The ADHD Doctor: “I’ve Scanned 250,000 Brains” You (Steven Bartlett) Have ADHD! & Coffee Is Damaging Your Brain!!! Dr Daniel Amen
Oct 30, 2023
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Steven Bartlett sits down with Dr. Daniel Amen, a world-leading psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist. They discuss topics such as optimizing brain health, living with ADHD, the impact of blood flow on the brain, the importance of continuous learning, how loneliness accelerates dementia, the damaging impact of sugars on the brain, and the negative effects of screen time on mental health.
Brain health is crucial for overall well-being and can be improved through a revolution in brain health.
Trauma can affect the brain and emotional brain activity, emphasizing the need to address trauma for mental health.
Maintaining healthy habits and avoiding factors that worsen brain health, such as drugs, alcohol, toxins, and stress, is essential for optimal brain function.
Deep dives
The Importance of Brain Health and ADHD
Dr. Daniel Ayman, a leading expert on the brain, emphasizes the significance of brain health and the impact of ADHD. He discusses how drugs, alcohol, lack of sleep, and sugar can negatively affect the brain. He also mentions the role of social media and its impact on pleasure centers in the brain. Dr. Ayman highlights the possibility of improving the brain and ending mental illness through a revolution in brain health.
The Effects of Trauma on the Brain
Dr. Ayman explains how trauma can affect the brain, causing a diamond pattern on brain scans. He discusses the connection between trauma and emotional brain activity, as well as the impact of chronic stress on brain health. Dr. Ayman emphasizes the importance of addressing trauma and its effects on mental health and offers strategies for overcoming traumatic experiences.
Factors Affecting Brain Health
Dr. Ayman discusses various factors that can worsen brain health, including drugs, alcohol, toxins, lower blood flow, and inflammation. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining healthy habits, such as exercise, proper nutrition, and avoiding toxins. Dr. Ayman also highlights the impact of stress, infections, and immunity on brain health.
The Role of Medication and Positive Thinking
Dr. Ayman discusses the use of medication for brain health, particularly in managing conditions like ADHD. He emphasizes the importance of informed consent and individualized treatment plans. Additionally, Dr. Ayman emphasizes the power of positive thinking and accurate thinking with a positive spin. He suggests exercises like the One Page Miracle and controlling automatic negative thoughts to improve brain health.
Sleep and Brain Health
Getting good sleep is crucial for brain health. During sleep, the glymphatic system in the brain opens up and helps to cleanse and wash away toxins, including beta amyloid proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease. Poor sleep can lead to a toxic buildup of these proteins, increasing the risk of cognitive problems. Sleep apnea, which causes loud snoring and interrupted breathing during sleep, can triple the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Proper sleep hygiene is essential for optimal brain health.
Alcohol and Brain Function
Alcohol has detrimental effects on the brain. Even moderate alcohol consumption can disrupt white matter in the brain, which affects nerve cell communication. It decreases blood flow and can lead to damage and shrinkage in brain regions. Furthermore, alcohol impacts hormone balance and can negatively affect sex drive. Reducing alcohol intake or quitting can improve brain health and function, as well as enhance heart rate variability, which is essential for overall well-being.
If your brain makes you ‘you’, how can you treat your brain so that you are the best possible version of you?
In this new episode Steven sits down again with world-leading psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist, Dr. Daniel Amen.
Dr. Daniel Amen is the founder of Amen Clinics, which has the world’s largest database of 225,000 brain scans for psychiatry, he is also the founder of BrainMD, a company specialising in brain-directed supplements. Dr. Amen has provided brain scans for celebrities such as Bella Hadid and Justin Bieber, and is a 12-time New York Times best-selling author.
In this conversation Dr. Amen and Steven discuss topics, such as:
His aim of creating a revolution in brain health
Why brain and not mental disorders are the key issue
Depression comes from brain health
How optimising your brain will optimise your life
The difference between physical trauma and emotional trauma
Why playing racket sports will make you live longer
The scan of Steven’s brain
Steven’s ADHD and how to live with ADHD
Why orange juice can make your brain worse
The importance of blood flow to the brain
How caffeine and nicotine constricts blood flow to the brain
When you stop learning your brain starts dying
How loneliness accelerates dementia
Depression doubling the risk of Alzheimer's in women
Why he doesn’t believe in the power of positive thinking
Screen time creating anxiety and depression
How sleep cleans the brain
Sugars damaging impact on the brain
Why not flossing can make you depressed
How your body wash is poisoning you
Ways to stop negative thinking
The impact of certain fatty foods on reducing Alzheimer’s
How weight gain is making you dumb
You can purchase Dr. Amen’s most recent book, ‘Change Your Brain Every Day: Simple Daily Practices to Strengthen Your Mind, Memory, Moods, Focus, Energy, Habits, and Relationships’, here: https://amzn.to/40uCGhQ