Making a Good Brain Great

The Amen Clinic Program for Achieving and Sustaining Optimal Mental Performance

De: Daniel G. Amen M.D.

Narrado por: Marc Cashman

Daniel Amen, M.D., 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

Reseñas de la Crítica

“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

“Each of Daniel Amen’s books contains special nuggets that can be found nowhere else, as well as a wealth of useful, general information that he brings together under one roof. This book offers excellent advice as well as a great deal of new information. An extremely useful and easy-to-read book.” —Edward Hallowell, M.D., author of Delivered from Distraction and The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness

“Making a Good Brain Great is the long-awaited synthesis of a true visionary’s work. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in self-improvement, and especially parents and other caregivers of children—this book is a gem for those of us who want to raise healthy kids.” —Michael Gurian, author of The Minds of Boys and The Wonder of Girls

“The most important gift we have to share is wisdom. In this timely book, Dr. Amen shows us how to create a great brain so we can make the world a better place.” —Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., president/medical director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Foundation, and author of The Better Memory Kit and The End of Karma

“A must-read for those who live by their wits.” —Dennis B. Alters, M.D., child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry, and author of Wizard’s Way

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.