Every day, people are working hard to get their bodies into shape.  Exercise, eating healthy, and stress reduction are all methods that we all know and use regularly.  But, how often do you exercise your brain?

Dr. Daniel Amen, a clinical neuroscientist, psychiatrist and brain-imaging expert, writes MAKING A GOOD BRAIN GREAT.  Dr. Amen discusses the reasons why it is so important to keep your brain healthy, as well as methods on how to improve your brain function.

The book begins with the nine most important reasons to protect your brain:

1.     Your brain is involved in every thing you do.

2.     When your brain works right, you work right.

3.     The human brain is the most complicated organ in the universe.

4.     Your brain is very soft, housed in a very hard skull.  Brain injuries can change a whole person’s life, and no one knows about it.

5.     Certain brain systems are involved in specific behaviors and cause identifiable problems when they misfire, but these systems can be targeted and treated.

6.     Most problems (such as ADD, anxiety and depression) are not single or simple disorders.  One size does not fit everyone; people need an individualized approach to optimizing their brain and their life.

7.     Imaging the brain is essential to knowing how to help it.

8.     You can change your brain and change your life.

9.     Very few people have perfect brains.  We all need a little help.

The author goes into mental exercises, dietary changes, use of music, and physical exercises that can all help enhance your brain function.  The book is packed with recipes, tips and self-assessment tests to see where you stand.

Obviously, as the founder of The Amen Clinic, the author is going to push his foundation’s practices.  I'm not convinced everything he says should be followed-brain scans are costly and probably not covered by insurance--unnecessary medical testing is also one reason insurance rates are skyrocketing.  However, he uses tips that I have seen used time and time again to reduce stress and decrease anxiety—tips that I feel really work well and don’t rely on medications.

His recipes are all quick and easy, and contain many foods that are known to contain high levels of antioxidants, important for brain function.  I think there is tremendous merit in some aspects of this book.  And when you think about the fact that your brain is the reason you are alive, isn’t it about time you gave your brain a little attention?