Mike Dow - The Brain Fog Fix: Reclaim Your Focus, Memory, and Joy in Just 3 Weeks

Praise for

The Brain Fog Fix

A vital and scientific manual for the lifestyle
choices that can prevent and reverse brain fog.

Daniel Amen, M.D.,New York Times best-selling
author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Say good-bye to the toxic junk that gunks up your glorious
brain. Thank you for this super simple program, Mike! It will leave
folks feeling happier, healthier, and more luminous than ever.

Kris Carr,New York Times best-selling author of Crazy Sexy Kitchen

An eye-opening look at the way your diet
can either promote or prevent brain fog.

J. J. Virgin,New York Times best-selling author
of JJ Virgins Sugar Impact Diet and The Virgin Diet

If you want to improve your energy and mood,
Dr. Mikes program will show you the way.

Jackie Warner,New York Times best-selling
author of This Is Why Youre Sick and Tired

Sugar and inactivity dont just lead to belly fat; they damage the
brain. Dr. Mikes plan helps readers revitalize their lives.

Jorge Cruise, New York Times best-selling author of The Belly Fat CureTM

Constant blood sugar spikes lead to diabetes... and also
depression, dementia, and Alzheimers disease. The Brain Fog Fix
gives you simple ways to prevent disease and protect your brain.

Jorge Rodriguez, M.D., author of The Diabetes Solution

Dr. Mike makes understanding our brain chemistry
simple yet empowering. This book is a must read for anyone
wanting freedom from bad brain plus an escape from the
emotional roller coaster our brain chemistry creates. Follow his
21-day plan and rediscover greater energy and joy for life!

Andrea Pennington, M.D., author of The Pennington Plan

ALSO BY DR. MIKE DOW

Diet Rehab: 28 Days to Finally Stop
Craving the Foods That Make You Fat

Copyright 2015 by Mike Dow

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast Books: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover & interior design: Tricia Breidenthal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

To protect privacy, certain names and details have been changed.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dow, Mike.

The brain fog fix : reclaim your focus, memory, and joy in just 3 weeks / Dr. Mike Dow. -- 1st edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-4019-4647-0 (hardback)

1. Brain--Popular works. 2. Mental health--Popular works. 3. Nutrition--Popular works. 4. Self-care, Health--Popular works. I. Title.

QP376.D693 2015
612.8--dc23

2015004735

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-4647-0

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
1st edition, September 2015

Printed in the United States of America

Dad, I hope this book helps carry the torch you lit with your lifes work in helping people heal.

Brett, I wish your earthly life had included more days; Im also happy you fully lived the ones you had here.

CONTENTS

The Brain Fog Fix is a book about taking better care of your brain to help fight anxiety, depression, brain fog, scatterbrain, and other conditions that are becoming the scary status quo in our country. But its also a book about using simple strategies to help make your life easier, happier, and more fulfilling. Its all connected: if your brain is in bad shape, chances are the rest of your life is, too.

I wrote this for people like my friend Jane, who considers herself generally happy but doesnt understand why shes always so moody. I wrote it for a patient I recently treated who felt stressed out all the time but didnt have the time to go on a meditation retreat or the financial freedom to quit her job.

I also wrote this book for my grandpa, who followed my advice to eat more berries and keep on traveling to ward off senior moments, and my mom, who regained her lost energy only after she weaned herself off the ten (yes, ten!) Diet Cokes shed gotten into the habit of drinking every single day. I wrote it for my little brother, who co-founded an organization called Aphasia Recovery Connection and, through helping other stroke survivors, has discovered how a sense of purpose can reshape every aspect of life.

I also wrote this book for me.

Even after ten years of practicing cognitive behavioral therapy, I still sometimes fall prey to down periods when I fail to utilize the very strategies I teach. In fact, I conducted an unintentional case study on myself a few years ago, an experiment in how not to get through the rocky patches of life. At the time, I was going through a painful breakup while trying to juggle my private practice, finish my first book, and work on some new TV projects. I felt completely overwhelmed, and I found it difficult to think clearly. And most of all I felt incredibly sad.

The problem was not the sadness itself. It was that I allowed the sadness to change my behavior and, in the process, rule (and ruin) my whole life. My primarily pescetarian dietwhich consisted of wild salmon, healthy grains, and organic vegetablesgave way to pizza, turkey sandwiches, and ice cream. More often than Id care to admit, I stayed up watching TV till 3 a.m., then slept till noon. Other evenings Id stay out way too late drinking, then need five or six big cups of coffee to get through the following day. After feeling exhausted all day, Id have trouble falling asleep at night.

My workout regimen went from saintly to almost nonexistent. I abandoned the spiritual practices like prayer, meditation, and yoga that have kept me grounded for decades. And instead of connecting with friends and family, I rarely made plans. I still somehow managed to fulfill all my work obligations, but inside I felt confused, unmoored, and generally depressed. The excess drinking, coffee, overeating, isolation, and even a brief stint on Xanax were all just Band-Aids that made my predicament worse, not better.

What should have been a few rough weeks turned into a few months of low-grade misery. I learned the hard way that the times in our lives when we most need to take care of ourselves often tend to be the times when were