The UltraMind Solution (22 page)

Even though most of us are not willing (or able) to give up our computers, cell phones, wireless networks, microwave ovens, televisions, and other electronics, we have to ask if these electromagnetic devices are harming us. Even if you could give them up, you would have to think about the effects all the radiofrequency waves buzzing about from WiFi, cell towers, power lines, and electrical wires have on you.

We are electromagnetic beings. Just think about an EKG or EEG—these simply record the electrical activities of your heart and brain. We are very sensitive to electromagnetic fields of any kind, and excessive exposure to certain types of toxic waves may be extremely harmful to our health.

Before I briefly review the risks of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on
human health, I want to state that
the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
This is an area of enormous controversy and equally large knowledge gaps. But to think that because we haven’t adequately studied the effects of “electropollution” it is not a problem may be a grave error. The data we do have is enough to make me very concerned.
⁵⁶

The few things we do know make me want to limit my exposure. This is an area where caution should be our guide.

For example, we know that EMFs alter cellular metabolism and generate free radicals that can be toxic to your brain and promote memory loss and dementia. Research shows higher rates of Alzheimer’s in people exposed to EMFs.
⁵⁷
Other studies link it to mood disorders and depression.
⁵⁸

EMFs also may be linked to an increase in cancers, especially brain cancer. Could having a radiofrequency-emitting device (otherwise known as a cell phone) held up to your brain for hours a day have an impact? Do you want to wait twenty years to find out?

We know that cell phone use does account for thousands of deaths every year from car accidents (because people don’t pay attention to driving when they are on the phone).

There are 1.6 billion cell-phone users worldwide, with the number growing every day. And over half of the children in developing countries use them. What impact does this have on a developing brain?

While I do use a cell phone, I try to limit its use and use a safe headset such as one that has an air tube to diffuse the EMF (not a wireless one).

Cell phones are only the most obvious form of EMFs we are exposed to. As I mentioned at the start of this section, we are also exposed to toxic waves in many other forms. There are things you can do to reduce your exposure to these toxic waves and protect yourself, and you may not even have to give up all your electronics to do it. I will review how you can protect yourself and your family in Part III.

What you learned in this chapter is depressing, I know. But I don’t believe in the proverb “What you don’t know won’t hurt you,” at least when it comes to brain damage.

Clearly there are many environmental influences that can have a major impact on your brain health. These toxins affect us all from our food, our water, and our air, medications, chemicals, metals, molds, and electromagnetic radiation.

Everyday choices we make to protect ourselves will have an impact globally. The European Union, through new legislation (called REACH) designed to limit toxins in commercially produced goods, caused China to
change its manufacturing practices. The European Union also demanded that Silicon Valley produce cells phones without toxic metals and they did.

Buying organic food, refusing vaccines with mercury, and buying deodorant without aluminum will create a ripple effect throughout our economy and environment.

You can make changes in your life and in your world with the choices you make.

What’s more, you can make changes in your personal health. You can heal yourself from brain damage by improving your diet, limiting your exposure to toxins, and changing the way you live. You can
reverse
the effects of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, autism, Alzheimer’s, ADHD, and more—if you know how to.

The UltraMind Solution is designed to give you a specific method to achieve that goal and by doing so take one more step toward that state of vital health I call UltraWellness.

You now understand the theoretical underpinnings of this approach. It’s time to learn how to apply it in practice to fix your broken brain. Whether you are suffering from depression, lack of attention, autism, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or if you just deal with bad moods and brain fog, the UltraMind Solution will help you overcome these problems so you can achieve UltraWellness.

The Seven Keys to UltraWellness

In Part II, I will explain how seven key biological systems influence every feeling, thought, emotion, behavior, and memory we have (not to mention our physical health and weight). It is through understanding how these systems play a role in your health and your brain (the same thing) that you can take control of your brain health and recover from the debilitating effects of memory disorders, attention deficits, and mood disturbances. If you focus on your health first, your brain may take care of itself.

These factors must be addressed first because medication and psychotherapy are then rarely needed, and if used, will be dramatically more effective. These seven keys are the new way to repair, renew, and revitalize your brain and help return your life to balance and vibrant health.

I introduced you to the seven keys to UltraWellness, which form the basis of The UltraMind Solution in Part I. To refresh your memory, they are:

1.
Optimize Nutrition

2.
Balance Your Hormones

3.
Cool Off Inflammation

4.
Fix Your Digestion

5.
Enhance Detoxification

6.
Boost Energy Metabolism

7.
Calm Your Mind

In the following seven chapters I will show you how each of these seven keys fits into the larger story of mental and physical health.

Each chapter contains quizzes to help you identify where you are out of balance. Are you deficient in omega-3 fats? Are you magnesiumdeficient? Are you mercury toxic? Is your thyroid not functioning well? Is gluten inflaming your brain? Is sugar destroying your mood and brain? The quizzes will help you answer these questions.

In Part III, I give you my six-week plan on how to care for your brain for life. I will explain the basic “ingredients” you need to make a happy, attentive, sharp, clear, and engaged brain. This is the basic care plan for your brain.

In Part IV, I will show you how to customize the basic care plan for your brain based on your quizzes. Those quizzes give you the information you need to understand which of your systems are out of balance. You will learn how to bring each of your core systems back into a thriving and robust balance.

Do you need more omega-3 fats, or vitamin B
_12,
or thyroid hormone? Do you need to cool off an inflamed brain, or detoxify a toxic brain? I will help you find answers.

But regardless of the name of your disease, a mood disorder, a problem with attention or memory, a neurological disease, or even psychosis, what you learn in
The UltraMind Solution
will help you live the best, healthiest life you can.

I want to tell you a story about the typical patient I see with a whole list of problems—all apparently unrelated and all treated by different doctors. While this man’s symptoms were partly controlled, he was anything but healthy. He was on a cocktail of four psychoactive drugs just to manage his life at forty-two years old!

Do people really need psychological “cocktails” of drugs just to help them deal with depression, anxiety, insomnia, and ADHD? Joe’s story points to an answer.

Joe was a forty-two-year-old man who thought he was healthy—despite being on four different drugs for mood and psychiatric problems. This list of medications was a bit scary for a guy in his early forties. He took one for depression (Lexapro), one for attention deficit disorder because he couldn’t concentrate (Concerta), one for anxiety (Xanax), and one for sleep (Ambien). One new drug was piled on another over just a few years!

He also took medications for asthma and frequent rounds of antibiotics over the years. He had psoriasis, reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic postnasal drip. His sex drive was low, and his anal area was always itchy. He got frequent sores and bumps on his tongue after eating certain foods. He also had sugar cravings and would frequently get weak and have episodes of very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). He was about twenty-five pounds overweight—right around his middle—and his
triglycerides were over five hundred (normal is less than one hundred). He had a fatty liver and prediabetes or metabolic syndrome.

Joe’s diet was less than ideal. He ate a bagel or a processed protein bar in the morning with coffee. Lunch was usually a turkey wrap with lots of cheese, a few diet Cokes, and chips. Dinner was a little better, but he craved bread, pasta, and potatoes and had sweets after dinner because he craved them. He usually had two glasses of wine a day, three cups of coffee, and too many diet Cokes to count. He slept about five to six hours a night.

Looking at the seven keys to UltraWellness, we found many imbalances. His gut was inflamed, and he had a parasite and yeast overgrowth from years of antibiotic use. This led to food sensitivities to wheat and rye (the main gluten-containing grains). He had multiple nutritional deficiencies, including B
₁₂
,
folate, vitamin D, chromium, and omega-3 fats—all very important for mood and a healthy metabolism.

So instead of treating any one disease or problem, I helped him by treating the imbalances in his life.

I helped him improve his diet, stop the refined carbohydrates and sugars, and eat more fiber and omega-3 fats. I also had him get off gluten and dairy—foods that were triggering inflammation in his gut. He cut way back on coffee and stopped drinking wine. And he started exercising and sleeping a bit more.

I gave him a multivitamin (with plenty of chromium), fish oil, and probiotics (healthy gut bacteria). I also treated him with high doses of folate and B
₁₂
to accommodate his genetic need for more. In addition to this, I gave him high doses of vitamin D to bring his levels back to normal and improve his mood and immune system. I treated his parasite and the yeast overgrowth with short-term medication.

After three months, I saw him again. This time he had lost twenty-five pounds, his triglycerides dropped from 597 to 80, and his cholesterol went from 275 to 198. His folate and B
₁₂
status was back to normal. His fasting blood sugar dropped from 101 to 84, which is normal, and his insulin levels dropped back to normal. His fatty liver was healed. And how did he feel?