Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to … (2024)

I wish I could rate individual chapters of this book. Half the information in it is stuff we've been hearing for years: drink enough water. Get enough sleep. Don't drink to excess, or do drugs. Eat sensibly (although like everyone else, he gives contradictory info on what constitutes a "sensible" diet). Don't engage in behaviors that could result in trauma to the brain.

But then he throws in amazing tidbits, such as this one about cholesterol. Everyone knows too much cholesterol is bad. But did you know too little is associated with depression, suicide, and murder? Me neither!

The author's focus is that pretty much everything we do or don't do affects the brain, and that a healthy brain is the real key to good health.

I was seeking information on which supplements might be best for me, and found the quizzes available on the author's website to be very helpful in that regard.

I'm using the audio version, so it's difficult to skip chapters and/or skim. If I was reading the book, I would definitely be skipping around to what interested me the most.

I wish I trusted this author more than I do. The complexity of the human brain fascinates me and I would like to know much more about the subject matter. However, there is a commercial factor running through the book that bothers me. The author mentions his own clinics and his website repeatedly and a list of his personal brand of supplements ends the book. Personal anecdotes involving family members are scattered in with the patient cases. And a lot of information was vague or missing. I constantly found myself wondering, "But what about...?" The author points out how many small factors can add up to dramatic changes in brain scans, yet never makes clear if he's accounting for that when comparing two different scans when making sweeping statements about what they demonstrate. If so many simple things can so radically throw off brain function, how then can the author claim (as he does throughout the book) that his scans prove certain treatments were effective. He shows many before and after scans, but it's unclear how many of these were controlled for hydration, time of day, adequate sleep, healthy diet or any of the other factors that he himself emphasizes affect brain function.

I was really impressed with this book. I am a huge fan of Dr. Amen and feel that his contributions to mental health are invaluable. Even if you've ever read any of Dr. Amen's other books, you will definitely learn something from this one as well. I was concerned that the information he provided in CYBCYB would merge together with his previous works, but that was not the case. There was new information presented in a unique way that was directly geared to brain health and physical health. After reading this book, I am definitely more aware of how my choices directly affect my brain which, in turn, alters my physical health. I am also more motivated to take care of my brain. I mean, how can I drink aspartame now that I know that there's certain probability that it is negatively affecting my moods, joints, and brain? And I have always heavily used aspartame. I also put down that peanut butter containing saturated fat this morning. Have I been aware of this information before? Yes, I have. However, when directly linked to my brain, somehow, I find that I suddenly become more concerned. In fact, thank you Dr. Amen, I now have brain envy!

This book was a bit painful and repetitive for me. Maybe I was just having a few bad days? Lots of good information, but hard for me to get through.

Basically, save yourself the reading time and just know that we should exercise. It's good for EVERYTHING.

Some of the book is common sense, like get enough sleep. Fine. The added-value here is supposedly coming from the author's original discoveries. The book is a long advertisem*nt for the author's supplements and tests. It's all based on some blah-blah about brain scans that seems like a bunch of neurobollocks (See: Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience.) I kept waiting for some scientific refrences to back up what he's saying about health outcomes. He says he has too many references to put them in the book, so one should go to his website!

Okay, so I went to his website and found the page with scientific papers: https://www.changeyourbrain.org/scien.... It leads to this collection of articles: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term.... None of these articles show evidence of people losing weight, or living longer, or avoiding heart attacks, or whatever like that. (And now--2023--is a long time after the book was published.) It could be he has some great evidence somewhere to back up his claims, but it he's going to hide it, I'm not going to waste more time trying to find it. If you think it exists, let me know.

Dr. Daniel Amen’s latest ‘Change Your Brain, Change Your Body: Use Your Brain to Get and Keep the Body You Have Always Wanted’ is less of the traditional folksy-health wisdom, as much as it is a consumer facing scientific study of exactly how the brain works to insure (or debilitate) the quest for better health. Though example after example, using neurological testing and imaging, Amen explains his basic premise ‘when your brain works right, your body looks and feels better. When your brain is troubled, you have trouble with how you look and feel.’ In his 372 page manifesto, Amen revels his formula for health improvement and ‘brain-boosting’ via everything from hormonal therapy, exercise, diet (brain food) and more – complete with action steps and tracking journals – to create positive effects in addressing conditions like chronic stress, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, brain trauma, lack of sleep, personal energy and much more. While Amen appears to have the solution for every disease, he at least offers a comprehensive plan for combating most major preventable diseases with a wide variety of methods that may have the effect of eliminating or at least inhibiting the onset of such maladies. Beyond this book, Amen has a long series of books (‘Magnificent Mind at Any Age,’ ‘Change Your Brain, Change Your Life’) that cover similar and related subjects. He also runs four regional clinics as well as a website (amenclinics.com) that features more advice plus a series of 3-D brain spect images revealing the effects of his treatments.

In a nutshell, you are what you eat (literally) and what is good for your heart is good for your brain is good for your skin is good for your body.

Less a book about weight or weight loss. This is a book that explores the intimate relationship between our brain (executive function) and our overall health. Amen uses brain imaging to help identify areas of his patient's brain that are not functioning well. His main point is that in order to maximize our health which depends on a healthy brain, we need to be able to target areas of suboptimal brain function. And for those of us who do not have access to brain imaging, he has developed a questionnaire that can be used to pinpoint potential problem areas.

As someone interested in the brain and brain science I enjoyed the content. However, aside from the idea that whatever is good for the brain is good for the body, he never really makes the connection between how addressing brain health specifically will help you change your body.

As a general introduction into the brain and brain health, this book succeeds. As a guide to losing weight or even achieving health this book falls short.

I am very grateful for Dr. Amen's work. I like his approach in optimizing your health. He emphasizes that there is a direct connection to the way you feel to the health of your brain. I agree with this approach. And though I am only half way through the book I have to say that he emphasizes the same suggestions throughout the book and it gets daunting to read over and over again: get adequate sleep, exercise, eat healthy brain food, take supplements, etc - in every chapter.

The book does have very useful and motivational information - as I am back working out again and it is helpful for those who suffer from "what wrong with me" symptoms but have no answers which is why I give it four-stars. So take the time to read it - but be aware you need a little bit of patience to get through it.

Complex subject--easy reading. This book was great, so far I've lost 30 lbs by applying some of Dr. Amen's suggestions. I find it fascinating that we can control our health by being "Brain" conscience. This book has also helped me have a more positive outlook in general. Not only do I recommend this book to read, I also suggest applying much of the information in your daily life and you will feel better and see much improvement in your health, both physically and emotionally. Who wouldn't want that?

Saw part of this Dr's special on PBS and decided to read his book. He makes some good points about brain fitness and shows brain scans to show you the difference between healthy and unhealthy brains. Most of the info on weight is what most people already know, but his advice on supplementation to deal with cravings and other issues was interesting. If you have bad habits this book could scare you straight.

Kind of repetitive but there are a few parts that hit me -- like the fact that your cells are constantly renewing so you literally are what you eat! And I don't know how my brain has functioned for so long without fish oil. But other than that, I would say there's a ton of new info in the book.

Ugh, I couldn't get into this book. I recognized the title because of the PBS special, so I decided to try it. Dr. Amen has a couple of clinics where he does a lot of brain scans, but he also sells supplements. According to Dr. Amen, the right combination of supplements can cure any brain imbalance, including a brain injury. That's BS. I'm not a big believer in supplements to begin with, but when he said supplements could fix brain injuries, I stopped listening. Brain injuries are tissue damage, not chemical imbalances. Seems like a modern-day snake oil salesman.

One of the most innovative and comprehensive books on health, aging, and the brain that I have read this year. Alot of the information may be common sense, but I for one need to be constantly motivated and reminded to stay on track by books like this. And the information on the mind-body connection is based on current research and offers a new thoughtful and creative approach toward healing the brain to achieve a healthier body.

Some of the information was interesting, but I never really felt the science come through. I went to the website to take the tests and was dismayed at the sales pitch. The good doctor needs to decide if he's selling a product or promoting health for his patients. I am a little alarmed that something so obviously commercial is featured on PBS.

I thought this was very informative,a lot of aha moments, not what I had originally expected ,not your typical lose whieght, eat this kind of book, makes a lot of sense

I don't recommend this book, although I gleaned a few helpful ideas. It wasn't anything very new or revealing to me. Also, only two stars because the ideas were too biased. Dr. Amen recommends table tennis about 8 times, because it's the BEST brain sport in the world, and he loves it. He goes on to say that if you MUST ride a bike, wear a helmet correctly. So, in his perfect world, no one would ride a bike?? I guess he's seen a lot of damaged brains, but he's not being pragmatic in his advice, and he is being annoying. Like in the chapter on sex, he discusses that frequent sex leads to increased fertility, and actually said, "Before you opt for expensive fertility treatments, try having more sex." Um, I'm pretty sure that's where most people start when trying to get pregnant.
I did like his chapter on ANTs, automatic negative thoughts. I like the imagery of ants that you have to exterminate; it's memorable. His categories of those ANTs are recognizable and in line with what I've been taught in several environments.
Otherwise, it's the same stuff: eat right, exercise, sleep enough, supplements, reduce stress, have LOADS of sex. I do think it's important to understand the connection between our brains and our bodies, and to look to improve health rather than fix things as they break.
Ooh, one more thing. He says, of course you can have fast food, and then gives you the most unappetizing options from a fast food menu. Not pragmatic, imho. Instead of comparing a 1500 calorie fast food meal to a 400 one that includes water and a fruit cup, how about a happy medium, like skip the fries or get a small soda? Sure, never eating fast food again is probably the best thing, but if you're going to do it, you may as well have a cheeseburger, right? :)

When you see something that needs to be improved in your appearance, you try your best to do something about it. Sometimes, it could mean products for the body BUT, because we cannot see our brains, we don't really do something about it. I like how Dr. Amen explains so well all this brainy stuff (pun intended) that we tend to ignore but MUST. PAY. ATTENTION. TO. NOW! We have so many bad habits that really hurt our brain, and as a result, we bodies show. With this in mind, it also helps to be more understanding of people with mental illness. It is not a joke. I hope people who suffer from these things would be able to find the help that they need.

It was a good read, and I love the knowledge you can find in this book. As for the very obvious things that we always hear and don't really do, he gives some interesting action steps. I like that I can apply immediately what I have learned.

I liked the new ideas/resources I was exposed to. However, it felt a little repetitive. I get it, take fish oil, EMDR therapy can fix everything, and caffeine is bad.

Dr. Amen reiterates many things we should already know - that adequate sleep, eating well, drinking lots of water, etc. really do contribute to overall health. He makes a good case in this book that they literally contribute to the health of your brain. I found it helpful to have a list of each neurochemical and what it is responsible for, and options for how to increase or decrease those. I liked how he broke the book down into specific areas - hormones, skin, heart, energy, focus - and gave tips and supplements to try for improvement in those areas. I will definitely refer back to this book as a lifestyle reference.

En lo personal, una de las prioridades para mi en este ano, como ya lo he mencionado previamente en mi revision annual, es enfocarme mas en mi salud en general. Por esta razon, esta clase de libros como el de “Change Your Brain Change Your Body” es un excelente recurso que nos ensena a mejorar la funcion de nuestro cuerpo a traves del mejoramiento de nuestro cerebro.
En este libro, el Dr. Amen nos ayuda a entender mas a fondo lo importante que es mantener nuestro cerebro saludable. Al mismo tiempo, nos da muchisimos consejos de como podemos mejorar la funcion de nuestro cerebro implementando estrategias sencillas.
Si estas seriamente pensando en mejorar tu salud, este es un excelente libro para considerar como parte de tu lista de libros a leer en el 2012.

Couldn’t finish more than the third chapter. The repetitive messages in each and every chapter are: because your brain control everything in your body you should take care of it, lead a healthy lifestyle of eating, sleeping and workout and take lots and lots of supplements. Visit our clinic so we can guide you and load you with the massive amount of supplements!
Those messages were stated in the first paragraph and repeated in each and every chapter.
This audio book is more than 15 hours long and I couldn’t listen to more than two hours without, no more than fifteen minutes at a time without giving me a headache. He repeats himself A-Lot!

An ok book. The first part of the book was very basic information that anyone who has done any reading about health and wellness may find it a titch boring. It would be better suited towards someone who is just starting to research this are. I found the chapters on hormones very interesting and informative which is around the middle of the book. Then the book goes back into some general ideas. There is a lot of repetition. There is some good info about specific disorders and illness that might be interesting to those afflicted. Reading this book did not change my brain or body.

Very interesting material based on new science regarding the brain. A lot of the recommendations are "common sense" actions to improve overall health. What I found intriguing was learning how the systems of the body are interconnected in ways I hadn't considered and how some lifestyle behaviors are caused by deficiencies in the brain that in turn affect the body in unexpected ways. Definitely, going to start taking fish oil & vitamin D along with getting more sleep & exercise.

I finished this book last week. It helped add info to my knowledge and I'm glad I read it. I don't know if I buy the whole brain scan thing...but then I just don't know.
But I did like the nutritional information and it matched up with information that I'd gathered from other places.
I do see that mastering the internal dialog of the brain put a person's body in a much stronger position...along with your ability to control/determine exactly what you want for yourself.

Good basic information on the importance of proper nutrition, exercise, moderation, sleep, etc. for improving health and maintaining a healthy weight. The twist that distinguishes the information in this book from other "healthy life recipes" is the focus on the use of brain scans to help assess adequate brain function. People with impairments and functional limitations may experience difficulty in controlling impulses and exercising will power necessary to effectively manage weight.

A must read for those conscious of brain health and especially for those who have yet to realize the importance of brain health. Dr. Amen's work is amazing and can help those of us who have suffered through chronic depression, PTSD, anxiety, and many more brain dysfunctions. Oh yes, addictions and eating disorders apply.

This was an interesting read -- I skimmed and scanned some parts, and focused on others, like the connection between attitudes about eating, weight, and brain function. The author included interesting nuggest about diet and exercise as they relate to particular strengths/weaknesses of individual brain function.

Pulled this from the library's Ipod available books for a long trip. I thought I'd just skim through it but found it so interesting I listened thoroughly. I especially paid attention to the info on caffeine and artificial sweetener - both I live on! Something must have made an impression on me, I bought Stevia today.

Skimmed through this book to the parts I can and will use. Very interesting and I'm trying the suggestions he gives to help with cravings and improving my brain function.

I also learned a lot more about head injuries and how to help Alex (if he'll let me).

This man, his research and findings are amazing,empowering and fascinating. His book(s) shed light on the science behind what we already know to be true in self-care, real brain scans included! Read it, and or, catch him on PBS. Let me know what you think!