Change Your Brain Every Day - Dr Daniel and Tana Amen Answer Brain Warrior's Burning Questions

Episode Date: June 7, 2021

Tackling every subject from antidepressants, effects of the vaccine, to how to deal with family issues; Dr Daniel and Tana Amen answer listeners' and viewers' questions in an exciting "Ask Me Anything" segment.

Welcome to the Brain Warriors Way podcast. I'm Dr. Daniel Amen. And I'm Tana Amen. In our podcast, we provide you with the tools you need to become a warrior for the health of your brain and body. The Brain Warriors Way podcast is brought to you by Amen Clinics, where we have been transforming lives for 30 years using tools like brain spec imaging to personalize treatment to your brain. For more information, visit amenclinics.com.

The Brain Warriors Way podcast is also brought to you by BrainMD, where we produce the highest quality nutraceuticals to support the health of your brain and body. To learn more, go to brainmd.com. Hey. Hey. So 15 minutes, we're going to answer as many questions as we can. And I recruited my best friend, Deb. Question number one, if anti-anxiety meds aren't good for the brain, what's a better way to deal? So are they always bad for the brain? Well, no. But anti-anxiety meds like Benzos, Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, once you start them, your brain will then need them in order for you to feel normal. So I'm not a fan. I rarely prescribe benzos.

Are there any that are good for the brain? Are there any that are less harmful? Well, sometimes I might use anti-seizure meds. They can help lower anxiety. Sometimes I'll use BuSpar. But often, magnesium and GABA. Right. GABA really works for me.

Theanine. And we'll try natural things to help with anxiety. Brain MD, GABA calming, magnesium, chewable. You know, as I said, I'm just not a fan of Xanax because once you start it, you're going to have a heck of a time stopping. Question two, if you could bullet your top five things to do daily for brain health, what would it be? Why don't you pick three and I'll do two. Okay, so top five things. one exercise for me um i wake up and i know what yours is going to be but i wake up and i immediately like did you think i was going to say sex well that's just a given i was going to

i didn't think we were going to mention that on our live chat but anyways um i immediately thank god for um two or three things i'm grateful for so gratitude gratitude exercise and meditation and then i would add food so important your body including your brain makes itself new all the time based on the food you eat. So whole food, colorful food, food that's high in fiber, nutrients, and healthy fat. And then for me, I think supplementation is really important. So I make you a shake every day that has Bright Minds powder, Nura Greens, Smart Mushrooms. I mean, it's just loaded.

So those are- And my bonus is shut off the news. Is self-made popcorn a healthy snack? So here's the problem with popcorn. Even if it's organic, you're going to eat it, eat it organic, and make it an occasional treat, not a regular thing. Because it has the worst fatty acid profile of just about any grain. It's a occasional treat not a regular thing because it has the worst fatty acid profile just about any grain it's a grain not a vegetable um so and it's it just it tends to cause inflammation and bloating um unfortunately 90 of it is genetically modified 90 95 maybe yeah

so generally so an occasional treat make it organic and just know that you are probably going to blow up a little bit all right we have to keep going. This is your question. If family members keep you in fear and anxiety, how close do you stay to them? So boundaries are important. You can love people, you can forgive them, and you can love them from a distance. I love you, and I will miss you. My favorite line for people who are not safe. Another question. This one's for me. Have you ever been to Lebanon? Yes, I have. I actually sponsored an orphan through Christian Children's Fund and got to go visit him. I was really excited. I want to go. Which one of your books would you recommend to a 19-year-old?

Change your brain, change your life. How about your books? Definitely my most recent one. I mean, depending on what the kid's been through, but Relentless Courage of a Scared Child, if they have any kind of trauma. And my new book coming out in just a couple of weeks, perfect for a 19-year-old.

Your Brain is Always Listening. Tame the Hidden Dragons that Control Your Happiness, Habits, and Hang-Ups. Any plans to open a clinic in Denver? No, but we have a brand new clinic in Dallas and we're working on a new clinic in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. So we're getting a little more spread out. This one for you. How do I learn to listen to my gut? So that can be in two ways. You can either be talking about actually for food. So like actually listening to your gut as far as nutrition or listening to your gut as far as intuition. Um, so they say people who have been through trauma

have better intuition. What that really is is you're, you, we have a heightened acuity, like a more acute sense of what's happening around us because it's a survival skill. So whenever I get that spidey sense, I listen to it. Now I might be wrong, but I listened to it initially because that spidey sense has saved my life way more than once. It's called The Gift of Fear. So one book I strongly recommend. I keep a stack of them to give out to people. The Gift of Fear. It's a great book, especially for young women going to college. Just a fantastic book. How are you feeling since the vaccine? I feel fine. Totally fine. Is OCD curable? And the answer is yes.

But at Amen Clinics, we'll scan you first to have a sense what's going on in your brain. And then we will target the treatment specifically to your brain. How to handle recurrent negative thoughts. So killing the ants. So we actually work on this with our entire family. That's one of the things we've done through the pandemic. All chapter on ants. Yeah, so killing the ants. So the best thing we can tell you in this short amount of time is start questioning

your thoughts. Don't believe every thought you have. Talk back like you did when you were a teenager. And eventually it gets to the point where you're not only talking back to the thoughts and challenging them, turn it around to its opposite. So where you bring your attention determines how you feel. Whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, out of control. Write down what you're thinking and then just go. Is it true? Carry those three words around with you.

And then switch it. So if you ever thought she's a witch and you get to the very end of it, it's like, I'm a witch. Oh, ow. But is that ever true? Can you ever think of a time you were a witch? And it just cracks the thought. What do you think of EMDR for trauma treatment?

Oh my gosh. I like literally life-saving for me transformative what book have you written to overcome anxiety and it's just so common i've written about it and change your brain change your life feel better fast and make it our new show but um your brain is always listening there's the anxious thrive. Right. And our new PBS show, which comes out at the end of this month, at the end of February. End of February. The end of February is overcoming anxiety,

trauma, depression, and grief. Does prayer and meditation have the same effect on the brain? Similar, right? Very similar effects. Settles down the emotional brain and fires up the thoughtful part of the brain the frontal lobes right how do i push past depression to help myself you don't know what that's like like nothing i have ever experienced just horrible um so yeah that was a journey-to-head against antidepressant medication. Exercise.

Walk like you're late. 45 minutes, four times a week, even if you don't feel like it. Omega-3 fatty acids, especially high in EPA. Learning to kill the ant. So that's the first thing to do. We make something called Happy Saffron. In fact, if you pre-order the book, go to yourbrainisalwayslistening.com, we'll actually give you a free coupon for a bottle of Happy Saffron, which has been shown in 21

randomized controlled trials to help with depression. So exercise, fish oil, not believing every stupid thing you think, Happy Saffron. And then if those things aren't working, get evaluated because medication can really help. But going on the wrong medication can ruin your life. And two things I wish I had known that I did not know back then, the power of food with your mood. I just didn't know it.

And meditation and prayer. I mean, it's just, they're so helpful as well. How do I push? How do I stop emotional eating? Oh, wow. That's more than we're going to do in this one. So actually food matters. What you choose to eat can actually help you with your food.

But addressing whatever's underneath it. So EMDR for trauma. So actually addressing what's going on. And you're just chronically stressed. Right. So engaging in a regular meditative prayerful practice can help. But

don't let your blood sugar go low. If you let your blood sugar go low, you're going to start gorging. Eating more carbs makes you crave more carbs. The more carbs you eat, the more you crave. But you also need to address what's going on underneath all of that. Three minutes. How do I overcome panic attacks? Do this breathing pattern.

Three seconds in, six seconds out. Twice as long to breathe out. Do that 10 times. Whatever thoughts you have, write it down. Don't leave because you're having a panic attack because then it will control you and then certain supplements like gaba calming theanine after saffron can be super helpful how do you heal from being a daily marijuana smoker it's stop smoking and then engage in regular brain healthy habits. The other thing you

can do, Tana and I have recorded almost 900 Brain Warriors Way podcasts. You can go to brainwarriorswaypodcast.com, start downloading it. It'll really teach you how to be armed, prepared, and aware to win the fight of your life so i'm a big advocate of um replaced on a race so that's a habit that you have so find a healthy habit to replace it when you feel like you're in that place um so what is a healthier thing you can do you know go for a walk call a friend like do something in that moment that you need that you can do that's that's going to replace that habit best place to start a month brain detox um well the best time to start is now we actually are not fans of detoxing

we're a fan of always detoxing why would you ever put something toxic in your body it's sweat with saunas that helps uh detox your body. Increase your hydration. Cut out sugar and processed foods. So that's the best place to start. Okay. Last question because we're running out of time. What is your morning ritual? Oh, I love our morning ritual. I wake up and you make me my almond milk latte.

You make me my smoothie. We sit and chat for about 15, 20 minutes before workouts and then get started with our day. I start every day with today is going to be a great day. I end every day with what went well today. And I really spend time. They're not just, oh, answer this question. I really spend time thinking about and meditating to direct my mind. And then as I go through my day, I ask myself, is this good for my brain or bad for talking to you? Always for our brain. Thanks so much. Have a good day. If you're enjoying the Brain Warriors Way podcast,

please don't forget to subscribe so you'll always know when there's a new episode. And while you're at it, feel free to give us a review or five-star rating as that helps others find the podcast. If you're interested in coming to Amen Clinics, use the code PODCAST10 to get a 10% discount on a full evaluation at amenclinics.com. For more information, give us a call at 855-978-1363.