk by 76%.

2. Practice random acts of kindness.

A 2016 study shows that doing things for others boosts happiness by activating the release of dopamine in the brain. A simple way to do this at home is to write letters to seniors in nursing homes. Many assisted living facilities are tightening visitor regulations or banning all visitors. You can brighten up a senior’s day—and your own—by sending a greeting card.

3. Let food be your medicine.

Your brain (and your immune system) needs nutrient-dense foods to function optimally. Try these free recipes from nurse and bestselling author of The OMNI Diet and The Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbook Tana Amen to boost your brain health. Whip up a yummy protein smoothie—like the Focus & Energy Smoothie—to start your day. Make an awesome anti-inflammatory salad—like Tana’s Rainbow Chard Salad—that’s packed with prebiotics (dietary fiber) such as cabbage and carrots. Boost immunity with onions and garlic in soups and stews like Healthy Turkey Chili. And satisfy everybody’s sweet tooth with a brain healthy dessert, like Nutty Butter Cups.

4. Learn the “Loving Kindness Meditation.”

This meditation is intended to develop feelings of goodwill and warmth toward others. It has been found to quickly increase positive emotions and decrease negative ones, reduce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), increase gray matter in the emotional processing areas of the brain, and boost social connectedness. Here’s how you do it.

Take 2-3 deep breaths, taking twice as long to exhale. Let any worries or concerns drift away and feel your breath moving through the area around your heart. As you sit, quietly or silently repeat the following or similar phrases:

May I be safe and secure

May I be healthy and strong

May I be happy and purposeful

May I be at peace

Let the intentions expressed in these phrases sink in as you repeat them. Allow the feelings to grow deeper.

After a few repetitions, direct the phrases to someone you feel grateful for or someone who has helped you:

May you be safe and secure

May you be healthy and strong

May you be happy and purposeful

May you be at peace

Next, visualize someone you feel neutral about. Choose among people you neither like nor dislike and repeat the phrases.

Next, visualize someone you don’t like or with whom you are having a hard time. Kids who are being teased or bullied at school often feel quite empowered when they send love to the people who are making them miserable.

Finally, direct the phrases toward everyone universally: “May all beings be safe and secure.”

You can do this for up to 30 minutes. It’s up to you.

5. Learn something new.

The best way to slow the brain aging process is to learn something new. Take an online course (like the Change Your Brain Masters Course to conquer anxiety, depression, obsessiveness, anger, and memory problems), download a foreign language app, or read a book like Dr. Amen’s The End of Mental Illness, which offers over 100 simple things you can to heal your brain and prevent or reverse the problems that are making you feel sad, mad, or bad.

6. Create an emotional rescue playlist.

Music can soothe, inspire, improve your mood, and help you focus. After evaluating more than 800 people, researchers have found that people listen to music to regulate energy and mood, to achieve self-awareness, and to improve social bonds. In his powerful book, The Secret Language of the Heart, Barry Goldstein reviews the neuroscience properties of music. “Music stimulates emotional circuits in the brain … Releases oxytocin, the cuddle hormone, which can enhance bonding, trust, and relationships. Soothe your stress with the following research-based playlist (without lyrics because words can be distracting).

Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major (K. 448) – Mozart

Clair de Lune – Debussy

Adagio for Strings – Samuel Barber

Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor (“The Tempest”) – Beethoven

First Breath After Coma – Explosions in the Sky

Adagio for Strings – Tiësto

Fanfare for the Common Man – Aaron Copeland

Weightless – Marconi Union

Flotus – Flying Lotus

Lost in Thought – Jon Hopkins

The Soundmaker – Rodrigo y Gabriela

See – Tycho

Spectre – Tycho

If you’re looking for inspiration, relaxation, stress relief, background music for meditation, or something to spark your creativity, you can find instrumental music on the BRIGHT MINDS: Memory Rescue Music CD.

7. Teach your dog a new trick.

This is a wonderful time to enhance your brain and activate the brains of your furry family members. Studies have found many mental health benefits of pet ownership. For example, petting your pooch triggers the release of feel-good neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, and it lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Just looking in your dog’s eyes produces the bonding chemical oxytocin.

8. Start a garden.

You don’t need access to a yard to get your green thumb in action. There are many indoor garden kits available that will allow you to grow brain healthy bell peppers, microgreens, and herbs (think basil, oregano, and rosemary). A 2019 study found that gardening was associated with a significant increase in levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is associated with cognitive function and memory.

9. Don’t just exercise, “socialcize.”

Social isolation drains your brain, but social distancing doesn’t have to mean loneliness and solitude. Exercise your social skills with video conferencing, Instagram Live, FaceTime chats, and more.

10. Clear your home of environmental toxins.

Exposure to toxins can harm your brain and increase the risk of depression, suicide, ADD/ADHD, learning problems, memory problems, brain fog, autism, temper outbursts, psychotic behavior, and dementia. Download the Think Dirty app and dump the chemical-laden personal care products and household cleaners that can harm your brain.

11. Seek professional help if you need it.

If you’re really struggling during this time but don’t want to leave your home, take action to enhance your brain and mental wellbeing with video therapy sessions.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other mental health issues, you aren’t alone—45% of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their mental health. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time. 

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-568-6141. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk. 

 

By Jennifer Love, MD

Confession #1—I’m totally eating all the chocolate. Times are tough, people! The words “SHELTER IN PLACE!!” create a sense of unease within me that is almost palpable. How does a psychiatrist survive social isolation, the increasing need to connect with patients by videoconference, and friends and faraway family? How does a psychiatrist cope with a global pandemic?

Well, I eat chocolate (it’s OK, Dr. Amen sells a brain healthy Brain in Love Chocolate Bar on BrainMD). But that isn’t the secret to stress management. My book When Crisis Strikes isn’t going to be out until the end of the year (if its release isn’t now postponed), and I’m not allowed to reproduce any of the content prior to publication. But here are my personal strategies for managing chronic stress when crisis strikes.

1. I do a minimum of 20 minutes of restorative yoga every night before bed.

I learned from a DVD (Restorative Yoga Practice with Deborah Donahue), but everything you need is probably online these days. I have a quiet space, I light some candles, and I consciously let go of the physical stress taking residence in my muscles. Often, I take some magnesium beforehand (or a soak in an Epsom salt bath—Epsom salts contain magnesium), and allow myself to fully relax into each pose, letting go of my need to hold onto anything and everything.

2. I breathe.

Multiple times throughout the day I stop myself and do a quick check. I consciously relax any muscles that are tense (my jaw, shoulders, and hamstrings, commonly), and reset my breathing—4 counts in, 6 counts out, holding my breath out for 2 counts, then 4 counts in, 6 out, hold for 2, and repeat for a few minutes. I learned this at a yoga festival in Norway, and it makes perfect sense medically.

On inhalation, the heart beats faster; on exhalation, a little slower. Our heart and lungs can literally set us up to breathe under high alert or within a space of comfort and safety. Inhalation or holding one’s breath speeds up the heart, which is the opposite of what most of us need when we’re stressed. Work on letting your exhalation be slightly longer than your inhalation to bring your body back into a state of calm.

3. I use my senses.

I do a lot of DBT (dialectical behavior therapy) with patients, and one of the principles of DBT is self-soothing through the 5 senses. Take a few minutes and think about your senses and what you like.

More soon, friends. Hang in there. For reliable updates, check the CDC and be sure to follow your local government’s guidelines for isolating, handwashing, and when to get tested.

About the Author: Jennifer Love, MD, Amen Clinics Orange County, CA

Dr. Jennifer Love is board-certified in psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and addiction medicine, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Love is an award-winning researcher and international speaker, interested in the interface between cultural and spiritual factors and overall mental health. She is also suboxone certified. Dr. Love’s work focuses on restoring life balance, brain and body health, and helping her patients improve their functionality and satisfaction in life. She considers a wide range of interventions including nutraceuticals, medication, exercise, yoga, psychotherapy, and sleep/relaxation training. Her specialties include mood disorders, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, anger and irritability, behavioral addictions, co-occurring pain, and opioid dependence.

Dr. Love is the co-author of When Crisis Strikes: 5 Steps to Heal Your Brain, Body, and Life from Chronic Stress. Stay up to date by following @dr_author_jennifer_love on Instagram.

Find out more about Amen Clinics, which offers comprehensive in-clinic services as well as remote therapy sessions, by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk.

 

The novel coronavirus—now being called COVID-19—has already killed 3,200 people (mostly in China) and has infected over 94,000 people worldwide. In the U.S. at least 11 people have died from the virus and about 130 have been infected. In the wake of the rising numbers, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other U.S. cities have declared a health emergency.

Sounds terrifying, right?

Everyone is looking for ways to reduce their risk of developing COVID-19, but with all the hand-wringing about the outbreak, there’s one thing the media is neglecting. Did you know that having a mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety, weakens the immune system, decreases your ability to fight off illnesses and makes you more vulnerable to common colds, flu, and other viruses?

The connection between psychological well-being and physical health is real and experts call it “psychoneuroimmunology.” What are the mechanisms behind it?  Research shows that depression ramps up the production of proinflammatory cytokines while compromising immune response. Anxiety and stress can trigger the body’s fight-or-flight response, which increases cortisol levels and alters immune system responses. And other mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, have long been associated with immune system dysfunction.

Seeking treatment for mental health issues is a critical step in shoring up the immune system. Here are 10 additional recommendations to strengthen your body’s ability to fend off viruses.

10 Ways to Boost Immunity

1. Hydrate your brain and body.

Staying adequately hydrated is critical for fending off viruses. Water oxygenates your brain and body so they can function at optimal levels. When your cells are operating at full capacity, they are better able to perform their primary functions. And when your brain is well-hydrated it helps you handle stress more effectively and allows you to make better decisions to help minimize your exposure to illness. For proper hydration, drink half your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weight 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water a day.

2. Skip or limit the booze.

Excessive drinking disrupts immune pathways and, according to a 2015 review of alcohol and the immune system, increases susceptibility to pneumonia and other illnesses. Chronic alcohol abuse also reduces the number of virus-fighting T-cells in the body, which lowers your ability to keep illnesses at bay. And a study in the journal Alcohol found that a single episode of binge drinking significantly disrupts the immune system.

3. Make sleep a priority.

Mom was right when she told you to get quality rest to avoid getting sick. A 2015 trial in the journal Sleep found that compared to people who sleep more than 7 hours a night, those who get only 6 hours or less of shut-eye are 4 times more likely to catch a cold after being exposed to the virus. Other research shows that chronic sleep deprivation suppresses the immune system. Be sure to seek help for sleep disorders, aim for 7-8 hours a night, and stick to an evening routine that encourages relaxation and restful sleep.

4. Protect your body with probiotics.

A 2014 study shows that probiotics support gut health and boost the immune system, which can help you fight off viruses. Include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, or kimchi in your daily diet for added immunity support.

5. Eat from the rainbow.

Increase your intake of colorful fruits and vegetables. These antioxidant-rich foods have anti-viral properties that act as an army against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.

6. Munch on mushrooms.

The unique and diverse compounds in these fungi, not found in other plants, have been found to have immune-enhancing effects. Eat and cook with mushrooms and consider taking them as supplements. Among the most researched therapeutic mushrooms are Lion’s mane, shiitake, reishi, and cordyceps.

7. Go for garlic.

Consuming garlic can increase the number of T-cells—the body’s natural virus fighters—in the bloodstream. Findings from a 2012 study in Clinical Nutrition show that taking aged garlic extract minimizes cold and flu symptoms and shortens the duration of viral illnesses.

8. Pump up vitamin D levels.

Often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D is actually a hormone that should be called the “immunity vitamin” thanks to its positive effects on the immune system. A 2009 report analyzed vitamin D levels in American adults and found that over 75% had low levels of this important vitamin. Get your levels checked and optimize them if necessary.

9. Power up with zinc.

This potent nutrient supports the immune system and helps your body defend itself from invading viruses and bacteria. Fuel up on zinc-rich foods like beef, oysters, lamb, asparagus, spinach, and pumpkin seed and consider taking zinc supplements.

10. Get moving.

Doing moderate exercise on a regular basis has been scientifically proven to enhance the immune system and reduce the risk of illness. It appears that even a single workout can give the immune system a boost. Going overboard with highly intense exercise, however, may have a negative effect on your ability to fight off viruses. A healthy approach is to walk fast—like you’re late for an appointment—for at least 30 minutes a day.

If you’re struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, or other mental health issues, you aren’t alone—45% of Americans say the coronavirus pandemic has impacted their mental health. Just because you’re sheltering at home doesn’t mean you have to wait for the pandemic to be over before seeking help. In fact, during these uncertain times, your mental well-being is more important than ever and waiting to get treatment is likely to make your symptoms worsen over time. 

At Amen Clinics, we’re here for you. We offer mental telehealth, remote clinical evaluations, and video therapy for adults, children, and couples, as well as in-clinic brain scanning to help our patients. Find out more by speaking to a specialist today at 888-288-9834. If all our specialists are busy helping others, you can also schedule a time to talk. 

Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most feared illnesses of our time. Losing the ability to recognize your spouse, forgetting the important moments of your life, getting lost on the way home—memory loss steals your life.

Experts expect the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease to triple in the next 30 years, and there is no cure on the horizon. More than 200 medication trials have failed to reverse Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. But new research offers hope.

A study presented at the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference reveals that you can lower your risk of developing the disease by a whopping 60% by adopting the 4 or 5 of the following everyday lifestyle habits.

Lifestyle Changes to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

1. Eat right: Skip fried foods, red meat, sweets, and baked goods and focus on consuming a diet high in vegetables, seafood, poultry, berries, nuts, beans, whole grains, and olive oil.

2. Get moving: Aim for 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous exercises, such as walking, swimming, or bike riding (always wear a helmet to protect your brain!). Gardening and yard work count too!

3. Avoid excessive alcohol: Drink no more than 1 glass of wine, beer, or other alcoholic beverages per day.

4. Don’t smoke: Avoid smoking cigarettes.

5. Engage in cognitive stimulation: Play chess, solve crossword puzzles, read books, or do other brain-boosting activities.

The study showed that although adopting 4 or 5 of these habits provided the greatest protection, incorporating just one of them into your daily habits also reduced risk.

Take These 5 Brain Healthy Habits to the Next Level

The habits these researchers studied are a great start, but you can gain even more brain-boosting benefits by doing the following:

1. Try the Memory Rescue Diet

Learn the two basic principles of a brain-healthy diet that will help preserve, enhance, or rescue your memory.

Principle #1: Change the way you think about eating.

Principle #2: Change the way you eat (and drink).

2. Do brain-boosting physical activities

The following 4 types of exercise are great for your brain.

3. Limit Alcohol Intake

A study at Johns Hopkins found that people who drink every day have smaller brains, and when it comes to the brain, size matters! If you want a better brain, less is more. For people who want to drink, stick to no more than 2 to 4 normal-size drinks a week.

4. No Smoking (or Vaping) Anything!

Smoking increases the risk of dementia. Smoking is thought to cause dementia in the same way it contributes to vascular diseases: by bombarding the brain with hundreds of different toxins, increasing homocysteine (high levels trigger inflammation), accelerating blood vessel damage (which deprives your brain of oxygen and nutrients) and increasing inflammation and the particulate toxic load in your brain. Vaping is no safer, so ditch the e-cigarettes. And neither is smoking marijuana, which accelerates brain aging and decreases blood flow to the brain. Low blood flow is the #1 brain imaging predictor of Alzheimer’s disease, so avoid anything that reduces blood flow.

5. Focus on New Learning

The best mental exercises involve acquiring new knowledge and doing things you haven’t done before. However, understand that the parts of your brain that you use will grow, and the parts of your brain that you don’t use will atrophy, or shrink. Just doing crossword puzzles or Sudoku is not going to give you the full benefit you want. That’s like going to the gym, doing right bicep curls and then leaving. Here are some exercises to work out various brain regions:

Your Genes are Not Your Destiny

In another study presented at the conference and published in JAMA, researchers found that adopting healthy lifestyle habits can reduce risk even in people who have a genetic predisposition for Alzheimer’s. This report showed that people at elevated risk for the disease could lower their risk of dementia by 32% by following a “favorable” lifestyle compared with those who had “unfavorable” everyday habits.

This research adds further proof that your genes are not your destiny and shatters the false belief that there’s nothing you can do to prevent Alzheimer’s. You can change your brain and decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Now is the Time to Rescue Your Memory

Based on the world’s largest brain imaging database—over 150,000 brain scans and growing—it is clear that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia begin in the brain decades before any symptoms appear. Given the complexity of the illness and how early it begins altering the brain, we are likely never going to have a medicine that cures it. That’s why it’s so important to get serious about your brain health and your memory now.

If you or a loved one is suffering from memory issues, understand that there are many things you can do to prevent or reverse memory loss. At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging as part of a comprehensive evaluation to help us develop a personalized treatment plan to prevent or reverse memory problems. Our Memory Rescue program has already helped many patients improve their memory.

Reach out today to speak with a specialist at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.

Being overweight can make you feel bad about the way you look and feel like a failure if you can’t stick to a healthy diet. But can it actually contribute to depression?

A growing body of evidence shows that obesity and depression go hand in hand and can feed off each other. Weight problems increase the risk of developing depression. Likewise, people who are depressed are more likely to be overweight and experience a faster rise in body mass index (BMI) than people who are not depressed. Which came first—the weight problem or the depression—remains to be seen.

Fat, Depression, and the Brain

Fat tissue can contribute to the problem. Fat cells secrete substances called cytokines that cause inflammation. Chronic inflammation of the brain, which is often found in people who are obese, is also found in those struggling with depression.

Brain imaging studies show that the areas of the brain that are most impacted by obesity tend to be the ones involved in self-control and the regulation of appetite. When these brain regions aren’t functioning at optimal levels, it can make you more vulnerable to overeating and to giving in to cravings for unhealthy foods, which compounds the problem.

People who are depressed also tend to have markedly increased activity in the limbic areas of the brain, which are involved in setting a person’s emotional tone.

7 Tips to Get Thinner and Happier

Losing the extra pounds can help alleviate depressive symptoms and vice versa, getting your depression under control can help you manage your weight. Making minor tweaks to your food, nutritional supplements, exercise, and even your thinking patterns can help you do it.

1. Know your brain type.

Not all people who are overweight and depressed are the same. Knowing your brain type is the first step into learning more about how your unique brain functions. Brain imaging studies show that there are 5 types of overeaters and 7 types of depression:

Type 1: Pure Anxiety

Type 2: Pure Depression

Type 3: Mixed Depression

Type 4: Over-focused Depression

Type 5: Temporal Lobe Depression

Type 6: Cyclic Depression

Type 7: Unfocused Depression

Knowing your type can help you find the best solutions for your needs.

2. Eat more healthy fats to lose fat and feel better.

Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with depression and obesity. There is also evidence that low levels of these fatty acids play a role in substance abuse, and it can be argued that overeating is a form of substance abuse. Boosting omega-3 levels is one of the best things you can do for your weight and moods. Research shows it decreases body fat, appetite, and cravings, in addition to reducing symptoms of depression. Unlike what we have been told in the past, good fats are not the enemy of a healthy diet. To increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids, eat more:

3. Optimize vitamin D levels.

Having low levels of vitamin D, also known as the “sunshine vitamin,” has been associated with both depression and obesity. Some researchers believe that nearly two-thirds of the U.S. population suffers from a vitamin D deficiency.  Get your levels tested and supplement with vitamin D if needed.

4. Get moving every day.

It’s no secret that exercise revs your metabolism, but it is also a powerful mood booster. In fact, several studies have found it to be as effective as antidepressant medication. How does it do it? Physical exercise stimulates neurotransmitter activity, especially dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, which elevates mood. One of the ways it helps is by boosting a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is involved in growing new brain cells and has been found to be instrumental in putting the brakes on depression.

5. Do the best exercises for boosting moods and metabolism.

The best exercises for people who are both depressed and overweight include those that combine aerobic coordination activities and a social aspect. The aerobic activity boosts blood flow and neurotransmitter activity, and social bonding can help calm overactivity in the brain’s limbic system to boost your mood. Try these activities:

6. Change your thinking, change your weight and moods.

Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) can infest your mind and keep you chained to unhealthy habits that cause weight gain and mired in the negativity that contributes to depression. You may be familiar with ANTs like these:

“I have no control over my eating.”

“I don’t like foods that are healthy for me.”

“I have to eat to comfort myself.”

These ANTs play a major role in making you fat and stealing your happiness. Learning to challenge your thoughts is critical to winning the battle of the bulge and enhancing your moods.

7. Try the natural supplement SAMe.

A helpful treatment for emotional overeaters is the natural supplement SAMe in dosages of 400-1,600 mg. It is involved in the production of several neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine) that affect mood. The brain normally produces, all the same, it needs from the amino acid methionine. When a person is depressed, however, it impairs the synthesis of SAMe. Taking SAMe has been found to promote positive moods and also suppress appetite.

With the world’s largest database of functional brain scans — 150,000 and growing —Amen Clinics physicians are able to more accurately diagnose and more effectively treat the 7 types of depression than any other healthcare professionals. We also take a unique brain-body approach to treatment that includes brain health nutrition coaching to help you feed your body and fuel your brain so you can achieve and maintain a healthy weight and healthy moods.

Find out how we can help you today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit online.

 

Do you have intrusive thoughts that keep looping in your head? Do you check the stove 20 times before you can head out the door to go to work? It could be obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). An estimated 2 to 4 million people struggle with OCD, a condition that is characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsions that can be debilitating. Just look at how they were making Gail’s life spin out of control.

Gail’s OCD Obsessions and Compulsions

On the surface, it seemed like she had it all. Married to her high school sweetheart, she had a couple of kids and a good job. But every night after work, Gail spent hours obsessively cleaning her house. If she saw anything out of place, she would scream at her family and become hysterical. She also felt compelled to wash her hands over and over and over again and insisted that her husband and kids wash their hands at least 10 times a day. Gail’s OCD was ruining her life and seriously impacting her family.

What Gail’s OCD Brain Scan Showed

To get an accurate diagnosis, Gail underwent a leading-edge brain imaging technique called SPECT. Her brain scan showed marked increased activity in the Anterior Cingulate Gyrus, an area involved in shifting attention. When there’s too much activity in this area, it causes people to get stuck on thoughts and actions.

Gail’s OCD Brain Scan: Note increased activity in an area called the Anterior Cingulate Gyrus (arrow).

Healthy Active Brain Scan:

Within six weeks on a targeted treatment plan, Gail was much more relaxed, greatly reduced her ritualistic hand-washing behavior, and stopped making her kids wash their hands every time they turned around. Her husband couldn’t believe the change and said Gail was more like the woman he had married.

If you have similar symptoms as Gail, you may have OCD like Gail, and you can get unstuck too.

5 Ways to Reduce OCD Symptoms

Here are 5 simple things you can do to minimize obsessive thoughts and decrease compulsions.

1. Notice when you are stuck.

Becoming aware of looping thoughts is essential to learning how to stop them and gaining control over OCD. Whenever you notice intrusive thoughts, imagine seeing a traffic stop sign in your head and silently say to yourself, “STOP. THIS IS MY BRAIN GETTING STUCK!”  For some people, the more they actively stop these thoughts, the more control they develop over them.

2. Distract yourself.

When you notice you are getting stuck, get up and do something else. If you actively distract yourself from repetitive thoughts or ritualistic compulsions, they will gradually begin to lose their control over you. Try any of the following to distract yourself:

3. Focus on foods that boost serotonin.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that can help calm the overactive parts of the brain. Eating complex carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes and garbanzo beans, is a healthy way to boost serotonin. Avoid consuming simple carbohydrates, such as pasta, bread, cookies, pretzels, and popcorn. Although they boost serotonin, they also contribute to increased feelings of anxiety, which is common in people with OCD.  

4. Get moving.

Exercise can be very helpful in calming intrusive thoughts and can help shift your attention when compulsions arise. Exercise works by increasing serotonin in the brain. In addition, it may distract you from obsessive thoughts and ritualistic behavior and compulsions.

5. Consider supplements that boost serotonin.

Helpful supplements that raise serotonin and calm overactivity in the brain include 5-HTP.

Since 1989, Amen Clinics has helped thousands of people, including Gail, get an accurate diagnosis and overcome OCD with targeted solutions that are proven to produce higher than average success rates.

If obsessive thoughts or compulsions are controlling your life and holding you back, don’t wait to seek professional help. Schedule a visit today or call 888-288-9834 to get a comprehensive evaluation.