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January 05, 2024 13:46
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Day 113: Protecting Teenage Brains
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From a neuroscience perspective, you are really not an adult until you are 25 or so. We assume that when kids turn 18 (or maybe 21) they become adults, but it’s not true. They are still growing, specifically their brains. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), which controls planning, judgment, impulse control, decision-making, and empathy (required for maturity), is still developing up to 25 years old.
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January 05, 2024 10:01
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Day 102: Tiny Habits for BRIGHT MINDS
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Tiny Habits for BRIGHT MINDS
Make BRIGHT MINDS as easy as possible. Here is a list of 11 tiny habits for each of the BRIGHT MINDS risk factors.
1. After I have used the bathroom, I will drink a glass of water. (Blood flow)
2. After I hang up my car keys, I will learn a new chord on my instrument. (Retirement/new learning)
3. When I finish brushing my teeth before bed, I will floss. (Inflammation)
4. After I open the refrigerator, I will grab a handful of organic berries. (Genetics)
5. When I go downstairs, I will hold the handrail. (Head trauma)
6. When I pump gas, I will stand away from the nozzle so I don’t inhale fumes. (Toxins)
7. When I am feeling sad, I will take a walk in nature. (Mental health)
8. When I prepare vegetables for dinner, I will add garlic and onions to the mix. (Immunity)
9. When I go to the salad bar, I will get a half cup of beans or peas. (Neurohormones)
10. When I eat dinner, I will add one colorful vegetable to my plate. (Diabesity)
11. After I get into my bed, I will focus on what went well today. (Sleep)
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January 05, 2024 09:59
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Day 99: Understanding Dreams and Nightmares
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Understanding Dreams and Nightmares
Our past can haunt us in the present through our dreams and nightmares. Whenever assessing any dream, I look for: (1) a wish or a fear, (2) a current event, and (3) something from the past. Understanding these three components helps you interpret your dreams. Early on when I saw a patient named Jimmy, he sent me this note: “I had nightmares all night. One was losing my niece at a plaza and another was being stabbed in prison.” When we examined the first dream, it turned out he feared losing the connection with his niece, which was triggered by a news story he saw before bed about a kidnapping. In the past his sister had lost his niece in a mall for an hour, which made her panic. The second dream came from a fear when he was a young adult and visited his father in prison. His father would make him visit other gang member inmates, and he worried he would be stabbed. This dream was triggered by talking to his father in prison a few days before.
The nightmare about being stabbed in prison was a repetitive one. Repetitive nightmares are common in people who have been traumatized. Whenever a nightmare has occurred more than three times, write it out in as much detail as you can, then give it a better ending. For example, Jimmy wrote out the “being stabbed in prison” dream in detail. He then wrote a different ending for it. Rather than being stabbed and lying in a pool of his own blood, he wore a bulletproof vest with a blaring alarm that would go off if it was ever punctured. In the new version, the prison guards were more watchful and would rescue him if the prisoner got aggressive. He only had the dream twice more, then it stopped. By writing out your nightmares and giving them a different ending, you are no longer held hostage by your unconscious mind.
TODAY’S PRACTICE: Write down your last dream in detail, analyze it for the three components mentioned above, and write a new ending for it.
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January 02, 2024 17:40
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Day 94: Love Food That Loves You Back
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Your brain eats up 20 to 30 percent of your daily calories, even though it only accounts for 2 percent of your total weight.
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January 02, 2024 17:37
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Day 92: What We Learned from the Weights of 20,000 Patients
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28.1%
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analyzed the SPECT scans of 20,000 of our patients to see how body mass index (BMI) impacts brain activity. The results were mind-blowing. In our analysis, it was clear that as a person’s weight went up, all the regions of the brain went down in activity and blood flow, in a linear correlation.
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January 02, 2024 17:36
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Day 91: D Is for Diabesity
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27.8%
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I’ve published three scientific studies that show that as your weight goes up, the actual physical size and function of your brain decreases.
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January 02, 2024 17:24
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Day 75: Vaping and the Brain
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The smaller the particle you inhale, the greater its ability to cause inflammatory reactions and damage your brain. Vaping nicotine or THC causes you to inhale a host of fine and ultrafine toxins that can penetrate your lungs and brain. Does size matter? Yes! Smaller particles cause greater inflammatory reactions and damage your brain. There’s no question that vaping is addictive, and teens and adults are getting hooked. E-cigarettes contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance that is quickly absorbed into the blood vessels that line the lungs. With vaping, it takes only about 10 seconds for nicotine to reach the brain. That’s where it hijacks the brain’s reward system. Nicotine binds to receptors in the brain, causing it to pump out large doses of the feel-good neurotransmitter dopamine. This dopamine surge can be 2 to 10 times what your brain releases for natural rewards
—such as hearing your favorite song on the radio, hitting a home run in baseball, or eating a delicious peach. Over time, large dopamine surges diminish dopamine’s effectiveness, and this makes people need more and more of it to get the same effect. Nicotine causes other problems too. It constricts blood vessels, lowering blood flow to the brain. This deprives the brain of the nutrients it needs and eventually causes lower overall activity.
E-cigarettes raise the risk of mental health problems. A 2019 study found that university students who used e-cigarettes were significantly more likely to have mental health disorders, such as ADD/ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, gambling issues, and drug use.[1] The problem with vaping is getting worse. In 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General called e-cigarette vaping among youth an “epidemic.” In one report, more than 20 percent of high school students nationwide said they had vaped nicotine in the previous month. That’s twice the number who had reported vaping in 2017.[2] Younger kids are also jumping on the trend, with 11 percent of eighth graders saying they had smoked e-cigarettes in the past year.[3]
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January 02, 2024 17:00
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Day 65: T Is for Toxins
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20.0%
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A recent study showed that people who took the most saunas had the lowest risk of memory problems.
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January 02, 2024 16:39
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Day 52: G Is for Genetics
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has shown that vitamin D, blueberries, turmeric, and green tea can decrease the plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.[1
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January 02, 2024 16:39
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Day 52: G Is for Genetics
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Research
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January 02, 2024 16:37
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Day 50: The Gut-Brain Connection
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To increase the health of your microbiome, eat prebiotic foods filled with fiber, such as apples, beans, onions, and root vegetables; as well as consuming probiotics in food or supplement forms. Probiotic foods include kombucha, kimchi, pickled fruits and vegetables, and sauerkraut
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January 02, 2024 16:36
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Day 49: Boost Omega-3s to Calm Inflammation
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Omega-3 fatty acids are essential. Insufficient levels of two of the most important omega-3s
—eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
—have been linked to depression and bipolar disorder, suicidal behavior, inflammation, heart disease, ADD/ADHD, cognitive impairment and dementia, and
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January 02, 2024 16:32
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Day 48: I Is for Inflammation
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research showing that gum disease is a major cause of inflammation and memory loss
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January 02, 2024 16:32
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Day 48: I Is for Inflammation
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To reduce inflammation, floss every day, cook with the yellow spice turmeric or take the supplement curcumins (made from turmeric), and boost your omega-3 fatty acids by eating more fish or taking omega-3 supplements. In a study we published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the hippocampus was healthiest in people who had the highest omega-3 levels.[2] Also take care of your gut health, consider probiotics, and check your ferritin level (a measure of iron storage). Donate blood if your ferritin level is high.
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January 02, 2024 16:30
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Day 47: The Good Ruler vs. Evil Ruler Strategies to Create and End Mental Illness: Retirement/Aging
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A good ruler would encourage lifelong learning, purpose, and knitting; discourage children from starting school too young, which can lead to ADD/ADHD; promote cross-training at work; limit television, social media, and scary movies to keep the pleasure centers healthy; encourage regular blood donation for those who have high iron levels; educate people about the benefits of intermittent fasting; provide treatment for ADD/ADHD and learning disabilities so people would enjoy learning; mandate brain health education at schools and businesses, which would highlight the positive effects of lifelong learning.
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January 02, 2024 16:29
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Day 46: Best Mental Exercises for Your Brain
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Here are some ideas for exercising various parts of the brain:
Prefrontal cortex: language games, such as Scrabble, Boggle, Wordle, and crossword puzzles; strategy games, such as chess; meditation
Temporal lobes: memory games, learning to play new instruments
Parietal lobes: math games like Sudoku, juggling, map reading
Cerebellum: coordination games, such as table tennis, dancing, yoga, tai chi
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January 02, 2024 16:29
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Day 46: Best Mental Exercises for Your Brain
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Step out of your routines to arouse other parts of your brain. Switch it up by doing some tasks with a different hand or going in the opposite direction; that will activate the other brain hemisphere. Brush your teeth, operate your computer mouse pad, or throw a ball with your less dominant hand; take a different route to work; or walk backwards for a few minutes (as long as you have a guardrail or friend to help you). The goal is to make your brain uncomfortable so it grows.
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January 02, 2024 16:28
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Day 45: R Is for Retirement and Aging
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Knitting is a coordination exercise that activates a part of the brain called the cerebellum, involved with processing speed and memory.
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January 02, 2024 16:27
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Day 45: R Is for Retirement and Aging
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When you stop learning, your brain starts dying.
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January 02, 2024 16:26
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Day 44: The Good Ruler vs. Evil Ruler Strategies to Create and End Mental Illness: Blood Flow
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14.1%
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The number one strategy to support your brain and mental health is to protect, nurture, and optimize your heart and blood vessels.
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January 02, 2024 16:23
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Day 42: Caffeine and the Brain
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Caffeine constricts blood flow to the brain.
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January 02, 2024 16:21
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Day 41: Brain Health Can Improve Your Sex Life
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If a man has erectile dysfunction, it also means he likely has brain dysfunction. If you have blood flow problems anywhere, they are typically everywhere, including in the brain. So if you want to improve your sex life, you must improve your blood flow.
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January 02, 2024 16:21
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Day 41: Brain Health Can Improve Your Sex Life
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13.3%
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Spend 10–20 minutes a day in prayer or meditation
—both improve blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, reduce anxiety, and boost mood.
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January 02, 2024 16:10
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Day 40: The World’s Best Brain Sport
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In table tennis, you have to get your eyes, hands, and feet all working together while you think about the spin on the ball. My favorite brain game is table tennis.
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January 02, 2024 16:10
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Day 40: The World’s Best Brain Sport
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It is great for hand-eye coordination and reflexes and requires you to use many different areas of the brain at once while you track the ball, plan shots, and figure out spins. It works the cerebellum at the back bottom part of the brain, which is critical for coordination but also thought coordination, or how quickly you can integrate new information. Plus, unlike many other sports, table tennis causes very few head injuries.
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January 02, 2024 16:08
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Day 39: B Is for Blood Flow
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So how do you improve blood flow today? Limit caffeine and nicotine. Both constrict blood flow to the brain. A cup of coffee a day is not a problem, but more caffeine than that can be trouble.
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January 02, 2024 16:08
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Day 39: B Is for Blood Flow
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Be serious about treating high blood pressure
—as blood pressure goes up, blood flow to the brain goes down. If you have any heart issues, be serious about treating them
—anything that damages your heart also damages your brain.
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January 02, 2024 16:08
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Day 39: B Is for Blood Flow
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12.9%
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Did you know that people who are 80 who can walk three miles an hour have a 90 percent chance of living to 90, but those who can only walk one mile an hour have a 90 percent chance they won’t live to 90?
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December 31, 2023 18:11
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Day 27: The Good Ruler vs. Evil Ruler Strategies to Create and End Mental Illness: Social
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Watching just 14 consecutive minutes of negative news has been found to increase both anxious and sad moods
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December 11, 2023 20:40
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Day 23: Why I Collect Penguins
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After the show, I stopped by to ask her how she got Freddy to respond so well to her requests. The strategy she shared with me was remarkably simple. She said that every time Freddy does what she asks, she gives him some type of praise, whether it’s a fish, a hug, or something else he likes. She said, “I notice him when he is good, which is the opposite of what most parents do.”
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December 11, 2023 20:35
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Day 20: People Get Sick or Well in Four Circles
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Think of your biology as the hardware of your soul.
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December 11, 2023 20:35
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Day 20: People Get Sick or Well in Four Circles
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four circles:
1. Biological: how your physical brain and body function.
2. Psychological: how you think, including any developmental issues.
3. Social: connections, stresses, and current life situation.
4. Spiritual: sense of meaning and purpose.
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December 11, 2023 20:35
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Day 20: People Get Sick or Well in Four Circles
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Once you optimize the hardware, you then have to program the software, which I think of as the psychological circle, including how you think and talk to yourself. Developing mental discipline is critical to a healthy and happy life. This will include learning to kill the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts); eliminating the little lies that keep you fat, depressed, and foggy-minded; taming the dragons from the past (the big psychological issues that steal your happiness); and breaking the bad habits that hold you back.
As you optimize the hardware and software of your life, it is time to strengthen your network connections or your social circle by improving the quality of your relationships, managing day-to-day stresses, and controlling the inputs that other people and society have on your brain and mind.
While the physical, mental, and relational areas of life are essential for brain health, you also have a spiritual dimension. Your mind has the capacity to think deeply about the meaning of your life. You can reflect on questions like, “What gives my life meaning? How can I make a difference for others? What supports my most important values?” Having a sense of purpose beyond yourself allows you to live a life that matters. Purpose can override trouble in the other three circles.
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December 11, 2023 20:33
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Day 19: You Cannot Change What You Do Not Measure
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Blood Tests
4. Vitamin D level: Optimal is 50–100 mg/dL.
5. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): Optimal is 0.4–3.0 mIU/L.
6. C-reactive protein: Optimal is 0.0–1.0 mg/dL.
7. Hemoglobin A1c: Healthy is 4.0–5.6.
8. Total cholesterol: Optimal is 160-200 mg/dL; below 135 is associated with depression.
9. Ferritin: Optimal is 40–100 ng/mL.
10. Free and total testosterone: Age and gender dependent.
11. Omega-3 Index: Optimal is > 8 percent.
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December 11, 2023 20:20
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Day 9: Engage in Regular Brain-Healthy Habits
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Engage in Regular Brain-Healthy Habits
Find one simple strategy to optimize each of the BRIGHT MINDS risk factors. Let me give you one simple brain-healthy habit for each of the 11 BRIGHT MINDS risk factors:
Blood flow: walk like you are late for 45 minutes at least four times a week
Retirement/Aging: engage in 15 minutes of new learning every day
Inflammation: floss your teeth regularly to avoid periodontal disease
Genetics: know your family history risk factors and start preventing them as soon as possible
Head trauma: protect your head (stop texting and driving)
Toxins: detoxify your body by taking regular saunas
Mental health: whenever you are sad, mad, nervous, or out of control, write down your negative thoughts and ask, “Is it really true?”
Immunity/Infections: know and optimize your vitamin D level
Neurohormone issues: test your hormones yearly and work with your doctor to optimize them
Diabesity: eat a brain-healthy diet
Sleep issues: aim for seven hours of sleep a night
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December 11, 2023 20:10
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Day 7: Avoid Anything That Hurts Your Brain
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5.0%
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Here are the 11 BRIGHT MINDS risk factors (in subsequent days we’ll go into much more detail).[1]
Blood flow
Retirement/Aging
Inflammation
Genetics
Head trauma
Toxins
Mental health
Immunity/Infections
Neurohormone issues
Diabesity
Sleep issues
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December 10, 2023 18:21
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Day 4: Your Brain Is the Most Awe-Inspiring Creation
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The human brain has about 100 billion neurons, what we usually refer to as brain cells, and almost as many glia, which function as “helper” cells. Each neuron has multiple connections to other cells
—some have just a few, while others can have more than 10,000. This adds up to having about 100 trillion connections in your brain, and all of them are important because they are constantly communicating with other cells and performing a vast range of functions.
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December 10, 2023 18:21
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Day 4: Your Brain Is the Most Awe-Inspiring Creation
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Despite the fact that your brain only weighs about three pounds and comprises just 2 percent of your full body weight, it uses a lot of energy. It needs 20 percent or more of your caloric intake. And it uses 20 percent of the blood flow in your body to supply it with a constant flow of vital nutrients and oxygen.
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December 10, 2023 18:21
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Day 4: Your Brain Is the Most Awe-Inspiring Creation
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4.5%
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This is critical to understand because anything that deprives your brain of oxygen, such as obstructive sleep apnea or carbon monoxide poisoning, can cause damage to your brain.
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