In this age of do-it-yourself health care (heck, if the doctor only sees you for 10 minutes each visit, what other options are there?), Change Your Brain, Change Your Life fits in perfectly. Filled with "brain prescriptions" (among them cognitive exercises and nutritional advice) that are geared toward readers who've experienced anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, excessive anger or worry, and obsessive behavior, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life milks the mind-body connection for all it's worth.

Written by a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who has also authored a book on attention deficit disorder, Change Your Brain contains dozens of brain scans of patients with various neurological problems, from caffeine, nicotine, and heroin addiction to manic-depression to epilepsy. These scans, often showing large gaps in neurological activity or areas of extreme overactivity, are downright frightening to look at, and Dr. Amen should know better than to resort to such scare tactics. But he should also be commended for advocating natural remedies, including deep breathing, guided imagery, meditation, self-hypnosis, and biofeedback for treating disorders that are so frequently dealt with by prescription only.


From Library Journal
Clinical neuroscientist and psychiatrist Amen uses nuclear brain imaging to diagnose and treat behavioral problems. He explains how the brain works, what happens when things go wrong, and how to optimize brain function. Five sections of the brain are discussed, and case studies clearly illustrate possible problems. The accompanying brain-scan photos are difficult to read with an untrained eye. Although Amen provides step-by-step "prescriptions" geared toward optimizing and healing the different sections of the brain ("create a library of wonderful experiences"; "try meditation/self-hypnosis"), 80 percent of the patients in his case studies were given medication to treat their behavioral problems. The audience for this book is ambiguous. While it encourages readers to evaluate themselves and others, it would be more useful to a professional in the social sciences than to the general reader. Buy where self-help or brain-research books are popular.?Maria Uzdavinis, Rochester P.L., NHCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Review
"Revolutionary. Dr. Amen shows how your brain can become your worst enemy, and how with the proper treatment, your best friend."--Martin Stein, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, George Washington University

"Opens the door to assessment and interventions that can change your life."--Robert D. Hunt, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, Vanderbilt School of Medicine


Review
"Revolutionary. Dr. Amen shows how your brain can become your worst enemy, and how with the proper treatment, your best friend."--Martin Stein, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, George Washington University

"Opens the door to assessment and interventions that can change your life."--Robert D. Hunt, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, Vanderbilt School of Medicine


From the Trade Paperback edition.


Book Description
BRAIN PRESCRIPTIONS THAT REALLY WORK
In this breakthrough bestseller, you'll see scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in your brain work. You're not stuck with the brain you're born with. Here are just a few of neuropsychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen's surprising--and effective--"brain prescriptions" that can help heal your brain and change your life:
To Quell Anxiety and Panic:
 ¸  Use simple breathing techniques to immediately calm inner turmoil
To Fight Depression:
 ¸  Learn how to kill ANTs (automatic negative thoughts)
To Curb Anger:
 ¸  Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the nutrients that calm rage
To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus:
 ¸  Develop total focus with the "One-Page Miracle"
To Stop Obsessive Worrying:
 ¸  Follow the "get unstuck" writing exercise and learn other problem-solving exercises


From the Inside Flap
BRAIN PRESCRIPTIONS THAT REALLY WORK
In this breakthrough bestseller, you'll see scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in your brain work. You're not stuck with the brain you're born with. Here are just a few of neuropsychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen's surprising--and effective--"brain prescriptions" that can help heal your brain and change your life:
To Quell Anxiety and Panic:
¸  Use simple breathing techniques to immediately calm inner turmoil
To Fight Depression:
¸  Learn how to kill ANTs (automatic negative thoughts)
To Curb Anger:
¸  Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the nutrients that calm rage
To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus:
¸  Develop total focus with the "One-Page Miracle"
To Stop Obsessive Worrying:
¸  Follow the "get unstuck" writing exercise and learn other problem-solving exercises


From the Back Cover

"Revolutionary. Dr. Amen shows how your brain can become your worst enemy, and how with the proper treatment, your best friend."--Martin Stein, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, George Washington University

"Opens the door to assessment and interventions that can change your life."--Robert D. Hunt, M.D., associate clinical professor of psychiatry, Vanderbilt School of Medicine


About the Author
Daniel G. Amen, M.D., is a clinical neuroscientist, child and adolescent psychiatrist, and medical director of the Amen Clinic for Behavioral Medicine in Fairfield, California. The recipient of awards from the American Psychiatric Association, the Baltimore-D.C. Institute for Psychoanalysis, and the U.S. Army, Dr. Amen is a nationally recognized expert on the relationship between the brain and behavior and on attention deficit disorder, and is the author of several books, including Windows into the ADD Mind and Firestorms in the Brain.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

BRAIN PRESCRIPTIONS THAT REALLY WORK
In this breakthrough bestseller, you'll see scientific evidence that your anxiety, depression, anger, obsessiveness, or impulsiveness could be related to how specific structures in your brain work. You're not stuck with the brain you're born with. Here are just a few of neuropsychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen's surprising—and effective—"brain prescriptions" that can help heal your brain and change your life:
To Quell Anxiety and Panic:
 ¸  Use simple breathing techniques to immediately calm inner turmoil
To Fight Depression:
 ¸  Learn how to kill ANTs (automatic negative thoughts)
To Curb Anger:
 ¸  Follow the Amen anti-anger diet and learn the nutrients that calm rage
To Conquer Impulsiveness and Learn to Focus:
 ¸  Develop total focus with the "One-Page Miracle"
To Stop Obsessive Worrying:
 ¸  Follow the "get unstuck" writing exercise and learn other problem-solving exercises

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Revolutionary. Dr. Anem shows how your brain can become your worst enemy, and how with the proper treatment, your best friend.  — Martin Stein, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor or Psychiatry, George Washington University