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
