Dr. Daniel Amen, the psychiatrist you may have seen last season on The Kardashians, is revolutionizing how we think about mental wellness. As the founder of Amen Clinics, with 11 locations nationwide, Dr. Amen’s approach to brain health is anything but ordinary. Whether you’re battling anxiety, depression, OCD, or just looking to boost your brainpower, his clinics offer cutting-edge solutions. The recent buzz around brain health, fueled by bestsellers like “The Anxious Generation,” has everyone talking, and Dr. Amen is at the forefront. Did you know your brain health affects everything – from your stress levels to, you guessed it, your skin? His books, “Change Your Brain Every Day” and “Raising Mentally Strong Kids,” are essential reads for anyone looking to enhance their cognitive well-being and raise resilient children.
“Dr. Amen’s approach isn’t just about treating symptoms; it’s about uncovering the blueprint of your brain and guiding you toward better brain health and mental wellness,” KORA’s founder, Miranda Kerr tells us. “Through his methods, I’ve gained clarity and a renewed sense of control over my mental wellbeing. His expertise has not only transformed how I approach my mental health but has empowered me to make informed decisions that positively impact every aspect of my life.”
If you’ve tried everything and still feel stuck, or if you’re simply curious about optimizing your mental health, a visit to one of the Amen Clinics might be the game-changer you need. Here, we speak to Dr. Amen about all things brain wellness.
Can you explain to those who may not know, a little bit about what you do at the Amen Clinic?
I’m a psychiatrist who looks at the brain and aims to make it as healthy as possible. We started 35 years ago, and we have 60 psychiatrists and functional medicine doctors. People come to us if they struggle with anxiety, depression, OCD, memory concerns, or just want a better brain. Ultimately, your brain takes care of your family, helps you make money, and gives you meaning and purpose. Last year, 337 million prescriptions were written for antidepressant medication without anyone ever looking at the brain. Our big goal at Amen Clinics is to end the concept of mental illness by creating a revolution in brain health.
How does brain health affect overall wellness?
Your overall wellness is really a sum of all the decisions you make, which is a brain function. If your brain is healthy, you tend to be happier, healthier, and wealthier because you make better decisions. When your brain is not healthy due to reasons like traumatic brain injury, living in a mold-filled home, or having been bitten by a deer tick, you tend to be sad, sick, or less successful. Our goal is to help people have better brains and better lives, starting by actually looking at the brain. We’ve done Brain SPECT Imaging for the last 35 years and have the world’s largest database of brain scans related to behavior. These studies changed everything in my own life.
So, if someone wants a healthier brain, where do you start?
It starts with decisions. I have about 60 tiny habits. The smallest thing you can do today that makes the biggest difference is to ask yourself, “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” When my daughter Chloe was two, we played a game called Chloe’s game: “Is this good for your brain or bad for it?” It’s really about mindset. Nobody cares about their brain because you can’t see it, but it’s crucial for your overall health.
Is there any connection between brain health and skin health?
The health of your skin is an outside reflection of the health of your brain. For example, smokers prematurely age their brains and their skin. So it’s not surprising that after being on a brain health program, many patients report that their family members ask if they’ve had work done because they look so much better.
How important is sleep for brain health, and how can we optimize it?
If you want to keep your brain healthy or rescue it if it’s in trouble, you must prevent or treat the 11 major risk factors that steal your mind. The acronym I use is B-R-I-G-H-T-M-I-N-D-S. The S stands for sleep because it’s when your brain cleans and washes itself. If you’re not sleeping 7-8 hours a night, the cleaning crew doesn’t have enough time to clean up the trash that built up during the day. You need to care about sleep, avoid things that hurt it, and do things that help it, like maintaining a routine, using lavender, and practicing gratitude.
Speaking of gratitude, how important are mindfulness and meditation for brain health?
There’s quite a bit of science behind it. I published studies on a Kundalini yoga form of meditation called Kriya, which activates your thoughtful brain and quiets negative noise. Practicing gratitude and mindfulness can increase happiness. Where you bring your attention determines how you feel, and disciplined minds lead to better mental health.
Any quick tips for setting up your home or lifestyle to support brain health?
A simple habit is to ask, “Is this good for my brain or bad for it?” Blue light turns off melatonin, so use blue light blockers or keep devices away from you at night. Our gadgets have changed our brains to need them to feel normal. During the day, my favorite exercise is the one-page miracle: write down what you want in your relationships, work, money, and health, and ask if your actions fit those goals.