Brain Health Matters...

I’m excited to share I will be training under Dr. Daniel Amen to become a Brain Health Professional at Amen University. Did you know brain health is related to anxiety, depression, and panic attacks?

An estimated 19% of adults in the US who have a diagnosed anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are very painful, but too often people reach for marijuana, alcohol, or prescribed benzodiazepines, which can be of short-term benefit but cause long-term problems with addiction and memory issues. If the above interventions are ineffective or only partly effective with my patients, I’ll try other nutraceuticals or medications targeted to a specific type of anxiety (take the test at brainhealthassessment.com).

NATURAL SOLUTIONS FOR ANXIETY

Here are 11 strategies to consider before going on anti-anxiety medications.

1. Check for hypoglycemia, anemia, and hyperthyroidism.
2. Try an elimination diet for 3 weeks.
3. Practice meditation and hypnosis daily (research shows they can both calm stress and anxiety).
4. Try heart rate variability (HRV) training (anxiety is linked to low levels of HRV but you can hack your way to a healthier HRV with biofeedback apps such as Welltory).
5. Practice diaphragmatic breathing—deep breathing from your belly—when you feel anxious.
6. Eliminate the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts).
7. Incorporate a calming exercise, such as yoga  into your schedule weekly.
8. It’s suggested to take 200–400 mg of L-Theanine per day.
9. 500–1,500 mg of GABA per day.
10. And also suggested is 100–500 mg of magnesium glycinate, citrate, or malate with 30 mg of vitamin B6 per day. (I personally take Magnesium Calm daily)
11. Schedule neurofeedback to help retrain your brain.

Dr. Amen suggests putting together a playlist of 7 of your favorite songs that calm your brain and mind and listen to it whenever you are anxious. 

Whether you have occasional moments of anxiousness or a clinically diagnosed anxiety disorder, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to treating anxiety. If you have any questions or you are ready to get started, contact me 251-949-2220 visit my website www.lifewellnessforever.com or shoot me an email cindy@drcindyross.com

Brain Power Benefits from Yoga & Meditation

As promised by the Fat To Fit Radio Show...

Brain Power Benefits from Yoga & Meditation

          Yoga and meditation are both known for mindful teaching techniques of calming and relaxation. New research has found that not only can these calm you they can also greater influence your computer skills. A new study by the University of Minnesota researched the patterns of two groups. The study groups consisted of 12 people who practiced regularly yoga and meditation and 24 people who had little or no yoga and meditation experience. The study focused on the participants brain activity during their movement with the computer cursor across the computer screen. The results showed those who did yoga and meditation regularly learned three times faster than those who had little or no experience with either. Results also showed they were twice as likely to finish the task after 30 trials compared to the group with little or no experience. Studying the brain side can work as a valuable tool for reducing obstacles for brain-computer interface success in early stages. Researchers are confident the findings by the new study will help doctors assist physically disabled and paralyzed individuals who rely on their mental muscle to operate devices. The goal is to help those who are paralyzed or have brain diseases regain their independence with mobility.

"Yoga, meditation give brain power a boost: study." Fox News, 25 September 2014. Web.