How to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Just finished listening to a presentation on PBS by Dr. Daniel Amen and feel it is well worth the time to share with others. He has produced a program only on PBS that is titled “Magnificient Mind at Any Age”. I wrote down twelve prescriptions that he brought out in his program. I will share his website at the end of this list.

Love Your Brain – watch what you eat and make sure you get the proper amount of sleep for you. In the early 1900’s, people slept for 9-10 hours per night.
Protect Your Brain – always use safety devices like bicycle helmets and seat belts
Stop Poisoning Your Brain – avoid alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and cleaning agents without proper ventilation
Protect Your Memory – early detection yearly after age 50 is critical to catch Alzheimers
Sleep is Essential to Brain Health – exercise helps cognitive function. use natural substance like melatonin or kava kava before sleep aids that have side effects
Learn Brain Healthy Ways to Deal with Pain – alternatives for pain relieve such as fish oil, acupuncture, music therapy, and hypnosis
Brain Healthy Diet – lean protein, low glycemic, high fiber carbohydrates, beans, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and leafy vegetables
Physical Exercise – 30 minutes per day boosts blood flow to brain, produces new brain cells.
Mental Exercise – learn something new like a musical instrument, new language, crossword puzzles, avoid alcohol, tobacco. Studies show that these activities add 14 years to your life.
Notice What You Love About Your Life not What You Hate – write down five things you are grateful for each day
Notice What You Love About Other People More Than What You Don’t – be careful what you focus on and you will be happier
Develop Resilience – Resilience in psychology is the positive capacity of people to cope with stress and catastrophe. It is also used to indicate a characteristic of resistance to future negative events. In this sense “resilience” corresponds to cumulative “protective factors” and is used in opposition to cumulative “risk factors”.

Dr. Daniel Amen is a Board Certified of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatrist

Helped pioneer the use of brain SPECT imaging in psychiatry

Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior UC, Irvine , School of Medicine

Trained at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington , DC

Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association

Award Winning Researcher, Writer and Teacher

Amen Clinics Website