The purpose of the Better Brain
Blueprint is to educate and enlighten our community of better solutions towards
health and wellness. We want to inform on ways to create a healthier future and
better brain function without the regular use of prescription drugs for
treatment of treatable
Dis-Ease.
Every year more and more brain
altering drugs are prescribed for the treatment of mental illness. The question
I ask myself is "what are the chemical, physical, mental, emotional,
social and environmental triggers that are causing the escalation of mental
disorders?"
This is a very complex question
to an even more complex set of problems with no single answer. The one thing I
do know is throwing more drugs at the problem is NOT working.
We are at a critical period in
history and must address these issues of humanity that will define the health
and well being of our children and their children.
Now that ADD/ADHD is the most
common psychiatric disorder in children and adults, affecting between 5-10% of
the population, non-drug therapies are in increasingly high demand. A promising
study published last year showed that mindfulness training was as effective as
stimulant drugs for enhancing cognitive control and reducing the predominant
symptoms of ADD/ADHD in a group of adults.
WHAT IS MINDFULNESS TRAINING?
Simply stated, mindfulness
training is learning how to monitor one’s thoughts and feelings without
judgment, and practice returning to the moment and renewing concentration when
the mind wanders.
According to a recent article in
the New York Times:
A large study published last year
showed that while most young people benefit from ADD/ADHD medication the first
year of use, beneficial effects subside by the third year, if not sooner.
“There are no long-term, lasting
benefits from taking A.D.H.D. medications,” said James M. Swanson, a
psychologist at the University of California, Irvine, and an author of the
[recent] study. “But mindfulness seems to be training the same areas of the
brain that have reduced activity in A.D.H.D.”
“That’s why mindfulness might be
so important,” he added. “It seems to get at the causes.”
Is it possible to see healthy
changes with Mindfulness Training as
compared to medication in treating mental disorders?
In a clinical setting the use of neuro-feedback
to build mindfulness is gaining popularity and acceptance as a more validated form
of current research. My approach is always to come from a non drug therapy
first and to use all the resources available to create better brain function. I
highly recommend looking at "The Brain Fit Life" as a resource to use
within your own home. The Brain Fit program allows you to enjoy 24/7 access to
scientifically backed online brain games created by world renowned psychiatrist
Dr. Daniel Amen. His non-drug approach to treatment of mental illness is ground
breaking and highly effective. Dr. Amen’s guided imagery recordings help to
build mindfulness and improve emotional control, stress resilience, memory, and
more.
Better Brain Tip:
If you or someone you know has attention deficit
focusing problems, take the ADHD test online at the Amen Clinics and consider
enrolling in the brain fit for life program.
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