Dr. Amen: ''Rewire Your ADHD Brain to CRAVE Hard Work!'' Do This!

The first exercise I do with all of my. patients, but particularly my ADD. patients, is called the one-page. miracle. On one piece of paper, write. down what you want. Relationships, what. do you want? Like with Tana, I want a. kind, caring, loving, supportive, passionate relationship. Don't always. feel it. I get rude thoughts that show. up, but I don't say them. Why? Because I. inhibit them because they don't fit. Most people in life don't do this. exercise, which I find crazy.

What do you want your. work or school? What do you want for. your money? What do you want for your. physical health, your emotional health, your spiritual? What do you want? We put. it on one paper. And then the question. always becomes, does it fit? The number. one health and wellness podcast. Jay. Shetty. Jay Shetty. The one, the only. Jay Shetty. I read in the National Institute of. Mental Health, they found that 5.4% of.

adult men. and 3.2% of adult women have ADHD. Why do you believe that ADHD is more. common in men? Well, it is more common. in men. Because? Men have sleepier frontal lobes. than women. So, I published the world's. largest imaging study on gender and. looked at the difference in 46,000. patients, difference between male brains and. female brains. Females have much stronger, much more.

active prefrontal cortex. Men have. sleepier. prefrontal cortex. And what's the one. statistic that. identifies that? Who goes to jail? Men. 14 times more than females. So, they. have a relative dopamine deficit. compared to females. But girls have it, and when left untreated,

it just devastates their lives. And how. you can diagnose it in a teenage girl is. just look at their love pattern. It's. they get all excited about falling in. love, dopamine burst. After it wears. off, right? It's like, don't get married. in the next 2 months because you never. really know. After the dopamine wears. off, the cocaine effect wears off, they. start picking on their partner, and they. start fighting. And so, new love,

fighting, and then they break up, and. there's lots of drama around breaking. up, and they get suicidal sometimes. And then they fall in love again. And then they pick on their new person, and then they break up, and they lots of. drama around it. And if you see that. pattern repeatedly, screen them. for ADD. Very important. How does ADHD. show up differently for men and women? So, men tend to be more hyperactive.

Women tend to have more the inattentive. type. Women also tend to have the. overfocused type more, men the temporal. lobe type because the temporal lobe type. can be in part born out of a concussion. or a head injury. And you know, people. have ADD have way more concussions and. accidents. And the reason for that is. the shorter attention span and impulse.

control issues. I think as I'm sitting. here listening to you and trying to. understand just how. even the way you broke down the seven. types of ADHD, you start to think about how ADHD. doesn't just affect an individual's. focus and attention and performance at. school. As you rightly said earlier, it starts. to affect your relationships. Right? If. you have a parent, and I want to talk. about all of these independently, if you. have a parent that has ADHD, and they have passed or haven't passed.

it on to you, that has an impact on you. If you're dating someone, you were. talking about your first two wives, when. you're dating someone who has ADHD, that. has an impact on you. If you have ADHD. and you're dating someone who doesn't, that has an impact on you and them. It. starts to impact all areas of life, and. because we have such a limited. understanding of it, we can get. frustrated when someone clips out our. labels, or we can get upset when someone. is always late, and we say, "Oh, you. don't care about me. You're always. late." Like, it can actually start to.

become more emotional. than it is just biological, chemical, and physical. It's biological, for sure. It gives you psychological effects, and. the chronic stress. damages your immune system for you and. the people who love you. Clearly social. I think one of the reasons for divorce. is untreated ADD. I think it's often. the hidden cause, and it's spiritual,

because you just believe you're less. than, that. God, or. you see God, doesn't care about you. What do we do with that feeling, because. that's the feeling for people who have. ADHD, and they feel they're failing at. life, they feel they're underperforming, they feel like they're not going to. succeed. But earlier you were saying to. me, actually, some of the greatest CEOs. of big companies are people with ADHD. So, walk me through if someone's sitting. here thinking, "Well, I'm not going to.

achieve anything with my life, because. I've got ADHD." What would you say to. them? You're responsible to get it. treated. Because with treatment, you can be. amazing, because you often have the. ability to see things other people don't. see. And it's the undisciplined mind. that creates so much trouble. So, you. know, at Amen Clinics we want to look at. your brain, of course.

We want to get it healthy. And we get it. healthy, whether it's diet, supplements, exercise, medicine, whatever tools we. have. A lot of people do really well. with neurofeedback, where you can actually measure the. electrical activity in your brain and. then through exercises strengthen it. So, I like neurofeedback a lot. But then. you also have to reprogram your mind. And I talk about killing the ants, the. automatic negative thoughts that steal. your happiness. And.

people who have ADD often have a high. negativity bias. And so, learning to. direct your thoughts in a positive, and. a helpful, and a hopeful way absolutely. critical to overcome it. The first. exercise I do with all of my patients, but particularly my ADD patients, called. the one-page miracle. On one piece of. paper, write down what you want. Relationships. What do you want? Like.

with Tana, I want a kind, caring, loving, supportive, passionate. relationship. Don't always feel it. I. get rude thoughts that show up, but I. don't say them. Why? Because I inhibit them because they. don't fit. Most people in life don't do. this exercise, which I find. crazy. What do you want your. work or school? What do you want for. your money? What do you want for your. physical health, your emotional health,

your spiritual? What do you want? We put. it on one paper. And then the question. always becomes, does it fit? Does my. behavior fit the goals I have for my. life. So, that's what your prefrontal. cortex does, right? It sets goals and. helps you continue to achieve them. despite the obstacles that you have. So, I remember I'm in college and I want to. go to medical school and I took organic. chemistry and I got a 42 on my first.

test and I'm like, "Okay, this is going to be an obstacle. Get a tutor." And I ended up obviously. going to medical school, but it's your. pre- If it's low, you get a 42 and then. you give up. It's right, you don't have. that persistence. But, the first step always is what do. you want? Is my behavior getting me. what I want? And they often come into my. office and they go, "Dr. Amen, I'm.

brutally honest.". And in my mind, I'm like, "Oh, they have. ADD.". And then I'm like, "But, that's usually. not helpful.". Relationships require tact. They require. forethought. Jerry Seinfeld once said. the brain is a sneaky organ. We all have. weird, crazy, stupid, sexual, violent. thoughts that nobody should ever hear. But, when you have ADD, your inside. voice gets out.

when it can be hurtful. Mhm. So, that's. the first step. Know what you want and. then is my behavior getting me what I. want? And if my behavior is not getting. me what I want, is my brain. Could my brain be better? And therefore, that relates to the treatment. Because I. think a lot of people are waking up. every day and they're thinking, kind of. like what you said, that learned. helplessness. They're like, "Well, I'm eating right and I am working. out and I am trying to be motivated or. maybe even I don't make it to the.

workout every day. I'm really trying, but every time I try, I just lose. motivation and I lose energy." Is that. something you hear quite often? I do, and that's why we scan people twice, once at rest, once when they. concentrate. And if their brain drops. with activity, it's like, okay, we have. to treat this. And, you know, we can try. to treat it with supplements, and I like. them a lot. I own Brain MD, and I want. to support you. People who take EPA fish. oil, omega-3 fatty acids, helps with.

ADD, also helps with mood. There are. five studies with saffron, the spice. saffron, as effective as Ritalin in some. studies. That's amazing. And it helps, 25 randomized controlled trials that. saffron helps with depression, compared. to antidepressants. So, I love saffron. How many saffrons it tells a kid cuz. it's in in it's in the Indian diet as a.

very staple thing. Right. And there's lore in India, if. you're too happy, you must have had. saffron. Omega-3 fatty acids, B. vitamins, Pycnogenol, which is from pine bark, has. been found to be helpful. So, I start, based on your type, okay, here are the. supplements. Let's get your diet right. And then, if those things don't work, then I think, well, we should consider. medication. Yeah, I'm so glad that. you're so clear on that. I know whenever.

there's a new discovery, I'm always. texting you going, "What do you think. about this? So, what do you think about. that?" Because. I appreciate your perspective because. it's not coming from an opinion, and it's not coming from a single case. And as I'm listening to you today, what. I really take away is that everything is. so specific, and everything is so. individual and personal. It's not like, like you were saying, like some. medication could actually be brilliant, and you said even miraculous, for. someone's brain. But if it's a different. type of brain, it doesn't work that.

well. But we have this one-size-fits-all. model that we keep rolling out. Why do. we even get to make these big claims of. something being innocuous or something. being the perfect cure or alcohol's good. for your heart or everything that you've. been mentioning? Well, you just have to follow the money. How is it legal to say that? it is. driven by the alcohol industry, the. marijuana industry, and now, you know, all of these. billionaires investing in mushrooms and.

psilocybin. And I'm like a huge fan of. lion's mane, and we make something called smart. mushrooms, but you have to be very. careful with something that disrupts. someone's brain and someone's mind. And. for some people, it can be helpful. For. other people, it's a nightmare. Yeah. And I'm like, first do no harm. Right? So, the first thing if you're. depressed or you have PTSD.

is let's get your diet right, and let's. get you to exercise, and not believe. every stupid thing you think, and take. omega-3 fatty acids, or if you have. PTSD, EMDR. I'm a huge fan of. psychotherapy called eye movement. desensitization and reprocessing. It's. like, first do no harm. Let's make sure. we're doing the simple things first. My. oldest patient with. ADD is 94, and I'm like, why are you in.

my office? And she goes, you helped my great. grandson, you helped my granddaughter, you helped my son. I've never been able. to finish the paper in the morning. I. want to finish the paper. So, that was. our goal. You are not stuck with the. brain you have, you can make it better. Think of it like glasses, but sometimes. it's a maturational lag in uh brain. development and you can encourage it to.

go away or you can discourage it to go. away. I really wanted to talk to you. today about dating someone with ADHD. Our community asks so many questions. about dating, marriage, being in a. relationship. And as I'm listening to. you today, it's very evident that. sometimes our issue with our partners is. because of their ADHD. And if you're. coming from a family where you didn't. have that, now someone being late or now. someone being disorganized or now.

someone overthinking kind of causes you. an issue with how you like life to. function. The amount of people that say. to me like, "Oh, you know, he just never. wants to organize a trip or you know, she's always late." Or whatever it may. be. That's very common to hear. If. you're dating someone or in your case. married to someone with ADHD, what. should you be prepared for. and what you should you be thinking. about? So, Tana has said publicly she. has ADHD. We actually did a PBS show, Healing ADD, and she talked about it in.

our our first date. Like I had no idea. she had ADD. But when she described her mom, she's. classic ADHD. And Tana just thought it. was an excuse to fail. Oh, this person. has ADD and then she realized through. over exercising, the pot of coffee every. day, that's like, "Oh, no, I do have. this." And she's not as organized as I. am and never met a wrapper she actually.

wanted to throw away. And I remember being irritated about the. wrapper. And then I thought I had this very. interesting vision. Is I saw the counter clean. without her there and I got really sad. And so I'm like, that's just not worth the fight. Mhm. Throw the wrapper away. And. Wow. she's so awesome in so many ways and she.

has the anxious ADD type, so she's. always on time, so that's not an issue. when we hire people. that organize her and it just is fine. But. if she wasn't as kind as she was, if she. didn't love me yeah, I wouldn't be with. her. Yeah. I I was. with Dean Ornish. Do you know Dean. Ornish? I know the name, but. He's a internist, but he's written a lot. of work on diet and health and he wrote.

this one book called Love and Survival. And it's one of my favorite books I ever. read and as I was with him, I was like a. little kid excited to talk to him. And cuz with my first wife, I mean you. can have all the ADD things, but if. there's not love. it's not worth it. And I've read in his. book, he said he talked there was a. study from the Cleveland Clinic and they. asked 10,000 men. one question. Does your wife show you her love? Right,

you can interpret it anyway. And I. remember reading it at like 10:00 at. night cuz I was reading myself to sleep. and I woke up with crushing chest pain. and I'm like, this relationship is. killing me. Mhm. This is so important. when you're with someone. The issue is. really not do they have ADD or not? It's. do they fit. or not? And are they willing to get help.

or not? Like if you date one of my kids. for more than 6 months, I'm scanning. you. It's just like you're not in my. mind, you're not even dating until I see. your brain. amazing. Because if you have ADD or you played. football Yeah. And you have concussions, I want you to. be serious. about taking care of it. Yeah. So So. wait, they come over to dinner, you. press a button, the wall opens up, there's like this surgical arm.

send them to the clinic. No, I thought you might have an. undercover clinic like a Batcave in your. house and like you just did it like. that. Sort of like the movie Meet the. Parents. Remember that? Exactly. Exactly. That's brilliant. I. I'd heard a lot of people say to me, and. I love your example that you just gave. about the rapper because I think I've. I've had friends who've gone through. that where they're like, "I believe you. love me, but I just feel like you don't care. because you aren't on time, because you. don't do the dishes." But then you do it. sometimes. You do it when it suits you.

or you do it for your friends, but not. me. Because they have more dopamine. Right. So yeah, talk to me about that. because like you could see your you your. partner who's like able to organize. dinner for your friends, but then when. it comes to you, they can't set a date. In a way, it almost sounds like they're. pushing on a wound. And one of the things I learned, and. actually learned it from Tana, she grew. up in a crazy home. So her ACE score, do. you know the ACE, adverse childhood. experiences? It's on a scale of 0 to 10,

how many bad things happened to you as a. kid? And if you have four or more, it's. like physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect, watching your mother being. abused, being raised with someone who. goes to jail, has a mental illness, an. addiction. So, if you have four or more, you have increased risk of seven of the. 10 top 10 leading causes of death. If. you have six or more, you die 20 years.

earlier. Tana's an eight. And we adopted both of our nieces who. were nines. And when you see untreated. ADD, you see it throughout both of their. families, right? Untreated ADD can go. wrong. And her earliest memory, or one of them, is her mom and grandmother falling to. the floor. because her uncle was murdered in a drug. deal gone wrong.

And so, it was because her other uncle. was involved in the drug deal. So, anyways, he goes to jail, gets. clean, and she goes to a seminar. She. had thyroid cancer in her 20s. So, chronic stress from untreated ADD and. childhood trauma. increases your cancer risk. So, she's. cancer when she's 25. She goes to. Hawaii. He's teaching a seminar for Jack. Canfield.

And he asks her, how much responsibility. do you want. for your station in life right now? And she goes, I have cancer, but it's. not my fault. He goes, I didn't ask you. about fault. I asked you about. responsibility, which is just your. ability to respond to the situation. And in that moment, she got clarity. It's like, I want 100% responsibility.

And often, when I'm with Tana, if we're. fussing, which is very rare for us, I'm. like, what can I do. to make this better? Cuz as soon as I. go, you're not doing this, and you're. not doing that, I think it's touching on. a wound I have. But I want to be. powerful. And being powerful is So, what can I do. to make this better? Cuz I know, and I. ask all my patients this. I'm like, like.

they're fighting with their wife, and. I'm like, or for mom. I'm like, so what. do you do to make your mom crazy?". And they're like, "What?" Cuz they you. know, they expect me to just listen and. buy into the I'm like, "So, what do you do to make your mom crazy? Oh, what do you do that makes your wife. yell at you?". And I do that purposefully. because the next question. is what do you do to make your mom. smile? And I know.

if I become condescending, if I become. critical, if I notice what's wrong, I'm not going to get back what I want. And I collect penguins. Did I ever tell. you why I collect penguins? No. It's crazy, actually. It's good to. know. like a thousand of them. And I live my. life. with why I collect penguins. So, I. adopted three of my kids. My oldest was. hard for me, argumentative, oppositional. So, he has the overfocused.

ADD, like classic. And I was in training at the time to be. a child psychiatrist, and I went to my. mentor, and I'm like, "I am not having. any fun as a dad." So, he was the first. child I had, and she goes, "You need to. spend more time with him." And so, I. took him to a place called Sea Life. Park, which is in Hawaii. It's like Sea World or Marine World, Northern California. And we had a great. day. I took him to the whale show, and.

that was fun, and the dolphins, and the. sea lions. And at the end of the day, grabs my shirt, he goes, "I want to see. Fat Freddy.". And I'm like, "Who's Fat Freddy?". He's like, "Some penguin, Dad. Don't you. know anything?" And that was our, you. know, interactions. And so, at the end. of the day, we went to the last show, the Fat Freddy show. He's a tiny Humboldt penguin, chubby, Fat Freddy. And he comes out onto the stage, climbs.

the ladder to a high dive, goes to the. end of the board, bounces and jumps in. the water. And I'm like, "Whoa.". And he gets out, bowls with his nose, counts with his flipper, jumps through a. hoop of fire. And I'm just mesmerized by. this little bird. And then at the end of. the show, the trainer asked Freddy to go. get something. And he went and got it. and brought it right back. And in my. mind, I went, "Damn." I asked this kid. to get something for me, he wants to. have a discussion for like 20 minutes.

and then he doesn't want to do it. I. knew my son was smarter than the. penguin. So, I went up to the trainer. I. said, "How did you get Freddy to do all. these really cool things?" And she said, "Unlike parents." She looked at my son. and then looked at me. She said, "Unlike. parents, whenever Freddy does anything. like what I want him to do, I notice. him. I give him a hug, and I give him a. fish." And even though my son didn't.

like raw fish, would have totally worked. with my daughter Chloe. She loved sushi. from the time she was 6 months old. I realized that whenever he did what I. wanted him to do, I didn't pay any. attention to him at all, cuz I was busy. But when he didn't do what I wanted him. to do, I gave him a ton of attention. Cuz I didn't want to raise bad kids. So, I was inadvertently teaching him to be. bad in order to get my attention. So, I. collect penguins as a way to remind.

myself. notice what you like more than what you. don't. Notice what you like more than. what you don't. And so, if you're only. noticing what you don't like, well, if. you're with a partner who has ADD, that's the story of their life, that. people have noticed what they haven't. liked. If you love someone, and I love. my kids that have ADD, and I love my. wife.

Notice what you like it feeds so. So good. Yeah, that's so good. What a. great story and what a what a great. lesson. I mean, that. resonates so strongly and and it's so. different to positive thinking. Because I think people think, well, that. means I'm just letting them get away. with all the bad stuff. And it's like, no, it's just you're also. making really clear that I notice. I. validate. I acknowledge all this amazing. behavior. Because the truth is what we're more.

often than not doing is we're keeping a. scorecard, but it's of all their. mistakes and all of our wins. So, whenever we do do the dishes, we get a. point. When that person doesn't do the. dishes, they lose a point. As opposed to. if we are going to keep score, we've got. to really take account of all the. amazing things that person does. And be. open to the fact that we also make. mistakes cuz I think it's really easy. to think like I was giving that example. to you that I've always been a stickler. for time. But at one point I had to ask myself,

why am I making time. the most important currency? Because. that's also my obsession. Time is not always the most important. thing. Like it is sometimes if I'm. presenting at an event, if I'm going to. be on stage, if I've got to meet a guest. for a podcast, a client, time is of. utmost importance. But when me and my wife are just going. out to a friend's event that is a bit. more casual, people are going to show up. between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. And I'm the. guy trying to be there at 6:59, and I'm.

putting so much pressure on both of us. It's almost like it didn't really matter. whether we turned up at 7:00 or 7:15 or. 7:30. And I also had to give that up, right? So, it's also like an acceptance that. it's not like I'm perfect and that. person's the one who's the wrong one all. the time. And what has eternal value? Yeah. And. you never want to have to win an. argument. If you have to win an. argument, it's because you have low. self-esteem. It's Why do I have to beat.

my partner, who I love, who. you know, when something good happens, I. call her, or something bad happens, I. call her? I need to nurture that, and. the winning comes from. a low self-esteem place, or it comes. from an earlier gladiator place that. just has no business. I want Tana to. win. If I have to win, then there's a. deficit somewhere in me. Yeah, and I.

always say to people, if you're fighting with your partner, and you win, it means they lose. And. because you're on the same team, that. means you both just lost. And if you lost and they won, you're on. the same team, you both just lost. So, you either win together, or you lose. together, because you're on the same. team. So, there is no win-lose scenario, because you go to sleep with that. person, you wake up next to that person, you have dinner and breakfast and lunch. with that person.

If you just won, you lost. Because you're sharing all the other. time of the day with them. The I want to flip it to the other side. What about someone who has ADHD, and they're dating someone who doesn't? What advice would you give them. to. help? Because they might be being really. harsh on themselves, they might feel. misunderstood. What What would you say. to them? Well, I think communication's. probably. the most important thing. It's Make sure.

you develop rituals of time. So, because. often people get so busy, and they're behind, that they don't make time. And I think. bonding requires two things, time. and a willingness to listen. And often the other person who doesn't. have ADD feels like they're not being.

heard because the ADD person forgets. things and it's like, "No, I have to say. this." And the other person feels. diminished. And so, having both people. practice active listening, it's so. magical. When they say something, don't. say anything. Or repeat back what you hear, and then. be quiet. Too often people just use too many. words. And if you can practice.

silence. and giving, when someone says something, give it space. So, if they want to say more, they will, as opposed to jumping in too quickly. Communication is so important. And get. dopamine from going, "What do you need? How can I help?" And often with ADD, because of the chaos that's in your. head, you might not know. What would you. say to someone who.

has a parent with ADHD. and they're struggling with and, you. know, they're an adult. They have a. parent who's got ADHD. They may be Well, they may be. embarrassed embarrassed a lot. Right. Cuz you go to the restaurant and the. person just say the first thing that. comes to their mind, which can be. horrifying. My oldest patient with. ADD is 94. And I'm like, "Why are you in. my office?". And she goes, "You helped my. great-grandson. You helped my.

granddaughter. You helped my son. I've never been able. to finish the paper in the morning. I. want to finish the paper." So, that was. our goal. And so, I scanned her. She. clearly had ADHD and age doesn't make it. better. I think that's an important. point. Age doesn't make it better. And I. treated her and she came back a month. later. And she had this beautiful smile.

and she said, "I read my first book.". That's amazing. And. I would just be encouraging and go, "We've learned so much about this. It's. not. a childhood disorder. It starts in. childhood, but it can impact the rest of. your life." How should people talk to. their bosses or their teachers, if. parents are talking to teachers, about. having ADHD? Because I imagine that's a. tough conversation in the workplace, where your performance is being judged,

your outputs being judged, your. productivity is being measured. How How. do you have that conversation in an. effective way? So, I think I'm not sure I would have. that conversation because it might make. them look at you differently. Sad that. there's still that. There is still that. Now, if you need. accommodations, so it is federal law if. you have a disability and ADHD is. considered a disability under federal. law, your employer can give you. accommodations, is required to give you.

accommodations. I think my first. suggestion is see if you can get it. treated without, just so you don't. really have to have the conversation and. have to have them look at you. differently. But, if you need it in. order to keep that job, I'd absolutely. talk about that. You'll need to get your. doctor to write a note and request those. accommodations. Happens all the time in. colleges. All major colleges have. disability resource centers.

One of my nieces is at UCLA. She gets. extra time on tests. She gets notes, she. gets a lot of help, which is rational. That's great insight. That's so helpful. Does ADHD ever go away or is it only. managed? Great question. In about half the cases, the kids who had ADHD, so the. hyperactive form, were not in their later teens. I often.

worry they've outgrown the. hyperactivity, but not the short. attention span and impulsivity. But. sometimes it's a maturational lag in. brain development. And you can encourage. it to go away or you can discourage it. to go away. So you can encourage it to. go away if there's regular exercise. If. you teach kids not to believe every. stupid thing they think. If you support. them with omega-3 fatty acids and a.

healthy diet and you don't just give. them devices they want, right? If you. want to discourage it, so if you want. them to to make sure they have the ADD. as they age, then feed them bad food, give them all the devices they want, let. them watch endless hours of TV and play. video games. Yeah, that's a great great. summary to help people set them up for. what to do before medication. And what. are some of the long-term effects of. leaving ADHD untreated? It's so sad.

because it's basically the big issues in. our society from school failure, drug. abuse, divorce, bankruptcy, incarceration, homelessness. And if we looked more at the brain, we'd. go, we can do a lot better. Yeah, and I. think that's. what the real hope is, that the world. can start to. take it seriously and take brain health. seriously, right? If you had a hope for. how we would shift the way we looked at.

ADHD in the brain, what what would that. be? So, I have big ideas. When I went to. the White House, my friend there said, "How big can you think?". The first thing I would do is rename the. National Institute of Mental Health to. the National Institute of Brain and. Mental Health. I'd get the brain. involved. Like, stop calling people. mental. It shames people. It's. stigmatizing. It's wrong. I'd declare. the next 10 years the decade of brain. health and get really serious about what.

goes into children's minds. It needs to. be curated to be appropriate. and to be helpful. Who else's brain have. you not scanned that you'd love to scan? Um the presidents. I wrote an op-ed. piece in the LA Times in 2008 on. scanning presidential candidates. You. know, if someone has the nuclear codes, don't we at least want to know about the.

health of their brain? Like, the last. election, I would have loved to scan. both President Biden and now President. Trump. What would you expect to see in both of. those from your perception? I think with. President Biden, there were clear. cognitive issues. Well, I don't think. I'd see a healthy brain. President. Trump, I'm much more curious. Now, I. know I'll get a lot of hate for this, but I'm very interested in resilience. For someone who is the most popular. person or one of them in the world.

before he ran for president, right? The. Apprentice had gone for 14 seasons. And he was beloved by so many people, and then he was demonized. And then he. was falsely accused. He was impeached. He was. attempted assassination, indictments, convictions. And it's like, how do you show up every. day, right? You and I off the podcast. we're talking about worldwide shame and.

how some people just causes them to. disappear. Well, he didn't disappear and. you know, he's still fighting every day. So, I'm really interested. I'm not sure. I've seen a brain quite like What about. Elon Musk or. Yeah, Elon Musk would be interesting. I've scanned many high-profile. geniuses. Uh I got to scan Muhammad Ali which At. what point on his journey was that? Later and so you could clearly see the.

damage. I have lots of really. fascinating scans. Yeah. Dr. Daniel Amen, I've got a few. more questions that I want to leave. people with to summarize some of our. conversation today. It's really leave. them feeling energized, positive, hopeful. about their journey with ADHD whether. they have it individually or they have. it through someone that they love in. their life. And the first question is. for those who do have ADHD, what are. some great hacks for someone struggling. with ADHD to be more organized, to be.

better? What would you suggest for them? What they What can they do? So, the. first thing when you get up, try to do. some form of exercise cuz that will help. turn your brain on. Why does that Why. does exercise help turn the brain on? Cuz it increases serotonin but also. increases dopamine and it increases. blood flow to your prefrontal cortex. For those people who live in colder. climates, get a light box. A light box with 10,000.

lux, so that's the intensity, has been. found not only to help seasonal. depression, it helps with focus, memory, energy and it will help promote sleep. Make sleep a priority. Too often when. you have ADHD, you're more awake at. night. You know, our society, we have. bias against night owls. So, morning. larks our society's geared to praise.

them and often it's find a job that fits. your circadian rhythm. But, sleep is a. priority. And if you snore, get checked. for sleep apnea. So, kids who snore. sleep apnea may be the cause of their. ADHD. That is treatable. And what's the. most important thing that someone with. ADHD needs to hear? You are not stuck. with the brain you have. You can make it. better. Think of it like glasses, right?

People You remember I told you about. Sandy and showing her scans and she. starts to cry and I'm like, "Having ADD. is like people need glasses. They're not. dumb, crazy, or stupid. Their eyeballs are shaped funny. We wear. glasses to focus. People with ADD are. not dumb, crazy, or stupid. Their. frontal lobes just don't turn on when. they need to. And the medicine or supplements or. neurofeedback helps turn it on so you.

can focus and be who you really are when. your brain works right. People go, "I. don't want to take medicine cuz I don't. want to be someone different." It's. like, but don't you want to be who you. are when your brain is fully. functioning? I want to be who I am when. my brain is fully online. As always, Dr. Daniel Amen, I appreciate our. conversation so much. I get. I feel like whenever I'm with you I. learn to see everything so differently.

and deeply and. as a 360-degree view. I think we're so. used to in our society to see one aspect. of something or have a very limited. understanding of the different issues. that we see. And whenever I speak to. you, I feel like, "Oh, wow, I have the. much more broader contextual view of. it." And I want everyone at home who's. listening or watching, whether you're on. a walk, whether you're at the gym, uh. Dr. Daniel Amen has one of his books. which is called the Healing ADD, the. breakthrough program that allows you to. see and heal the seven types of ADD that.

we discussed in today's episode. So, I. highly recommend the book if you don't. already have it. And of course, if you. don't follow Dr. Daniel Amen on all. forms of social media, TikTok, Instagram, the podcast as I mentioned. earlier, make sure you do subscribe. And. Dr. Daniel Amen, we are so happy that. you came on for a fifth time. If you. haven't seen the episodes before, make. sure you go back and listen and watch. You can search Dr. Daniel Amen and Jay. Shetty or Dr. Daniel Amen on Purpose. And any last words, Dr. Daniel Amen, anything you wanted to share that I.

didn't ask you about or anything that. is on your mind or heart right now? I'm. just so grateful. for you. You know, I love the idea that we can. train our brains. That focus on what you. want way more than what you don't want. Yeah, I love that. Thank you. If you. love this episode, you'll enjoy my. interview with Dr. Daniel Amen on how to. change your life by changing your brain.

If we want a healthy mind, it actually. starts with a healthy brain. You know, I've had the blessing or the curse to. scan over a thousand convicted felons. and over a hundred murderers. And their. brains are very anomalous.