ADD-ADHD Alternatives to Medication 2

Last blog we talked about what ADD-ADHD is, and the symptoms that often accompany it.


It is important for the clinician and the family to be aware and test for conditions that mimic ADD-ADHD:

• Allergies—many children are affected neurologically by sensitivities. Often misbehavior can be attributed to reactions to things they are eating or are in their environment.
• Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar) –when the blood sugar goes too low a child may have ADD-ADHD symptoms.
• Anxiety—sometimes when a child or adult is suffering from anxiety they have trouble staying still and focusing. ADHD medication will make this problem worse. A QEEG can often determine if the medication will work or not.
• Learning disabilities—if a child is having problems learning, they will often exhibit poor behavior. School becomes difficult and they start losing attention. Many children labeled as having ADD-ADHD actually have learning disabilities.
• Hearing and vision problems—an undiagnosed hearing or vision problem can cause similar problems to learning disabilities.
• Hyper- or hypothyroid—the thyroid affects the metabolism and an imbalance in the thyroid can mimic ADD-ADHD in a child.
• Elevated toxins—such as lead. There is still a high amount of lead poisoning in children. Other toxins such as mercury in teeth, environment and immunizations, and chemicals in food and air can have an affect on their brain function.
• Poor parenting skills—we hesitate to blame parents for behavioral problems, as ADD-ADHD is very difficult for parents to live with and deal with. However, if a parent has not been taught good parenting skills by their own parents, they may be unaware that their way of treating their child may be increasing misbehavior by that child. Most of us can become better parents and help our children by learning better parenting skills.

If you or your child have one or more of these problems, medication will only cover the problem and sometimes not help. Even if you or your child has ADD, these problems will make the ADD worse. It's important to discover if these are part of the problem. Some of them will only be found by a more integrative physician, utilizing both regular Western medicine and alternative/complementary medicine, specialized optometrists (for vision problems), and specialists in learning disorders.

The next blog we'll discuss some of the deficiencies found in people with ADD-ADHD.

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi

ADD-ADHD Alternatives to Medication

Cameron is a sweet, darling boy, who has been suspended from kindergarten and first grade more times than you can believe such a young child could. Cameron suffers from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. It causes impulsive behavior that causes him to do things without thinking of the consequenses. The consequences are that he gets suspended from school.

Attention Deficit Disorder is a biologically based condition causing a persistent pattern of difficulties resulting in one or more of the the following behaviors:

• inattention
• hyperactivity
• impulsivity

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is the name often given when ADD also includes hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.

This definition and the symptoms are very ambiguous. These symptoms can describe most children, especially in their younger years. So the diagnosis is not usually made until a child is seven to nine years old.

ADD is not generally something that is “grown out of.” Children with ADD generally become adults with ADD. It is still difficult to deal with as an adult, but often they do learn how to make adjustments for their disabilities to get on with life.

Diagnosis of ADD-ADHD

There is no conclusive test to prove a child/adult has ADD-ADHD. It is a psychiatric diagnosis based on reported behavior by parents, teachers and self. There are no specific physical signs or symptoms. The behaviors vary in severity and symptoms. It is often difficult to accurately establish. The diagnosis of ADD-ADHD is determined by the clinician, based on the number, severity and duration of symptoms and the degree of impairment in daily activities.

The following are common symptoms of ADD-ADHD:

• Has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities.
• Is often easily distracted by outside stimuli.
• Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work or other activities.
• Often does not seem to listen when directly spoken to
• Is often forgetful in daily assignments and activities
• Often fails to finish activities started, such as homework, schoolwork, chores, or duties at work.
• Often has difficulty following through with instructions.
• Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities.
• Often loses things necessary for tasks.
• Often avoids or has difficulty completing tasks that require sustained mental effort.

The following are common symptoms of hyperactivity:

• Finds it hard to be still—fidgets with hands and feet and squirms in seat.
• Often leaves seat where sitting is expected.
• Moves around, runs and climbs inappropriately.
• Often has difficulty playing quietly.
• Often talks excessively.

The following are common symptoms of impulsivity:

• Does not give others time to speak; often blurts out answers before the question is out.
• Has difficulty waiting their turn.
• Often intrudes on others; has little sense of another's personal space.
• Acts on what he/she wants in the moment without considering the consequences.
• Does not seem to learn from negative consequences.

Though brain scans are not done for diagnosis, it has been shown that children/adults with these symptoms have brain changes. Both functional MRIs and Quantitative Electroencephalograms (QEEGs) show that there is under-activity and slower brain wave activity in the frontal cortex of the brain. These areas are often smaller than that of a normal child's brain of the same age.

These scans are not used for diagnosis, but they can be used to monitor treatment.
The brainwaves produced when we are awake and alert are beta waves, which are fast, high voltage type waves. People with symptoms of ADD-ADHD often have excessive slow, low-voltage type waves called theta waves, which are common in the drowsy and daydreaming state. That is why they have trouble focusing and concentrating, and why stimulant drugs help their symptoms, because they speed up the brainwaves.

The pre-frontal cortex is involved with voluntary control of attention, the inhibition of inappropriate and/or unwanted behavior, the planning of actions, executive decision making, maintenance of arousal (or the awake and alert state), and the sequencing of complex activities. When the pre-frontal cortex isn't as active, there will be problems with inattention, poor impulse control, difficulty planning ahead and completing tasks, poor decision making, daydreaming and poor focus, and difficulty carrying out instructions.

At Vanguard Center for Neurological Medicine, we do QEEGs to determine if these problems are present in the brainwave patterns of people with ADD-ADHD symptoms. See http://www.vanguardbiofeedback.com/.

In the next blog we'll talk about other problems that could cause symptoms similar to ADD-ADHD, and deficiencies often found in the ADD-ADHD population.

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi

The Circle of Life

Another wonderfully enchanting new grand-daughter was born 2 weeks ago, Eden Rebecca Moore. The circle of life continues. This last year I lost both of my parents and a father-in-law, and 3 new grandbabies joined our family. They are coming and going; coming into a new adventure and going into a greater one!

Sometimes there is anxiety as I consider the world these precious babies are coming into. My parents lived through wars, my father fought in World War II, but they were "The Greatest Generation." The world today is changing rapidly. The wars are different, seemingly never ending, with no winners or losers. The increase in crime, drugs, loss of moral virtues, financial crises, pollution of the air, water and earth, increasingly alarming amounts of chemicals in our food, global warming, breakdown of families, extensive abuse--all of this causes wonder as to how these little ones are going to survive what we and our ancestors have created. And with all of these problems, how can even we survive to take care of them as they grow and learn? What if we get robbed, go bankrupt, lose our home, have to go to war, etc.? With our own issues and anxiety how can we appropriately raise our children? What will happen to these little ones if we are not capable to care for them?

This is a time of anxiety--a time when men's hearts are failing them, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Anxiety disorders are the most common emotional disorders in the United States, with at least 40 million adults over 18 affected, almost 1/5th of the population! And the numbers are growing. Medication seems to help in the beginning, but often over time the anxiety overrides the effect of the medication and worsens. Large numbers of children are also being medicated for anxiety.

There is a basic cause of anxiety, and that is lack of trust in the process of life. We have had what we consider to be negative experiences in our lives, and we expect to continue to have negative experiences. Because of the patterns created in our brains because of those negative experiences, our thoughts dwell on the negative rather than on the things we DO have, the positive things we are doing and that are happening in our lives. That which we focus on then expands. There is a saying, "The greatest pain comes from comparing what we don't have with what others have." The thing is, we usually don't compare what we have with what others don't. Our brains get stuck in the negativity rut.

Tragedy, stress, severe loss of some kind happens in all lives. But when we spend our thoughts reminding ourselves of past tragedies and loss, and preparing for future tragedy or loss, anxiety results. The past and the future are just in our mind. They do not exist. The past is clouded by the filters of our inaccurate memory, and no longer exists in the present. The future is simply in our imagination, and the fears that come are often lies. The only way to get out of anxiety is to live in the present.

When our house burned down, the fire set by my five year old son hiding under his bed because he knew he wasn't supposed to play with the lighter, I learned some important lessons that have truly reduced the anxiety in my life.

First I learned that possessions mean nothing. Yes, baby books and photographs and sentimental things were also lost, but really, they are just memories of this temporary world. My family was alive and unharmed, except emotionally. What is a house and things compared to that? Now, in the present, when finances make it so there is a possibility that in the future I might lose some of my things or even my house, there is no anxiety. Possessions are just things. Yes, my life will change, but things are just things, money is just money, and happiness can be found without either.

Second, I learned that change is always for the good, if we choose to see it that way. Change is something that is always present and yet we tend to fight it the most. Change of job, of living quarters, the city where we live, births, illness, deaths, our changing body, divorce, financial status, emotional state can all create anxiety. We often see change as hard or negative, and therefore fear the changes of the future. Anxiety results as we fight change, rather than embrace it as good. I have found the old adage to be true: "When God closes a door He opens a window." I just have to be patient, looking for that window, and when I find it, through it will always be a cloud shining with a silver lining.

Third, I learned that life is about learning to love, and to do that, life is about relationships, and relationships are always changing, and that is how we learn to love. When we moved out of our burnt house while it was being rebuilt, the family dynamics changed. Problems arose between us that have taken years to work through. But it also set each of us on a journey that is teaching us to love without expectation, to forgive by letting go of pain, by allowing change in each other, even if it brings crisis in the moment. This is the only way we can grow in our relationships, is allowing each person to go through their changes, whether they appear positive or negative, and learn to love them anyway.

Fourth, I learned that it doesn't matter what it looks like. We often are very stuck and have great anxiety over what others think of us. We had lived in that beautiful house for a little over a year before the fire, but I was ashamed of it because much of our furniture was still from yard sales or hand-me-downs, gotten while my husband was still in school. My husband was starting his business and I was in medical school with a high tuition, and we didn't have the money to fix up our beautiful house, that we bought in foreclosure, the way I wanted to, the way I wanted to show off to the world. As we sifted through our smokey belongings, the people helping us were able to see what junk we really had. But I realized that it didn't matter what anyone else thought. We were doing the best we could, and that is all God expects of us. We had few clothes for a while, and had to wear the same things frequently, and sometimes two days in a row until we could get a washer we could use. But it didn't matter. We were safe, we were doing the best we could, it just didn't matter any more.

And the silver lining...after letting go of possessions, of the fear of change, of needing things to look a certain way, our house was fixed up brand new and shining, with new furniture, carpet, drapes, paint, and everything because of the insurance! Our house ended up so beautiful that friends jokingly asked to borrow our five year old son!

We left that wonderful house as change came into our lives, moving to a new state. We built a new one. I lost that house through divorce. Now I'm living my idyllic life in a log cabin. Lots of changes. Might I lose this home once again? I pray not, but I accept that change can still happen, and I trust the process of life enought to know that if I lose it, it will be for my best good.

When we can trust that God is good, and can make good out of every situation, then we can begin to trust the process of life. It's good to heal from the past and be prepared for the future, but to spend the majority of time living in either place brings anxiety. Anxiety is a lack of faith, a lack of trust. We cannot grow in faith if we live in fear. By focusing on the positive, by acknowledging our successes and the successes of those around us, by trusting that whatever happens it will be for our and our loved ones best good, by trusting that God loves us and our loved ones more than we can know how to love, and that He isn't abandoning any of us, we can move out of fear, out of anxiety, into the peace of the present.

This isn't always easy to reach this peace when our brain has been patterned in fear from childhood. But it IS possible, with time and effort, to change those patterns and learn to live in trust and love.

Then we can find joy in the Circle of Life.

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi

The ANTS Return

When I lived in Argentina there were many, at least to me, unusual sights. One of the things I enjoyed watching were the leaf ants. As I was walking I would come along a line of pieces of leaves that were moving. On closer examination I would find each piece of leaf being carried by an ant about 1/20th the size of the leaf. Of course they were fun to watch, but they were very destructive. If they weren't stopped, they could overwhelm a plant and decimate it quickly.

Just like the leaf ants can overwhelm and destroy a plant, the ANTs of our mind (automatic negative thoughts), if they aren't stopped, can overwhelm the mind and cause depression and/or anxiety. As discussed in the previous blog, one or two ANTs aren't necessarily a problem, but if we don't notice and change them, more come, thicker and faster, until they are overwhelming and we feel out of control.

Daniel Amen, M.D., in his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," describes many types of ANTs, which we discussed previously. He also talked about how the ANTs often lie to us. Today we are going to discuss how our ANTs can deceive us and make the situation seem worse than it really is. It is important to recognize and stop these ANTs, because they are harmful and lead us astray. See if you can recognize these lies in any of your own thoughts:

1. "Always/never" thinking. Words like always, never, no one, everyone, every time, everything are rarely true. Very rarely does something "always" or "never" happen. But it is very common to think "He's always putting me down," "No one ever talks to me," "I'll never get a raise," "She's always so mean to me," "Everyone takes advantage of me," "You never listen to me." The truth is she may often listen to you but you only notice the times she is occupied. Or she may be listening but doesn't like what you say so doesn't respond. It is important to catch ourselves as we use these phrases and examine them to see if they are really true. Using these words pulls our energy and our feelings down, and is a picnic for more ANTs.
2. Focusing on the negative. It seems to be very easy to see only what's wrong with ourselves, others, our jobs, our lives, and difficult to see what is working, all the things that are going right, all the ways we are blessed. What we focus on is what expands in our lives. When we are constantly focused on the negative, that's all we are able to see and experience, and then our life fills up with negativity. When we focus on the positive our mood lifts and we are able to see how good we really have it, in spite of the things that aren't working for us. A wise friend of mine, a professor, Russell Osguthorpe, stated that when we focus on the negative, we lose faith. Faith only comes by counting our successes. At the end of the day, acknowledge what didn't work, but focus on your successes, on what did work, on what your blessings have been. And remember, sometimes just getting out of bed is a success! Count it!
3. Fortune-telling. This is when you predict the worst possible outcome to a situation. For example, you're a little late coming home from work. You predict that your wife will be mad, and the kids will be irritable because you made them late for dinner. You start thinking how it isn't fair that your wife would put that burden on you when you are just doing your job, making money so there can be food on the table. By the time you get home, whether your wife is upset or not, you are upset and the whole evening continues down in a negative spiral. If you must fortune-tell at all, imagine how happy your family is going to be that you are home, and what a wonderful evening you are going to have together. You can imagine anything, so why not focus on the positive? Whatever anyone else is feeling, you, at least, can be feeling good.
4. Mind reading. It is very common to believe that we know what someone is thinking, and when our deep limbic system is active, we usually believe the worst about their thoughts. We may be able to pick up on someone's feelings, but we rarely know exactly what they are thinking to cause those feelings. "He thinks I'm incompetent," "She's upset at me," "They don't like me," etc. We cannot know what anyone else is thinking unless they tell us, even in intimate relationships. Don't assume anything. Ask. The next ANT is that we don't believe what they tell us. "She says she's not mad at me but I don't believe her." Why choose to be miserable? It doesn't matter. If she says she's not mad, then believe her. If she seems mad, believe that it is about something that has nothing to do with you.
5. Thinking with your feelings. This happens when you believe your feelings are true and act on them without examining them. "I feel this way so it must be true." "I feel stupid," "I feel like a failure," "I feel like you're mad at me," etc. Look for the evidence behind the feeling. Feelings can lie to you as well. Is there good evidence to back up the feeling? Or are the lying ANTs creating the feeling?
6. Guilt beating. Guilt is not productive. There is a difference between godly remorse and guilt. Godly remorse allows us to see what didn't work and what it caused, and to pick ourselves up, let go and try again. Guilt by its very nature holds us down and keeps us from moving forward. The guilty thoughts often include the words should, ought, must, have to. These words are heavy and create ANTs. We are not created to be forced to do anything. These words feel like force, and when we believe we must do something, we have a harder time making ourselves do it. Use instead the word choose. Put away the guilty beat-up stick. That kind of self-punishment doesn't work, and increases the number of ANTs we end up dealing with.
7. Labeling. When we attach a negative label to ourselves or someone else, we lose the ability to see the situation or person clearly. Some examples of negative labels are "jerk," "irresponsible," "lazy," "arrogant," "frigid," etc. These labels are lies, and whether we give them to ourselves or others, increase the ANTs in our world.
8. Personalizing. We always tend to take every action by others personally. "My boss didn't speak to me this morning. She must be mad at me." Even when someone is upset at us, it really isn't completely about us. Their own pain has been triggered in some way, causing their reaction. If we choose to think, "This really isn't about me, but is about their pain. How can I assist them?" the negativity and our ANTs will greatly diminish. Stop taking things personally. Others' actions rarely are about us.
9. Blaming (the most poisonous red ant). Blaming others is very harmful to yourself. If you blame others for your problems, then you become a victim and have no control over your life. ANTs like "It wasn't my fault," "That wouldn't have happened if you had..." "How was I supposed to know..." "It's your fault," cause us to completely lose our own power. We can never change how someone else acts or thinks; we can only change how we ourselves act and think. We can only change our perspective. As we choose to take accountability to how we reacted in a situation, then we can take control and change it. We can only be offended if we choose to be offended. We don't have to be angry because someone did something mean. We can be strong and protect ourselves; we don't have to stay around mean people, but if we act rather than react, then there is no blame; there is no offense, and the ANTs go marching away. Let go of blaming both others and self. Acknowledge what didn't work, and work towards doing it differently next time. Sometimes it takes a lot of experiences and learning to get it right, but don't blame. Being accountable is different than blaming self, which leads to guilt. We must be accountable to be able to change our lives.

Dr. Amen states, "Your thoughts really matter. They can either help or hurt your deep limbic system. Left unchecked, ANTs will cause an infection in your whole bodily system. Whenever you notice ANTs, crush them or they'll affect your relationships, your work, and your entire life. First you need to notice them. If you catch them at the time they occur and you correct them, they will lose their power over you. When a negative thought goes unchallenged, your mind believes it and your body reacts to it."

It is possible to heal your body in many ways by changing your thoughts. Many thoughts come unbidden, from years of experiences, hidden in the subconscious mind. We may not be able to always stop the ANT from coming, but if we notice it and change it, we will stop the stream of ANTs from destroying the entire plant.

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi

"Home" for Christmas

My dearest mother, Helen Lela Valantine Stay, got to go "home" for Christmas this last Tuesday, December 23, 2008. I'm sure the reunion with my father was grand, even better than when he came home from being a bomber pilot in the Pacific for three years during World War II. Also greeting her were her grandchildren who had already passed on, so excited to see Grandma again. And her parents, and all the friends she had served over the years.




Mom was born in Los Angeles at the beginning of the depression. They lived on the hillsides of Los Angeles in a tent until Grandpa could build a small house. Often they would have bread and milk, with maybe a little fruit in it, for dinner. She wore clothes my grandmother made out of scraps of material. But she was generally happy, beautiful with her blond curls, and quite a tease to her older sister and younger brothers.

Mom's life was one of sacrifice. She sacrificed her husband during the war for three years, bearing and raising a daughter on her own. She sacrificed a stable home by following her husband through multiple moves during his career in the Air Force. She sacrificed her incredibly beautiful body by bearing seven children. She sacrificed her money by giving and giving, to her family and her church. Their Air Force income was meager, yet we were given every opportunity to learn and grow through music lessons, art lessons, dance lessons, whatever we desired to do she would make sure that we had the opportunity. It seemed that everywhere we went, the fledgling branches and wards would be building chapels, and I know their sacrifices in that regard would be miraculous compared with their income and other expenses.



But most of all, Mom sacrificed her time. Even though she had seven children and I was in the middle of it all, I never felt left alone or neglected. She had an unwavering testimony of the Church and her Savior, and built up in each of us that testimony. She gave her time to the church, or, to be more accurate, to the members of the ward. I remember when, in our small branch in Virginia, when my father was very busy being Branch President, she was Primary President, primary chorister, Blazer teacher, Mia Maid teacher (mine) and Relief Society teacher all at the same time! She also worked during much of that time as a pre-school teacher, earning money to pay for my brother's mission. She also would spend hours listening to friends troubles and helping them out. And be our mother and give us chores and correct us and make us clean our rooms. She gave three years of her life to be a mission president's wife. I didn't realize the extent of the faith that required until I went on my own mission and worked with mission president's wives. What heroines they are!!!

Our vacations were memorable. We often travelled across country to California so Mom could go "home", and we would stay with her mother, Grandma Valantine. Besides visiting aunts and uncles and cousins, we would go to the beach and to the new theme parks, Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm (very different in those days, but still magical!). On the long trips she would read to us from the "Journey to the Land of Promise" series, instilling in us a knowledge of and love for the Book of Mormon stories. Better still, she would make up stories, magical stories, that we were in, of course, of grand adventures and lots of fun.


Our greatest vacations were while we lived in Spain. Unlike most couples who spent their vacation leaving kids with the maids and seeing Europe, my parents took seven children, one a newborn, and my grandmother in a station wagon pulling a rickety trailer carrying our saggy baggy elephant canvas tent, the trusty camp stove, and lots of canned food for a month through Europe. For two summers! What an adventure! How hard it must have been for her, and yet how much we gained from those trips! They changed my life. She also took us older children by herself on trips to Portugal and southern Spain. I could spend hours telling stories from those trips. It wasn't easy for her but she was willing to sacrifice for us to have those experiences. And notice the dresses. She always had us looking our best, even while camping!


She loved little children. She gave her life to children. I remember spending what seemed like hours in the car while Mom picked up every child for Primary or Sunday School whose parents wouldn't take them. She always taught in Primary, even when she held other positions. When she was a temple matron as my father served as counselor in the temple presidency in the Los Angeles temple, she would still spend hours translating lessons and songs into Spanish to teach Primary at the Spanish Branch in Huntington Beach. Even into her eighties, until she got too weak to go to church, she was teaching singing to the nursery children AND teach Relief Society.


And she loved me. One small example: when we lived in Spain she had given me the opportunity to take flamenco dancing lessons. A talent show was coming up for our school (I was in sixth grade), and I was asked to dance. The problem--I didn't have a flamenco dress. Mom took me shopping for the entire day before the program, going from place to place, but as much as she was willing to sacrifice, she just didn't have the money that they cost. I came home and cried myself to sleep because I wouldn't have a dress to dance in. When I woke the next morning, there was a beautiful flamenco dress hanging on my door. My mother had spent the entire night making it out of material she had been saving for drapes. I looked so beautiful! And it was voted as the most beautiful costume.



And she loved her grandchildren. She has fifty of them. And loves them all. When she was younger and more able to give her time and energy, each grandchild thought they were the most special to her. She would play with them, read to them, make up stories about them, and always welcome them to her home, no matter how busy she was. Even when she was getting her degree and going on to get a master's degree in library science, she always had time for her grandchildren. This is her with my oldest son, Jason.


Was she perfect? Of course not. Though she was great with little children, she didn't know how to relate to teenagers. She and I had a rocky relationship during that time. She had a habit of pointing out everything that was wrong about us, from messy hair to not standing up straight to a little extra weight, or anything else she happened to see. But she knew that she was too critical, and I remember her prayers in the last few years always asking to be able to let go of criticism and judgment. And because of her incredible faith in our Savior, I know that she is forgiven and greeted Him during her "Homecoming" spotless and white.

Thank you, Mom, for being my greatest example, for always loving me, for teaching me about my Savior and the great Plan of Happiness, for loving my children and all children, for always giving and giving. You are a blessing to the world. Have fun at Home!!!

Until we meet again,
Dr. Judi

The ANTS Go Marching...

I just came back from San Diego caring for another new grandchild! Looking at his picture just fills me with good thoughts and feelings. I know that filling my brain with good thoughts and feelings is good for it, and keeps the brain pathways "bright" and happy, releasing good chemicals that have a healing effect on my body. So I look at his picture often.

The overall state of our mind is based largely on the types of thoughts we think and the frequency with which we dwell on those thoughts. This is how the brain processes a thought:

• A thought arises
• The brain releases chemicals depending on the nature of the thought
• An electrical transmission goes across your brain creating "feelings"
• You become aware of what you are thinking.

All of this happens in a split second. Notice that the thought arises and feelings are created even before you are aware of the thought. Remember that in a previous blog I talked about how it takes 90 seconds for that thought and feeling to work itself through the body and be released. It takes a split second to think and feel, and 90 seconds to release, unless we hook into that thought and feeling, which would cause it to last much longer.

Negative thoughts activate the deep limbic system and the center base of the brain. People who suffer from depression have an overactive deep limbic system, shown by SPECT scans. When the deep limbic system is overactive, it sets the mind's filter on "negative." The lens through which self is seen is dark and grey. Everything appears negative, and the feelings and thoughts are pessimistic. Dr. Daniel Amen, in "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life", calls them automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs. ANTs are cynical, gloomy, complaining thoughts that just seem to keep marching on, like ants who have discovered leftover food on the picnic table, starting as a trickle, then overwhelming numbers come and take over.

Examples of ANTs:

You never listen to me. After a compliment: This cheap thing? It's as old as the hills. They don't like me. This will never work. A good month in our business doesn't mean anything. You don't care about me. I should have done better. I should exercise more. You're late because you don't care. It's your fault.

ANTs can cause people to be depressed and fatalistic. Because they see the world through dark glasses, all of their experiences prove that life is traumatic, people don't care, they are worthless, etc. The thoughts create the feelings and experiences that we have. If we think on our way home from work that we are worthless and no one wants us home, then even if it isn't true, our mindset will pick up the least little problem and dwell on it, and we will be miserable.

The good news is, we can change our thoughts. When the negative pathways are deep and well-developed, it takes a lot of time, patience, and work, but it can be done. Dr. Amen gives step-by-step "thinking" principles to help heal the deep limbic system.

Step 1--Realize that your thoughts are real and create chemicals that affect your body.

Step 2--Notice how these negative thoughts affect your body. Every time you have an angry, unkind, sad or cranky thought, your brain releases chemicals that make your body feel bad, and activate your deep limbic system that creates more negative thoughts. When most people are angry, their muscles become tense, their hearts beat faster, their hands start to sweat, and they may even feel dizzy. Sometimes the muscle tension is severe enough to cause pain, and chronic pain syndromes can result. Your body reacts to every negative thought you have.

Step 3--Notice how positive thoughts affect your body. Every time you have a good, happy, hopeful, kind or loving thought your brain releases chemicals that make your body feel good, cool the deep limbic system, and have a healing effect. When most people are happy, their muscles relax, their hearts beat more slowly, their hands become dry, and they breathe more slowly.

Step 4--Notice how your body reacts to every thought you have. Whether the thought is about work, family, friends or self, the deep limbic system is responsible for translating our emotional state into physical feelings of relaxation or tension.

Step 5--Think of bad thoughts as pollution. Negative thoughts are very powerful, and have profound effects on the body. Just as severe pollution effects everyone in the area, negative thoughts pollute your deep limbic system, your mind, and your body.

Step 6--Understand that your automatic thoughts don't always tell the truth. We seem to have a natural tendency to believe that what we think is true. But our thoughts usually do not tell the whole truth. They are filtered by our experiences and the pathways developed in our brain. When I was young I thought I was somewhat stupid because I couldn't complete my work as fast as everyone else in the class. I was always the last one finished, and that experience colored my thoughts. It was quite a surprise not only to myself but to my parents when an IQ test given at the school showed me to be highly intelligent! Still, it took time for me to change my thoughts about myself.

Step 7--Talk back to ANTs. You can train your thoughts to be positive and hopeful, or you can allow them to be negative and upset you. You may not be able to control negative thoughts from coming, especially if you have an overactive deep limbic system, but you CAN choose whether to hold onto them and keep thinking them or not. One way to learn how to change your thoughts is to notice them and talk back to them. When you just think a negative thought without challenging it, your mind believes it and your body reacts to it. When you correct negative thoughts, you take away their power over you. Remember the 90 second rule.

Step 8--Exterminate the ANTs by writing them down. One negative thought, like one ant at a picnic, is not a big problem. Two or three negative thoughts become more irritating. When the thoughts start flooding, like the whole colony of ants discovering the picnic, you may have a desire to just pack up and leave, to escape. Whenever you notice these ANTs, you need to crush them. One way is to write down the ANTs as you notice them and talk back to them. If you have a thought, "My daughter never listens to me", write it down. Then write a rational response, such as "My daughter isn't listening to me now, but she is distracted. She often listens to me." This takes away the power of the ANTs and helps cool the deep limbic system. It breaks the programming and brainwashing that the ANTs have created over the years. Sometimes it seems hard to talk back to the thoughts because they feel true. Remember, thoughts often lie to you! It's important to truly check them out before you just believe them.

During our next visit, we will talk about Dr. Amen's list of ways that our thoughts lie to us. Or you can pick up his book if you don't want to wait!

I always appreciate your comments and questions. They really add to this blog.

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi

Anxiety and Icebergs

We are all aware, after being inundated for several years with the story and movie of the Titanic, of the dangers of icebergs. What is seen above the surface of the ocean is not what is dangerous. It is what cannot be seen that causes fear in sailors traversing the colder oceans.

Anxiety is often hard to understand, because what we see above the surface just doesn't make sense. The fears are unreasonable and come at random times. But anxiety is like an iceberg. The fears are based not on what can be seen and understood, but on what is under the surface.

Hi Dr. Judi, I have had a stressful few months and in that time I've had 3 anxiety attacks. I went to my PCP and he wants to put me on Paxil, but after reading all the negative information on the internet I don't want to do that. I have had only one prescription of xanax for the past 8 years and I've used it as needed. What should I do? Also, is anxiety associated with menopause? Thank you

Anxiety is very difficult to work with, but that doesn't mean impossible. Sadly, for the most part, it is treated mostly with medication. Medication may work for a while, but in many cases, over time, the anxiety cannot be completely suppressed by the medication and can possibly become very disabling.

General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
GAD is characterized by excessive, exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events. People with GAD tend to always expect disaster and can't stop worrying about health, money, family, work or school. In people with GAD, the worry often is unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry, fear and dread. Eventually, the anxiety so dominates the person's thinking that it interferes with daily functioning, including work, school, social activities and relationships.

GAD affects the way a person thinks, but the anxiety can lead to physical symptoms, as well.

Symptoms of GAD may include:
· Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
· An unrealistic view of problems
· Restlessness or a feeling of being "edgy"
· Irritability
· Muscle tension
· Headaches
· Sweating
· Difficulty concentrating
· Nausea
· The need to go to the bathroom frequently
· Tiredness
· Trouble falling or staying asleep
· Trembling, especially the hands, and twitches, especially of the eyes
· Being easily startled
· Rapid or heavy heart beat and/or chest pain
· Stomach and/or abdominal pain
· Diarrhea

In addition, people with GAD often have other anxiety disorders (such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias), suffer from depression, and/or abuse drugs or alcohol, or have other addictions.

Panic disorder is a subset of GAD. It is when the nervous system is flashing danger signals at inappropriate times. Without any provocation, they feel the same emotional and physical sensations they would if their lives were in jeopardy. The attacks seem to come out of thin air, in places where there is nothing to fear. Panic disorder typically begins in the late teen years or early-to-mid twenties, but it is now known to exist in children as well. It involves a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort, in which four (or more) of the following symptoms develop abruptly and reach a peak within 10 minutes:
· palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
· sweating
· trembling or shaking
· sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
· feeling of choking
· chest pain or discomfort
· nausea or abdominal distress
· feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
· derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
· fear of losing control or going crazy
· fear of dying
· paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
· chills or hot flushes

The anxiety and fear related to the possibility of having another attack can become debilitating and interfere with normal life.

Now, back to the iceberg. Let's compare the brain to an iceberg. The visible part is the conscious mind, and the invisible part is the subconscious mind, that we don't "see," or have conscious awareness of. The conscious mind is the place that deliberate thoughts and actions come from. The thoughts that we can't control tend to come from the subconscious mind.

When we are born and when we are very young we do not have a well-developed conscious mind. Our subconscious mind is like an open bowl, accepting everything that comes into it as truth: every thought, experience, teaching and belief that is poured into it is accepted as truth. Also, when there are traumatic events, such as abuse, illness, accidents, etc., often a piece of the subconscious mind holds onto that traumatic event as if it is the deciding force of our life.

As we grow and begin to develop our conscious mind, we can overcome some of the illogical beliefs of our childhood. We can see that just because a bully beat me up several times, that the world isn't necessarily full of bullies. We may even forget about the bullies, because they don't bother us anymore. But our subconscious mind still functions from its own truth that a bully could beat me up any time. This is where anxiety comes from. I will often refer to it as the child within, that is stuck in the belief system or trauma it experienced.

Suppose the bully was blond with full lips. There may be someone in our life that is blond with full lips. We may not even think about associating this person with the bully, but the "child" within, or the subconscious mind, will, and may trigger anxiety or a panic attack. Or when life is uncertain, when we don't know what is next for us, the "child" within may be triggered because he was daily terrified and uncertain what was going to happen on his way home from school. Or someone may use the same words the bully did, or have the same look or mannerism, and the anxiety is triggered.

Because our subconscious mind was mostly formed when we were young, our reactions to the unknown triggers are often childish. We get upset at ourselves because we "know better." Why would we be anxious about this? Or angry at that? Like a child, the anxious person often seems very selfish. Their mind loops over and over about their anxieties, and they don't have the capacity to be outward focused. Their fears may rule their minds, and they are unable to deal with the concerns of others. The anxiety is magnified because they see often see how selfish they are being, how they are constantly focusing on themselves, how they are so needy, how they are often difficult to live with, and yet they seem unable to change it.

Traditional treatment is generally a combination of medication and cognitive behavioral therapy. This may be adequate for some people, though not for all. Other therapies, less traditional, may be a combination of multiple therapies. Anxiety caused by post-traumatice stress disorder can often be helped with rapid eye movement therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR). Phobias are often improved with Emotional Freedom Technique, which involves tapping certain acupuncture points while the person is focusing on their fears.

I use a therapy created by Detriech Klinghardt, M.D., called Applied Psychoneurobiology, to access the subconscious mind and discover where the fears are coming from. We also check for hypoglycemia, which can increase anxiety. We also often use neurofeedback to reduce excessive Beta waves, which are associated with anxiety.

We can't always avoid the icebergs, but when we are aware of what is underneath, we can begin to deal with them. Severe, long-term anxiety may take a year or more to work through, because the brain has established pathways over the years that take a lot of effort to break up and change, so it is important to be very patient with yourself or your loved one as treatment is progressing.

Is anxiety associated with menopause? I'll answer that one soon.

Until we meet again,

Dr. Judi