Daniel G. Amen - Change Your Brain, Change Your Grades

Table of Contents

Also by Daniel Amen

Feel Better Fast and Make It Last, Tyndale, 2018

Memory Rescue, Tyndale, 2017

Stones of Remembrance, with Stephen Arterburn, Tyndale, 2017

Captain Snout and the Superpower Questions, Zonderkidz 2017

The Brain Warriors Way, with Tana Amen,

New American Library, 2016

The Brain Warriors Way Cookbook, with Tana

Amen, New American Library, 2016

Time for Bed, Sleepyhead, Zonderkidz, 2016

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, Three Rivers

Press, 2015 (Revised), NY Times Bestseller

Healing ADD, Putnam, 2013 (revised), NY Times Bestseller

The Daniel Plan, with Rick Warren and Mark Hyman,

MD, Zondervan, 2013, #1 NY Times Bestseller

Unleash the Power of the Female Brain, Harmony Books, 2013

Use Your Brain to Change Your Age, Crown Archetype, 2012,

NY Times Bestseller

The Amen Solution, Crown Archetype 2011, NY Times Bestseller

Unchain Your Brain, MindWorks, 2010

Change Your Brain, Change Your Body, Harmony

Books, 2010, NY Times Bestseller

Magnificent Mind at Any Age, Harmony

Books, 2009, NY Times Bestseller

The Brain in Love, Three Rivers Press, 2007

Making a Good Brain Great, Harmony Books,

2005, Amazon Book of the Year

Preventing Alzheimers, with William R. Shankle, MD, Putnam, 2004

Healing Anxiety and Depression, with Lisa

Routh, MD, Putnam, 2003

New Skills for Frazzled Parents, MindWorks, 2003

Healing the Hardware of the Soul, Free Press, 2002

ADD in Intimate Relationships, MindWorks, 1997

The Most Important Thing in Life I Learned

from a Penguin, MindWorks, 1994

B is for Blood Flow

1. Drink plenty of waterblood is mostly water!

2. Limit caffeine and eliminate nicotine.

3. Take up a racquet sport.

4. Enjoy a small piece of sugar-free dark chocolate.

5. Supplement with ginkgo biloba.

6. Spice up your food by adding cayenne pepper.

7. Eat arginine-rich foods, such as beets.

8. Eat magnesium-rich food, such as pumpkin seeds.

9. Drink green tea.

10. Know your blood pressure and keep it healthy. (About 4 percent of Americans ages 12 to 19 have hypertension and another 10 percent have elevated blood pressure.)

R is for Rational Thinking

1. Start every day with Today is going to be a great day.

2. Finish every day by writing down What went well today.

3. Write down three things youre grateful for every day.

4. Challenge any negative thoughts.

5. Kill the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts).

6. Show your appreciation by letting people know you care about them.

7. Practice meditation.

8. When things dont go your way, look for the positive spin.

9. Be as kind to yourself as you are to other people.

10. Think of something wonderful and notice how it makes you feel (where you bring your attention determines how you feel).

I is for Inflammation

1. Floss daily and care for your gums.

2. Test your C-reactive protein levels (aim for under 1.0 mg/L) and omega-3 index (aim for >8%).

3. Eliminate any trans fats from your diet.

4. Limit omega-6 rich foods, such as corn, soy, and processed foods.

5. Increase omega-3 rich foods, such as fish and avocados.

6. Take omega-3 supplements.

7. Take curcumin supplements.

8. Take vitamin B6, B12, and folate supplements.

9. Eat prebiotic foods, such as asparagus, onions, garlic, and apples.

10. Add probiotic foods and/or supplements to your diet.

G is for Genetics

1. If you have family members with mental health challenges or memory problems, you need to get serious about your own brain health as soon as possible by following these BRIGHT MINDS tips.

2. Consider genetic testing to identify any vulnerabilities.

3. Believe that your behavior can turn on or off many troublemaker genes.

4. Limit high-glycemic, saturated-fat foods, such as pizza, processed cheeses, and microwave popcorn.

5. Practice stress-relief techniques.

6. Avoid self-medicating with alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes.

7. Work on addressing past emotional trauma.

8. Eat blueberries.

H is for Head Trauma

1. Do not text while walking or driving.

2. Wear a seatbelt.

3. Be thoughtful about your actions.

4. Wear a helmet when skiing, biking, etc.

5. Avoid climbing ladders.

6. Slow down.

7. Hold the handrail when going down the stairs.

8. If youve had head trauma, check your hormones.

9. Do not wear headphones while walking.

10. Consider trying hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

T is for Toxins

1. Decrease exposure by buying organic when possible.

2. Avoid fumes when pumping gas.

3. Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.

4. Support your kidneys by drinking more water.

5. Support your liver by limiting alcohol and eating brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.).

6. Support your gut by eating more fiber.

7. Support your skin by sweating from exercise and saunas.

8. Check your home for mold if you suspect a problem.

9. Dont drink or eat out of plastic containers.

10. Use the Think Dirty app to identify personal care products that contain toxins.

M is for Mental Health

1. Engage in regular physical exercise to boost dopamine and serotonin levels.

2. If you are a worrier, consider serotonin-boosting 5-HTP.

3. If you have trouble with focus, consider a higher-protein, lower-carbohydrate diet.

4. Eat up to eight fruits and vegetables a daythere is a linear correlation with happiness!

5. Practice meditation.

6. Take a walk in nature.

7. Practice ANT therapy (see ).

8. Know and optimize your vitamin D levels.

9. Add saffron to your meals to help mood and memory.

10. If natural interventions prove ineffective, consult a mental health professional.

I is for Immunity/Infections

1. If you are struggling with mental health issues that do not get better with standard treatments, consider being tested for exposure to infections.

2. Decrease alcohol intake. (Why do nurses swab alcohol on your skin before giving you a shot? To decrease the bacteria. Drinking excessive alcohol can upset the gut microbiome, which is critical to immunity.)

3. Try an elimination diet for one month to see if food allergies may be damaging your immune system (eliminate gluten, dairy, corn, and soy to start).

4. Avoid hiking where deer ticks live.

5. Know and optimize your vitamin D levels.

6. Add extra vitamin C to your diet.

7. Supplement with aged garlic.

8. Add onions to your diet.

9. Add shiitake mushrooms to your diet.

10. Watch a comedyresearch shows laughter can boost immunity.

N is for Neurohormone Issues

1. If you are struggling with brain fog, fatigue, and/or chronic stress, check your hormone levels, especially the thyroid.

2. Avoid hormone disruptors, such as BPAs, phthalates, parabens, and pesticides in products.

3. Avoid animal proteins raised with hormones and antibiotics.

4. Add fiber to your diet to decrease unhealthy estrogens in the body.

5. Lift weights to boost testosterone.

6. Limit sugar, which disrupts hormones.

7. Supplement with zinc to help boost testosterone.

8. Take cortisol-reducing supplements, such as ashwagandha (also supports the thyroid).

9. If you have an underactive thyroid, use hormone replacement as needed.