"Internationally renowned family doctor William Sears and noted neurologist Vincent M. Fortanasce present an accessible, all-ages guide to optimum brain health, from treating depression, anxiety, and ADHD to preventing Alzheimer's and dementia, with or without medication.
The brain is a complex organ, responsible for our thoughts, our feelings, our hopes and dreams. It's also vulnerable to a host of ailments that negatively impact quality of life, from disorders such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD that can strike at any time to illnesses of ageing like Alzheimer's and dementia. The good news is, this diverse set of mental and emotional challenges all stem from the same cause: imbalance in the brain. And getting your brain back in balance-without medication, or in partnership with it-is easier than you think. Whether you're experiencing ""normal"" mental and emotional burnout or wrestling with diagnosed illness, The Healthy Brain Book can help you thrive. It explains: How what we think can change how well we think The role of inflammation in the brain, and how food and activity can reverse it What drugs enhance and suppress the brain's ability to heal itself Actionable advice to improve your memory, promote learning, and prevent common brain ailments How to personalise the book's tools for your unique brain For more than 20 years, The Baby Book author William Sears' advice has been trusted by millions across the country, and around the world. Now, he and The Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription author Vincent M. Fortanasce have put together the essential guide to a clearer, calmer, and happier brain. Laced with relatable personal stories from family members and patients as well as detailed illustrations, The Healthy Brain Book weds Fortanasce's deep neurological and psychiatric expertise with Sears' sympathetic bedside manner and reader-friendly writing. Let The Healthy Brain Book help you, safely and effectively, ""think-change"" your brain for a happier and healthier life."
By:
William Sears,
Vincent M. Fortanasce
Imprint: BenBella Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 236mm,
Width: 159mm,
Spine: 33mm
Weight: 590g
ISBN: 9781948836517
ISBN 10: 1948836513
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 21 April 2020
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents AN OPENING NOTE FROM DRS. BILL AND VINCE AND COACH HAYDEN Brain-Health Problems—Now the Top Medical Concern KISMIF: Keep It Simple, Make It Fun Play Show and Tell PART I: AN ALL-AGES, ALL-AILMENTS PLAN FOR BRAIN HEALTH CHAPTER 1: GROWING YOUR BRAIN GARDEN Our Healthy Brain Plan at a Glance * Take a Smart and Fun Trip through Your Brain * Birth of the “Fathead” * Neurotransmitters: The Neurochemical Basis of “You” * Your Brain-Garden Parts * Where in Your Body is Your “Mind”? * Six Smart Facts You Must Know About Your Brain to Keep It Healthy * The Brain Is Your Fastest Growing Organ * Eye Feel Safe * Smartness Means Having the Right Connections * The Aging Brain: Older but Wiser * Age Well: Have a Happy Hippo * A Smart Health Plan For All Organs * The Broken Brain * You Hold the Keys to Brain Health in the Palm of Your Hand CHAPTER 2: EAT SUPERSMART FOODS: MEDICINES FOR YOUR MIND How Food Affects Your Brain: An Overview * The SAD Diet Makes You Sad * Eat a Smarter Diet * Eat the Smart Seven * A Smart Seafood Match * Dr. Bill’s Heart-Smart Fishing Trip * Eating Seafood to Prevent Degenerative Diseases * Smart Fats Go to School * Seafood Is Seefood * Our Tasty Fish Tip * Measure Your Omegas * Science Says: Cholesterol Is a Smart Nutrient * Science Says: EVOO Is Smart * Eat Smart Seeds * Your Personal Farmacy * What the Happiest People on Earth Eat * More Smart Nutrients Your Brain Needs * Selecting Smart Supplements * Check with Your Doctor First * How to Eat Smart * “Instant” Isn’t Smart * Science Says: Grazing Is Good for the Brain * Take Time to See and Smell the Meal * A Big Fat * Shake Mistake * The Neurotoxin Naughty List * Enjoy Home-Meal Advantage * “Comfort Foods”—Not So Comfortable! CHAPTER 3: BE GOOD TO YOUR GUT—YOUR SECOND BRAIN Your Two Brains Are Connected * Gut Brains, Like Head Brains, Leak * Autism: Another Gut–Brain Connection? * Meet Your Microbiome * Welcome to the World of “Biotics” * Your Mind–Microbe Connection * Is Your Gut Brain Also Depressed? * The Seven Smart Gut Changes for Your Brain Health * Best Foods For a Better Bowel Brain * Blend, Don’t Juice What Your Poo Tells About You CHAPTER 4: MOVE SMART! Why Movement Is Smart Medicine * Move More, Make More Blood Vessels * Move More, Make More Brain-Garden Fertilizer * Move More, Make More Personal Brain Medicines * Opening Your Brain’s Personal Pharmacy—A Visual Guide * View It, Move It! * Move More, Make More Natural Mood Mellowers * Move More, Age Less * Move More, Sleep Better, Stay Smarter * Make Beautiful Moving-Brain Music * Best Movements for Your Brain Health * Move More, Fall Less * Trees Trump Treadmills * HIIT Your Brain Health * The Smartest Exercise? * Moving in Nature: Exercise Squared * Brain-Healing Benefits of Nature Therapy * A Peek Inside Your Brain in Nature * Go Outside and Play: “Re-create” * Tired While Multitasking? * Take a Think-Walk * Motivation to Move CHAPTER 5: THINK SMART: EIGHT STRESSBUSTERS TO THINK-CHANGE YOUR BRAIN Your Brain Needs Balance: The Neurochemistry of Calmness * Sleep Stress Away * Smart Stress, Dumb Stress * Don’t Worry, Be Happy: How Stress Bothers the Brain * Martha Sears’s Stressful Story * How Chronic Stress Causes Chronic Diseases * The Older You Are, the Less Stress You Can Handle * You Can Change Your Brain * Your Belief Effect * How To Think-Change Your Brain from a Negative to a Positive Person * Looking for the Positive * A Smart Trip Through the Thought-Control Centers in Your Brain * What Neuroautobiography Do You Want in Your Brain? * Enjoy Nine Stressbusters to Balance Your Brain * Pills Sometimes Help Your Skills * Dr. Bill’s Happy Story * Breathe Better to Eat Better * Five Things I Like About Me * Cry Out Your Stress * “Inflamed with Anger” * Young Adults Need Meditation, Too * Meditation: Medicine for the Aging Brain * Your Brain on Music * Dr. Bill’s Top Morning Stressbusters * You Can Regrow Childhood Spiritual Roots: Dr. Bill’s Spiritual Journey * Dr. Vince’s God-Healing Story * The Four Top Mental and Physical Effects of Growing Your God Center CHAPTER 6: SLEEP SMART: HOW TO GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP Opening Your Sleep-Well Pharmacy * Sleep Away Depression and Anxiety * Sleep Away Toxic Thoughts * Sleep Well, Detox, and Prevent Alzheimer’s * More Health Benefits of Sleep * Sleep Cancer Away * Enjoy “Beauty” Sleep * Enjoy Smart Sleep Stages * Your Sleep-Stage Pharmacy * Welcome to Sleep Symphony Hall * Sleep Disrupters * How Sleep Changes As You Age * Our Sleepy Seven Rules for Formulating Your Personal Sleep Recipe * Clearing Caffeine Confusion * Breathe Better, Sleep Better * Picture Your Happy Path to Sleep: Inside Dr. Bill’s Sleep Sanctuary * Modern Sleep Aids * Mind Your Melatonin * Wake Up Refreshed * Journal Your Personal Sleep Recipe * Book It! * Ease Yourself to Sleep * Designing Your Sleep Sanctuary * Our Sleepy Seven Keys to a Nice Nap * Additional Sleep Resources * A Tale of Two Sleepers: Sleepless Sam and Sleepy Suzy PART II: HOW TO USE THE SMART TOOLS TO HEAL CHAPTER 7: HOW TO HEAL FROM ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION Depression, Anxiety, and Your Cerebral Symphony * “Bipolar” and the Balanced Brain * Becoming Resilient * The Anxious Body * High-Performance Anxiety * “Oh, Just Give Me a Pill!” * The Grateful Brain * Your Step-by-Step Plan to Alleviate Anxiety and Depression * An Important Note from Dr. Vince * Let the Sunshine In * The Depression–Infection Connection * Nature’s Antidepressants * How to Get the Best from a Therapist * Get a Skills Coach * More Money for the Mind * The Brain and Thyroid—Partners in Health * Behavioral Risk Factors for Depression and Anxiety * Adding Pills to Skills * Skills and Pills—Sometimes Perfect Partners for Brain Health * Pill Power and Willpower * Kristen’s Story of Healing from Depression and Anxiety CHAPTER 8: PREVENTING AND REVERSING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND OTHER NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES Clarifying AD Terms * Alzheimer’s Disease: No Longer a Medical Mystery * Seeing Is Believing * The Alzheimer’s Gene * The Earlier You Start Prevention, the Slower Your Progression * Are Women More Likely to Get Alzheimer’s? * AD Can Be a Sneaky, Creepy Disease * Diagnosis Denial * Dr. Bill and Dr. Vince’s “Selective Forgetfulness” * A Note for Caregivers * Ten Tools to Prevent and Reverse Alzheimer’s * Smart Eating Advice to Keep from “Losing Your Mind” to Alzheimer’s * Dr. Bill’s Brain-Saving Daily Diet * Science Says These Foods Have Been Shown to Reduce AD * Say Alumin-No to AD * More Motivation, Less Procrastination * Fine Motor Movements Are Fine for Your Brain * Balance Your Blood Pressure * Toothbrush Alzheimer’s Away * Proven Resources to Prevent and Reverse AD * Don’t Be a Scary Statistic CHAPTER 9: ADHD: CELEBRATING THE “DIFFERENCE,” HEALING THE “DISORDER” Scary Statistics * ADD/ADHD Is a “Difference,” Not a “Disorder” * Inside the “ADHD” Brain * Channeling the Ability to Hyperfocus * Why Some Teens “Grow Out” of Their ADHD * Framing Difference Positively * Tips for Teacher Talk * A Step-by-Step Plan to Alleviate ADHD—At All Ages * Other Hidden Causes of “ADHD” * More Changes Yield Faster Results * Dr. Bill’s First Teacher–Therapist * Dr. Bill Prescribes a “Forest School” for Tommy * Become a “Student” in Your Child’s Classroom * A Smart Visit to an ADHD Specialist * Focus Tests for Kids: Yes? No? Sometimes? * Is the Behavior Problem Trans-situational? * Smart Use of Pills and Therapy for ADHD * Is It the Pills or Your Wish That Works? * Neurofeedback in a Nutshell * Reframing Therapy for Kids * ADHD Updates CHAPTER 10: DRINK SMART: PREVENTING ALCOHOL DISEASE How Smart Do You Drink? * Your Brain on Alcohol * Is Alcohol a “Health Drink”? * Doubly Depressing * High-Functioning Heavy Drinkers * Other Ways a Binge Bothers Your Brain * But I Don’t Remember . . . * Unsound Mind, Unsound Body * Dr. Bill’s Early Lesson on Dumb Drinking * Sleepless on Alcohol * The Morning After * Is Overdrinking Worth It? * Seven Rules of Smart Drinking * Different Shots for Different Folks * How Much Alcohol Is Safe to Drink? * Keep Alcohol Out of Sight * Parental Guidance Recommended * Alcohol Is Not Female-Friendly * Who Should Not Drink? * When Drinking Regresses from Smart Use to Abuse—How to Tell? * A Concluding Thought about Drinking Smart PART III: MORE QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT BRAIN HEALTH Pediatric Air Pollution and Inhalational Alzheimer’s * Why Children Are So Vulnerable to Dirty Air * A Green Environment * Endocrine Disruptors * Heavy Metal Testing * Blood Tests for Brain Health * Ketogenic Diets * Vegan Brain * Is Dairy Smart? * Grow Your Garden, Grow Your Brain * Designing A Greener Office * Dr. Bill’s Office Design Story * iBrain * Cellphone Use Safety Tips * The Healing Power of Touch and Hugs * Coach Hayden Talks About Hugs * Traumatic Brain Injuries APPENDIX: YOUR DAILY-DO LIST TO ENJOY A CALMER, HAPPIER, SMARTER YOU GRATITUDES REFRENCES AND ENDNOTES ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William Sears, M.D., has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years, and now turns his attention to the specialty of lifestyle medicine. He has served as a voluntary professor at the University of Toronto, University of South Carolina, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and University of California: Irvine. As a father of 8 children, he coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 books and countless articles on parenting, nutrition, and healthy aging. He serves as a consultant for TV, magazines, radio and other media, and his website AskDrSears.com is one of the most popular health and parenting sites. Dr. Sears and his contribution to family health were featured on the cover of TIME Magazine in May 2012. He is noted for his science-made-simple-and-fun approach to family health. Vincent M. Fortanasce, MD, is ranked as one of the best medical specialists in North America and has treated such high-profile individuals as Pope John Paul II and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda. Over nearly four decades, Dr. Fortanasce has helped thousands of people as a world-renowned neurologist and rehabilitation specialist. He has appeared as a medical expert on 60 Minutes, Today, Dr. Phil, Dateline, CNN's Paula Zahn Now, Hard Ball with Chris Mathews, XM satellite radio, and many more national and local television and radio shows. Fortanasce is a regular spokesperson for the California Medical Association at the senate and legislature assemblies and has been quoted in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, U.S. News & World Report, Time magazine, and many other prestigious publications. He also hosts his own syndicated radio program, St. Joseph's Radio Presents.
Reviews for The Healthy Brain Book: An All-Ages Guide to a Calmer, Happier, Sharper You: A proven plan for managing anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and preventing and reversing dementia and Alzhei
“An empowering guide for the care and feeding of your body’s most precious organ.” —David Perlmutter, MD, author of the New York Times bestsellers Grain Brain and Brain Wash “The Healthy Brain Book will be the gold standard for holistic doctors and the public for preventing and treating common brain ailments. I give it a 5-star rating for it’s cutting-edge content and easy-to- understand format.” —Mark Stengler, NMD, coauthor of Prescription for Natural Cures “An engaging, encouraging, and empowering book with a focus on brain health—running the gamut from pediatrics to geriatrics—that makes it unique.” —David L. Katz, MD, MPH, past president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine “The Healthy Brain Book is a gem, offering science, wisdom, and practical strategies that are essential to preserve and improve our brain power. Highly recommended!” —Eva Selhub, MD, author of Your Brain On Nature “The Healthy Brain Book is an outstanding addition to any library on human health. No one makes science more interesting, understandable, and relevant than Dr. William Sears. Packed with usable, easy-to-implement tips, it will answer every question you’ve ever had about how the brain works and why it matters for your overall health.” —Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, author of The Great Cholesterol Myth “The Healthy Brain book is a complete and cutting-edge guide on how to take optimal care of what’s between your ears. You can build your best brain at any age. In the most fun and interesting way possible, America’s favourite pediatrician, Dr. Bill Sears, and world-renowned Alzheimer’s expert, Dr Vincent Fortanasce, have teamed up to share their most recent, effective, and easy-to-understand tips on how to sleep, think, and remember better than you ever have before.” —Bryce Wylde, DHMHS, guest expert and medical advisor for The Dr. Oz Show
