Want the Best Body Possible? It All Starts with the Brain!

Take a close look at yourself in the mirror. If your skin seems dry, you reach for the moisturizer. Spot a pimple and you dab it with a bit of acne medication. Notice a few split ends and you call the hairdresser for a haircut.

Basically, whenever you see a problem with your body, you try to fix it yourself or get professional help to take care of it.

But most people never consider the health of their brain because they can’t see it. Many of us walk around with brains that need help, but we don’t realize it, so we don’t do anything to address the issue. That’s at the heart, or should I say brain, of the problem.

Understanding and optimizing your brain is often the missing link to being successful in your quest for a better body.

Follow these 10 basic principles to love and nurture your brain so that you can have the best body possible:

Your Brain is Involved in Everything You Do

As the executive control center of your entire body, your brain controls everything you do. The moment-by-moment functioning of your brain is responsible for the way you think, feel, eat, and exercise. The impact of the brain on your body is at the core of your health and well-being. The decisions your brain makes can steal or add many years to your life!

When Your Brain Works Right, You Work Right

A healthy brain makes it so much easier for you to have your best body possible. When your brain is working at optimal levels, you are more likely to stick to a diet, follow an exercise routine, and adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. On the other hand, a troubled brain often leads to bad decisions that can steal your health. Your brain can either help or hinder your efforts to have a better body.

The Brain is the Most Complex Organ in the Universe

Your brain only weighs about 3 pounds, but it’s more powerful than even the most sophisticated supercomputer. Even though it represents only about 2 percent of your body’s weight, your brain uses about 25 percent of the calories you consume. It’s estimated that there are more connections in your brain than there are stars in the universe! Your brain is heavily involved in making you who you are…so respect it.

Your Brain is Soft and is Housed in a Hard Skull

Composed of about 80 percent water, the brain’s consistency is somewhere between raw egg whites and Jell-O. The brain is housed in a hard skull and is filled with fluid. Inside your brain skull are a number of bony edges and ridges. Your brain wasn’t made to endure the punishment of soccer headers, tackle football, or boxing. Brain injuries not only damage your brain, they can ruin your body.

The Brain Only Has So Much Reserve

Brain reserve is the cushion of healthy brain function we have to deal with stressful events or injuries. The more reserve you have, the better you can cope with the unexpected. The less you have, the harder it is for you to handle tough times and injuries. Enhance your reserve by maintaining a brain-healthy lifestyle.

Specific Parts of Your Brain Are Involved in Certain Behaviors

There are many parts of the brain and each area can influence your behavior positively or negatively. Trouble in a specific part of your brain can cause certain behavior problems. Each brain system plays a major role in your ability to make good decisions for the health of your entire body. Understanding your brain can help you optimize it.

Many Everyday Activities Help/Hurt the Brain

You may be surprised to learn that common, everyday activities and behaviors are often the source of brain drain. Things that hurt the brain include: drugs/alcohol, obesity, sleep deprivation, chronic stress, dehydration and excessive TV/video games. Common practices that can help your brain are: diet, exercise, supplements, quality sleep, relaxation and meditation. Do you want a healthy or unhealthy brain? The choice is yours.

Brain Imaging Gives Great Insight into Healing

With the help of imaging, we’ve learned that conditions such as obesity, depression, anxiety, and addictions are not single or simple disorders and that one treatment doesn’t fit everyone. Imaging helps us understand individual patients so that we can develop treatment plans specifically tailored to you. Depending on your individual situation, your brain may need to be stimulated or it may need to be calmed down. If we never look at your brain, how can we know the best way to treat you?

It’s Crucial to Know How Your Brain Functions

Since we are all unique individuals, we need to understand how our brain functions. From a brain imaging perspective, there isn’t just one type of ADD/ADHD, anxiety or depression. Understanding your individual variability is critical to getting the right treatment, whether it’s to help your mood, focus, weight or overall health.

You Can Change Your Brain and Body

By targeting specific interventions and lifestyle changes, you can improve your brain and your body. This is one of the most exciting breakthroughs in medicine. Working to enhance your brain can be the answer if you’ve been struggling with diets your entire life, have never been able to stick with a fitness routine, have been trying to quit smoking for years, or want to improve your overall health. To get the body you want, you need to believe in your ability to change your brain.

Knowing how your brain works is critical to getting the help you need. One of the best ways you can change your brain and body is with brain SPECT imaging. SPECT helps people understand the underlying psychological or medical reasons for their conditions.

Our Full Evaluation of your biological/psychological/social/spiritual history, coupled with two brain SPECT imaging scans (in concentrating and resting states), cognitive testing, and clinical assessment is designed to address unique needs and offer targeted treatment options.

At Amen Clinics, we’re committed to treating our patients with the least toxic, most effective regimen. For more information on how SPECT imaging can help provide a customized treatment plan to help heal your brain and body, call us today at 888-288-9834 or visit us online to schedule a visit.