Rating: 
Summary: Change your Brain change your life
Review: I would like very much to order this book- but the password is not being accepted. I have spent 15 minutes trying to get a new one but- I have failed. When I have more time I will struggle once again and try to get a new password. Oh well I really did try.Thanks Bill McQuerry
Rating: 
Summary: ok
Review: If You have ADD or know some one who does, cost for treating it
are 2000 to 5000 dollars a year. If You or a family have it
and are on wefare good luck because the program does not pay
for it. Book could of told of the few government programs that
do.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent if you want to understand your family system.
Review: If you want to understand your family dynamics and why people act the way they do, read this book. Dr. Amen is very easy to understand even though he is a Medical Doctor. He explains about each part of the brain so a lay person can really understand the information clearly. He gives good examples, and offers a great list of things you can do to change your brain, and your life interactions with others in your family.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and useful!
Review: If you've doubted that psychological difficulties can be quantified physiologically, read Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. The brain scan results are impressive and suggest that mental imbalances can be treated by a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy, medication and nutritional changes. Particularly fascinating is the evidence that people prone to angry outbursts, irrational behavior and violence (in short, behavior that is typically associated with the delinquent or criminal personality) can be treated effectively, as can those prone to lesser disturbances. If you or anyone you know suffers from depression; anxiety; obsessive-compulsive disorder; manic depression; attention deficit disorder; severe premenstrual syndrome; alcohol or drug abuse; poor impulse control; suicidal or homicidal thoughts; or angry or violent outbursts, read this book. If you're already being treated for one of these conditions, read this book and share it with your therapist. It will give you a good idea of what is happening to you physiologically and outline potential treatment options. In that numerous treatment protocols are discussed for various mental imbalances, this book is both helpful and hopeful. Note that this book should be useful for mental health professionals as well as for their patients. The brain scans are compelling, and the author does a good job of detailing numerous medications, cognitive-behavioral therapies and nutritional approaches to treating psychological problems.
Rating:
Summary: This book helped save my sons life!
Review: My 12 year old son was attacked at school, he was hit in the back of the head with a river rock. The changes in him since then have been unreal. After reading Dr. Amen's Change Your Brain, Change Your Life, I was so amazed. I thought he wrote the chapter about head injuries about my son. After emailing Dr. Amen, he was kind enough to respond back, and referred us to a doctor near our home. Since then, and after a SPECT scan, we now know what happened to our son and is finally getting the treatment he needs. What a difference in all our lives. I finally got back "my" son. All I can say is don't give up, there is hope, and it's at the Amen Clinic! Dr. Amen, I owe you my heart-felt thanks for caring enough to write this well needed book and for writing me back. I know that there will be a special place for you in heaven. God Bless You!
Rating:
Summary: A 1st -hand view
Review: Since both myself and a loved one have been diagnosed and treated at Amen's clinic, I'd like to respond to this book from the view of my actual experience. First, I agree with most of the what is said in the other positive reviews. The book is engaging, informative, and most importantly, it offers a great deal of hope. It breaks new ground, and it allows the layman to make better sense of the complexities of brain biology, personality, and behavior. To those few reviewers who insisted that Amen does not actually tell us "how to change your brain" - this is simply not true. Amen offers a variety of options including traditional meds, (even a nice chart to help with the benefits of each), and alternative treatments such as herbal and dietary suggestions. As many know, Amen's use of SPECT scans is very controversial. Although he has a following of professionals, he is also careful to say that the scans are NOT a primary diagnostic tool - only a way to confirm a tentative diagnosis. This may be because SPECT is not approved by the DSM, nor the APA(to my knowledge), as an accepted and reliable diagnostic tool for ADD or any of the other problems Amen discusses. Given the stodgy psychiatric mentality in the US toward new approaches, this should not be a problem in and of itself. Yet given the controversy, a serious flaw of the book is that it does not address the number and types of cases in which this approach does NOT work. But I also want to offer some cautions to those who might be tempted to passively accept the book in its entirety. 1) In my own case, two Drs and a thrapist in Amen's own office had different interpretations of my loved-one's SPECT scan, yet there was no consultation among them to resolve the issue. 2) In this layman's view, the book also seems to show some inconsistency in interpreting the scans. Why does the same over-active image area become the diagnostic key in one case, but then seems irrelevant in another ? 3) Again in my personal case, the drug protocol for my loved-one was the opposite as that described in the book. Despite my questions, this was never explained to me. 4) A recent read of another book by a different author using PET scans showed completely different parts of the brain producing some of the same symptoms as Amen describes. But I suppose this doesnt matter as long as the treatment works. So what is the upshot of my review? My experience causes me to question the credibility of some parts of the book. Interpretation of these scans needs refinement, and Amen may need to get his own house in order as well. Yet, I have found no other professional who understands the intricacies of ADD and the associated problemsas well as he does. Amen truly cares, and this book is a 'must-read'. Regardless of the imperfections, his approach DOES work for many, many people. But do not be lulled into a passive acceptance by the enticing simplicity of the diagnosis and explanation. Feel free to email me your thoughts. And to those dealing with the pain of ADD its related problems, I wish you peace and comfort. Remember that the heros in a race are not only those who win, but also those who continue to struggle until they finish.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing research, with futuristic insights into the brain
Review: The first book of its kind to truly study the brain as it is functioning and to trace behaviors to brain abnormalities. Very exciting. Also mentions cognitive behavioral and nutritional methods for improving behavior. I wonder if this research method can also be used to analyze the impact of the oft-discounted brain (or food) allergies. We have positive results from determining food allergies and taking preventive steps, seeing moods and behaviors improve rather dramatically, but the idea of allergies causing abnormal and even destructive behaviors is still discounted by the medical community. Also some of the studies on brain injury lead me to wonder if the preponderance of violence in male patients (and males who should be patients -- i.e., our overwhelmingly male criminal population) can be traced to childhood brain injuries, such as when a father disciplines by hitting his son in the head. I've seen this happen in public far too often. Could it all connect? Terrific book.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone who wants a better life.
Review: The thing I like best about Amen's "Change Your Brain Change Your Life" is that it is comprehensive. Dr. Amen's research on metabolic processes in the brain and how those processes correlate to human behavior makes a lot of sense. He takes complex information and makes it easy enough for the lay person to understand and then gives a plethora of treatment options for the reader to consider in optimizing their brain activity for having a better life. Unlike so many other doctors, Amen takes a comprehensive approach and presents numerous options for treatment other than just standard prescription medications. This is an easy read and one that anyone can benefit from. I highly recommend it!
Rating:
Summary: A Powerful Book
Review: This book is incredible. It reinforces everything I believe about the body/mind connection. As I devour each page, I find myself shaking my head and saying "yes, yes" a lot. It just makes so much sense! I have done a fair amount of reading about the brain and brain chemistry. Dr. Amen's book is by far the easiest to understand. I believe the use of SPECT imaging will revolutionize how we treat people with neurological and mood disorders. Thank you, Dr. Amen for writing this book. Now, if there were only some way to drag all my family members to his clinic for SPECT imaging...........
Rating: 
Summary: interesting book
Review: This book is interesting because you see brain scans from people who had depression and other mental problems.
It is very interesting to look at the scans and it shows that things change in the brain when somebody has a mental illness or drug problem. So if anybody thinks that drugs or mental illness do not make the brain change then they will see that the brain does change by looking at these photos.
The author says that if you do certain things like take drugs or even too much coffee you can change the way your brain is and also if you are depressed you brain will actually be different.
I was depressed and I tried to commit suicide one time and I know that my brain was really changed because of the bad depression that I had. I take antidepressants now and I think that they changed my brain back closer to what it was like before. When I wanted to kill myself it was like I had someone else's brain. I can tell you that depression does mess up your brain.
So the book is pretty good with scans that can help you understand more about what is happening to a brain when people are mentally ill or on drugs or doing something that hurts their brain.
| 
