Mind Matters: How To Build A Better Brain with Drs. David & Austin Perlmutter #271

Our ability to choose how to react to the world around us is a direct reflection of our cognitive health — and in these uncertain times, it has never been more important to stay mentally fit.

So I wanted to share this episode with Dr. David Perlmutter and Dr. Austin Perlmutter, a father-son duo who combined their neurology and internal medicine expertise to write Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness.

This new book exposes how our health, our relationships, and even our thinking have been damaged by modern culture and offers a practical plan for healing. And in this episode, the doctors have a ton of additional lifestyle, diet, and mindset recommendations to help you keep your head right.

These dudes are incredibly smart, but they’re also just really cool, down to earth people who bring a huge amount of empathy and love to this conversation — and after listening, you’ll know exactly why that empathy is so critical for both our individual health and society as a whole.

 

09:00 — What inspired David and Austin to write a book together?

• Austin saw patients were struggling to followthrough on recommended lifestyle changes; patients were getting the information on how to live healthier, but it wasn’t sticking
• They decided people need to know how to make better decisions for their health and happiness outcomes
• They focused not on what decisions you should be making, but the decision-making process itself
• The prefrontal cortex’s role in decision-making
• The more we make crappy decisions, the worse our ability to make good decisions becomes
• Zenbunni Biodynamic Coffee

 

14:20 — David’s previous book, Grain Brain, and the myths it dispels about our diets

• Debunking the low-fat scam — a scam propagated by the sugar industry
• How this contributed to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases
• The aggressive efforts being made to influence our mindset and choices
• We’re not fat because we overeat, we overeat because we’re fat
• More than 60% of the foods in the grocery store have added sweeteners
• Why sugar is so bad for your brain
• How a high-carb, high-sugar diet negatively impacts your mood
• How diet influences our decision-making

 

27:55 — Our dietary choices should be based around one core unifying idea: what can we do to lower inflammation in our body?

• The nuances of what fats are good or bad for us
• More processed foods cause more inflammation
• How our diet compounds emotional trauma and limbic system loops
• What is inflammation and how does it affect our brain?
• How inflammation from any cause affects our mood
• Providing a bridge between information and action

 

37:33 — The core message of Brain Wash: we need to cultivate empathy

• Are there any good sweeteners?
• How companies are taking advantage of our desire for sugar and our desire to be in a tribe
• Why going on social media is opting to be socially manipulated
• How we become addicted to our devices and how to break free from those addictions
• Narcissism Vs. Empathy
• How narcissism affects your health
• Why your prefrontal cortex is so important

 

52:53 — How inflammation affects the brain

• How our understanding of inflammation and the brain has evolved rapidly over the last few decades
• How depression relates to inflammation
• How inflammation affects our decision-making and what we can learn from that
• Inflammation and brain fog
• Dr. Kelly Brogan and the global mismanagement of depression

 

01:05:49 — When it comes to things like depression, how much of it is being caused by inflammation vs. trauma?

• Trauma seems to hurt the connection between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala
• “Stress signalling pathways that impair prefrontal cortex structure and function”
• The best quick fix to break free from a fight or flight nervous system response
• Helping people manage unnecessary stress over time
• Luckily, we can nurture and repair the connections in our brain using empathy and gratitude

 

01:11:22 — What we can do to start training our brain after we reduce inflammation

• Dr. Daniel Amen
• The simple recipe for most people: enhance your neuroplasticity through physical exercise and then do good things!
• Your brain reflects what you put into it

 

01:19:04 — The relationship between brain health and addiction

• Addiction is a problem with the prefrontal cortex
• The crazy way that prayer affects our physiology
• How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist by Andrew B. Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman
• Can we self-regulate our own “triggers?”
• What chronic stress does to our amygdala

 

01:34:23 — Can microdosing or macrodosing psychedelics contribute positively to our brain?

• There’s compelling evidence about the effects of psilocybin and MDMA in a clinical setting
• The role of ceremonial plant medicines and clinical psychedelics in making positive changes to your brain
• We can be the conscious architects of our brains

 

01:41:06 — Activating the pineal gland and its relationship to fluoride and calcification

• Dr. Joe Dispenza
• What we know about people who have had their pineal glands removed

 

01:46:53 — What role the cerebellum plays in neuroplasticity

• Zing Performance
• Why the cerebellum is called “the tree of life”
• How our understanding of the brain has evolved over the past few decades

 

01:55:45 — The critical role of sleep in decision-making

• The cultural problems surrounding sleep
• How sleep (or lack thereof) affects us physiologically
• The short-term and long-term impacts of not getting enough sleep
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• The “loneliness contagion” caused by not getting enough sleep
• Is it bad to take melatonin regularly?

 

More about this episode.

Watch it on YouTube.

 

Connect with Luke on social media to learn how to take your lifestyle to the next level, plus catch exclusive live interviews & events:

INSTAGRAM - @lukestorey // https://www.instagram.com/lukestorey/

FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/MrLukeStorey/

TWITTER - @MrLukeStorey // https://twitter.com/MRLUKESTOREY

YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/c/LukeStorey

THIS SHOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

SUPERFAT. There are certain fats that your body can’t make on its own so you have to get them from your diet. These are called “essential fatty acids.”  Almonds and macadamia nuts are two of the best places to get them, and that’s why the team at SuperFat have created a delicious line of on-the-go nut butter snacks based on these two healthy nuts. With only 3-5 net carbs per serving, SuperFat provides your body with a natural source of fuel — without the crash! Use code LUKE to get 15% off SuperFat nut butter snacks at SuperFat.com.

 

AND...

 

JUST THRIVE. Imagine this: a probiotic that actually does what it is supposed to do! I’ve tried so many different supplements, and when you find the right one — the one that really works — it’s like winning the lottery. So I was psyched when I tried Just Thrive Probiotic, the first and only spore-based probiotics and antioxidants. Their products have been the subject of groundbreaking clinical studies and demonstrated incomparable effects on the gut, even healing leaky gut. It’s super simple and it just works. You can use code ‘luke15’ for 15% off at www.thriveprobiotic.com/luke.

 

AND…

 

SAKARA. The new year is a time to change your habits so that you can be your healthiest self. It can be tough to stick to a resolution, but changing your routine doesn’t have to be difficult. Sakara makes it easy to feel better, look better, and have the energy to accomplish all your goals this year. Their organic, ready-to-eat meals are made with powerful plant-based ingredients, and they are designed to boost your energy, improve your digestion, and get your skin glowing, plus daily wellness essentials like supplements and herbal teas to support your nutrition. You can get 20% off your first order using code LUKE at sakara.com/luke.

HELP SUPPORT THIS SHOW!

Love the Show? You’ll really love Luke’s Master Market Online Store! 

It’s a win/win! Get direct links to all of Luke’s hand-picked biohacking and health products all in one place, get exclusive discounts, and support the show by making purchases through the web store >> SHOP NOW.

 

Other ways to support: 

SUBSCRIBE >> Apple Podcasts + Stitcher + Google Podcasts + Spotify

LEAVE APPLE PODCASTS REVIEW >> Simple step-by-step instructions

SHARE >> Spread the word! Tell your family, friends, neighbors, and all your social pals

 

Resources

• David’s site: www.drperlmutter.com
• Austin’s blog: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-modern-brain
• Read: Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness
• Read: Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar
• Austin on IG: www.instagram.com/austinperlmutter
• David on Twitter: twitter.com/DavidPerlmutter
• Alan Watts: www.alanwatts.org
• Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
• Dr. Jeffrey Bland: jeffreybland.com

Related Shows

• Episode 230: Mental Health Liberty: Beating Big Tech Censorship & The Pharma Mafia W/ Dr. Kelly Brogan
• Episode 239: Higher Powered: Autobiography Of A Sex And Love Yogi W/ John Gray
• Episode 259: The Heart/Mind Connection & Supernatural Healing With Dr. Joe Dispenza
• Episode 267: This Is My Brain On Drugs, Booze, Emf, & Trauma With Dr. Daniel Amen (Luke's Spect Scan Results)