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The Mel Robbins Podcast

Hacking Dopamine & Simple Ways to Improve Your Brain Health

The Mel Robbins Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts

Society & Culture, Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health, Relationships, Health & Fitness

4.615.3K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2022

⏱️ 53 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I’ve lived with ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety for most of my life. And I’ve spent the last decade immersed in research around how to improve my mental health, but only recently did I realize there was a big missing piece to the puzzle when it came to being happier, more confident, and more present. That’s taking care of the brain. Your brain is your problem-solver. It’s your memory keeper. It’s a supercomputer. If the physical health of your brain sucks, it’s like having a beer belly with IBS for a brain. If you’re really committed to being a happier and healthier person, it's common sense to keep your brain happy and healthy. But… The science can be complicated and boring. More serotonin and dopamine would be great… but I zone out when I am looking at all the research. That’s why I asked one of the leading experts on brain health to be here today. Dr. Daniel Amen has 40 years of experience as a psychiatrist, 12 New York Times bestselling books, and he’s conducted over 200,000 brain scans, all of which back up the simple tactics he’s about to share with you. Today’s episode is jam-packed with practical information, so you may even want to listen twice. You can make your brain stronger and more resilient. There are specific changes you can make today, including supplements to take, a change to your walking style, a specific breathing technique to reduce anxiety, and more. Dr. Amen will also share the one powerful question he’s been asking himself every single day that keeps his brain strong. He also shares a recipe for a delicious mug of “brain healthy hot chocolate.” I’ll drink to that and a little Brain Health 101. Xo Mel You will learn: 1:34: The results of my brain scan – and a huge finding that was discovered in my husband’s brain scan 9:37: A simple 101 on the brain 13:14: The 3 most important habits that have the biggest impact on brain health 15:41: The exact thing to say to yourself first thing in the morning to improve your brain 16:57: The specific two vitamins that are most important for the health of your brain 19:38: The difference between serotonin and dopamine and how to achieve balance between the two 25:08: How to tell if you have low dopamine & how to increase it 28:55: Why strength training is so important for your overall health 30:21: What cortisol is, why it matters, and how to reduce it 32:03: The one specific breathing exercise that Dr. Amen recommends for an anxious mind 36:06: How to calm a busy brain 39:22: The 3 most important words for mental training 41:27: What to do if you feel chronically tired 43:30: The 5 most important foods for brain health 44:21: How to make brain-healthy hot chocolate 47:06: What a psychiatrist of 40 years would never do because it’s bad for your brain

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to a mind-altering episode of the Mel Robbins podcast.

0:12.4

Today, I'm going to introduce you to someone who has had a profound impact on my life,

0:19.0

on my husband's life. Who am I talking about? His name is Dr. Daniel Aiman. He is one of the world's

0:27.2

leading experts on the brain. He is a psychiatrist and brain disorder specialist,

0:33.0

and his 10 brain clinics around the world treat over 4,000 patients a month, including treating

0:38.9

more than 100 former NFL players with concussion trauma. And I not only love this guy because of

0:45.3

the difference he's made in my life. I love him because he is so focused on teaching us all

0:52.4

how to improve the physical health of our brains through very simple, accessible, often free,

1:02.0

little changes that you can do that based on his research can change and improve the health

1:10.4

of your physical brain. And what I learned from Dr. Aiman is that when you start to improve the

1:18.7

physical health and the structure of your brain, when you learn how to increase blood flow and

1:24.9

take better care of your brain, it improves your mental health, it impacts your happiness,

1:30.9

your energy, your vitality, all of it. And so I'm going to tell you the difference that he made

1:37.2

in my life. I first met Dr. Aiman because he has these clinics all over the world,

1:42.4

and I went to one and I got a brain scan and it really revealed on a physical level all kinds

1:50.8

of things about the type of ADHD that I struggle with. And when I went over the brain scans of Dr. Aiman,

1:58.0

he explained to me that one of the reasons why I respond so profoundly to medication is because

2:03.7

the medication, when working correctly for somebody like me, it shows in the brain scan, how certain

2:10.0

parts of my brain light up, how blood flow increases. I learned so much about my old coping behaviors.

2:16.7

It was like, it was almost like somebody had pulled back the curtain and explained so much, simply

2:23.3

based on the physical structure of my brain. He was even able to show me a part of the brain where

2:29.9

I have damage from a car accident that I experienced when I was little. And he told me simple things

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