1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:09,240 Speaker 1: You're listening to I Choose Me with Jenny Garth. Hi, everyone, 2 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: welcome to I Choose Me. This podcast is all about 3 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: the choices we make and where they lead us. I 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: know this episode is going to be incredible because my 5 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: guest today is on a mission to end mental illness. 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: He is creating a revolution, you guys in brain health. 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:35,160 Speaker 1: My guest today is a physician, an adult and child psychiatrist. 8 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 1: He's the founder of brain MD, and he hosts a 9 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 1: digital series called Scan My Brain that I Think I 10 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: was one of the first guests on. He's the author 11 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: of Change Your Brain every Day and is a twelve 12 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 1: time New York Times best selling author. He has worked 13 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: with high profile people like Miley Cyrus, the Kardashians, Justin Bieber, Belahadid, 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: and so many more. Please welcome my friend, doctor Amen 15 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: to the I Choose Me Podcast. Doctor Raman, Oh my gosh, 16 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,839 Speaker 1: I've known you for so long. It feels like so long, 17 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: but it's not really that long, right. 18 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 2: No, well, I think it's the four years maybe four years? 19 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, right. Let's bring the listeners into our relationship and like, 20 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: have we met? We met a few years ago when 21 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 1: I heard from my friend Adele. She had sent me 22 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: your Instagram profile and I was so enthralled by the 23 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: content that you were putting out. I felt like you 24 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: were speaking directly to me, and I knew I had 25 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: to meet with you. Do you remember when I came 26 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: into your office the first. 27 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 2: Time I did so, you did my show Scan My Brain. 28 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: You are actually the first person we have now done 29 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 2: like one hundred and fifty episodes. 30 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, I'm so honored. 31 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 2: And you were the first one. We were talking about 32 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 2: your memory and beautiful brain. It just worked way too hard. 33 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, when you told me I had a beautiful brain, 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, that makes me feel good. 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,399 Speaker 2: Absolutely, you've seen a few. 36 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 3: I was. 37 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 1: I remember I was kind of like in a dip, 38 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: you know, like a little a little bit of a depression. 39 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: I was really struggling with my memory and I was 40 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: getting more and more worried that I was developing like 41 00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 1: early onset Alzheimer's or something. And I think that that 42 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: was Wait was that was that before the shutdown or 43 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: right after the shutdown? See see my memory still an issue. 44 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 2: It's was right after. 45 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:50,760 Speaker 1: Right after right after? Well, my memory is a lot better. 46 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:54,800 Speaker 1: If you're wondering and you have taught me and my 47 00:02:54,919 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: daughters so much, like you've taught the world so much 48 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: about brain health and how to perform better and be 49 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: better and think better so that we're healthier. All the 50 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: things that you've done. Gosh, you've got to be proud 51 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: of yourself. 52 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 2: I was excited every day to work with wonderful people 53 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 2: and help awesome people be just a little more awesome. 54 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 1: Yes, that's true. Why don't we start by talking about 55 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: high performance and the brain. You just got back from Paris, right, 56 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: you were there working with Olympic athletes who are pushing 57 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: their bodies to extremes. What kind of things do you 58 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: work on with someone like that on that level? 59 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:49,120 Speaker 2: Well, so I was there on Alicia numan'st and Alisha 60 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:56,120 Speaker 2: is a Canadian Olympic poll waulter, and she had a 61 00:03:56,160 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 2: bad concussion in April of twenty twenty one and developed 62 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 2: something called Arline syndrome, which is certain colors of light 63 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 2: disrupt the functioning in your brain. And she's depressed and 64 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 2: had a lot of what we call ants automatic negative thoughts. 65 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 2: And she actually told me she did my show as well. 66 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 2: She told me, if I don't get an Olympic gold medal. 67 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,479 Speaker 2: I will be a failure and my children won't love me. 68 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:37,239 Speaker 2: I'm like, oh, we have to talk about that, because 69 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,560 Speaker 2: if you get an Olympic medal, you've just made your 70 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 2: children's lives harder, right, because it's hard to live up 71 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 2: to someone who is so accomplished. Anyways, I scanned her. 72 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,159 Speaker 2: I could see the trouble in her brain. We worked 73 00:04:55,200 --> 00:05:01,160 Speaker 2: on it. She stopped drinking, because if you're an Olympic 74 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 2: pole vaulter, that's your sarahbellum back bottom part of the 75 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 2: brain that's involved in coordination, and alcohol is directly toxic 76 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:13,760 Speaker 2: to your sarahbellum. So she stopped drinking. She stopped believing 77 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:18,720 Speaker 2: everything she thought. She got rid of the idea of 78 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 2: always being in the future with fear, and we changed 79 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 2: it to every day I win or I learn. And 80 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 2: we also got rid of the idea of you have 81 00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 2: to be the best. That's just such a toxic idea. 82 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:38,840 Speaker 2: But you want to be your best, and so every 83 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 2: day we win or we learn. We get rid of 84 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 2: the idea of perfection, but we go for consistency and 85 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 2: being really good. And in twenty twenty three, she was 86 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 2: the world indoor pole vaulting champion and she got the 87 00:05:54,880 --> 00:06:01,720 Speaker 2: Bruns medal this year in Paris. It's emotional. It's so 88 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 2: fund for me to be there and to just watch 89 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 2: her perform at this incredibly high level. And one little 90 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 2: secret I told her because she would get really bothered 91 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 2: if she was around the other girls that were negative, 92 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 2: and that would like rub off on her, And I'm like, no, 93 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 2: that's your competitive advantage because when they're negative, well, that 94 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,880 Speaker 2: turns off the cerebellum, it turns off the coordination part 95 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 2: of your brain. When they're negative, you're going to fly 96 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 2: higher than them that day, And there were only five 97 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:42,360 Speaker 2: girls left at the end, and two of them were 98 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 2: negative and they didn't make the next bar. And it 99 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 2: was just so fun to sort of take the best 100 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,559 Speaker 2: of my work and help her be just a little 101 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 2: bit better. 102 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, you said you're getting emotional about that. 103 00:06:57,080 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: I'm getting emotional about it. I don't even know her. 104 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 1: That's that's what a special position you were in to 105 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:08,800 Speaker 1: be able to help her and then go there and 106 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 1: be on her team in such an intimate way and 107 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: such a part of her accomplishing that. Wow, that's really cool. 108 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 1: That's a good story. I mean, stress and anxiety. It 109 00:07:22,600 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: affects so many of us. Do you think there's really 110 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: anyone left out there who doesn't have those feelings? 111 00:07:28,600 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 2: Well, you want to hear something new I learned? 112 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: Yes, please? 113 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 2: Great? Freaking me out a little bit? Uh Aspertain, the 114 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:43,880 Speaker 2: you know, Zerow, the diet coke, and diet pepsi and 115 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 2: over six thousand products. They did a study with mice 116 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 2: and they found when they gave the mass pertain, they 117 00:07:53,160 --> 00:08:00,360 Speaker 2: became very anxious, and their babies were anxious, and their 118 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 2: grand babies were anxious. So it had a generational negative fact. 119 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 2: And I think, you know, maybe I was twenty when 120 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 2: aspartain came onto the market and I thought it was free, right, 121 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 2: it's free, right, it's no calories. 122 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, But it's not such free, yeah. 123 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 2: Because it changes some of the structures in your brain 124 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:32,559 Speaker 2: to need it in order for you to feel okay. 125 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 2: But then you're more anxious. And in the study they 126 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 2: actually gave the mice valium to calm them down, and 127 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:45,559 Speaker 2: that worked. But as you and I both know, valium 128 00:08:45,679 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 2: is addictive. Once you started, people don't stop it. It's 129 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:56,640 Speaker 2: just a very bad thing. So could our societal anxiety 130 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 2: in part be to what we're eating or what we're drinking. 131 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 2: I mean, yes, there are obvious answers. The pandemic really 132 00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 2: ramped up everything, the death tolls, the isolation, the fear, 133 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 2: and the virus itself. COVID activates your suffering pathway in 134 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 2: the brain. It was the most interesting thing when I 135 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 2: first started doing scans. So I saw you in December 136 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 2: of twenty twenty, so right after the pandemic started, and 137 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,920 Speaker 2: I had scans. So I do a study for your listeners. 138 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 2: I do a study called spec that looks at blood 139 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 2: flow and activity, looks at how the brain works. And 140 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,200 Speaker 2: I had all these scans that people before they got 141 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 2: COVID and then after they got COVID, and it was 142 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:57,319 Speaker 2: like this inflammatory bomb went off in their brain, making 143 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 2: them more vulnerable things like anxiety and depression. 144 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:09,120 Speaker 1: Wow. Okay, first of all, that's a bummer for those mice. 145 00:10:10,080 --> 00:10:14,040 Speaker 1: Second of all, it seems like the aspartain, not just 146 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: the valuum that they gave them, but the aspartain itself 147 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: is addictive, right right, Yeah, Okay, wait, rewind, what the 148 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: heck is a brain scan and why do people want 149 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:28,120 Speaker 1: to get one? 150 00:10:28,679 --> 00:10:30,839 Speaker 2: Well, you know, the brain is like the only organ 151 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 2: people don't routinely screen right heart, You screen your calling, 152 00:10:37,440 --> 00:10:42,720 Speaker 2: you screen your cervix, you screen your brass, and the 153 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 2: most important work is your brain, right because it's your 154 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 2: brain that makes you who you are. And about thirty 155 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,719 Speaker 2: three years ago I started looking at the brain with 156 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 2: this study called brain Spacked imaging spect stands for single 157 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 2: photon emission computed tomography that looks at blood flow and activity. 158 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 2: It looks at how your brain works, and it basically 159 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,480 Speaker 2: shows us three things. Good activity, you had a lot, 160 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 2: too little that wasn't your problem, or too much and 161 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 2: that's what we saw in your emotional was working too hard. 162 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 2: And then I take the scan and I balance it 163 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:39,360 Speaker 2: with lifestyle habits, with supplements, sometimes with medicine, and Jenny, 164 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 2: imagine with me. Last year, there were three hundred and 165 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,959 Speaker 2: forty million prescriptions written for antidepressants in the United States. 166 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: Wait wait, wait, go back, how many again? That's a 167 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: big number. 168 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 2: Three hundred and forty million million descriptions. Twenty five percent 169 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 2: of women in the United States are taking get an antidepressant. 170 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 2: That is not an okay number. Twenty five percent of 171 00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:09,880 Speaker 2: women do not have they're not born with a serotonin deficiency, 172 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 2: but all of these people who got these medications, no 173 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 2: one ever looked at their brain. So they're changing the 174 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 2: brain without any guidance on how to do it. And 175 00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 2: so since I started looking at the brain, I learned, 176 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 2: like all these important things, mild traumatic brain injury is 177 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:39,679 Speaker 2: a major cause of psychiatric problems and nobody knows it. 178 00:12:39,760 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 2: And remember you told me about the accident that you had. 179 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, I had. I'll tell our listeners. I had 180 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: an accident when I was in my early twenties. I 181 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: was run over by a jet ski in the Pacific Ocean. 182 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 1: The person that was driving the jet ski was Luperry, 183 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: and so we always got a good giggle out of that. 184 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: But I did totally pass out, black out whatever, go unconscious, 185 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,880 Speaker 1: and I woke up and I was being asked all 186 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,720 Speaker 1: these questions on the beach by the paramedics. So, yeah, 187 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 1: that was the only time I can really remember a 188 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:17,679 Speaker 1: hit to the head, a traumatic brain injury or concussion 189 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:18,319 Speaker 1: of any kind. 190 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, well that was big. But you know, I didn't 191 00:13:21,679 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 2: really see that in your brain, which. 192 00:13:24,880 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: Meant, well, you saw a little, didn't Yeah, but. 193 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,439 Speaker 2: It was little opposed to you know, can this explain 194 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:38,000 Speaker 2: the problems with your memory, and so the brain can heal, 195 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:43,959 Speaker 2: But so many of my patients it's the traumatic brain 196 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 2: injury that leads to the impulsivity that leads to the addiction, 197 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 2: that leads to the depression. And we can fix it, 198 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:57,680 Speaker 2: but you can't fix something you don't know. 199 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: Is there bingo? I mean, yeah, you've told me before. 200 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: Like all my years dealing with my dad and his 201 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 1: heart disease, they would never have prescribed him medication for 202 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:13,479 Speaker 1: his heart if they hadn't gone and done a sonogram 203 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: and looked at it from every angle to know what 204 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:20,600 Speaker 1: the problem was. And then to think, all these years 205 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: myself and many many other people have been getting prescribed 206 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: medication for their brain and nobody's ever even looked at 207 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: it until you. 208 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a bit insane. 209 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:44,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, it really is. You talked about ants. I think 210 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,960 Speaker 1: you were the first person that taught me about ants, 211 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 1: and you tell them what ants is, what ants are. 212 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,800 Speaker 2: So goodness, it was over thirty years ago. I'm in 213 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:58,400 Speaker 2: my office and it was a bad day. Not a 214 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 2: bad day. It was a hard day. Four suicidal patients, 215 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 2: two teenagers who'd run away from home, and two couples 216 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 2: who hated each other at the end of the day, 217 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 2: I walk I go home and I walk into the 218 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 2: kitchen and it's got an ant infestation in the kitchen 219 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:23,120 Speaker 2: and I'm cleaning up what feels like thousands of ants. 220 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 2: And as I'm doing it, and the ants start like 221 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:32,800 Speaker 2: crawling out my arm and I'm like, automatic negative thoughts, ants. 222 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 2: My patients are infested with ants. And so I finished 223 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 2: it cleaning up. And then the next day I brought 224 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 2: a can of ant spray to work and I start 225 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 2: talking about it. I'm like, it's like, you have this 226 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 2: investation of ants in your mind and I have to 227 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 2: teach you to get rid of them. And then I 228 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,400 Speaker 2: realize ant spray is probably too toxic. And that weekend 229 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:01,560 Speaker 2: I went to Peer thirty nine and San Francisco and 230 00:16:01,760 --> 00:16:04,600 Speaker 2: they have a puppet store there that's really awesome, and 231 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,360 Speaker 2: I got an ant puppet and then later an ant 232 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 2: eater puppet. And because I also see kids, so I'm 233 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 2: always thinking about, you know, analogies that they'll understand. And 234 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 2: actually have a book called Captain Snout and the Superpower 235 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 2: Questions where we teach kids to kill the ants that 236 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 2: just pop up in their head. And I was twenty 237 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 2: eight years old in my psychiatric residency when I heard 238 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 2: a professor say, you have to teach your patients not 239 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 2: to believe every stupid thing they think. And that was 240 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,840 Speaker 2: such a revelation because I believed every stupid thing I thought. 241 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 2: And I'm like, what you know. Thoughts come from all 242 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: sorts of places. They come from your genes. Sometimes, you know, 243 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 2: trauma's written in your genetic based on what happened to 244 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 2: your mom or dad. Sometimes they come from the voices 245 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 2: of your mom or dad. From I grew up in 246 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:12,840 Speaker 2: a Catholic church, I had lots of guilt voices. Sometimes 247 00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 2: your siblings or friends or foes, you know, those of 248 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,840 Speaker 2: you who've been blessed and cursed to be in the 249 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 2: public eye from the crazy journalists for clickbait. Lots come 250 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:30,520 Speaker 2: from all sorts of places, And just because you have 251 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 2: a thought has nothing to do with whether or not 252 00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:38,200 Speaker 2: it's true, whether or not it's helpful, and whether or 253 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 2: not you should attach to it, Because it's not the 254 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 2: thoughts you have that make you suffer. It's the thoughts 255 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 2: you attached to that make you suffer. And so the 256 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:54,320 Speaker 2: exercise is, whenever you feel sad, mad, nervous, or out 257 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:59,160 Speaker 2: of control, just write down what you're thinking, and then 258 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,800 Speaker 2: ask yourself whether or not it's true, whether or not 259 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:05,240 Speaker 2: it's helpful, whether or not it's going to get you 260 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,800 Speaker 2: what you want in life, or if it's toxic and 261 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 2: it needs to go. And it's a discipline, right, I 262 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 2: believe people have to do the process like a hundred 263 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 2: times to just retrain your brain. So Alicia's thought that 264 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,440 Speaker 2: we started with is I will be a failure if 265 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 2: I don't get a gold medal and my children won't 266 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 2: love me. Well, that's clearly distorted, not helpful thinking. We 267 00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,639 Speaker 2: killed at least a hundred of her aunts, and so 268 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:48,440 Speaker 2: when she's at the most stressful time, she does her 269 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:56,600 Speaker 2: personal best because on the runway on the track, she 270 00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:03,120 Speaker 2: imagined white lines and they will hot colds, and they 271 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 2: were to prevent the ants from jumping over into her lane. 272 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:10,880 Speaker 2: And it's like, no, I don't have to believe that 273 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 2: today I win or I learn. 274 00:19:15,240 --> 00:19:21,240 Speaker 1: I think everybody has ants. Right. I love when you 275 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:25,240 Speaker 1: taught me that a thought leads to a feeling, leads. 276 00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:29,440 Speaker 2: To an action and then the outcome. 277 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:34,480 Speaker 1: That's so incredible to just break that down because it's 278 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: so simple to understand, just because you have a feeling. 279 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:41,360 Speaker 1: What you said doesn't make it true. And I literally 280 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,000 Speaker 1: just had I was having a little moment with my 281 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: husband last night, literally was like, that is a feeling 282 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,720 Speaker 1: you're having and it's not doesn't make it true. So 283 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 1: I was quoting you in my argument last night. 284 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,960 Speaker 3: We're good ants if you have ants and your husband 285 00:20:00,119 --> 00:20:05,959 Speaker 3: has hands and the ants mate, Oh God, create super ants. 286 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: I have three super ants living in my house. 287 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 2: And so you know, with my wife, I'm always really 288 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 2: clear with what I want. I want a kind, caring, loving, supportive, 289 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:26,960 Speaker 2: passionate relationship. I want that all the time. But I 290 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 2: don't feel like that all the time. Right. I have 291 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,000 Speaker 2: rude thoughts that just show. 292 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:35,240 Speaker 1: Up what you mean, You're human. 293 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 2: Absolutely, and I don't say them because it doesn't get 294 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,840 Speaker 2: me what I want. And I find I spend a 295 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 2: lot of time with my patients going, Okay, what do 296 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,080 Speaker 2: you want? Remember, I think we did the exercise, the 297 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,960 Speaker 2: one page miracle on what piece of paper write down 298 00:20:56,280 --> 00:21:04,439 Speaker 2: what do you want? Relationships, work, money, physical, emotional, spiritual health? 299 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:08,680 Speaker 2: What do you want? So you have to actually tell 300 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:15,199 Speaker 2: your brain what you want, and then the question is 301 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 2: does it fit If I say this, will give me 302 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:28,280 Speaker 2: a kind, caring, loving, supportive, passionate relationship or not. And 303 00:21:28,359 --> 00:21:32,240 Speaker 2: I remember once we were fussing over a piece of 304 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 2: property we were thinking of mining, and I heard the 305 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 2: criticism come up in my head, and I'm like, that 306 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 2: is not going to get you what you want. And 307 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,280 Speaker 2: I collect penguins. When you were in my office, you 308 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 2: probably saw I have penguins. And the penguins are about 309 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:56,760 Speaker 2: noticing what you like about other people, way more than 310 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:01,800 Speaker 2: what you don't. Because every day we're training each other 311 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 2: by what we notice about each other. And so I've 312 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 2: lived with this concept, notice what you like more than 313 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 2: what you don't. And so in the fuss, I'm like, 314 00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:18,119 Speaker 2: how can you turn this around? And I'm like, you're 315 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 2: really good with real estate. So rather than the criticism 316 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 2: that had popped up in my head, I flipped it 317 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 2: and then just sort of let it go a little bit. 318 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,240 Speaker 2: And then she went, oh, this is probably not a 319 00:22:35,240 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 2: good decision. So yes, you flip the thought. I flipped 320 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 2: the thought right, rather than criticize her, notice what I 321 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 2: like about her? Right, Because every day you're training. We 322 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:55,080 Speaker 2: teach people how to treat us by what we tolerate, 323 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 2: but we also teach them how to treat us by 324 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 2: what we notice about them. So I have this great story. 325 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:07,120 Speaker 2: So I have this patient I saw, and she was fourteen. 326 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,680 Speaker 2: When I first saw, she had tried to kill herself. 327 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 2: And this is two years later. She's doing great. And 328 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,479 Speaker 2: then she shipped conflicts with her mother. She came in 329 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,719 Speaker 2: one day and she's very angry and she said, I'm 330 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 2: gonna run away from home and you can't stop me. 331 00:23:25,720 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 2: And she went on and on. And then she looked 332 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 2: around my office and noticed I collect penguins. And she's like, 333 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 2: and Doctor Eymond White is a grown man collect penguins. 334 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:39,200 Speaker 2: I laughed. I said, you've been seeing me for two years, 335 00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:42,639 Speaker 2: you're just noticing them. And then I told her this story. 336 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,880 Speaker 2: When my son was seven, So this is forty years ago. 337 00:23:47,080 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 2: My son was seven. He was really hard for me. 338 00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 2: And I was doing my child's skyatry training and I said, 339 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 2: I went to my supervisor and I said, he's really 340 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:58,720 Speaker 2: hard for me. Help me. He said, you need to 341 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,360 Speaker 2: spend more a long time with you. So I took him. 342 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 2: I was doing my training in Hawaii to a place 343 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 2: called Sea Life Park on O Wahoo and they have 344 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 2: sea animal shows. And I went to the whale show 345 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 2: and the dolphin show and the sea lion show, and 346 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 2: I was all great. And at the end of the 347 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 2: day he goes, I want to see fat Freddy and 348 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 2: I'm like, who's that. It's like the penguin, Dad, don't 349 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:24,840 Speaker 2: you know anything that was of our relationships. But this 350 00:24:24,920 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 2: little penguin was so cool. He was a humble penguin 351 00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:31,560 Speaker 2: and he was chubby. Why it was called that Freddy. 352 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:37,600 Speaker 2: And he comes on the stage, climbs a high diving board, 353 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 2: goes to the end of the board, bounces, jumps in 354 00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:44,119 Speaker 2: the water like the whoa. Then he bowls with his nose, 355 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 2: counts with his flipper, jumps through a fire and I'm like, 356 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 2: this is cool. And at the end of the show, 357 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,720 Speaker 2: the trainer asked Freddy to go get something. Freddy went 358 00:24:53,760 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 2: and got it and he brought it right back, and 359 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 2: in my mind, I went, damn, I asked this kid 360 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:02,199 Speaker 2: get something for me, and he wants to have a 361 00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,680 Speaker 2: discussion for like thirty minutes and then he doesn't want 362 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,919 Speaker 2: to do it. And I knew my son was smarter 363 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,439 Speaker 2: than the penguin. So I went up to the trainer 364 00:25:10,480 --> 00:25:12,639 Speaker 2: afterwards and I'm like, how did you get Freddy to 365 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 2: do all these really cool things. And she looked at 366 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:17,640 Speaker 2: my son, and then she looked at me, and she said, 367 00:25:17,760 --> 00:25:20,920 Speaker 2: unlike parents, whenever Freddy does anything like what I want 368 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 2: him to do, I notice him. I give him a hug, 369 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:28,880 Speaker 2: and I give him a fish. And the light went 370 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:30,679 Speaker 2: on in my head that when he did what I 371 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:33,200 Speaker 2: wanted him to do, I wasn't paying any attention because 372 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 2: I was busy, But when he didn't do it I 373 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 2: wanted him to do, I gave him a lot of 374 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,879 Speaker 2: attention because I didn't want to raise bad children. So 375 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:46,280 Speaker 2: it's inadvertently teaching him to be troubled. And so I'm 376 00:25:46,359 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 2: telling my patient this and then I get this really 377 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:54,480 Speaker 2: crazy idea, and she tended to be oppositional, and so 378 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:58,200 Speaker 2: I'm like, you know, I have this really crazy idea. 379 00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 2: You probably don't want to hear it. And so if 380 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 2: they're a little opposition of like, no, I have to 381 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,919 Speaker 2: hear it now. And I'm like, well, what if we 382 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:12,160 Speaker 2: shaped the behavior of your mother? And she goes I'm listening. 383 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 2: I said, what if whenever she's rude to you or 384 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 2: inappropriate to you, you don't overreact, you don't yell, scream, 385 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 2: stomp out and her eyes got really big, and I said, 386 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:33,680 Speaker 2: but what if she is appropriate with her? You put 387 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:35,400 Speaker 2: your arms around her and you tell her you love 388 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 2: her metaphorically, you give her a fish and she goes, 389 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 2: let's try it. And she texted me that night, I'm 390 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,600 Speaker 2: not going to run away. Don't worry about me. And 391 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:49,199 Speaker 2: two weeks later when I saw her, she said they 392 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,119 Speaker 2: had the best two weeks and she brought me a 393 00:26:51,160 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 2: penguin for my collection. And so, you know, with your husband, 394 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 2: or my wife or the people who work with us, 395 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:09,960 Speaker 2: can we be better at noticing what we like more 396 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:11,800 Speaker 2: than what we do? 397 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, that really works. It's hard to remember to do 398 00:27:17,800 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: it in the heat of the moment, but if you 399 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 1: keep practicing at it, if you keep reminding yourself about it, 400 00:27:24,280 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 1: then it starts to become habitual and easier to access 401 00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: in those moments of you know, a fight or an 402 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:34,239 Speaker 1: argument or disagreement or whatever it is. 403 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, the more you do it, it's building the pathway 404 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,160 Speaker 2: in your brain. And so I didn't get a lot 405 00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:45,080 Speaker 2: of that grown up, which is why collect penguins, because 406 00:27:45,080 --> 00:27:50,119 Speaker 2: I have to constantly be reminded, notice what you like 407 00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 2: more than what you don't, and actually they am. In clinics, 408 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:56,840 Speaker 2: we have the no asshole rule. I don't get to 409 00:27:56,880 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 2: be an asshole, and neither do you, because kindness goes 410 00:28:02,840 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 2: with elevated service and it goes with better outcomes. 411 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:18,920 Speaker 1: I don't know this for sure, but brain scans aren't 412 00:28:19,400 --> 00:28:22,640 Speaker 1: customarily covered by insurance. Is that right? 413 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 2: No, because it's not part of yet the standard of care. 414 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:36,360 Speaker 2: So most doctors will make diagnoses based on symptom clusters 415 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:43,320 Speaker 2: with no biological data. And who wins in that scenario? 416 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 2: Insurance companies because they're not paying for any high technology 417 00:28:47,720 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 2: pharmaceutical industry is clearly winning, and doctors don't have to 418 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 2: do anything different. That's clearly of the future. 419 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: And you said, yeah, right, so and is that going 420 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,160 Speaker 1: to change anytime soon? Do you think? 421 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 2: I don't know. The Canadian Society for Nuclear Medicine just 422 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,680 Speaker 2: came out with procedure guidelines firstpect as if I wrote them, 423 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 2: and I think it is covered in Canada, so it will. 424 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: Change, I hope, So I hope. So are there exercises 425 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: or specific things that our listeners and myself can do 426 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:31,600 Speaker 1: to keep our brains healthy and sharp and ant free ish? 427 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 2: So brain health is three things brain envy. You want 428 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 2: to care about your brain. So nineteen ninety one I 429 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,440 Speaker 2: scanned my mom, actually just saw her a little while ago. 430 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 2: She's ninety two. At sixty, she had a stunningly beautiful brain. 431 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:56,480 Speaker 2: And then I scanned myself and it wasn't awesome because 432 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:00,640 Speaker 2: I played football in high school and didn't sleep, and 433 00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 2: it was overweight and just had bad habits. And I 434 00:30:05,240 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 2: was very upset that my sixty year old mother had 435 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 2: a better looking brain than I did at thirty seven. 436 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,200 Speaker 2: And so I developed this concept called brain envy. I 437 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 2: wanted a healthy brain like hers. And then I went, oh, 438 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:24,160 Speaker 2: Freud is wrong. Penis envy is not the clause of 439 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 2: anybody's problem. What we need people to do, need to 440 00:30:27,680 --> 00:30:30,880 Speaker 2: teach people to do, is have brain envy. And so 441 00:30:30,920 --> 00:30:34,160 Speaker 2: that's number one. You got to love your brain. Right. 442 00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,720 Speaker 2: I lived in Newport Beach, where we have more plastic 443 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:39,880 Speaker 2: surgeons and almost anywhere in the world, and I'm like, 444 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 2: we care more about our faces, our boobs, our bellies, 445 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 2: and our butts than we do our brain. That's insane. 446 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 2: So the first step love the three pounds between your ears. 447 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:57,440 Speaker 2: And that should be especially true for you because you 448 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 2: have a beautiful brain, so you just never want to 449 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:07,000 Speaker 2: lose the healthy blood flowed to your brain. The second 450 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 2: thing is avoid things that hurts your brain. And so 451 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 2: you just have to know the list, and you know, 452 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 2: quite frankly, most seven year olds know the list. I 453 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:20,640 Speaker 2: went to my daughter's second grade class and I went 454 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 2: and I went to the board and I drew twenty 455 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 2: things on the board, playing football, playing soccer, drinking orange juice, 456 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 2: going to bed early, taking your vitamins, staying up late 457 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:37,120 Speaker 2: with your iPad. And I said, I want you to 458 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:40,240 Speaker 2: just divide these into good for your brain and bad 459 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 2: for your brain. And out of the twenty things, they 460 00:31:43,040 --> 00:31:48,320 Speaker 2: got nineteen right. The only thing they missed was orange juice, 461 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 2: which they put in the good category when it really 462 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:57,200 Speaker 2: belongs in the bad category because it's too much concentrated sugar. 463 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:03,840 Speaker 2: And but you know some things that would surprise people. 464 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,600 Speaker 2: If you have gum disease, you have brain disease. You 465 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:12,520 Speaker 2: got to be a flossing fool. It's a flossing fool. 466 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 2: You want to take really good care of your teeth. 467 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 2: If you have a dysfunction, you probably have brain dysfunction. 468 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:25,479 Speaker 2: Because if you have any blood flow problems anywhere likely 469 00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 2: means they're everywhere. If you retire and you're not engaged 470 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 2: in new work or new passion, that's really bad for 471 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 2: your brain. So new learning is especially helpful, and you 472 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:47,480 Speaker 2: doing the podcast, you're always learning something new and you're 473 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 2: a very curious person anyways, that's really good for your 474 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:56,640 Speaker 2: brain process. Food terrible for your brain. Having an unhealthy 475 00:32:56,720 --> 00:33:01,080 Speaker 2: gut is bad for your brain. Having low levels of 476 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:07,640 Speaker 2: Omega three fatty acids. So wild salmon taking fish oil 477 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:13,719 Speaker 2: just essential for brain. Help texting while you dry. If 478 00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 2: your brain is you are more likely to get a concussion. 479 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:22,080 Speaker 2: And alcohol is just not a healthful it's not. The 480 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:26,400 Speaker 2: American Cancer Society came out against any alcohol three years 481 00:33:26,440 --> 00:33:30,880 Speaker 2: ago because any alcohols associated with an increased risk of 482 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 2: seven different cancers. Marijuana is not innocuous, and people using 483 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:43,200 Speaker 2: psilocybin like crazy now, and I'm very. 484 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: Concerned psilocybum like microdosing with mushrooms, right. 485 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:54,320 Speaker 2: I'm very concerned about that because everybody thinks it's safe, 486 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 2: even though it's still illegal in forty nine states. There's 487 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 2: very little research on it. So the total number of 488 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:08,439 Speaker 2: research studies involves less than a thousand people, Wow, it's 489 00:34:08,480 --> 00:34:11,920 Speaker 2: going to go the way I predict that benzos are 490 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 2: going to go, or opiates or alcohol or marijuana. You know, 491 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 2: I feel like I've seen this party before and it's like, oh, 492 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 2: it's innocuous. 493 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:24,960 Speaker 1: Oh, but it grows in the ground. It can't be 494 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: bad for you, right, that's what people say. 495 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 2: But cyanide grows in the ground and it's clearly bad. 496 00:34:34,200 --> 00:34:34,640 Speaker 1: Good point. 497 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 2: And the first story of alcohol in the Bible is no, 498 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,880 Speaker 2: it gets drunk after the flood and sort of makes 499 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:46,359 Speaker 2: an ass out of himself, and then it causes this 500 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:54,560 Speaker 2: generational family rift with the people. You know it naked son. 501 00:34:56,920 --> 00:35:00,080 Speaker 2: But it's like, how can I have any fun? And 502 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:02,560 Speaker 2: we play We have a high school course called brain 503 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:07,399 Speaker 2: Thrive by twenty five, and when we teach kids this 504 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:10,919 Speaker 2: topic of what to avoid, invariably a boy it's never 505 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:13,839 Speaker 2: a girl will raise his hand and go, how can 506 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,839 Speaker 2: you have any fun? And so we play a game 507 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,960 Speaker 2: with them called who has more fun? The kid with 508 00:35:20,000 --> 00:35:22,400 Speaker 2: the good brain or the kid with the bad brain? 509 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:24,920 Speaker 2: Who gets the girl and gets to keep her because 510 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:27,840 Speaker 2: he doesn't act like an idiot? Who gets the college 511 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 2: they want to get into. Who has the best jobs? 512 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,200 Speaker 2: You know, becomes the best parents, the person with the 513 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:38,080 Speaker 2: good brain or the person with the bad brain. And 514 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:41,680 Speaker 2: I think that helps people sort of got it, So 515 00:35:42,160 --> 00:35:47,000 Speaker 2: avoid things that hurt it and then do things that 516 00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:53,080 Speaker 2: help it, like exercise. Low blood flow is the number 517 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:57,399 Speaker 2: one brain imaging predictor of alzheimer. And so I walk 518 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:01,120 Speaker 2: like a late for forty five minutes. It's four or 519 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 2: five times a week. I think that's so important. Coordination 520 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:11,560 Speaker 2: exercises like tennis because it works out that cerehbellum part 521 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:16,320 Speaker 2: of the brain we talked about before. Multiple vitamin vish oil, 522 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:22,640 Speaker 2: optimize your vitamin D level, engage in new learning, and 523 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,480 Speaker 2: know your risk. So I have the risk of heart 524 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:31,400 Speaker 2: disease and obesity, and I don't have heart disease and 525 00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:34,960 Speaker 2: I'm not overweight. Why because every day of my life 526 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 2: I'm on an obesity heart disease prevention program. I adopted 527 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,759 Speaker 2: by two nieces because their parents were drug addicts and 528 00:36:44,040 --> 00:36:48,080 Speaker 2: it was terrible for them, and so I've encouraged them 529 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:54,160 Speaker 2: to be on an addiction prevention program every day their 530 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:59,360 Speaker 2: lives and go to bed half an hourly. If you 531 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:01,800 Speaker 2: want to better, remember tomorrow, and go to bed early tonight. 532 00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 2: Without your gadgets, and don't be overrated. I published three 533 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 2: studies that show as your weight goes up, the size 534 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:14,080 Speaker 2: and function of the brain goes down. And don't be skinny. 535 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:18,359 Speaker 2: That's not good for your brain. But with seventy four 536 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:22,400 Speaker 2: percent of the population overweight, this is it's just going 537 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,239 Speaker 2: to cause huge long term cost to this country and 538 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:28,080 Speaker 2: paint and suffering. 539 00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:32,520 Speaker 1: I read last night, actually a horrifying article and it 540 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:36,720 Speaker 1: said there was an increase in microplastics infiltrating our brains. 541 00:37:36,880 --> 00:37:40,000 Speaker 1: Have you been seeing this these signs in your studies. 542 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 2: I have, and it's horrifying. And if you get in 543 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:48,520 Speaker 2: Coca Cola's website because you always want to buy things 544 00:37:48,560 --> 00:37:51,799 Speaker 2: that do not have this phenol a in it. 545 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: Wait, leta go back. What's that word, this. 546 00:37:55,600 --> 00:38:04,200 Speaker 2: Phenol a or BPA's it's gas BPAs. It's what they 547 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 2: put in hands and plastics to make them harder, and 548 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,320 Speaker 2: they're in every Coca Cola product, and Coca Cola is 549 00:38:14,360 --> 00:38:19,359 Speaker 2: proud of it, even though it's associated with autism, it's 550 00:38:19,400 --> 00:38:25,799 Speaker 2: associated with ADHD, it's associated with cancer. We need to 551 00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:30,279 Speaker 2: be much more thoughtful. When we know better, we have 552 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:32,320 Speaker 2: to do better. 553 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:35,560 Speaker 1: Why would Coca Cola be proud of. 554 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:40,320 Speaker 2: That because they're like, oh, there's not enough science, and 555 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:44,680 Speaker 2: we are even though there is. So you know why 556 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:47,879 Speaker 2: they would put that on their website is I think 557 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:53,120 Speaker 2: of them as evil. And in my book The End 558 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,560 Speaker 2: of Mental Illness, I wrote a whole section on if 559 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:00,680 Speaker 2: I was an evil ruler and I I wanted to 560 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 2: create mental illness in our society, what would I do? 561 00:39:05,760 --> 00:39:08,759 Speaker 2: And that's an evil ruler strategy. I'd put a known 562 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:13,040 Speaker 2: neurotoxin and then I'd brag about it, because if I 563 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:16,080 Speaker 2: brag about it, then it makes you know. Coca Cola 564 00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:20,600 Speaker 2: has some level of authority even though it sells diabetes 565 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:25,879 Speaker 2: water and it's like, oh, well, I trust it, sort 566 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 2: of like we like trust McDonald's and I'm like, no, 567 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:31,000 Speaker 2: probably a bad idea. 568 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:36,759 Speaker 1: Yeah. One study showed that we could be consuming a 569 00:39:36,880 --> 00:39:40,359 Speaker 1: credit card size of plastics in a week. 570 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:44,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's really terrible. And so you have to ask yourself, Jenny, 571 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:50,279 Speaker 2: why in nineteen ninety one was autism at one in 572 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:56,279 Speaker 2: ten thousand children, and now here in California it's one 573 00:39:56,320 --> 00:40:00,399 Speaker 2: in twenty two boys, and it's one in thirty five 574 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:04,600 Speaker 2: kids nationwide. It's like if I was going to have 575 00:40:04,640 --> 00:40:08,279 Speaker 2: babies today, I would be afraid that. 576 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:10,240 Speaker 1: I'm more discouraging doctor Emon. 577 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:16,080 Speaker 2: Well, the encouraging news is you're not stuck with the 578 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:18,759 Speaker 2: brain you have. You can make it better. You just 579 00:40:18,840 --> 00:40:25,200 Speaker 2: have to be thoughtful. And Tan and I, my wife 580 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,279 Speaker 2: and I did almost a thousand Brain Warriors Way podcasts. 581 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:32,040 Speaker 2: And the reason we called it the Brain Warriors Way 582 00:40:32,400 --> 00:40:35,120 Speaker 2: is you're in a war for the health of your brain. 583 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:38,440 Speaker 2: Everywhere you go someone's trying to give you bad food 584 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:42,239 Speaker 2: that will kill you hurly. Or every time you turn 585 00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:45,600 Speaker 2: on the news it's the same stuff, but it's negative, 586 00:40:45,680 --> 00:40:51,080 Speaker 2: negative terror or political divide. It's like, just turn it off, 587 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:54,400 Speaker 2: you know, if you have to limit it to no 588 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:58,560 Speaker 2: more than ten minutes a day and read a neutral site. 589 00:41:00,040 --> 00:41:03,600 Speaker 2: And now we have addictive gadgets that are stealing our attention. 590 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:09,439 Speaker 2: As device youse went up, the incidents of add went 591 00:41:09,600 --> 00:41:15,799 Speaker 2: up as well. We just have to be thoughtful, careful 592 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:21,320 Speaker 2: on what we do, and I'm always hopeful we'll figure 593 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:26,920 Speaker 2: it out, but we need to be serious. 594 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:30,640 Speaker 1: And we need to be warriors. 595 00:41:30,360 --> 00:41:32,960 Speaker 2: Say the truth, and the truth is we can do 596 00:41:33,040 --> 00:41:33,560 Speaker 2: way better. 597 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:37,000 Speaker 1: I was going to ask you about technology, especially like 598 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:40,520 Speaker 1: social media, and the world just seems to be getting 599 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:43,800 Speaker 1: quicker and quicker and faster and faster. That's got to 600 00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:48,280 Speaker 1: be affecting our brains and our attention spans. I mean, 601 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:52,160 Speaker 1: it's something we all probably know but conveniently forget. How 602 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,160 Speaker 1: important is it to put our phones down before we 603 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:55,759 Speaker 1: go to bed? 604 00:41:56,280 --> 00:42:00,839 Speaker 2: Well, so, what does social media do and what devices 605 00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:04,319 Speaker 2: do they give? You? Just this little bit of dopamine 606 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 2: over and over and over and over again. And dopamine 607 00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:13,120 Speaker 2: is the neurotransmitter that helps you feel good, It helps 608 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:17,560 Speaker 2: you feel motivated, it helps you focus, it gives you pleasure, 609 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:26,239 Speaker 2: brings you joy when you dump dopamine. So, and I 610 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:28,200 Speaker 2: think you and I talked about this. I mean, it's 611 00:42:28,239 --> 00:42:32,440 Speaker 2: really one of the problems with being famous early. It 612 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:36,440 Speaker 2: just wears out the dopamine centers in your brain and 613 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:41,640 Speaker 2: it leaves a lot of young people vulnerable to addiction 614 00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:45,920 Speaker 2: because they feel bad. Right, all these good things are happening, 615 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:51,359 Speaker 2: but internally they feel bad because their brain has been 616 00:42:52,080 --> 00:43:00,239 Speaker 2: overflooded with dopamine. Well, devices, it's like you're dumping dopamine 617 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 2: all day long. 618 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:04,560 Speaker 1: But how am I getting dopamine when I'm seeing something? 619 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:10,280 Speaker 1: And it makes me compare myself or it doesn't feel good, 620 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:13,000 Speaker 1: it makes me feel I could feel jealous, I could 621 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:16,680 Speaker 1: feel left out, all the negative feelings. How am I 622 00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:17,480 Speaker 1: getting dopamine? 623 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:22,680 Speaker 2: Then you're getting it from the hit of the notification. 624 00:43:23,520 --> 00:43:27,400 Speaker 2: It's like, oh, I have to look or scrolling and 625 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:30,680 Speaker 2: you go, oh, that's really funny. Well that's really cool. 626 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:36,760 Speaker 2: But then your serotonin levels dropping when you compare yourself 627 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:43,040 Speaker 2: to someone else in a negative way. So dopamine gets released, 628 00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:46,920 Speaker 2: but then you don't have any store left. Serotonin drops 629 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:51,440 Speaker 2: because the respect you have for yourself goes low. Cortisol 630 00:43:51,719 --> 00:43:56,239 Speaker 2: goes up because of the stress. And my wife said 631 00:43:56,239 --> 00:43:59,160 Speaker 2: it really she goes when I start scrolling, I start 632 00:43:59,200 --> 00:44:04,560 Speaker 2: thinking about what's wrong with me. She's like, I think 633 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:09,680 Speaker 2: I have to fix something, as opposed to she wouldn't 634 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:12,280 Speaker 2: have that thought at all if she wasn't scrolling. 635 00:44:12,719 --> 00:44:17,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've convinced myself to stop scrolling. You know, I 636 00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:20,880 Speaker 1: post and I take care of my business on Instagram, 637 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:24,440 Speaker 1: but I really do try try, try to have a 638 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:27,399 Speaker 1: no scrolling policy. And I tell my friends, Look, if 639 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:29,520 Speaker 1: you're doing something exciting and you want me to know 640 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:32,279 Speaker 1: about it, just text me it because I want to 641 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:34,759 Speaker 1: know what's going on for you, but I'm not going 642 00:44:34,760 --> 00:44:35,840 Speaker 1: to see it on Instagram. 643 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think it's good to have a team 644 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:43,799 Speaker 2: that does that. I mean, I think it's important. I 645 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:52,200 Speaker 2: have seven million followers or something, and I love educating people. 646 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:55,160 Speaker 2: But there's no way I'm going to spend all the 647 00:44:55,200 --> 00:44:58,680 Speaker 2: time curating in the comments. Because some people love me 648 00:44:58,719 --> 00:45:01,359 Speaker 2: and I'm grateful for that. Some people hate me and 649 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:02,640 Speaker 2: I try to ignore that. 650 00:45:04,160 --> 00:45:07,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a it's a slippery slope, blessing and a 651 00:45:07,719 --> 00:45:10,319 Speaker 1: curse because like you said, you know, we can do 652 00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:13,440 Speaker 1: like what we're trying to do and spread beautiful and 653 00:45:13,480 --> 00:45:18,799 Speaker 1: important messages, positive, uplifting, positive things, but on the other hand, 654 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:25,200 Speaker 1: it can really amplify those negative thoughts. 655 00:45:28,840 --> 00:45:31,359 Speaker 2: So can I tell you about something new I'm working on. 656 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:32,040 Speaker 3: Yes. 657 00:45:33,160 --> 00:45:35,480 Speaker 2: So I'm working on a new book called Change your Brain, 658 00:45:35,800 --> 00:45:42,000 Speaker 2: Change Your Pain, and it's about the intersection of physical 659 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:47,279 Speaker 2: and emotional pain. I turned seventy last month. Yeah, I 660 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:51,680 Speaker 2: just started noticing it's my me, it's my hip, it's 661 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:55,600 Speaker 2: my it's my shoulder, it's my knack. I'm like, what 662 00:45:55,800 --> 00:46:00,560 Speaker 2: is going on? And then I remember, you know, in 663 00:46:00,600 --> 00:46:08,360 Speaker 2: my work, some antidepressants like Symbolta or antidepressant supplements like 664 00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:13,600 Speaker 2: samy also work for pain. And so one of the 665 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:15,960 Speaker 2: reasons I write is when I really want to get 666 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:21,920 Speaker 2: excited about learning something new and it's been so much fun. 667 00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:27,480 Speaker 2: But the one big aha I got is all pain, 668 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:33,320 Speaker 2: physical and emotional, is processed in the brain in these 669 00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:39,800 Speaker 2: three different pathways. And one of the things that puts 670 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:46,239 Speaker 2: people a great risk for physical pain is repressed emotions. 671 00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:49,560 Speaker 2: And so I'm really good at noticing what I like 672 00:46:49,719 --> 00:46:53,959 Speaker 2: more than what I don't like. And I actually make 673 00:46:54,120 --> 00:46:58,560 Speaker 2: my grandchildren sit with me and watch Pollyanna the movie, 674 00:46:58,600 --> 00:47:01,959 Speaker 2: the Disney movie Pollyanna, because she plays the glad game 675 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:04,759 Speaker 2: no matter what situation you're in, what is there to 676 00:47:04,800 --> 00:47:09,520 Speaker 2: be glad about in this situation? But what I've come 677 00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:16,359 Speaker 2: to realize is that repressed emotions, if you don't express them, 678 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 2: they punish you, they torture you. And I've been having 679 00:47:22,760 --> 00:47:27,120 Speaker 2: my patients do some rage journaling, and it's sort of 680 00:47:27,200 --> 00:47:32,120 Speaker 2: like Pollyanna meets the Hulk, and we have to honor 681 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:36,799 Speaker 2: all of our feelings rather than I don't know in 682 00:47:36,840 --> 00:47:39,080 Speaker 2: your house, but in my house, my mother would say, 683 00:47:39,120 --> 00:47:41,080 Speaker 2: if you don't have something good to say, don't say 684 00:47:41,120 --> 00:47:46,560 Speaker 2: anything at all, and you just learn to bottle and 685 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:54,120 Speaker 2: repress what makes you angry or frustrated without talking about 686 00:47:54,120 --> 00:47:59,880 Speaker 2: it or without finding ways to express it. And I 687 00:48:00,160 --> 00:48:04,360 Speaker 2: just think that's so important. I have a rule of twelve, 688 00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:08,400 Speaker 2: which I love. It's like I took ten ou to Paris, 689 00:48:08,480 --> 00:48:11,120 Speaker 2: and I'm like, twelve things are going to go wrong. 690 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:13,279 Speaker 2: Let's just agree we're not going to get angry till 691 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:15,719 Speaker 2: the thirteen thing goes wrong, and then we can yell 692 00:48:15,840 --> 00:48:21,080 Speaker 2: screen have a complete meltdown and three things went wrong. 693 00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:25,800 Speaker 2: And I love that because it goes with emotional flexibility. 694 00:48:25,920 --> 00:48:29,839 Speaker 2: The more flexible you are, the healthier you are. But 695 00:48:30,360 --> 00:48:35,640 Speaker 2: rolling with it doesn't mean rolling over that. When you 696 00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:41,360 Speaker 2: have strong feelings, it's important to find a proper, healthy 697 00:48:41,440 --> 00:48:44,040 Speaker 2: way to get them out of your body. 698 00:48:45,600 --> 00:48:47,560 Speaker 1: And you think journaling is a good way to do that. 699 00:48:48,080 --> 00:48:48,920 Speaker 2: Rage journaling. 700 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:52,880 Speaker 1: I've done some rage journaling in my days. 701 00:48:54,719 --> 00:48:57,640 Speaker 2: That's good because then you're just less likely to hurt 702 00:48:57,680 --> 00:49:02,400 Speaker 2: if you can admit your feeling lines and find a 703 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:06,200 Speaker 2: way to get out. But then, so this is where 704 00:49:06,239 --> 00:49:11,040 Speaker 2: Pollyanna the Hulk sort of become best friends. It's we're 705 00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,479 Speaker 2: going to express it and then we're going to find 706 00:49:13,480 --> 00:49:17,520 Speaker 2: out what's good about it. Well we can learn from. 707 00:49:17,680 --> 00:49:21,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's really good. Okay, there's you know me, 708 00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:23,759 Speaker 1: There's so many things I want to talk to you about. 709 00:49:23,800 --> 00:49:26,680 Speaker 1: I could talk to you forever, but I'm going to 710 00:49:26,719 --> 00:49:29,120 Speaker 1: save that question that I wanted to ask you. I'm 711 00:49:29,160 --> 00:49:30,719 Speaker 1: going to come back to that one when you come 712 00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:34,000 Speaker 1: back another time on the show. Okay, we talked about 713 00:49:34,040 --> 00:49:37,040 Speaker 1: the foods we could eat. We talked about all the things. Oh, 714 00:49:37,200 --> 00:49:40,600 Speaker 1: brain fog, brain fog. We've talked about this. I talked 715 00:49:40,640 --> 00:49:43,320 Speaker 1: to doctor Mary Claire Haver. We were talking about menopause 716 00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:47,759 Speaker 1: and the brain fog that comes associated with it. Is 717 00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:51,800 Speaker 1: our way to help us get rid of the brain fog? 718 00:49:52,280 --> 00:49:57,680 Speaker 1: Are there supplements we should take, activities we should do well? 719 00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:00,879 Speaker 2: So you want to ask yourself, right, So I love 720 00:50:00,960 --> 00:50:05,240 Speaker 2: my brain? What am I doing that might be hurting 721 00:50:05,280 --> 00:50:09,440 Speaker 2: it to increase inflammation? And what can I do to 722 00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:13,960 Speaker 2: calm that down? And if you're a menopause, are you 723 00:50:14,200 --> 00:50:22,040 Speaker 2: taking bioidentical hormones to really give your brain the nutrients 724 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:27,319 Speaker 2: it needs? Too? Many women are afraid of them, and 725 00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:31,479 Speaker 2: so they just sort of grit their teeth and try 726 00:50:31,520 --> 00:50:34,960 Speaker 2: to get through it. Do you know why your hormones 727 00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:37,520 Speaker 2: drop with age? 728 00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:38,200 Speaker 1: Tell me. 729 00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:42,400 Speaker 2: It's the planet's way of getting rid of you. 730 00:50:43,080 --> 00:50:45,080 Speaker 1: Oh okay, well that's great. 731 00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:49,160 Speaker 2: And I'm not okay with that now. So I'm like, 732 00:50:49,520 --> 00:50:54,239 Speaker 2: I'm not okay with that. I'm the CEO of Brain MD, 733 00:50:54,840 --> 00:50:59,120 Speaker 2: and we have a product called brain Tmax which helps 734 00:50:59,280 --> 00:51:05,760 Speaker 2: boost stosterone levels, absolutely essential for women, and in our study, 735 00:51:05,800 --> 00:51:09,759 Speaker 2: the women actually did better than the men. I mean, 736 00:51:09,800 --> 00:51:12,120 Speaker 2: I take it every day because I know how important 737 00:51:12,160 --> 00:51:16,400 Speaker 2: testosterone is, not just for libido, but also for memory, 738 00:51:16,640 --> 00:51:23,040 Speaker 2: for focus, for vitality, for strength. And Ashwood Bonda, which 739 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:27,799 Speaker 2: is herbal product that I just love, decreases anxiety but 740 00:51:27,920 --> 00:51:34,200 Speaker 2: also increases testosterone. And my wife says when she takes 741 00:51:34,239 --> 00:51:37,279 Speaker 2: progesterone at night, this is the reason she's not on 742 00:51:37,320 --> 00:51:39,879 Speaker 2: the six o'clock news. 743 00:51:40,239 --> 00:51:45,879 Speaker 1: So I take biodentical hormone therapy and my testosterone levels 744 00:51:45,920 --> 00:51:49,600 Speaker 1: are fine. But do you think taking a supplement like 745 00:51:49,640 --> 00:51:51,480 Speaker 1: you mentioned is important? 746 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:56,840 Speaker 2: Well, I think levels are fine, and there's a difference 747 00:51:56,920 --> 00:52:04,960 Speaker 2: between normal and optimal, and so if they're in the 748 00:52:05,080 --> 00:52:09,000 Speaker 2: upper half of normal, and I think that's fine. If 749 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:11,600 Speaker 2: they're in the lower half of normal, then maybe taking 750 00:52:11,680 --> 00:52:14,640 Speaker 2: a supplement like brain temax could be helpful. 751 00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:17,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, you got to get your blood checked though, right. 752 00:52:18,239 --> 00:52:19,920 Speaker 2: Can't change what you don't measure. 753 00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:24,359 Speaker 1: That's right, that's right, doctor Aymon. Before I let you go, 754 00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:28,200 Speaker 1: what was your last I choose me moment? The moment 755 00:52:28,239 --> 00:52:29,960 Speaker 1: where you choose yourself. 756 00:52:30,800 --> 00:52:33,480 Speaker 2: I was in Paris as with my wife and daughter 757 00:52:34,480 --> 00:52:38,840 Speaker 2: and I love them so much. I was so excited 758 00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:41,960 Speaker 2: to help Alicia that I'm like, I'm going to go 759 00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:45,640 Speaker 2: separate and I'm going to focus and you guys, I 760 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:49,200 Speaker 2: will see you later. And they were totally fine with it. 761 00:52:49,640 --> 00:52:53,120 Speaker 2: But you know, the usual me is like are you okay? 762 00:52:53,200 --> 00:52:57,480 Speaker 2: Can I take care of you? And it was like, 763 00:52:57,719 --> 00:53:00,920 Speaker 2: now I choose me because I want to to just 764 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:02,319 Speaker 2: do the work I love so much. 765 00:53:03,200 --> 00:53:08,120 Speaker 1: Wonderful, thank you being on my podcast. I love you 766 00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:08,760 Speaker 1: so much. 767 00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:12,319 Speaker 2: I love you back. Thank you so much for helping 768 00:53:12,400 --> 00:53:13,040 Speaker 2: me share. 769 00:53:12,880 --> 00:53:21,120 Speaker 1: My work always. Doctor Amen is such a wealth of knowledge. 770 00:53:21,239 --> 00:53:23,520 Speaker 1: We're going to have to have him back on because 771 00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:26,279 Speaker 1: there's just so much that I want to cover when 772 00:53:26,280 --> 00:53:28,840 Speaker 1: it comes to our brains. But that conversation was so 773 00:53:29,080 --> 00:53:32,280 Speaker 1: jam packed full of great information. I hope you guys 774 00:53:33,160 --> 00:53:36,640 Speaker 1: listen to I hope you took notes because the things 775 00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:40,279 Speaker 1: that he has taught me have changed my life. As 776 00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:43,440 Speaker 1: we continue to choose ourselves each week, I want you 777 00:53:43,520 --> 00:53:47,480 Speaker 1: to try something different and this is really actually going 778 00:53:47,520 --> 00:53:50,560 Speaker 1: to help your brain. I want to challenge you to 779 00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:54,400 Speaker 1: give a random act of kindness. You could offer to 780 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:57,200 Speaker 1: pay for the coffee of the person standing behind you 781 00:53:57,280 --> 00:54:01,200 Speaker 1: in line, or you could send a handwritten to someone 782 00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:05,120 Speaker 1: just to brighten their day, or even more simple, give 783 00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:10,160 Speaker 1: a stranger a compliment on how great their outfit looks. 784 00:54:11,280 --> 00:54:15,080 Speaker 1: We get so caught up every day with jobs and 785 00:54:15,160 --> 00:54:18,640 Speaker 1: bills and responsibilities that it's really easy to forget to 786 00:54:18,719 --> 00:54:22,360 Speaker 1: spread kindness. I know what you're thinking, how is a 787 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:26,000 Speaker 1: random act of kindness? And I choose me moment. Trust me, 788 00:54:26,920 --> 00:54:30,239 Speaker 1: you are going to feel good after you do it, 789 00:54:30,280 --> 00:54:33,160 Speaker 1: and that is going to make you want to keep 790 00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:37,799 Speaker 1: feeling this happiness of spreading joy. Thanks for listening to 791 00:54:37,840 --> 00:54:40,440 Speaker 1: I Choose Me. You can check out all our social 792 00:54:40,480 --> 00:54:44,360 Speaker 1: links in our show notes, rate review, tell me everything, 793 00:54:45,120 --> 00:54:47,799 Speaker 1: and use the hashtag I choose Me. I will be 794 00:54:48,000 --> 00:54:50,760 Speaker 1: right here next week, and I hope you will choose 795 00:54:50,800 --> 00:54:53,520 Speaker 1: to be here too,