Daniel G. Amen M.D. - Unleash the Power of the Female Brain: Supercharging Yours for Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, and Sex

USE YOUR BRAIN TO CHANGE YOUR AGE (Crown Archetype, 2012)

THE AMEN SOLUTION (Crown Archetype, 2011)

END EMOTIONAL OVEREATING NOW (written with Larry Momaya, M.S. M.D., MindWorks, 2011)

UNCHAIN YOUR BRAIN (MindWorks, 2010)

WIRED FOR SUCCESS (MindWorks, 2010)

CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, CHANGE YOUR BODY (Harmony Books, 2010)

MAGNIFICENT MIND AT ANY AGE (Harmony Books, 2009)

THE BRAIN IN LOVE (Three Rivers Press, 2007)

MAKING A GOOD BRAIN GREAT (Harmony Books, 2005)

PREVENTING ALZHEIMERS (written with neurologist William R. Shankle, Putnam, 2004)

HEALING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION (written with Lisa Routh, M.S. M.D., Putnam, 2003)

NEW SKILLS FOR FRAZZLED PARENTS (MindWorks, 2003)

HEALING THE HARDWARE OF THE SOUL (Free Press, 2002)

IMAGES OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR: A BRAIN SPECT ATLAS (MindWorks, 2003)

HEALING ADD (Putnam, 2001)

HOW TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY (MindWorks, 2000)

CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, CHANGE YOUR LIFE (Three Rivers Press, 1999)

ADD IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS (MindWorks, 1997)

WOULD YOU GIVE 2 MINUTES A DAY FOR A LIFETIME OF LOVE? (St. Martins Press, 1996)

A CHILDS GUIDE TO ADD (MindWorks, 1996)

A TEENAGERS GUIDE TO ADD (written with Antony Amen and Sharon Johnson, MindWorks, 1995)

MINDCOACH: TEACHING KIDS TO THINK POSITIVE AND FEEL GOOD

(MindWorks, 1994)

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I LEARNED IN LIFE I LEARNED

FROM A PENGUIN (MindWorks, 1994)

TEN STEPS TO BUILDING VALUES WITHIN CHILDREN (MindWorks, 1994)

THE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS (MindWorks, 1994)

HEALING THE CHAOS WITHIN (MindWorks, 1993)

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

The information presented in this book is the result of years of practical experience and clinical research by the author. The information here, by necessity, is of a general nature and not a substitute for an evaluation or treatment by a competent medical specialist. If you believe you are in need of medical interventions, please see a medical practitioner as soon as possible. The stories in this book are true. The names and circumstances of the stories have been changed to protect the anonymity of patients.

Copyright 2013 by Daniel G. Amen, M.D.

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Harmony Books, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Harmony Books and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

eISBN: 978-0-307-88896-9

Jacket design by Michael Nogin
Jacket photograph: Blake Little

v3.1

To the powerful women in my life!

My wife, Tana

My daughters, Breanne, Kaitlyn, and Chloe

My granddaughters, Angelina and Emmy

My mother, Dorie

My sisters, Chris, Jeanne, Mary, Renee, and Joanne

And my many aunts, nieces, grandnieces, and female cousins

I have an idea that the phrase the weaker sex was coined by some woman to disarm the man she was preparing to overwhelm.
O GDEN N ASH

M y thought exactly. I have been surrounded by powerful women my whole life.

Growing up, there were so many women in my life that when my mother brought my fifth sister, Joanne, home from the hospital in December 1962, my older brother, Jimmy, and I ran away. Jimmy was nine and I was eight, and we were only gone for forty-five minutes, but, as the only boys, we had had enough! The girls had taken over and they were everywhere. I often joke that I never saw a bathroom until I was fourteen years old and that once I actually got in, there was unusual and frightening stuff scattered everywhere.

Not only was I raised by a very powerful mother, who at eighty-one years old and five feet tall is still in charge everywhere she goes, but I have five strong-willed sisters, three incredible daughters, two granddaughters, and fourteen nieces and grandnieces. My wife says I came housebroken when it came to dealing with women, but it was not an easy process. As we will see, the female brain is very different from the male brain.

As I came to understand the complexity and power of the female brain, I marveled at what a difference this information could make to the experience of millions of women and to the men and children in their lives.

When a woman understands the uniqueness of the female brainhow to care for it, how to make the most of its strengths, how to overcome its challenges, how to fall in love with it, and ultimately, how to unleash its full powerthere is no stopping her. In her personal development, at work, and in her relationships, she can bring the best of herself to her family, her community, and her planet.

By contrast, a woman who is not caring optimally for her brain, who is not giving it the full range of nutrients, exercise, sleep, and emotional support that it needs, is squandering her most valuable resource. If you are not taking good care of your brain, you are at a significantly higher risk of brain fog, memory problems, low energy, distractibility, poor decisions, obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. You cant have the vitality you need to get through the day with all the calm, focus, energy, and joy of which you are capable. You are most certainly going to age faster and become ill both more often and more seriously.

Those are the risks that both men and women sharebut as a woman, you face some unique additional challenges. You are far more likely than a man to suffer from anxiety and depression and, in some studies, Alzheimers disease. You are far more susceptible to recurring negative thoughts you just cant dismiss, to body image struggles that all too frequently morph into eating disorders, and to excessive self-criticism for not being perfect. You are also more prone to pouring yourself into the care of your loved ones and the demands of your job, your family, and your community, finding it ever more difficult to take the time you need to care for yourself.

These are the risks you face, but you dont have to fall prey to them. Caring for your female brain and learning how to unleash its power can free you to reach your full potential to be healthy, loving, successful, and strong. It can allow you to have more satisfying intimate relationships and make you a better partner. And it can make you a more effective person at your chosen work. For women who choose to have children, it also prepares you for a successful pregnancy and equips you to help your children fully unleash the power of their brains.

Unleashing the power of your female brain is your key to finally having the life youve dreamed of and deserve.

With the epidemic escalation of obesity, diabetes, depression, and dementia, the health of Western society is going the wrong way at an ever more rapid pace. Now more than ever, we need thoughtful, intelligent, powerful, brain smart women to guide and redirect our families, communities, churches, workplaces, nation, and world. And women are in a unique position to make a dramatic difference.