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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! Corporate America is highly skilled at getting you to eat and drink things that are not good for you. Every day, we’re bombarded with the wrong messages: TV commercials, billboards and radio ads show us misleading images of happy, attractive people enjoying greasy fast food and dehydrating caffeinated drinks that decrease brain function and lower your self-control. Unfortunately, the more overweight you are, the greater the stress on your physiology—particularly the increased inflammation in your body—which affects the volume of the grey matter between your ears, in addition to putting you at risk for serious medical problems.

Introducing Type 4 Overeater: Sad/Emotional

People with this type tend to use food to medicate underlying feelings of sadness and to calm the emotional storms in their brains. They often struggle with: 1. Boredom 2. Loneliness 3. Depression 4. Low self-esteem 5. Pain issues 6. Decreased libido 7. Periods of crying 8. Low energy levels 9. Suicidal thoughts 10. Lack of interest in usually pleasurable activities 11. Feelings of guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, or worthlessness For some people, these feelings come and go with the seasons and tend to worsen in winter. Others experience mild feelings of chronic sadness, called dysthymia. Still others suffer from more serious depressions. This type is more frequently seen in women.

What SPECT Findings Tell Us

The SPECT findings of sad or emotional overeaters typically reveal markedly increased activity in the deep limbic areas of the brain—commonly seen in mood disorders and in people who have had emotional trauma—and decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex. Treating mood disorders with behavioral interventions, natural supplements, and medication when needed, can be the key to weight loss.

We Can Help

At Amen Clinics, we know that food addiction issues are not a function of not trying hard enough, being lazy, or not having enough willpower. We will work with you to address your specific brain type so that you can eliminate food addiction, reach your weight loss goals and feel amazing every day. Click here to learn more about how Amen Clinics can help, or call today at 888-288-9834. To lose weight, the only body part you need to be most concerned with isn’t your belly, butt or thighs, it’s your BRAIN. The brain is your command and control center. It’s how you make good or bad decisions about behavior and food and tells you: • What, when and how much to eat. • What to buy at the grocery store or order in a restaurant. • When and how often to exercise.

The Problem

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:

Introducing the Type 3 Overeater: Impulsive-Compulsive

People with this type have a combination of both impulsive and compulsive features. On the surface it seems almost contradictory, but people can be both impulsive and compulsive at the same time (think of the compulsive gambler, who cannot stop focusing on placing a bet and has no restraint to prevent him from doing it). • These people often think about food all day long • Many people with bulimia have this type • This type is particularly common in children and grandchildren of alcoholics or people who have a significant family history of alcoholism

SPECT scans of impulsive – compulsive overeaters tend to show:

• Too much activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus, so people get stuck on their thoughts. • Too little activity in the prefrontal cortex, so they have trouble putting on the brakes and saying, “no.” The high activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus is associated with low serotonin levels while the low activity in the prefrontal cortex is likely due to low dopamine levels. People with impulsive – compulsive overeating therefore, do best with treatments that raise both serotonin and dopamine (using serotonin or dopamine interventions by themselves usually makes the problem worse). It is also very important to strengthen the prefrontal cortex and practice strategies to increase mental flexibility and “get unstuck.”

Keep the Weight Off for Good

The Amen Clinics Method—developed through 26 years of clinical practice—uses a detailed clinical history, SPECT imaging to understand brain function, neuropsychological testing and laboratory studies to target treatment specifically to your brain using the least toxic, most effective means. If you, or someone you love, could benefit from an evaluation at Amen Clinics, call our brain health advisors today at 888-288-9834 or tell us more online. Did you know as the size of your waistline goes up, the size and functioning of your brain goes down? In other words, the more overweight you are, the greater the stress on your physiology particularly the increased inflammation in your body—which affects the volume of the grey matter between your ears, in addition to putting you at risk for serious medical problems. Obesity is an underlying cause of many preventable diseases that result in lowered quality of life and even death, such as: • Heart disease • Stroke • Type 2 diabetes • Certain cancers • Depression • Alzheimer’s disease

The Different Types of Overeaters: Type 2 Impulsive

People with this type struggle with impulsivity and have trouble controlling their behavior, even though they may begin each day with good intentions. They don’t think about food constantly, but whenever they see something they like, they can’t resist. They have a hard time saying “no” even if they aren’t really hungry. They have a hard time bypassing a second—or third or fourth—slice of pizza, piece of cake, or helping of mashed potatoes. The most common brain SPECT finding in this type is decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex which is most commonly associated with low levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Impulsive overeating is common among people who have ADD, which has also been associated with low dopamine levels in the brain. People with ADD struggle with: • A short attention span • Distractibility • Disorganization

What Research Says

Research suggests that having untreated ADD nearly doubles the risk for being overweight. Without proper treatment, it is nearly impossible for these people to be consistent with any nutrition plan. Impulsive overeating may also be the result of some form of toxic exposure, a near-drowning accident, a brain injury to the front part of the brain, or a brain infection, such as chronic fatigue syndrome. Overweight smokers and heavy coffee drinkers also tend to fit this type. Impulsive overeating may worsen with food or treatment that boosts serotonin because this neurotransmitter calms the brain and although it can decrease worries it also decreases impulse control. Things that deplete dopamine levels are also a problem, so we help impulsive overeaters by boosting dopamine levels and strengthening the prefrontal cortex.

Why We Are Different

By discovering your particular brain type, we get very important information that helps us create the best nutrition and lifestyle plan to help you: • Lose weight • Optimize brain function • Become healthier • Increase energy

Let’s Break the Weight Loss Cycle for Good

The Amen Clinics Method—developed through 26 years of clinical practice—uses a detailed clinical history, SPECT imaging to understand brain function, neuropsychological testing and laboratory studies to target treatment specifically to your brain using the least toxic, most effective means. If you, or someone you love, could benefit from an evaluation at Amen Clinics, call our brain health advisors today at 888-288-9834 or tell us more online. If you are on a diet right now, you are not alone. Unfortunately, losing weight and gaining it back (yo-yo dieting) is a vicious cycle that leaves millions of people frustrated and unhappy. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): • An astonishing 69% of adults are overweight or obese. • Nearly 79 million Americans classified as obese—that’s more than 1/3 of adults. • Even more startling is that 1/3 of all American children are overweight. • 17% of American children are classified as obese. Most diets fail because they take a one-size-fits-all approach. A diet that works well for one person may be completely wrong for another person. Why? Different brain systems drive different tendencies and behaviors. Our work with SPECT imaging has shown us that there are multiple types of overeaters: 1. Some are compulsive 2. Some are impulsive 3. Some are compulsive AND impulsive 4. Some eat to improve their mood 5. And, some eat to calm their worries

What Classifies a Compulsive Overeater?

In this blog, we are going to discuss Type 1, also classified as the ‘Compulsive Overeater.’ People with this type tend to get stuck on thoughts of food. They hear the ice cream in the freezer calling their name. They often feel compulsively driven to eat and might say they have no control over food. They also tend to be night time eaters because they worry and have trouble sleeping. Compulsive overeaters tend to get stuck on thoughts or locked into one course of action. They often: • Get stuck on thoughts about food • Get stuck on their worries • Are rigid and inflexible • Have trouble seeing options • Hold grudges • Are oppositional or argumentative • Feel like they MUST have things their way, or they get upset

What SPECT Tells Us about Type 1 Overeaters

SPECT scans show that compulsive overeaters generally have too much activity in the front part of their brains, especially in the anterior cingulate gyrus. When there is too much activity in this area, people tend to become stuck on negative thoughts or actions. Over-activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus is most commonly caused by low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin; therefore, compulsive overeaters do best when we find natural ways to increase serotonin, which is calming to the brain. In addition, learning how to get “unstuck” from their thoughts about food and worries is very helpful.

We Can Help

You CAN create a brain healthy life by learning how to love and care for your brain, and by focusing on what you love about your life. Take what you have learned here to develop your brain healthy life and teach it to others. If you, or someone you love, could benefit from an evaluation or a nutritional consultation at Amen Clinics, call our brain health advisors today at 888-288-9834 or tell us more online. For the remaining articles on the types of overeaters, click the type below: Type 2: Impulsive Overeaters Type 3: Impulsive-Compulsive Overeaters Type 4: Sad or Emotional Overeaters Type 5: Anxious Overeaters Do you think how you age and when you die is left to the fate of good or bad genes? Think again. “Only about 5 to 20 percent of the aging process has to do with our genes,” says Johnny Bowden, author of The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer. “The rest has to do with how we treat our bodies, which determines whether, like a light switch, we turn the good genes on and the bad genes off.” Conquer them and you slow down the aging process and help prevent heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. And you’ll look and feel younger than your peers.

Here are the 5 steps:

1. Lessen Exposure to Free Radicals

Not unlike the way rust attacks a car, free radicals attack our cells, damage our DNA and accelerate aging. Things to avoid: cigarettes, trans fats, excess sun exposure, charred meats, and pesticides. Though fruits and vegetables are great sources of antioxidants that fight free radicals, try to buy the “dirty dozen” (produce with highest chemical residue) in organic form: • Peaches • Apples • Blueberries • Bell Peppers • Celery • Nectarines • Strawberries • Cherries • Imported grapes • Spinach & Kale

2. Reduce Inflammation

Inflammation that becomes chronic is now considered to be a major player in many diseases of aging including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. The Mediterranean diet based on fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, oils, grains and little meat appears to reduce inflammation. Other great anti-inflammatory foods include many spices (like turmeric) and dark chocolate (70 percent or higher cacao content). Exercise is another great way to lower inflammation. Aim for a moderate amount of steady exercise like brisk walking, swimming, or biking for 30 to 45 minutes five days a week—the amount most experts recommend. But don’t overdo it to the point of soreness and extreme fatigue, since too much exercise can actually increase inflammation, at least temporarily.

3. Limit Sugar

When too much sugar mixes proteins and fats it forms molecules called Advanced Glycation End products, or AGEs that promote aging. Limiting your intake of sugar-filled foods in general will also help. The American Heart Association now recommends that women consume no more than 100 calories per day of added sugars, and men no more than 150 calories per day.

4. Lower Stress

Being under constant pressure initiates the release of a variety of stress hormones that make your pulse race and cause your blood pressure to rise. The hormone cortisol gets released to lessen these effects, but if stress is constant, and cortisol stays chronically elevated it can shrink a part of the brain called the hippocampus, essential for long-term memory. It can also lead to the accumulation of belly fat, causing inflammation and insulin resistance. Regularly practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga or contemplative prayer help manage stress, but even closing your eyes for 5 minutes and breathing deeply at intervals through the day can help. Getting too little sleep can also increase cortisol, so make sure to aim for 7 to 8 hours a night.

5. Protect and Repair DNA with Super Foods

This point is closely related to the above, because controlling oxidation and inflammation and avoiding toxins are all part of protecting your DNA. When we age or have disease our DNA is duplicated but not as well. Think of a Xerox machine that produces a copy of a copy of a copy… and so on. The final copies are not very clear. We want “clear reproductions” when it comes to duplicating our DNA within. Many spices are also amazingly protective. I think it is good idea to include a reputable, high quality super “green” or “super food” type powder as part of your health regimen. You can mix the powder in your smoothie or mix it with juice as an added boost to your brain, energy and longevity.

Improve Your Brain Health

At Amen Clinics, we have spent decades helping people just like you improve their brain health. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit. Did you know about 60% of the solid weight of your brain is FAT—yes, fat. It’s a scientifically proven fact: Your brain and your body NEED healthy cholesterol and fatty acids to function optimally. High cholesterol is obviously bad for the brain and body, yet low cholesterol has been associated with homicide, suicide and severe depression. To be healthy, you need to get enough of the right types of fats daily.

Fat is Key

Fat plays an important structural role in your brain cell membranes. In fact, the essential fatty acid DHA makes up a full quarter of all brain fat, and it’s the brain’s preferred fat for building membranes.

Your Brain, DHA & Fat

When your brain doesn’t get adequate amounts of DHA through the diet, it’s forced to use inferior fats, such as saturated and trans fats. Brain cell membranes become more rigid with these inferior fats, which can slow information processing and overall brain function. • Healthy young adults whose diets were low in DHA found that supplementation helped support healthy memory and reaction time. • DHA also benefits seniors experiencing mild memory problems associated with aging. After one year, elderly subjects taking a DHA-concentrated fish oil supplement showed significant improvements in short-term and working memory compared to those taking placebo. • And memory is just one aspect of cognitive function that Omega-3 supplementation supports: A meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials found that it helps maintain an ideal attention span and quick processing speed too!

But let’s not forget about EPA:

• Although it doesn’t play the structural role that DHA does, it helps support mood and emotional balance. • It’s thought that EPA may also support a healthy response to inflammation in the brain, by helping to maintain healthy metabolic pathways. • In this regard, EPA appears to be more effective than DHA for mood support. • Omega-3 supplementation has also been found effective in people who are prone to mood swings and supports a healthy response to occasional, everyday stress.

What to remember when getting the goods

• Because fish can accumulate toxins such as mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), it’s extremely important that the product be highly purified. • Fish oil spoils easily; look for a product that is manufactured according to the highest quality standards. • Choose a product that has a 60/40 ratio of EPA to DHA, starting with at least 500 mg of DHA. Some inferior quality brands are lacking in one or the other or sometimes both. This is good news because it means that you possess the power to change your brain! There are many ways to become sick, but there is a clear path to wellness and it’s more simple than you think. If you are ready to transform your life, we can help you.

Improve Your Brain Health

At Amen Clinics, we have spent decades helping people just like you improve their brain health. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or schedule a visit. “It is believed that as much as 80% of all disease and illness is initiated and aggravated by stress.” – The National Safety Council Wow! A statement like this gives good reason for us all to ponder the role stress plays in our lives—and more importantly, what we can do to neutralize it and minimize its ill effects on our bodies… and brains. A first step is to understand the physiological response our bodies have to stress. We’ve all heard of the “fight or flight” response. It’s our built-in system for dealing with threats, real or perceived. For instance, let’s say you encounter a danger—you are on a hiking trail and you see a rattlesnake crossing your path. Immediately, your hypothalamus at the base of your brain sends an alert signal out to your body. A combination of signals triggers your adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenaline gets your heart rate and blood pressure up and gives you a rush of energy to escape the danger. In a flash, you step back to a safe distance. Cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone, releases glucose into your bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and signals substances to be on the ready for tissue repair. It also puts your body in survival mode, reducing nonessential functions—altering immune responses and suppressing the digestive and reproductive systems and growth processes. Mentally, your body’s natural alarm response communicates with the area of your mind that manages mood, motivation, and fear.

Overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost all your body’s processes and lead to:

1. Anxiety 2. Depression 3. Digestive Problems 4. Heart Disease 5. Sleep Problems 6. Weight Gain 7. Memory and concentration impairment No wonder so many of us lie awake at night, report fatigue, headaches, ongoing irritability and unexplained mood swings because of feeling stressed out. Studies are now showing that overall stress levels have increased, with greater percentages of adults reporting extreme levels of stress. Adults report that stress has a negative impact on their mental and physical health.

Address the Stress

While you may know about managing stress through lifestyle choices—exercise, diet, meditation, pursuit of hobbies, etc., you may not be addressing the underlying physiologic issue. If you suffer from everyday stress, you can supplement with herbs and nutrients that support your body’s natural return to calm. And that can make a huge difference.

A Holy Solution

If you’ve got stress, get holy…basil that is. (It’s not the basil you find in your favorite pasta dish.) Holy basil is an adaptogenic herb native to the Indian Subcontinent with a fitting name, as it is highly revered in the Hindu religion. Widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, clinical research suggests that it may help support the body’s natural response to stress: • A six-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled human study examined subjects with stress symptoms. Those who received a holy basil extract formula showed a 39% greater improvement in stress symptoms than those who received placebo. • Additional research showed that after a period of introduced stress and elevated stress hormones, the introduction of holy basil extract supplementation was correlated with a return to normal corticosterone and other stress hormone levels in the test subjects. It appears that holy basil may play a role in helping your body to turn off the “stress alarm.” When you address the stress response in your body, you’ll also be supporting the health of your brain, too. The Amen Clinics biomedical evaluation is part of The Amen Method “Four Circles Approach” to mental and physical health. We treat each patient as an individual, and take a full personal history before beginning SPECT imaging or recommending any treatment program. Call us today at 1-888-288-9834 or schedule an appointment online. At Amen Clinics, we feel the most important asset of any company is the collective brain health of all its employees. Healthy nutrition combined with proper lifestyle choices are critical strategies to supporting vibrant employees and businesses. Research shows that eating healthy is important for energy, focus, memory, productivity, optimal work performance, weight control, and preventing illnesses, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Nutrition Principles For Healthy Living at Amen Clinics

Over decades, the team at Amen Clinics has simplified our brain healthy nutrition principles into nine simple steps. 1. Think high-quality calories and not too many of them. 2. Drink plenty of water, not your calories. 3. Eat high-quality lean protein in small doses throughout the day. 4. Eat smart carbohydrates (low glycemic, high fiber). 5. Focus your diet on healthy fats. 6. Eat from the rainbow – natural foods of many different colors. 7. Cook with brain-healthy herbs and spices to boost your brain. 8. Make sure your food is as clean as possible – pesticide and hormone free. 9. If you’re having trouble with your mood, energy, memory, weight, blood sugar, blood pressure or skin, eliminate any foods that might be causing trouble, especially wheat and any other gluten-containing grain or dairy, soy, and corn.

Nutrition Guidelines

Beverages: • Water • Sparkling water • Flavored stevia (Sweet Leaf makes nine flavors) • Organic coffee • Unsweetened almond or coconut milk • “Steaz”- 0 calorie ice tea • “Zevia” – 0 calorie sodas sweetened with stevia (various flavors) • Green or herbal tea (cold and hot) • Coconut water Breakfast: • Hard boiled or poached eggs • Uncured ham, bacon, or sausage • Organic berries or low glycemic fruit • Chopped vegetables • Mashed avocados or hummus • Greek yogurt or goat milk yogurt with fresh berries Snacks: • Chopped vegetables (broccoli, celery, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini) • Nut butter for dipping • Salsa for dipping • Guacamole for dipping • Organic berries or low glycemic fruit • Raw nuts & seeds • Coconut wraps, with choices of fillings, such as almond butter, turkey or eggs Lunch: • A healthy protein with vegetables is what we serve at most company sponsored lunches. • Find a local restaurant that can provide family-style lean protein, vegetables, and salad. • Mediterranean salad, romaine, avocado, or kale salad. • Also, most restaurants can accommodate the request for adding a protein like grilled chicken, steak, or salmon. When you eat as we outline above, you will improve the quality of your meetings, as participants will be able to think at higher levels for longer periods of time. If you are ready to take control of your diet and reap the benefits of a brain that is properly nourished, contact us today at 1-888-288-9834 or tell us more to make an appointment online and get on the road to a healthier – and happier you. Diabetes is a disease that no one wants to have. When insulin, the hormone that controls blood sugar levels, becomes deficient or ineffective, the body suffers from chronically high blood sugar. Type 1 diabetes results when inadequate amounts of insulin are produced; type 2 develops when the body doesn’t use insulin properly. In both cases, the resulting damage to blood vessels harms every organ in your body, including your brain. Being overweight (diabetes + obesity = diabesity) makes things worse. Recent research revealed that people with early stage Type 2 diabetes who were also overweight had more severe and progressive abnormalities in brain structures and cognition than normal weight type 2 diabetics. The temporal lobe, which is one of the first brain regions to show changes in Alzheimer’s disease, was particularly vulnerable. Both Daniel and Tana Amen have lost loved ones and friends to the scourge of diabetes. They have seen first-hand how devastating the disease can be to someone’s health, happiness and life—and to their families. But diabetes doesn’t have to ruin your life. This is a disease that can be prevented—and even, in some cases, reversed—through simple lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercising more and eating a healthy diet, with more fiber, vegetables and fruit. Diabesity is one of the risk factors in the Amen Clinics BRIGHT MINDS Program, which identifies and treats the 11 risk factors that can rob you of your memory and your mind. Research shows that addressing all of these vulnerabilities is the best way to keep your memory strong for life. The list below includes all 11 risks, summed up in the words BRIGHT MINDS, which makes it easier to remember them: B – Blood Flow R – Retirement/Aging I – Inflammation G – Genetics H – Head Trauma T – Toxins
M – Mental Health I – Immunity/Infection Issues N – Neurohormone Deficiencies D – Diabesity S – Sleep Issues If you are overweight or getting on in years (age is a primary risk factor for diabetes), make an appointment with your healthcare provider to discuss these lab tests: It is also important to know your waist to height ration (WHtR), which you can calculate by dividing your waist size (in inches) by your height (in inches). A woman with a 30-inch waist who is 5’4” (64”) would divide 30 by 64 to get a WHtR or 46.8 percent. A ratio that’s less than 50 percent is considered healthy. Use a tape measure to get an accurate waist size! The other critical number to know is your body mass index, or BMI, which is a measurement that compares your weight to your height. An optimal BMI is 18.5 to 25; overweight is 25 to 30; over 30 is considered obese. Several online calculators will give you your BMI if you plug in your weight and height. To lower your risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes, the precursor to type 2 diabetes, adopt these healthy habits: In the video below, Dr. Daniel Amen discusses diabesity and the role diet plays in rescuing your memory today! To learn more about Amen Clinics Memory Program based on Dr. Amen’s BRIGHT MINDS approach, check it out HERE.

How Brain SPECT Imaging Can Help

Brain SPECT imaging looks at the functioning of the brain. It can tell us if your brain is healthy, experiencing accelerated aging, injured, overactive, or underactive. Without imaging and other assessments, there’s really no way to know what’s going on inside your brain. Although getting older is unavoidable, aging is optional. To learn how we can help you prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit us online to schedule a visit.