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If you want to keep your brain and body healthy for as long as possible you must answer this question. It’s actually the most important question I ask my patients: Why? Furthermore, why do you want to be healthy? Why do you want a stronger mind and a more powerful brain? If you don’t know the answer to this question, no amount of great information will keep you on the right track, especially with constant exposure to unhealthy choices.

Determine Your Brain Health Now

The single most important factor in determining your health is the quality of the decisions that you make every day. You can take the time to start the necessary steps to improve your health today by beginning with the following: • Know about the health of your brain – get a base line brain health assessment. • Know your health numbers – you need to optimize your important health numbers, not just normalize them. • Avoid anything that hurts your brain and may cause brain injuries – engage in regular brain healthy habits. It is important to remember that Alzheimer’s disease starts decades before you have any symptoms and untreated Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addictions all increase your risk for it. One of the most important ways to decrease your risk for Alzheimer’s disease is to decrease all of the risk factors for it.

The Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s disease

The risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease include: • Diabetes • Hypertension • Obesity • Heart Disease • Smoking • Alcohol Abuse • Low Thyroid and Testosterone Levels • Sleep Apnea • Insomnia • Chronic Stress • Untreated ADD or Depression • Lack of Exercise • No New Learning • Intestinal Inflammation You can do something about it, but you literally have no time to waste if you want to keep your brain healthy for the rest of your life. The older you get, the harder you have to work at staying healthy. As we age we have less room for error. We have to be constantly vigilant in our health. When you take the steps to learn about the condition of your brain, then you can begin to maximize its potential and avoid the cognitive decline that comes in our later years. If you or a loved one could benefit from a brain health assessment, please contact Amen Clinics to schedule a visit, or call our Call Center today at (888) 288-9834. A highly influential, walnut-sized area – deep in the center of your brain – is live wired with functions all critical to your survival. The limbic system in your brain, in fact, influences problem solving, organization, and rational thought, among other things. From an evolutionary standpoint, the limbic brain is an “older” part of the brain of mammals, enabling humans to experience and express emotions, freeing them from primitive behaviors and helping to develop the surrounding cerebral cortex. In order for these functions to have an effect in the world, though, your LS must fuel the passions and desires to enable them.

What Makes Up Your Brain’s Limbic System (LS)?

When the LS is overactive you are likely to interpret neutral events through a negative filter. For example, if you have a neutral conversation with someone whose LS is overactive or “negatively set,” he or she is likely to interpret the conversation in a negative way. On the other hand, when this part of the brain is balanced, a positive interpretation of events is more likely to occur.

Appetite, Energy and Sleep Are Influenced by the LS

Your sleep and appetite cycles are controlled by the LS, especially the hypothalamus. Healthy appetite and sleep are essential for optimal health. However, disruptions in the LS can negatively affect sleep and appetite, which may mean an inclination toward too much or too little of either. LS structures are also intimately involved with bonding and social connectedness. We are social animals; when we are bonded to people in a positive way, we feel better about ourselves and our lives. Another important function of the LS is to process sense of smell, says Dr. Amen. “Brain messages from all the other senses [sight, hearing, touch, and taste] are sent to a ‘relay station’ before zooming to their final destination in different parts of the brain,” he says. Because your sense of smell (via the nose) goes directly to the LS, it’s easy to understand why aroma has such a profound impact on emotions.

3 Ways to Balance and Optimize Your LS

Physical Exercise: One study comparing exercise with antidepressants found that after 12 weeks, both therapies were equally effective. At 10 months, exercise was actually more effective – and it has no side effects. Vitamins and Supplements: Supplements containing Omega-3 fatty acids and fish oils – especially those containing a higher EPA content, and S-adenosylmethionine – have both been shown to support a healthier, happier mood.   Find Passionate Purpose: What is important to you? What and who do you care deeply about? Answering these questions can help your mood; and they can also help you live a longer, fuller life. To learn more about balancing your limbic system or how Amen Clinics can help you with depression or negative feelings in your life, contact the Amen Clinics Care Center online or call 888-288-9834 today. Why does it seem like there are never enough hours in the day? From day to night, work to family, personal goals, and endless to-do lists, we’re a nation of on-the-go people. We all want to be more productive, but that requires more focus and more energy. Below are four simple strategies that will give you the focus and energy you need all day— to get the important stuff done.

1. Get quality sleep

Quality sleep is key to a better quality of life. In fact, sleep is just as important as eating healthy and exercising. How you feel during the day is directly related to how well you slept the night before. Not feeling your best during the day and struggling to sleep are normally caused by your lifestyle choices or daily routine. Aim for 7-8 hours. Longer than 9 hours and you can feel even more tired. If you have trouble falling asleep, avoid electronic gadgets 2 hours before bed.

2. Hydrate

Dehydration is guaranteed to make you feel tired. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help you feel more focused and energized, maintain a healthy body weight and improve mental performance. Two great tips to stay hydrated: • never leave the house without a bottle of water • avoid drinks that dehydrate you such as alcohol and soda

3. Indulge in a piece of dark chocolate

Yes, chocolate does have caffeine, but it also contains healthy flavonoids found in cocoa, which have been shown to boost cognitive skills and improve mood. In one study, seniors who ate more dark chocolate had a lower incidence of dementia. Eating one piece of sugar-free dark chocolate a day can be good for you, boost blood flow to your brain, help your mood, and decrease anxiety.

4. Exercise

Exercise has been found to be as effective as antidepressant medication. Exercise is the quickest way to increase all of your feel-good neurotransmitters, especially serotonin. We recommend doing coordination exercises like table tennis, dance or martial arts to strengthen your cerebellum. This can improve your balance, processing speed, focus, and energy. The secret to exercise is to do something you love, then it’s not work. Additionally, in The Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbook, you’ll find over 100 simple, delicious recipes that support the principles of the Brain Warrior’s Way to heal and optimize the brain. Amen Clinics has spent the last 28 years helping people improve their brain health, receive specialized treatments and remove the stigma surrounding mental health. If you or a loved one needs professional help with anxiety, depression, focus or memory, call Amen Clinics at 888-288-9834 or visit us online. The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life by Pastor Rick Warren, Dr. Daniel Amen and Dr. Mark Hyman maps an innovative approach to achieving a healthy lifestyle where you get better together by optimizing your health within five key life areas:

FAITH  ✚  FOOD  ✚  FITNESS  ✚  FOCUS  ✚  FRIENDS

Each element was designed to support and influence the others, providing an achievable healthy focus for anyone. One of the reasons Pastor Warren asked me to help create The Daniel Plan was because he heard me talk about something I call the “dinosaur syndrome.”  There are 140 studies that report as your weight goes up the actual physical size and function of your brain goes down.  Big body, little brain, you are going to become a dinosaur if you don’t get serious about your health.  That should scare the fat off anyone! With 70% of Americans overweight, we are experiencing the biggest BRAIN DRAIN in the history of our country. The program was developed and originated at Saddleback Church in 2011, and within the first year, more than 15,000 church members lost a collective of more than 250,000 pounds!  The collective weight loss was met with dramatic decreases in health issues and stress and increases in spiritual growth and energy. The Daniel Plan is intended to hold up one’s life, enliven one’s body, enrich one’s mind and fill one’s heart: We purposefully designed The Daniel Plan to decrease your risk for Alzheimer’s disease, depression and obesity. Discover a multitude of resources: “The thing that I love about the Daniel Plan is that we get better together — when we do this as a group, it is so powerful and so exciting — as you get well, you are helping other people to get well too.” Dr. Daniel Amen Perhaps the most important step in The Daniel Plan is to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Where you bring your attention determines how you feel. If you FOCUS on how hard this plan will be, it WILL BE hard, but if you FOCUS on the BENEFITS … like great energy … you will be AMAZED (like so many others) at how EASY it is.  But be clear,if you do not stay focused you will be depriving yourself of one of God’s greatest gifts … your health. You are encouraged to do The Daniel Plan with another person or a group to accelerate your results and enjoy a built-in support system.  This book provides you with cutting-edge, real-world applications that are easy to implement and will help you create lasting results that you can see and feel. Although most people are aware of how unhealthy soft drinks are, American youth and adults continue to consume more per capita than any other country. Compelling evidence showing why conventional soft drinks don’t belong in the hands of young children came from a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, titled, “Soft Drinks Consumption is Associated with Behavior Problems in 5-Year-Olds.”

What Research Says

Researchers assessed 2,929 5-year-old children enrolled in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a prospective birth cohort that follows mother-child pairs from 20 large U.S. cities. Of the 2,929 5-year-olds researched: • 52% were boys • 43% consumed at least 1 serving of soft drinks per day • 4% consumed 4 or more servings of soft drinks per day

The Findings

The most alarming findings were in the group of children who drank 4 or more soft drinks per day. These children: • Were more than 2 times as likely to act out aggressively, get into fights and destroy the property of others. • Scored higher on the attention problems scale than those who drank less than 4 servings of soft drinks daily. Additionally, children who drank 2, 4 or more soft drink servings daily also demonstrated withdrawal behaviors, as compared with children who did not consume soft drinks.

Aggression & Soft Drinks

This study’s findings positively linked aggression, attention problems and withdrawal to soft drink consumption in young children. Even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, maternal depression, intimate partner violence in the home, and paternal incarceration, any amount of soft drink consumption resulted in higher aggressive behavior scores as compared to those who did not consume soft drinks.

What Can You Do?

At Amen Clinics, we know that children (of all ages) LOVE treats. Instead of traditional soft drinks, we suggest a brand called Zevia, which is made from natural ingredients and sweetened with stevia, a much healthier no calorie sweetener.

We Can Help

If you would like to overhaul your family’s dietary habits, schedule a consultation at Amen Clinics. Let our years of experience, creativity, and positive, motivating attitude help you create brain-healthy menu plans that your family will love. Our therapists and coaches are available for consultations both in-person and over the phone. Call us today at 888-288-9834 or tell us more to schedule an appointment. Big name food and beverage companies spend millions of dollars on advertisements to make you believe that their low-calorie, synthetic sweeteners and flavors will solve all of your weight-loss woes. The truth is:

The Obesity Epidemic Gets Worse Every Year

• 2/3 of Americans are now overweight. • Childhood obesity has increased 800% since 1982.

Diet Soda Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be

A 14-year study of 66,118 women published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that, drinking artificially-sweetened beverages did not lower the risk for developing type 2 diabetes when compared to regular sugar-sweetened beverages. Additionally, a behavioral neuroscientist at Purdue recently reviewed a number of previously performed studies to determine whether drinking diet sodas over the long-term will increase the likelihood that a person will overeat, gain weight and then develop other health problems. She found that: • People who drank artificially sweetened soda were more likely to experience weight gain than those who drank regular soda. • Those who drank diet soda had twice the risk of developing metabolic syndrome (related to diabetes)

4 Reasons Why “Diet” Beverages Won’t Help You Lose Weight

1. Extreme Sweeteners Trigger Food Addiction

• Sweets are mood foods, plain and simple. • Synthetic sweeteners are 200 to 600 times sweeter than sugar. • Extreme sweeteners activate intense cravings and make it VERY HARD to stay away from the foods that are bad for you (sugar and refined carbohydrates).

2. Calorie Swapping

Drinking diet beverages may lead to calorie swapping: • This is the idea that you have “saved on liquid calories”, so why not go ahead and order that dessert, eat the french fries, the cookie, potato chips, etc.

3. Increased Insulin – the Fat Storage Hormone

Insulin is produced by the body to push glucose (sugar) into the cells to be used as energy. • This causes your body to (unnecessarily) pump out insulin, which increases fat storage.

4. Food Coloring

Diet soda and “flavored water enhancers” are loaded full of synthetic colors in addition to sweeteners. • A 1994 study linked synthetic colors to an increase in restlessness, irritability and sleep disturbances in children. • Getting fewer than 7 hours of sleep at night is associated with lower blood flow to the brain, more cravings and more fat on your body.

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 the Amen Clinics can help, or call today at 888-288-9834. Refined carbohydrates and sugar hit you right where it counts- in the pleasure centers in your basal ganglia. This is the part of your brain that releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, and it’s the epicenter for addiction cycles. This very common issue is often referred to as “food addiction”, however the culprit is sugar and the refined carbohydrates that break down into sugar once inside your body. If we were addicted to real food – vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates – we wouldn’t be talking about addiction.

Sugar Addiction is REAL

Researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital’s Obesity Prevention Center devised a high-quality test to prove whether meals with a high glycemic index (read high sugar) trigger an addiction phenomenon, not in behavior alone, but in the brain.

The Study

• Investigators analyzed 12 obese men ages 18-35. • The men were given two different meal replacement shakes, indistinguishable by sight and taste and even calorie count, but very different in glycemic content (amount of sugar). • One milkshake had a high glycemic index (high-GI), one had a low glycemic index (low-GI). The really interesting impact of the high-GI meal shake was what happened in the brain four hours later: • Four hours after each shake was eaten, when the participants would likely be thinking about what to eat at their next meal, they were asked to rate their hunger. • At the same time, the investigators took blood to measure glucose levels and used functional MRI to measure blood flow to the brain.

What They Found

Compared to the low-GI shake, at four hours after eating the high-GI shake the participants experienced: Decreased plasma glucose • This is evidence of a sugar crash – the drop in energy that occurs as blood sugar levels fall. • When you experience a sugar crash, you’re going to be compelled to reach for more sugar to get back to the energy high. It’s a vicious cycle. Increased hunger • High glycemic index meals intensify hunger.

5 Ways to Conquer Sugar Cravings

1. Stabilize Your Blood Sugar

Cravings may come on because you did not eat enough protein, vegetables or healthy fats at meals. Eat small amounts of protein and healthy fats with each meal. Protein is key so don’t go more than a few of hours without eating some. Increasing your protein intake throughout the day will rev your metabolism and enhance weight loss.

2. Stop Eating Sugar

The more sugar you eat, the more you crave. Just give it 3 days to get over the hump… 3 days. Take out the all bread, pasta, crackers, cereal, most grains, white rice, white flour, soda/diet soda, sugar and artificial sweeteners out of your diet.

3. Address Your Triggers Head-On

Stop letting your brain get hijacked by unresolved emotional issues that you “treat” with food (or other addictions). Calm your brain’s emotion centers by: • Talking – it gets the issues out of your head. • Journaling (rather than eating) when you’re upset. • Writing down 5 things you are grateful for every day.

4. Calm Anxiety

The nucleus accumbens is part of the basal ganglia. When the basal ganglia work too hard, we can be anxious or overly driven; when they are low in activity, we are unmotivated. Balance your basal ganglia by: • Consciously limiting use of technology – it wears out your pleasure centers.

5. Before You Reach for Food, Use H.A.L.T.

Ask yourself, am I: Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired? Hungry: If you are hungry, ask yourself: “Would I eat an apple right now?” “Yes” = truly hungry “No, I want cookies” = sugar craving Angry: Instead of eating take a walk. Lonely: Instead of eating call a friend. Tired: Instead of eating take a nap.

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 the Amen Clinics can help, or call today at 888-288-9834. Do you find yourself putting on weight regardless of how healthy you eat and how much you exercise? Extra calories may not be the only cause of weight gain. It’s no surprise that having a diet consisting of sugar, fast food, super-sized meals, alcohol and junk food will lead to weight gain, but how does one explain weight gain when you’re doing all the right things- like watching what you eat, exercising and counting calories? There is much more to weight gain than meets the eye. You may not realize it, but there are many lifestyle factors that could be making you fat.

Five Hidden Factors that Cause Weight Gain

1. Lack of Sleep:

When your body doesn’t get the 7-9 hours of sleep it needs, you feel tired and your body can’t function as it normally does and begins storing fat. A study at Harvard University found that women who sleep only five hours per night are 32% more likely to gain weight than those who slept seven hours or more. Our bodies function best when we’re well rested. Being tired can lead to stress, which can then lead to consuming extra calories, which then causes one to gain weight.

2. Artificial Sweeteners:

Think twice about that calorie-free soda you’re about to drink. You might think you’re not gaining weight from it because it has zero calories, but beware. There’s nothing good that will come out of drinking diet or regular soda.

3. Stress:

So many of us are guilty of turning to food to help relieve stress. Food is a temporary fix, but long-term it doesn’t work. Whether it’s at work or home life, you can easily be setting yourself up for weight gain. Starchy foods like potatoes, pasta and bread tend to be favorites that temporarily help relieve stress and make you feel better but can cause inflammation, as well as extra unwanted calories.

4. Medications:

Some medications might be necessary to treat certain conditions, but with that may also come side effects that cause you to gain weight. Anti-depressants have been shown to decrease your metabolic rate and cause hormonal shifts in the body, which can lead to increased hunger. Some migraine relievers, steroids, birth control pills and hormone replacement therapies may also cause weight gain. If you’ve gained more than five pounds in one month without changing your diet and lifestyle, check your medicine cabinet.

5. Lifestyle & Environment:

The way we live our daily lives can play a huge part in weight gain. There are so many factors beyond our control that can contribute to it. For one, research has shown that adolescents who were breastfed as babies for three months or longer are less likely to be obese. Set aside some time and get some sleep, clean out your pantry, read prescription labels and know their side effects and clean up your environment. These simple and effective suggestions just might help you get to the ideal weight you want and deserve.

We Can Help

You have 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. 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. So many times you hear people blame their weight on a slow metabolism. While it’s true that metabolism is linked to weight, it’s more about your food and calorie intake, as well as your physical activity that determines how much you weigh. Your metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories to sustain life.

What is a RMR?

Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the rate at which you burn energy or calories when resting. Calories are constantly required to perform essential body functions such as heartbeat, respiration, elimination of wastes, etc. On average around 50-75% of one’s daily energy expenditure is attributed towards this resting metabolic rate. Simply put, it converts the food we eat into energy.

What Makes Metabolism Slow Down?

Like so many think, it’s actually due to lack of muscle. You lose muscle due to the lack of physical activity. One common mistake of many is that they starve themselves instead of eating sensibly. Most people think that eating less often or skipping meals will do the trick when dieting. This actually is the worst thing you can do. Going long periods of time without eating stimulates fat storage and can make fat cells even larger. By not eating frequently, three sensible meals and two snacks a day, you’re actually slowing down your metabolism. The longer you go between meals the more your metabolism slows down again to conserve energy. People with a low or slow metabolism do not convert their food calories into energy efficiently, therefore making them gain weight due to lack of energy. A person with high or fast metabolism can burn the food calories before they are stored in your fat cells, helping them to maintain a healthy weight.

What’s the Solution?

It’s actually quite simple. Invest in yourself and have a willingness to make some changes. Below is a list of 10 easy and effective ways to boost your metabolism:

1. Don’t starve yourself.

It actually causes you to lose much more water weight and muscle than fat. Dropping below 1,000 calories a day can cause your body to go into starvation mode.

2. Eat smaller meals more frequently.

Depending on your brain type– eat a balanced meal with enough calories to sustain energy to fuel metabolism.

3. Eat breakfast.

If you don’t eat breakfast, you slow your metabolism and send the body into “hoard mode”, thinking it’s starving because you’re going too long in between meals without food.

4. Drink water!

Drink a minimum of ½ your body weight in ounces. The energy burning process of metabolism needs water to work effectively.

5. Schedule sleep.

Try to get in at least 7 hours of sleep a night and stick to a consistent sleep schedule.

6. Eat wholesome organic foods.

Eat foods that will stabilize blood sugar levels and assist in fat loss.

7. Incorporate strength training.

Two to three times a week incorporate some form of resistance training into your schedule. Muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn.

8. Avoid alcohol.

It prevents fat burning and can add hundreds of calories. Can also reduce testosterone levels, which is a not good for men who want to lose fat and get lean.

9. Take your B vitamins.

If you’re feeling fatigued and lack energy, be sure to take a B complex.

10. Healthy fats.

Sources include nuts, extra virgin olive oil and Omega 3’s. Omega 3 supplements reduce your insulin levels throughout the day. When insulin levels are high you can’t burn fat. Fish oil directly increases the oxidation of fat within fat cells.

We Can Help

At Amen Clinics, we understand the pain and frustration trying to lose weight can cause. We approach each individual with a sense of compassion and respect. Our experienced clinical staff will take a full history of each patient using The Amen Clinics Method before beginning treatment with SPECT imaging or making other recommendations. Connect with us today by calling 888-288-9834 to learn more – we are waiting to help you, or schedule a visit today.