Making a Good Brain Great: The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance

by Daniel G. Amen and Daniel G Amen

Book Overview

Daniel Amen, M.D., one of the world's foremost authorities on the brain, has news for you: your brain is involved in everything you do--learn to care for it properly, and you will be smarter,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400082080
• ISBN13: 9781400082087
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Harmony Books
• Length: 313 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Better than I had expected - a real winner

This book is not at all what I had expected from the title but is a fascinating book with some of the most up-to-date research on how to take care of your brain. We tend to equate the brain mainly with memory and so it is a natural assumption that this book is about memory. Quite the opposite it is truly a book on making the brain run at its best and healthiest. The book is divided into two parts with the first one dedicated to changing the way you look at your brain and what can harm, or help it and why you should care. The information includes healing your brain system and new knowledge from the field of imaging including fascinating explanations and photos of SPECT imaging. The author includes explanations of the SPECT images and how they reveal many different problems. This section is about changing your brain and changing your life as a result. The second part of the book digs into how you can help get your brain in top running order and keep it there. It includes things like foods that contribute to brain health, mental exercises, perception, using music to stimulate the brain, stress reduction techniques, brain aging and using supplements. Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Is a highly respected expert in the field and provides a very interesting tour or the brain's normal as well as abnormal functioning. This is one of the best books available today on brain health and how any individual can take charge of the health of their own brain. Making a Good Brain Great is highly recommended.

Informative and easy to read!

I found "Making a Good Brain Great" to be a wonderfully easy book for the common person to read and understand. Dr. Amen shows you that proper brain health is essential for all aspects of your life, whether it be work or relationships. He teaches you that even the smallest day to day things that no one ever thinks about can still harm your brain significantly. Dr. Amen even includes brain-healthy recipes to keep your brain functioning at its best with proper nutrition. This book is unique because the first half is devoted to teaching you about the different brain systems and what harms it. The second half teaches you how to reverse the damaging effects and nourish your brain. The best part of the book in my opinion is that every regiment needed to live a brain healthy life is outlined in the book. All of the supplements or vitamins that Dr. Amen suggests are clearly explained in terms of ingredients, dosage, and benefits so there is no need to do research elsewhere!

Much food for the brain, about the brain...

I was professionally educated during a time when little was really known about the brain and exactly how it works. We were taught that the brain essentially remains the same throughout life and that once an area of the brain was damaged, that was it: the brain did not repair itself, grow new cells, or transfer abilities from one area to another. Furthermore, the idea that the brain needed "exercise" to remain healthy and productive was considered just a crazy notion. I remember professors of psychology telling us that memory ability was pretty well fixed and there was nothing that we could do to improve our memories, so forget about memorizing anything in an attempt to "exercise" such a faculty. How times have changed! Over the past few years, I have read and often reviewed a number of new books -- many of them on the cutting-edge -- which have reported on or summarized the latest research in brain science and allied disciplines. I am impressed by the amount of work done in brain science during the past few decades and even more impressed with the findings. There is no question about the importance of the research. As Dr. Daniel Amen points out in his new book, "Making a Good Brain Great," our brain is involved in everything we do, it is the most complicated organ in the universe, and our brain can be changed so we can improve our lives. And he provides a program, the "fifteen days to a better brain," to do just that: improve our lives. This is a very practical book, intended for everyone. Two things about the book that seem to distinguish it from others I have read are the pictures of actual brain scans of real people (showing the brain reacting to various stimuli and in various situations) and the many self-questionnaires and fill-in forms which are provided, enabling anyone to evaluate themselves regarding certain behaviors and attitudes, both healthy and unhealthy. One could really consider it a "workbook" or "activity book" in promoting brain health for improved living. It seems to me it is not merely a book to be "read," but to be used often and consulted regularly; a "user's manual" for a healthy life, so to speak. A number of recommendations made by Dr. Amen are sure to draw attention and provoke controversy. For instance, he opposes allowing children to hit soccer balls with their heads (the soccer moms will now unite in protest!). He doesn't like children playing tackle football (the dads will now join the soccer moms!). He has "reservations" (I'm being kind here) about many other sports and recreational activities, such as "four-wheeling," which are sure to elicit the charge of "overprotective parent." Moreover, he discusses protecting our brains from "toxic exposure" and we all know what's going to happen now. Not just illicit drugs (which we all know are harmful to our brains -- "This is your brain on..."), but perfectly legal and legitimate drugs come into play. Alcohol, for example. "At the Amen Clinics we have seen many al

Optimize your mental performance

Dr. Amen begins this book by stressing the importance of the brain. The brain is where "you" reside. It's the seat of loving, living, being, learning, thinking, working.... The brain weighs three pounds, but uses 30% of the energy the human body consumes. Yet, the brain is a fragile miracle housed in a thin-walled bony bowl. It's easily damaged by physical trauma, emotional trauma, drugs, disease, and poor dietary habits. Because of the brain's fragility and the common disregard for it, brain dysfunction is so widespread that it's normal. Perhaps it's because we don't see our brains, but most of us never address the issue of actually caring for our brains. Many brain-related problems are preventable. With a healthy brain, you can fully engage in life, meet its challenges, and be happy. Few of us choose this option, and that's probably due to a lack of good information on the subject. Dr. Amen has analyzed thousands of brain scans. Consequently, he's been able to correlate specific brain dysfunction with specific actions people take. He has been able to go beyond observing outward behavior to observing inward behavior--how the brain responds to what is done to it. What are some ways you may be drilling holes in your boat as you float along in the sea of stupidity? To avoid sinking, become familiar with these and don't do them! Here are some paraphrased examples from Dr. Amen's book: Doing cigarettes. Whether you have one in your mouth or someone else does, you are still breathing in the same chemicals. The resulting vasoconstriction reduces blood flow through the carotid arteries, but also reduces blood flow through the brain's blood distribution system. In addition, this reduced blood is diminished because it's loaded with carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. While smokers may temporarily experience increased concentration, their overall brain functions are reduced dramatically. If you want to be stupid, smoke. Eating highly-processed foods. These are "nutrient-challenged," to say the least. And they trigger whole set of hormonal and other effects that work against proper brain function. Shop in the produce section, and avoid foods that come in boxes. Avoiding tough work. Brains, like muscles, follow the "use it or lose it" principle. If your job doesn't provide a good brain workout (and most jobs don't--they mostly challenge your ability to deal with bureaucracy and rudeness), find something that does. Doing the same things all the time. When you try something new, you stimulate your brain into forming new connections. This activity increases overall brainpower. Being a sloth. The brain is a physical organ. Physical fitness is a "doorway" to mental fitness. Avoiding coordination-based activities. When you reinforce the brain-body connection by learning a new physical skill, you provide the brain with massive stimulus. If you are already a regular participant in a particular sport, that's great. But, you've already built those brain pathw