Making a Good Brain Great

The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance

By: Daniel G. Amen

Narrated by: Marc Cashman

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Daniel Amen, MD, one of the world's foremost authorities on the brain, has news for you: your brain is involved in everything you do - learn to care for it properly, and you will be smarter, healthier, and happier in as little as 15 days!

You probably run, lift weights, or do yoga to keep your body in great shape; you put on sunscreen and lotions to protect your skin; but chances are you simply ignore your brain and trust it to do its job. People unknowingly endanger or injure their brains, stress them by working at a frenzied pace and not getting enough sleep, pollute them with caffeine, alcohol, and drugs, and deprive them of proper nutrients. Brain dysfunction is the number one reason people fail at school, work, and relationships. The brain is the organ of learning, working, and loving - the supercomputer that runs our lives. It's very simple: when our brains work right, we work right - and when our brains have trouble, we have trouble in our lives.

Luckily, it's never too late: the brain is capable of change, and when you care for it, the results are amazing. Making a Good Brain Great gives you the tools you need to optimize your brain power and enrich your health and your life in the process. The principles and exercises in this book, based on years of cutting-edge neuroscience research and the experiences of thousands of people, provide a wealth of practical information to teach you how to achieve the best brain possible.

You will learn:

• How to eat right to think right
• How to protect your brain from injuries and toxic substances
• How to nourish your brain with vitamins and do mental workouts to keep it strong
• The critical component of physical exercise and which kinds work best
• How to rid your brain of negative thoughts, counteract stress, and much more

Full of encouraging anecdotes from Dr. Amen’s many years of experience, Making a Good Brain Great is a positive and practical road map for enriching and improving your own greatest asset - your brain.

©2005 Daniel G. Amen (P)2005 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"This book is wonderful. It gives the reader great understanding and hope that changes in oneself can be made. If you put these changes into action, a happy and healthy brain is yours." (Bill Cosby)

Key Information for Brain Health

Where does Making a Good Brain Great rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is among the most informative books I've read on brain function.

Which scene was your favorite?

It increased my understanding of the connection between the functioning of parts of the brain and specific behaviours/conditions. The recommendations for how to look after the brain were comprehensive, and I really liked the chapter on supplements.

Any additional comments?

It's true that he does refer to his experience with his clients and thereby promotes his clinic, but the information is truly helpful for those who might encounter it for the first time.

Not what I was expecting really

I've read a two other books about brain injuries, and I've worked for a doctor who uses biofeedback to repair brain damamge. When I saw this book I was expecting a list, something like a to-do, for healthy brains.

After listening to the book I researched Dr. Amen online, and most of the same material can be found on his website for the Amen Clinics. I also found some more reviews of his work, making it seem pretty controversial.

Good or bad, I don't think you're going to get a whole lot out of the book. The to-dos are less than I would imagine. A lot of time is spent talking about medications, and I think I've heard about 15 times now that I shouldn't hit soccer balls with my head.

Whatever you do, get the abridged version. There is value in his education about parts of the brain, and he lists some good references.

The Best Guide for Helping You Help Yourself

These many guidelines and recommendations are most valuable to understand what goes on within your brain/mind - and why. Better yourself in a positive way. Take action to take and keep control of your life - great reading- and well worth your time!

shameless self promotion for amen clinic

Much of what is interesting in this book is on brain anatomy. Daniel Amen is somewhat of a crackpot. A self-proclaimed genius, he compares himself to the likes of Einstein, Galileo, etc. for his ground breaking promotion of SPECT scans (primarily available only through the Amen Clinic). If he was 1/10th as smart as he claims, he'd be a force to be reckoned with. Now that i think about it, he's insane. He mentioned the name and cab number of a cab that gave him a bad ride a number of years ago. There were some other parts that were equally insane that i've chosen to block from remembering. There are some useful tips on supplements; however, he obviously hasn't done the research. He mentions acetyl l-carnitine, and lipoic acid, but he doesn't mention the fact that acetyl l-carnitine must be taken with lipoic acid. There are parts of the narrative that are just space filler.

Life Changing. The Best Book I Have Read In Years

If you could sum up Making a Good Brain Great in three words, what would they be?

Heart-Felt, Brilliant, Comprehensive

Any additional comments?

I love this book. This has changed my life and my family's life. Dr. Amen is exactly the type of medical professional that we need today. A person that isn't so narrow minded as to say that all problems have only one root. He understands that a lifetime of experiences and various factors. A "one-size-fits-all" solution doesn't exist in the medical world and the better we understand that, the more we are inclined to study the problem and treat the infirmity by true, caring, medical means and not just treat symptoms. Anyone who truely understands the human body knows that what he is explaining is true. Let the critics critisize. Do your own research into the truth behind this. Vet your sources. Dr. Amen stands for something honorable and true.

Making a Bad Book Worse!

This is the first truly terrible book I have purchased from Audible, as well as the only book out of hundreds for which I requested a refund. It is nothing more than a list of repetitive lists of common-sense ways to keep sane and healthy. Of course, I might have found the remaining hours fascinating, but I stopped in disgust after 4 hours of exquisite boredom...

Making a Good Brain Iritable

This is one of those rare cases where I would say that the abridged version is probably better than this bloated book. Some books just don't lend themselves to the audible format, that is unless you enjoy listening to an hour long list of herbal suppliments and their benefits.

Better yet, skip this book altogether. The gist of it is simple. Eat right, drink moderately, get exercise, meditate and avoid stress, wear a helmet, learn something new...If you already have a good brain, you don't need to use an Audible credit to hear eleven hours of common sense.

Better to read than listen

This is the type of book that is not intended to be read all the way through, it's better to take the survey, then concentrate on the areas of the book that refer to your brain.
I had the impression that there were many tables being read that would have made much more sense to look at than hear.
Also, there is a recipe section of the book. Listening to recitaions of recipes is almost totally pointless.

Bubble wrapped advertisement

I bought the paperback thinking maybe it just wasn’t a audiobook type book, but ultimately either way it’s promoting car seats for adults and trying to lure people into an institute that is over priced. I won’t go so far as to call it snake oil, but I think there are much better approaches to sound mind care. I do not recommend this book.

This Book Will Hurt Your Brain

You know how print doesn't always translate well to online? Well the same goes for print to audio. This book should have never been an audio book. His lists of vitamins, foods, brain functions, etc. are painful to listen to in this format. Save your money. The bulk of the book is common sense and the rest is an advertisement for his clinic.