Change Your Brain, Change Your Life:
The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness
by Daniel G. Amen , M.D.
Pros: Solid research-backed answers and lifestyle change suggestions
Cons: If one suffers from inattentiveness or hyperactivity have a loved one read it.
The Bottom Line: Everyone needs to read this book and become enlightened as to why our brains work the way they do.
I'm sure you've seen the TV ads for Adult ADD put out by Lilly pharmaceuticals. It shows a woman in a conference room trying to concentrate on the speaker's droning about business statistics, but her mind keeps jumping to pictures of everything else but the business at hand. Her mind processes are compared to the actions of a hyper remote control junkie switching channels so fast that one only gets a couple of seconds of a sound bite on each channel. The advertisement advises those viewers that feel like this woman to go to their website and take a quick online screening test to see if they could potentially have Adult ADD.
I’ve got a better suggestion… buy Dr. Daniel G. Amen’s book Change Your Brain, Change Your Life!
Dr. Amen is truly a modern medical pioneer in the study of the human brain and how it functions. In his book, he tells of his poignant reasons for pursuing his particular specialty and how, through the use of modern imaging technology, he has been able to document in a pictorial and visual way the inner workings of a brain that is struggling with chemical imbalance, hormonal imbalance, the influence of drugs, and (most importantly) the once illusive and somewhat ethereal condition of attention deficit disorder (which actually includes 6 very different types of the disorder).
Dr. Amen’s book is written for the layman and not for the medical journals so it is easy to read, digest, and implement into one’s life. He offers the “why’s” for individuals struggling with issues like the inability to focus, organize, or maintain order in life; those who struggle with depression, panic, and anxiety; those who have issues with anger and overly violent tendencies; and he covers a myriad of other issues as well.
He follows up the “why’s” with helpful real-life suggestions for truly influencing how your brain operates (for instance did you know that listening to music or singing to yourself can actually help some brain disorders?).
Here's a sampling of Dr. Amen's "Brain Prescriptions" as listed in his book:
"To Quell Anxiety and Panic: Use simple breath techniques to
immediately calm inner turmoil "To Fight Depression: Learn how to kill ANTs
(automatic negative thoughts)
"To Curb Anger: Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the
nutrients that calm rage
"To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus: Develop total
focus with the 'One-Page Miracle' "To Stop Obsessive Worrying: Follow the 'get
unstuck' writing exercises and learn other problem-solving
exercises"
Dr. Amen's exercises for changing your life are not “new age” or “self-help-seminar-like” but are based on solid medical research of cause and effect. He also explains the benefits of pharmaceutical therapy as well for each condition and discusses why it is sometimes the appropriate route to take in addition to making lifestyle changes.
In a day and age where we are bombarded with news stories of supposed “epidemics” of AD/HD and depression diagnoses in our nation’s children and the supposed “over-medicating” of our youth, this book gives solid answers instead of journalistic sensationalism. It can offer valuable and solid information for any parent that is seeking answers beyond what the pediatrician can give them.
In a time when we have many voices telling us that conditions such as PMS, depression, panic, anxiety, and inattentiveness are being overblown by pharmaceutical companies in order to make a profit, Dr. Amen’s powerful and tangible research evidence validates that these conditions are real and are very treatable.
This book is a fascinating look into the mysterious inner workings of the grey matter in our skulls. It is enlightening, down-to-earth, reality-based, and most of all a true answer to the prayers of those who have struggled with brain issues and have had to go without answers until now. I am one of them. So is my brother. So is my sister. And so is my mother. We finally found hope and normalcy thanks to this medical pioneer and so can you. For more information visit Dr. Amen’s website at http://www.brainplace.com/
