Big Pharma’s Most Dangerous Lie and the Dark Truth About Weed

[00:00:00] Thank you, doctor. [00:00:02] You study the brain. Um, not just [00:00:04] emotions, but but the the physical [00:00:06] brain, the actual biology of the brain. [00:00:08] Um, I've got a lot of questions for you [00:00:10] about that, but let's just start with [00:00:13] cannabis. [00:00:14] What are the effects of cannabis on the [00:00:16] brain, marijuana on the brain? So I [00:00:18] published a study on a thousand [00:00:21] marijuana users, compared it to our [00:00:24] healthy group. Every area of their brain [00:00:28] was lower in blood flow and activity. [00:00:32] And then just this year, [00:00:34] >> measurably [00:00:35] >> measurably on the imaging study we do, [00:00:39] which is called Specton [00:00:43] emission computed tomography. It looks [00:00:46] at blood flow activity but also looks at [00:00:50] mitochondrial function. [00:00:54] [Music] [00:00:58] [Applause] [00:00:59] [Music] [00:01:07] [Applause] [00:01:07] [Music] [00:01:12] I have to ask you so pardon my [00:01:13] ignorance. mitochondrial function. [00:01:15] >> So the mitochondria are the little [00:01:17] energy powerhouses in your cell. They um [00:01:23] activate and keep the cell energized and [00:01:27] alive. And 49% of the tracer that we do [00:01:32] this study with is actually taken up by [00:01:35] the mitochondria in the brain. So when [00:01:38] we see low activity, that's really low [00:01:43] activity along with decreased blood [00:01:46] flow. And then there's a new study by a [00:01:50] completely separate group than ours on a [00:01:52] thousand young marijuana users and the [00:01:56] areas of the brain involved in learning [00:02:00] and memory were low in blood flow and [00:02:03] activity. So, it's not just me because I [00:02:07] have a problem with marijuana. It's [00:02:09] other scientists as well saying [00:02:12] marijuana is not great for the brain. [00:02:17] >> What are the effects of less [00:02:19] mitochondrial activity and lower blood [00:02:22] flow? [00:02:23] >> So, it can go with tiredness. It can go [00:02:27] with low motivation. It can go with [00:02:30] depression over time. It can go with [00:02:33] more anxiety because your brain can't [00:02:36] settle it down. And in vulnerable [00:02:40] people, it can go with an increased risk [00:02:43] of psychosis. Huh. How does that work? [00:02:47] We're all of a sudden seeing because [00:02:49] marijuana is not a drug. It's a [00:02:51] medicine. We've been told it's the most [00:02:53] healing medicine ever discovered. It's [00:02:55] quote natural. God made it. Um and it's [00:02:59] the answer to most of our physical and [00:03:01] psychological problems. And now all of a [00:03:02] sudden there seem to be all these [00:03:04] studies showing a direct connection [00:03:06] between heavy marijuana use and [00:03:08] psychosis. [00:03:10] Is that connection real? And if so, how [00:03:13] exactly does that happen? Do we know? [00:03:15] >> Well, it's absolutely real. And people [00:03:19] who have a certain genetic makeup are [00:03:22] more vulnerable to becoming psychotic. [00:03:26] one gene in particular, if you have a [00:03:31] combination of an abnormality in that [00:03:35] gene, you have a 7fold, so that's a 700% [00:03:41] increased risk of becoming psychotic if [00:03:44] you are a heavy user of marijuana. So, [00:03:49] not for everybody, right? But for [00:03:52] everybody, the risk is somewhere between [00:03:55] 2 to four times. Um, especially if you [00:03:58] start young. And now it's the young that [00:04:01] are suffering from the idea that [00:04:06] marijuana is innocuous because it's not [00:04:09] innocuous. But because they think it's [00:04:11] inocuous, I think psilocybin is going to [00:04:14] go the same way. When the perception of [00:04:17] the dangerousness of a drug goes down, [00:04:19] its use goes up. And that's what we've [00:04:23] seen. And teenagers who use have a [00:04:27] higher incidence of anxiety, depression, [00:04:31] suicide, and psychosis in their 20s. [00:04:35] And so you're taking a developing brain [00:04:39] and altering how that brain develops. [00:04:44] And [00:04:46] what what we're seeing is the highest [00:04:49] incidence of brain and mental health [00:04:52] problems in young people we have ever [00:04:54] seen. Study from the CDC, 57% of teenage [00:04:59] girls report being persistently sad. [00:05:04] >> 57% [00:05:05] >> 57% 32% thought of killing themselves. [00:05:09] Think of that. of all girl this is a [00:05:12] whole population [00:05:13] >> girls teenage um girls 32% have thought [00:05:17] of killing themselves [00:05:18] >> 32% of all teenage girls in the United [00:05:20] States [00:05:21] >> yes 24% have planned to kill themselves [00:05:26] and 13% have tried [00:05:29] we're in this mental mess and we have to [00:05:33] go why and and it's more complicated [00:05:37] than just marijuana but marijuana is [00:05:40] clearly part of it and part of it are [00:05:44] the societal lies that I've seen from [00:05:48] the 80s. So I started my psychiatric [00:05:53] residency in 1982 and I trained at the [00:05:55] Walter Reed Army Medical Center in [00:05:57] Washington DC and 1987 [00:06:03] video games started to come out and [00:06:05] they're like oh these are so exciting [00:06:10] with no neuroscience study on what do [00:06:13] video games do to development and it's [00:06:16] not good. There's not been great studies [00:06:19] that say, "Oh, yeah, these are really [00:06:20] great for brain development." And then [00:06:23] in the early '9s, alcohol is a health [00:06:26] food, right? My first clinic is in [00:06:28] Northern California. I have 11 clinics, [00:06:32] and it was right outside the Napa [00:06:34] Valley. And the Napa Valley produces a [00:06:37] lot of wine in the United States. Was so [00:06:39] excited. You should have a glass or two [00:06:42] every night, and that's good for your [00:06:44] heart. [00:06:46] No, it's bad for your brain. [00:06:49] And now the [00:06:50] >> a glass or two of wine is bad for your [00:06:52] brain. [00:06:53] >> The American Cancer Society came out [00:06:55] four years ago against any alcohol [00:06:58] because any alcohol is associated with [00:07:01] an increased risk of eight different [00:07:03] cancers. [00:07:05] And then, you know, we did a prize fight [00:07:09] between marijuana and alcohol and it [00:07:12] went 12 rounds. [00:07:15] Alcohol causes a lot of devastation, [00:07:19] perhaps more than marijuana. But the [00:07:21] idea in society is alcohol is a health [00:07:25] food. It's a lie. And then [00:07:30] pain is the fifth vital sign. It's you [00:07:34] need opiates if you're in pain. Well, [00:07:37] that sort of didn't turn out well. No, [00:07:39] it didn't [00:07:39] >> for us. Or benzo or mommy's little [00:07:42] helper. Um, and that didn't turn out [00:07:46] well. [00:07:46] >> So, these are all trends just in the 43 [00:07:48] years since you've been practicing [00:07:50] psychiatry. These are all trends that [00:07:52] you've lived through. [00:07:53] >> Little lies that I see, not little, huge [00:07:56] societal lies. And then, and I'm also a [00:08:00] child psychiatrist. And so I would often [00:08:02] see 16 year olds, 17 year olds, and [00:08:05] parents would bring him in because I [00:08:07] think he has ADD. And I'm like, okay. [00:08:11] And as I would scan them, cuz that's [00:08:14] what I do at Aean Clinics. We look at [00:08:16] your brain. The brain looks toxic. And [00:08:19] and it shouldn't look toxic in a 16 year [00:08:22] old. And initially you ask the child, [00:08:26] you know, are you using any drugs? Of [00:08:28] course not. And then I'm like, "But you [00:08:31] have a toxic brain." And then they start [00:08:33] crying because I I teach them how [00:08:35] important their brain is. Your brain is [00:08:38] involved in everything you do, how you [00:08:41] think, how you feel, how you act, how [00:08:44] you get along with other people. And [00:08:46] when this works right, you work right. [00:08:48] And when it doesn't, you don't. [00:08:52] >> And it looks toxic. So, you can tell, [00:08:55] again, pardon the dumb questions, but [00:08:57] you can tell [00:08:59] >> from a brain scan of a 16-year-old [00:09:00] whether that child's using drugs. [00:09:03] >> I can tell whether or not it's toxic. [00:09:06] And then I have to find out, well, why [00:09:07] is it toxic? [00:09:09] >> And it could be toxic from drug use. It [00:09:11] could be toxic because they live in a [00:09:13] mold-filled home. It could be toxic [00:09:15] because they have Lyme disease and the [00:09:19] infection is causing their brain to look [00:09:23] older than they are. But but that's all [00:09:26] evident in the scan. [00:09:27] >> That's all evident in the scan. It's [00:09:30] toxic. Now it's my job then to figure [00:09:33] out why. And so when I see the toxic [00:09:36] scan in this ADD 16-year-old who did not [00:09:41] have ADD or ADHD when he was seven, [00:09:45] right? It's not something you just pick [00:09:47] up. If you really have ADHD, [00:09:51] you had it your whole life. If it just [00:09:54] shows up, you either had a head injury, [00:09:56] you're doing drugs, or you're living in [00:09:58] a mold-filled home. There's a reason [00:10:02] why. And stimulants are not the answer [00:10:05] to [00:10:08] drug use, [00:10:10] but they often get [00:10:11] >> poor drug use is not the answer. [00:10:14] >> It's not the answer. And so I'll show [00:10:17] the kid their scan and then go through [00:10:20] this exercise with them and they'll [00:10:21] start to cry and they go, "You won't [00:10:24] tell my mom." And I'm like, "No, I'm [00:10:27] pretty sure we should [00:10:31] because otherwise, how are you going to [00:10:34] get the help you need?" And they're [00:10:36] like, "Well, stop. I promise." [00:10:39] And the scans are so helpful for me. A [00:10:43] little bit like a lie detector because [00:10:46] it's really hard to say, "Oh, no. I'm [00:10:49] not using." when your brain looks toxic [00:10:53] and there's not another good reason that [00:10:56] it looks toxic. And that's and that's [00:10:58] why [00:11:00] marijuana is innocuous. I'm like, well, [00:11:02] you've not been in my chair for the last [00:11:05] 43 years. So, the beauty of Thanksgiving [00:11:07] is that it celebrates real food. I mean, [00:11:09] at the core of the holiday is actual [00:11:11] food, not synthetic garbage, the kind [00:11:14] that is almost irresistible. So, [00:11:16] wouldn't it be nice if the country [00:11:17] embraced if all of us embraced actual [00:11:18] food during the rest of the year? [00:11:20] ditching your standard and truly [00:11:22] disgusting American chip brands for [00:11:23] chips that aren't terrible for you that [00:11:25] have only three ingredients. That would [00:11:27] be Vandy Crisps. That'd be a great place [00:11:29] to start. Vandy is about reviving real [00:11:33] food. 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Use the code Tucker for 25% [00:12:15] off your first order at vandycrisps.com [00:12:18] or head to masachips.com. [00:12:21] Simply click the link in the video [00:12:23] description. Or to make it even easier, [00:12:24] scan the QR code for this offer. Or if [00:12:26] you don't want to go online, just go to [00:12:28] Sprouts Supermarket, your local Sprouts, [00:12:31] and they have them both. Stop by and [00:12:32] pick up a bag because they're great. So, [00:12:35] have have you noticed since you do treat [00:12:37] children as well, an increase in damaged [00:12:40] brains that you can attribute to [00:12:42] marijuana use? [00:12:43] >> Absolutely. [00:12:45] An increase from when we started. [00:12:48] So, that seems like a public health [00:12:50] concern. It's totally a public health [00:12:53] concern. We should be completely freaked [00:12:55] out. And uh people are like, "Marijuana [00:12:59] is innocuous. Marijuana is innocuous." [00:13:01] And it's like, "Why are you saying that [00:13:04] when increase for a minute probably. [00:13:06] >> Well, the marijuana industry, which [00:13:08] hates me, um, spends $3 billion a year [00:13:13] on marketing. So, how is how are they [00:13:15] different from the Sacklers at Purdue [00:13:16] Pharma then? [00:13:19] Like lying to people about the health [00:13:21] effects of the drug they're profiting [00:13:22] from. [00:13:24] I mean, it seems like the same. It's a [00:13:27] weapon of mass destruction. [00:13:29] >> Marijuana. [00:13:30] >> Marijuana. [00:13:32] And the the the weed industry hates you. [00:13:35] >> Of course. [00:13:37] >> Have they attacked you [00:13:38] >> all the time? Really? What do they say? [00:13:40] >> If I post something on one of my social [00:13:43] media sites, they'll call me a charlatan [00:13:46] and hysterical and that I should get [00:13:48] high. [00:13:51] They should take my medical license and [00:13:53] all sorts of things. [00:13:54] >> Take your medical license. [00:13:55] >> Yeah. For because they'll do anything to [00:13:59] try to shut me up. But it's like, how do [00:14:02] you not talk about the truth? And it's [00:14:04] like, well, how do you know? It's like, [00:14:06] well, I look at the brain, and if your [00:14:08] brain is not right, well, you're not [00:14:12] right. Yeah. I just didn't know until we [00:14:16] had breakfast a minute ago that that [00:14:19] kind of damage was so or any kind of [00:14:21] damage to the brain was was more subtle [00:14:23] damage, not, you know, head injury [00:14:24] damage, but damage from drugs, for [00:14:26] example, was detectable on a brain scan. [00:14:32] Yeah. So interesting. Um so spec the [00:14:36] study we do gives you this really [00:14:39] beautiful 3D look at activity and a [00:14:44] healthy scan shows full even symmetrical [00:14:48] activity with most of the activity being [00:14:51] in the cerebellum. So the cerebellum is [00:14:54] the back bottom part of the brain. Um, [00:14:57] cerebellum is Latin for little brain. [00:15:00] It's 10% of the brain's volume, but has [00:15:04] 50% of the brain's neurons. And alcohol [00:15:08] is directly toxic to the cerebellum. [00:15:11] Well, so is marijuana. And that's why [00:15:13] you shouldn't drive [00:15:16] when you're high. [00:15:17] >> And so, what is this? What happens in [00:15:18] the cerebellum? [00:15:19] >> So, so many interesting things. It's [00:15:22] sort of the Rodney Dangerfield part of [00:15:24] the brain. and it gets no respect. Uh [00:15:27] >> this would be the lower brain we [00:15:28] referred to, not the higher brain. [00:15:30] >> Well, it's it's so important because [00:15:33] it's connected to the the rest of the [00:15:35] brain. And it used to be thought that [00:15:38] the cerebellum was involved in [00:15:40] coordination, physical coordination. [00:15:43] Well, now we know it's also involved in [00:15:46] thought coordination. How quickly you [00:15:49] can integrate new information. And [00:15:52] marijuana slows the function of the [00:15:55] cerebellum. So your thoughts become [00:15:58] slower. And you're less coordinated, [00:16:02] which is why you shouldn't drive if [00:16:04] you're high. [00:16:06] Interesting. Um, I mean that was all [00:16:09] kind of known when I started smoking [00:16:12] marijuana uh right around 1982 [00:16:16] uh or 81 and it was like the classic [00:16:20] profile of the stoner. Hey man, you [00:16:23] know, slow, [00:16:25] you know, molasses pace uh cadence to [00:16:28] the language, droopy eyes, [00:16:31] eating lots of snack food, kind of not [00:16:33] doing anything. Like people sort of knew [00:16:35] even then when weed was way less potent [00:16:37] than it is now that it slowed you way [00:16:40] down. But that's because it slows your [00:16:42] brain down. Because it slows your brain [00:16:45] down. It certainly alters your brain. It [00:16:49] works on um CB1 receptors. So there are [00:16:55] cannabis receptors in your brain uh [00:16:59] endockinabonoid receptors. [00:17:02] And it activates dopamine which means [00:17:08] you feel high [00:17:10] >> it feel rewarded want to do it again [00:17:14] >> for sure [00:17:14] >> and in vulnerable people it actually [00:17:17] disrupts dopamine. So it doesn't work [00:17:21] consistently effectively and if it [00:17:24] disrupts it if it goes too high then for [00:17:28] vulnerable people you can become [00:17:30] psychotic. you can begin to lose touch [00:17:33] with what's real and what's not real. So [00:17:37] if you think of psychosis, that's the [00:17:39] definition of psychosis is you begin to [00:17:42] have trouble differentiating [00:17:44] what's real and what's not. You might [00:17:46] have delusions, hallucinations, [00:17:50] um, and it triggers uh psychosis that in [00:17:56] some people will turn into [00:17:57] schizophrenia. [00:17:59] uh which is arguably the worst [00:18:01] psychiatric illness. Um [00:18:03] >> arguably the worst illness there is, [00:18:04] period. I can't think of anything worse [00:18:07] than that. [00:18:08] >> No, it's awful. Um and so why would you [00:18:13] use something if you didn't know your [00:18:15] genetic risk [00:18:18] that could flip you into not knowing [00:18:22] what's real or not [00:18:25] because you had no idea it was risky. [00:18:28] And you don't love your brain. See, I'm [00:18:31] I heard President Trump talk at the [00:18:34] Department of Justice. He had a [00:18:35] conversation with the Mexican president [00:18:39] about why Mexico exports drugs, but [00:18:43] they're not a big drugusing [00:18:46] country, which I thought was really [00:18:48] interesting. And she said, "Well, family [00:18:50] is really important to us." And he's [00:18:52] like, "Well, family is important to us." [00:18:54] and she said, "And we have a wicked drug [00:18:57] education campaign." And he's like, "Oh, [00:19:01] we should do that." And so I wrote my [00:19:04] friend at the White House. I'm like, [00:19:06] "You have to teach people to love their [00:19:08] brain first before you tell them [00:19:12] something's bad for them." Because as [00:19:14] soon as you tell them something's bad [00:19:16] for them, they want to do it. Right? In [00:19:19] the book of Genesis, God says, "Don't [00:19:22] eat from the tree." The next scene, [00:19:26] they're eating from the tree. So, if I [00:19:30] was God, and I never try to play God, [00:19:32] but if I was God and I was counseling [00:19:34] God, I'd like, tell them if they eat [00:19:37] from the tree, she's going to have to [00:19:39] wear clothes [00:19:42] and that they're going to get kicked [00:19:44] out. It's like, tell them, ask them what [00:19:46] they want. [00:19:48] And then well what's the consequences? [00:19:52] And so the first thing is teach them to [00:19:56] love their brains. And if you love it [00:20:00] because it controls everything you do. [00:20:04] >> Well, why would you hurt it unless you [00:20:06] were not that smart? [00:20:08] But it's got you got to have that [00:20:11] foundational step. Um I call it brain [00:20:14] envy. I always say Freud was wrong. [00:20:17] Penis envy is not the cause of anybody's [00:20:20] problem. [00:20:22] Got to love your brain. It's the only [00:20:24] organ in your body where size really [00:20:27] does matter. It's your brain because it [00:20:32] controls everything. [00:20:32] >> Size does matter. [00:20:33] >> Size matters. You don't want a smaller [00:20:38] brain. [00:20:40] Huh. and alcohol, [00:20:43] marijuana, [00:20:44] being overweight, [00:20:47] they all decrease the size of your [00:20:50] brain. So Christmas is almost upon us. [00:20:53] Before you get caught up in all the [00:20:54] shopping and the presents and the [00:20:56] travel, it's worth reminding yourself of [00:20:58] why we're doing this in the first place. [00:21:00] Because of Jesus, his birth. That's what [00:21:03] Christmas is. And that's one of the many [00:21:05] reasons that we recommend the Hallow [00:21:07] app, which is amazing. So this advent [00:21:10] experience the same peace that Mary [00:21:12] found in her Bethlehem manger through [00:21:13] Hallow's pray 25 advent challenge. The [00:21:17] whole program revolves around quiet and [00:21:19] calm being still. All of us, especially [00:21:22] me, could use more of that. Spending [00:21:24] less time on to-do lists and online and [00:21:27] more time in prayer in silence with God. [00:21:30] Psalm 49, be still and know that I am [00:21:32] God. That is the idea behind this prayer [00:21:34] challenge. You're going to follow along [00:21:36] in my house every day. We talk about it [00:21:38] every night. Dive into the story of the [00:21:40] nativity like never before. Experience [00:21:42] the stillness of the Holy Family amidst [00:21:44] the chaos and busyiness of the world. [00:21:46] Get three months for free of Hallow at [00:21:49] hallow.com/tucker. [00:21:50] And get ready for the most peaceful [00:21:53] peacefilled Christmas ever. [00:21:56] Hallow.com/tucker. [00:21:58] Being overweight decreases the size of [00:22:00] your brain. [00:22:00] >> Yeah. Horrible study. Um, out of the [00:22:04] University of Pittsburgh. My friend [00:22:05] Cyrus Rajie published it. He looked at [00:22:08] MRI scans of people who are healthy [00:22:12] weight. So a BMI between 18.5 and 25 [00:22:16] overweight 25 to 30 BMI or over 30 [00:22:22] obese. [00:22:24] The people who were overweight had 4% [00:22:28] less volume in their brain. So less [00:22:31] brain tissue and their brains looked 8 [00:22:34] years older than they were. People who [00:22:37] were obese had 8% less volume. Think [00:22:42] about that. And their brains look 16 [00:22:45] years older. I looked at my healthy [00:22:48] group that um [00:22:51] we have at clinics and cuz when we were [00:22:55] looking at healthy, we weren't looking [00:22:56] at weight. And after that study came [00:22:58] out, um, we saw exactly the same thing. [00:23:02] And then I did a big NFL study and I [00:23:05] looked at my healthyweight NFL players [00:23:07] and my overweight NFL players. And the [00:23:10] overweight NFL players had significantly [00:23:13] lower activity in their frontal loes. So [00:23:17] the frontal loes is the most human [00:23:20] thoughtful part of your brain. Uh, it's [00:23:23] um 30% of the human brain, 11% of the [00:23:27] chimpanzee brain, 7% of your dog's [00:23:30] brain, 3% of your cat's brain, which is [00:23:33] why cats need nine lives. Anyways, [00:23:36] significantly [00:23:38] lower blood flow and activity in their [00:23:42] frontal loes. What weight does, [00:23:46] excess weight increases something called [00:23:49] inflammatory cytoines. So, the fat on [00:23:52] your belly is not your friend. It [00:23:57] decreases blood flow. It increases [00:24:00] inflammation. It prematurely ages your [00:24:03] brain. Um, it takes healthy testosterone [00:24:07] and flips it into unhealthy [00:24:10] cancerpromoting forms of estrogen, which [00:24:13] is why being overweight increases your [00:24:16] risk of 30 different cancers. [00:24:20] >> Really? And it lowers your testosterone. [00:24:22] >> Lowers your testosterone. [00:24:26] >> And is it Wow, that's that's [00:24:28] unbelievable. Is that widely known? [00:24:30] >> Yes. [00:24:32] >> Usually the last widely known in [00:24:34] scientific circles that obesity is [00:24:38] associated [00:24:40] with at least 30 different medical [00:24:43] conditions, but including cancer. [00:24:45] >> What does marijuana do to testosterone [00:24:47] levels? [00:24:50] lowers it. [00:24:51] >> Conclusively, you can say that. [00:24:53] >> Yes. [00:24:54] And there's and you know, we have this [00:24:56] younger generation who have low [00:24:59] testosterone levels. They've been [00:25:00] getting lower and lower. And we have to [00:25:02] ask them, so why is that? And part of it [00:25:08] is, this is going to sound really crazy, [00:25:10] but I believe it. The dermatologist won. [00:25:14] They made us afraid of the sun. And now [00:25:17] we have these record levels of low [00:25:21] vitamin D levels, but we also have [00:25:24] record levels of toxins being put on our [00:25:27] bodies. So mom thinks she's really being [00:25:31] a great mom if she lathers her son or [00:25:36] her daughter with sunscreen. And now [00:25:39] you've seen in the last couple of years, [00:25:41] sunscreens have come under um a lot of [00:25:44] scrutiny because of the [00:25:48] toxins they have in them that if you put [00:25:51] it on someone's skin, it goes into their [00:25:53] body. [00:25:54] >> What kind of toxins? [00:25:56] >> Like parabens [00:25:57] and phalates. was a brand new study [00:25:59] where they looked at cord blood and um [00:26:04] autism and pe moms who had higher levels [00:26:08] of phalates had five times increased [00:26:12] risk of having an autistic child. So [00:26:16] when Secretary Kennedy says we're going [00:26:19] to look at toxic exposure and autism, [00:26:24] I'm like we absolutely should look at [00:26:26] that. Um I wrote an op-ed piece in the [00:26:29] New York Times recently. Um it was [00:26:31] actually in response to Alan Francis who [00:26:35] was in charge he's a psychiatrist very [00:26:38] famous was in charge of the DSM4 [00:26:40] committee. So the DSM the diagnostic and [00:26:43] statistical manual its fourth version [00:26:46] changed the diagnostic criteria. hugely [00:26:49] significant book, [00:26:50] >> huge. Um, and he said, "Well, that's the [00:26:55] reason for the rise in autism." And I [00:27:01] wrote, "That's sort of like the fox [00:27:04] guarding the hen house. It's, you know, [00:27:08] autism clearly has exploded and it's not [00:27:12] just due to different diagnostic [00:27:15] >> or older fathers or [00:27:17] >> it's it's due to a gene environmental [00:27:23] bomb. Something has happened in our [00:27:26] society where in California now it's [00:27:30] insane. One in 12 boys uh will meet the [00:27:35] diagnostic criteria for autism. That [00:27:38] should just scare us to our core. And so [00:27:42] what is different? Is it Tylenol? Is it [00:27:48] phalates? Is it parabens? Is it [00:27:50] aspartame? Um it's this crazy study on [00:27:54] aspartame which is in diet sodas and [00:27:58] many diet products. aspartame is in [00:28:00] 5,000 [00:28:02] uh diet products. So, they did this [00:28:05] study on rats and they gave rats [00:28:08] aspartame and it made them insanely [00:28:10] anxious and then they gave them volume [00:28:14] and it calmed them down. It's like, [00:28:17] okay, that was pretty crazy. But the the [00:28:20] part about the study that bothered me [00:28:22] the most [00:28:24] was their babies who had never been [00:28:27] exposed to aspartame were anxious and [00:28:30] their grandbabies were anxious. It had [00:28:35] generational [00:28:37] consequences. [00:28:38] >> Does that mean it had a it altered the [00:28:40] genetics of the rats? [00:28:41] >> The epigenetics. [00:28:43] >> Epigenetics. [00:28:43] >> So epigenetics is [00:28:47] >> on top of your genes. They're switches [00:28:50] and you can turn them on or off based on [00:28:56] what you're exposed to. [00:28:59] And so imagine this when you have a baby [00:29:04] girl. So in our family, we have five [00:29:08] girls. Um yes, I have five sisters. God [00:29:12] hates me. And [00:29:14] >> you have five sisters. [00:29:15] >> I have five sisters and five daughters. [00:29:17] and I love them all dearly. But when a [00:29:21] baby girl is born, she's born with all [00:29:24] of the eggs in her ovaries she will ever [00:29:28] have. [00:29:28] >> Yes. [00:29:29] >> And what happens to her is turning on or [00:29:33] off those switches, [00:29:36] making illness more or less likely in [00:29:41] her babies [00:29:43] and in her grandbabies. because if she [00:29:46] has a baby girl, that baby girl is born [00:29:48] with all of the eggs she'll ever have. [00:29:50] And I think we should teach every [00:29:53] teenage [00:29:54] girl and boy that your decisions have [00:29:58] generational [00:30:00] consequences. I'm a huge advocate for [00:30:03] teaching brain health early [00:30:06] because and it it all goes down to one [00:30:09] question that I love so much. I used to [00:30:13] play a game with my daughter Chloe when [00:30:16] she was two and I'm like, "Hey Chloe, [00:30:19] good for your brain or bad for it?" And [00:30:21] if I went avocados, she'd go, "Two [00:30:24] thumbs up. God's butter." If I said [00:30:28] blueberries, she'd put her little hands [00:30:29] on her hips and go, "Are they organic?" [00:30:32] Because non-organic berries hold more [00:30:34] pesticides than almost any other fruit. [00:30:37] If I said hitting a soccer ball with [00:30:39] your head, oh, so stupid. um or talking [00:30:43] back to your red-headed mother. Very bad [00:30:46] for your brain. [00:30:47] >> Dangerous in fact, [00:30:48] >> but it's that question, what I'm doing [00:30:51] right now, is this good for my brain or [00:30:55] is it bad for it? And if I can answer [00:30:58] that with information and love, I just [00:31:00] tend to do the right thing because most [00:31:03] of us have self-interest in mind and I'm [00:31:06] like, activate it, right? What do you [00:31:09] want in your relationships? What do you [00:31:12] want in your work? What do you want in [00:31:13] your money? What do you want in your [00:31:14] physical health, your emotional health, [00:31:17] your spiritual health? And so, when you [00:31:20] really get to what you want, you don't [00:31:24] really want the substances [00:31:26] because they don't get you what you [00:31:28] want, right? Like, but I want to feel [00:31:30] better. Okay. Well, there's probably 30 [00:31:34] other ways to feel better. We just don't [00:31:37] teach any of them. in school. Like, how [00:31:40] crazy is that? Like, one of the things I [00:31:42] teach my patients, how to kill the ants. [00:31:44] And stands for automatic negative [00:31:46] thoughts. Thoughts that come into your [00:31:48] mind automatically and ruin your day. [00:31:51] And I was 28 years old in my psychiatric [00:31:55] residency when a professor said, "You [00:31:57] have to teach your patients not to [00:31:58] believe every stupid thing they think." [00:32:01] And I'm like, "But I believe every [00:32:03] stupid thing." [00:32:04] >> Right. Most of us do. It's like, you [00:32:07] mean I don't have to believe the noise [00:32:10] or the nonsense that my brain creates? [00:32:14] They should have taught me that when I [00:32:16] was a second grader, how to manage my [00:32:18] mind. Um, I'm friends with Paul Simon [00:32:21] and I Paul's song Kodchrome is one of my [00:32:25] favorites. Starts with when I think back [00:32:27] on all the crap I learned in high [00:32:29] school. It's a wonder I can think at [00:32:30] all. [00:32:31] >> Yes. [00:32:32] And I'm like, why can't we be more [00:32:37] effective? Hate to brag, but we're [00:32:39] pretty confident this show is the most [00:32:41] vehemently pro- dog dog podcast you're [00:32:44] ever going to see. We can take or leave [00:32:46] some people, but dogs are [00:32:48] non-negotiable. They are the best. They [00:32:51] really are our best friends. And so, for [00:32:52] that reason, we're thrilled to have a [00:32:53] new partner called Dutch Pet. 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No wasted money on clinics [00:33:45] or visit fees. Unlimited visits and [00:33:47] follow-ups for no extra cost. Plus, free [00:33:49] shipping on all products for up to five [00:33:51] pets. It sounds amazing like it couldn't [00:33:54] be real, but it actually is real. Visit [00:33:56] dutch.com/tucker [00:33:58] to learn more. Use the code Tucker for [00:34:00] 50 bucks off your veterinary care per [00:34:02] year. Your dogs, your cats, and your [00:34:05] wallet will thank you. Well, I mean, you [00:34:08] you said that the president of Mexico [00:34:11] said that Mexico doesn't have uh, you [00:34:14] know, pervasive drug pro use drug use [00:34:16] problems because even though their [00:34:18] economy is based on selling drugs, [00:34:20] Mexicans don't use drugs at the rate [00:34:22] Americans do because they have a very [00:34:23] aggressive drug education program. [00:34:26] We also have a drug education program [00:34:28] run by the drug peddlers that is super [00:34:32] effective. I mean I I think if you ask [00:34:34] people about marijuana, the first the [00:34:38] first instinct is why are you judging [00:34:39] me? Settle down. You're too uptight. [00:34:42] And the second is it's way better than [00:34:44] alcohol and like you got to get lit on [00:34:47] something and so you might as well [00:34:48] choose weed over booze. And the third is [00:34:51] unlike alcohol, cannabis is actually a [00:34:54] like a real medicine, effective [00:34:56] medicine. It can save people's lives. [00:34:59] That I mean that is the story that we [00:35:00] hear every day. Assess the last part. Is [00:35:03] marijuana a medicine? [00:35:06] Well, I think when used properly, it can [00:35:09] be helpful. So, for example, my [00:35:13] mother-in-law, who I love dearly, um had [00:35:17] stage four lung cancer and wasn't [00:35:21] eating. [00:35:21] >> Mhm. And I'm like, absolutely. Let's see [00:35:26] if uh [00:35:29] marijuana will help her. Um for certain [00:35:33] people with glaucoma, it can be helpful. [00:35:35] >> Did Did it help her? [00:35:36] >> Yes. [00:35:38] um [00:35:43] but not for much else. And if you're [00:35:45] using it for anxiety, it's going to make [00:35:48] you more anxious. [00:35:49] >> So yes, um so glaucoma, which is [00:35:53] swelling of the eye, maybe. [00:35:54] >> Yes. [00:35:55] >> Okay. [00:35:56] >> Increased intraocular pressure. [00:35:59] >> Okay. [00:36:00] >> And um and to help with appetite. Okay. [00:36:04] It can help with pain, but if you start [00:36:09] using it for pain, you're not going to [00:36:11] stop. [00:36:13] And um [00:36:14] >> why do you say that? What does it mean? [00:36:16] >> Well, if you're using it for pain, it's [00:36:19] going to suppress the pain. And when you [00:36:21] stop using it, it's going to come back. [00:36:24] So, if you don't go to the origin of the [00:36:28] pain, [00:36:29] >> Yes. and pain. [00:36:32] I have a new book coming out in [00:36:33] December, Change Your Brain, Change Your [00:36:35] Pain. And I talk about this in the book. [00:36:38] If you have chronic pain, um, say you [00:36:40] have pain for 3 weeks or four weeks, [00:36:44] well, pretty soon it's no longer in your [00:36:46] back or just in your back. It's actually [00:36:49] in your brain. That your brain with pain [00:36:53] becomes remodeled. [00:36:54] >> Yes. [00:36:56] And pain is now felt [00:36:59] in your back, but it's in your brain. [00:37:02] And if you're really going to go after [00:37:04] that chronic pain, you have to get your [00:37:07] brain healthy. And so if you're using [00:37:11] marijuana for the chronic pain, it's [00:37:14] suppressing those pain centers, but it's [00:37:17] not getting your brain healthy. And so [00:37:21] when you stop the marijuana, the pain is [00:37:23] just going to come back. And it's very [00:37:27] important in the book I talk about the [00:37:30] doom loop where you have pain for any [00:37:33] reason which then triggers the suffering [00:37:36] circuits in the brain that actually are [00:37:39] the same ones for anxiety and [00:37:41] depression. anxiety, depression, pain, [00:37:43] the same circuits in the brain, which [00:37:46] then triggers this flood of ants, [00:37:48] automatic negative thoughts. I need [00:37:50] surgery. I'll never be well, I'll always [00:37:53] be in pain. Um, which then triggers [00:37:56] muscle tension, which increases the pain [00:38:00] and leads to bad habits. Uh, [00:38:04] so not just marijuana. uh it could be [00:38:08] overeating because of the marijuana and [00:38:11] you end up into this cycle of the doom [00:38:14] loop. [00:38:15] >> Familiar to anyone who's had back [00:38:17] problems. [00:38:18] >> I'm sorry. [00:38:18] >> That's familiar to anyone who's had back [00:38:20] problems. You described it I think very [00:38:22] well. [00:38:23] >> But so marijuana is in your opinion as a [00:38:26] physician helpful for a few [00:38:30] just specific illnesses. glaucoma [00:38:35] and low appetite. Why wouldn't the [00:38:38] answer be to isolate whatever the [00:38:40] compound is in marijuana that helps with [00:38:42] appetite and glaucoma and and literally [00:38:45] medicalize it, put it in a pill or some [00:38:47] pharmaceutical form and then, you know, [00:38:49] sell it like you would any other [00:38:50] pharmaceutical. [00:38:51] >> Well, they've done that for a long time. [00:38:53] >> Oh, okay. [00:38:54] >> I'm not the first one to think of that. [00:38:56] Okay, so we have that. So, we have that [00:38:58] and so why [00:39:01] does it need to be legalized for [00:39:04] everything [00:39:05] and are we better off [00:39:09] than we were before we did that? And the [00:39:13] answer is absolutely we're not better [00:39:14] off. We're in the worst mess that we've [00:39:18] ever been and we need to be honest with [00:39:20] ourselves. And I just I remember this [00:39:25] crazy debate. So, it was a Democratic [00:39:28] debate uh in 2020 um where [00:39:33] um they asked Joe Biden whether or not [00:39:35] the federal government should legalize [00:39:38] marijuana and he said no. He said, "I [00:39:41] don't think there's been enough study." [00:39:43] And on national television, Cy Booker [00:39:47] shamed him and he said, "Man, are you [00:39:51] high like the science is settled and [00:39:55] you're just crazy because you don't [00:39:58] believe that." So a US senator is [00:40:03] basically saying, "The science is [00:40:05] settled. We should all get high." And [00:40:07] I'm like, [00:40:10] that was just such a terrible moment for [00:40:12] me. I think I was screaming at the [00:40:13] television. [00:40:14] >> But I mean, does Cy Booker know [00:40:19] like some science that you don't know? [00:40:22] >> I No, you don't think so? You don't [00:40:24] think? [00:40:26] >> Yeah. Cory Booker. [00:40:27] >> And I'm just a fan of the truth, of [00:40:29] course. [00:40:30] >> And my interest is to help you have a [00:40:33] better brain because if you have a [00:40:35] better brain, your marriage is better. [00:40:38] You're a better dad. You make more [00:40:40] money. Well, since you are a [00:40:42] psychiatrist, I mean, what is the effect [00:40:44] of like chronic marijuana use on [00:40:46] marriages? [00:40:48] >> Well, I just released a podcast with [00:40:50] Julius Randall, um, NBA superstar. I [00:40:54] love him. It's public knowledge now that [00:40:56] I've been his doctor. It was ruining his [00:41:00] marriage because his wife said he wasn't [00:41:03] present, [00:41:04] >> right? That he [00:41:05] >> They already say that about men. So like [00:41:07] you don't need encouragement to be more [00:41:09] vacant or distant. [00:41:12] >> Yeah, it's true that it had just changed [00:41:15] his soul in the sense that he just [00:41:17] didn't care about the things that were [00:41:20] actually really important to him after [00:41:24] he stopped and he asked himself those [00:41:28] questions. What do I really want? It's [00:41:31] no, I want to be married. I love my [00:41:34] wife. I want to be a good dad. I want to [00:41:36] be a present dad. And yes, I want to be [00:41:40] great at my craft. Um, but there's so [00:41:43] much more to me than just basketball. [00:41:46] And when I met him, I learned that it [00:41:50] was legal for NBA players [00:41:53] that they just don't test them. So, they [00:41:55] can be [00:41:56] >> The league allows NBA players to use [00:41:58] marijuana. [00:41:59] >> Yes. So, there's no restriction on it. [00:42:03] And you know, I guess it the only [00:42:05] restriction is well, how do you play? [00:42:08] And Julius thought he played better when [00:42:12] he used, but in fact, he played better [00:42:15] when he didn't use. He just had to be [00:42:18] able to learn how to manage his mind. [00:42:22] So, I'm not going to make fun of him for [00:42:25] thinking that because people addicted to [00:42:27] all kinds of substances become totally [00:42:29] convinced that they operate at a higher [00:42:31] level when they use those substances. [00:42:34] You've seen that, I'm sure, a lot. Yes. [00:42:36] And um [00:42:40] once they s they generally don't believe [00:42:42] it anymore. [00:42:44] >> Fair. [00:42:44] >> But you have to always ask when [00:42:46] someone's using [00:42:49] any substance. It's why, [00:42:51] >> right? [00:42:51] >> And there are biological reasons why [00:42:54] they use it because it may decrease [00:42:56] pain. Um there psychological reasons. It [00:42:59] does decrease the chatter [00:43:01] >> in your head. There social reasons [00:43:04] because you fit in with the group you're [00:43:06] using. [00:43:07] >> Well, it wasn't that long ago that many [00:43:08] Americans thought they were inherently [00:43:10] safe from the kinds of disasters you [00:43:11] hear about all the time in third world [00:43:13] countries. A total power loss, for [00:43:15] example, or people freezing to death in [00:43:17] their own homes. That could never happen [00:43:18] here. Obviously, it's America. [00:43:22] People are recalculating, unfortunately, [00:43:24] cuz they have no choice. The last few [00:43:26] years have taught us that. Remember when [00:43:28] the power grid in Texas failed in the [00:43:30] dead of winter? Yeah, it happened and it [00:43:33] could happen again. So, the government [00:43:35] is not actually as reliable as you hope [00:43:37] they would be. And the truth is the [00:43:39] future is unforeseeable and things do [00:43:41] seem to be getting a little squirly. So, [00:43:43] if the grid does go down, you need power [00:43:46] you can trust. Last Country Supply [00:43:48] newest product is designed for exactly [00:43:50] that. The Grid Doctor is a 3,300 watt [00:43:53] battery backup system that will power [00:43:55] full-size appliances, medical devices, [00:43:58] and tools with clean, reliable power. [00:44:01] It's even protected. That means it's [00:44:04] shielded from lightning, solar flares, [00:44:06] or an actual electromagnetic pulse [00:44:08] event. There's no gasoline, no noise, no [00:44:10] emissions. You just plug it in, charge [00:44:12] it from the wall, from your vehicle or [00:44:15] from the included 200 W solar panel and [00:44:17] keep going day after day taking care of [00:44:19] yourself and the people you love is [00:44:21] solely up to you. And the amazing thing [00:44:22] is with these new batteries, we use one [00:44:26] at home, by the way, is they're super [00:44:28] easy to use. There's no inverter you [00:44:31] need to figure out on the front of it or [00:44:32] anything like that. There's like three [00:44:34] buttons. It's very easy and totally [00:44:36] reliable. Highly recommended. We [00:44:38] literally use one, as I said. Visit [00:44:41] lastcountriesupp.com [00:44:43] to shop the grid doctor for power you [00:44:46] can trust this winter. Lastount [00:44:49] supply.com. Can we stop on the second [00:44:52] one? That it decreases the chatter in [00:44:54] your head. I've had a couple uh very [00:44:57] smart just high IQ friends who use [00:45:00] marijuana for that reason and say they [00:45:04] become more fluent, clearer thinking, [00:45:07] more able to focus. [00:45:10] You're suggesting that could be real. [00:45:11] They're not making that up. [00:45:13] >> No, it could be real, especially in the [00:45:16] short run. [00:45:18] >> Probably not in the long run. [00:45:23] And I I always want people to do things [00:45:26] that help them feel good now and later [00:45:31] versus now [00:45:33] but not later. [00:45:35] >> Yes. [00:45:36] And so, are there other ways [00:45:41] to optimize your brain? And that's what [00:45:45] I get so excited with players like [00:45:49] Julius and some of the other people I've [00:45:50] worked with is [00:45:53] how can I help you be the very best you [00:45:57] can be? So, it's not about taking broken [00:46:00] people and putting them back together. [00:46:02] It's about taking awesome people and [00:46:04] helping them be more awesome. And [00:46:08] looking at the brain for me, it [00:46:11] literally changed everything in my life [00:46:14] from the time I go to bed at night to [00:46:17] what I eat to um [00:46:22] what I do to make myself happy. It's I [00:46:25] always want it to optimize my brain [00:46:28] rather than steal from me. You know, I [00:46:32] have six kids and I love them all [00:46:34] dearly, but I never want to have to live [00:46:36] with them. And so, you know, I covet my [00:46:40] independence. [00:46:42] And as I get older, I'm like, I need to [00:46:45] be more serious because did you know 50% [00:46:49] of people 85 and older, 50% of people 85 [00:46:54] and older will be diagnosed with [00:46:56] dementia of one form or another. And it [00:46:59] means if you're blessed to live to 85, [00:47:02] you have a one in two chance of having [00:47:06] lost your mind. And marijuana increases [00:47:11] the risk of dementia. [00:47:13] >> Really? [00:47:14] >> Yeah. There's studies now and its use is [00:47:19] skyrocketing in older people. So in [00:47:23] Canada there was a study where 15 years [00:47:27] ago um 5% of people over 50 used [00:47:33] marijuana. [00:47:35] Now it's 21%. [00:47:38] The government of Canada, the government [00:47:39] of the United States is encouraging [00:47:41] that. Why would they be doing that? [00:47:46] >> I don't know. It's just wrong thinking. [00:47:49] >> Yeah. [00:47:50] >> Because at best, [00:47:52] >> we we don't want dementia increasing in [00:47:56] the population. Alzheimer's is expected [00:47:58] to triple by 2050. [00:48:04] No. It's like, no. And I wrote a book [00:48:07] many years ago called Preventing [00:48:09] Alzheimer's and got no end of grief from [00:48:12] it. Published it the year Reagan died. [00:48:15] And [00:48:16] they're like, "You can't do that. That's [00:48:18] a false promise." And last year in the [00:48:21] Lancet, there a review article came out [00:48:25] and said 50% of Alzheimer's disease is [00:48:28] preventable. And I'm like, I'm so [00:48:31] excited. It's like yes, but in order to [00:48:34] do that, you have to love your brain and [00:48:36] take care of it. [00:48:37] >> What are what are the without getting [00:48:39] too technical, [00:48:41] you know, steps that a layman can [00:48:42] understand to reducing your risk of [00:48:44] Alzheimer's would be what? [00:48:45] >> So, I have an acronym I like called [00:48:47] bright minds. You want to keep your [00:48:48] brain healthy or rescue it, you have to [00:48:50] prevent or treat the 11 major risk [00:48:54] factors. And just quickly, B is for [00:48:57] blood flow. Low blood flow is the number [00:49:00] one brain imaging predictor of [00:49:03] Alzheimer's disease. So what lowers [00:49:05] blood flow? Hypertension [00:49:07] being sedentary, alcohol, marijuana, [00:49:12] nicotine, [00:49:14] much caffeine, right? A little bit is [00:49:17] fine, much not a good idea. Um R is [00:49:21] retirement and aging. The older you get, [00:49:23] the more serious you need to be. And you [00:49:25] need to know what promotes aging. [00:49:27] Marijuana promotes aging. And now new [00:49:31] studies out that if you're under 50 and [00:49:33] you use marijuana, you have a 600% [00:49:37] increased risk of having a heart attack. [00:49:39] So we know it has a [00:49:41] >> 600% [00:49:42] >> 600%. [00:49:44] >> That seems significant. [00:49:45] >> It seems significant. And um so we know [00:49:48] marijuana has a negative impact on blood [00:49:51] vessels, [00:49:53] retirement and aging. Why is [00:49:54] inflammation a major cause of depression [00:49:58] and dementia? And so pro-inflammatory [00:50:02] foods, so the ultrarocessed foods, low [00:50:06] omega-3 fatty acids, and not flossing. [00:50:09] Like of all things, a brain health [00:50:12] strategy is floss every night. [00:50:15] >> Floss your teeth. [00:50:16] >> Floss your teeth. Do not get gum [00:50:18] disease. [00:50:18] >> You don't want low-grade infections in [00:50:20] your mouth. And you don't want [00:50:22] inflammation in your mouth. So it alters [00:50:24] the microbiome or all the bugs in your [00:50:27] mouth which then have a negative impact [00:50:31] on your whole body. G is genetics. No, [00:50:34] what's in your family? Like I have [00:50:36] obesity and heart disease in my family, [00:50:40] but I'm not overweight and I don't have [00:50:42] heart disease. Why? I'm on an obesity, [00:50:45] heart disease prevention program every [00:50:48] day of my life because I don't want [00:50:51] those things. We adopted our nieces [00:50:55] because their parents were addicts and I [00:50:59] tell them I said, "You have addiction in [00:51:01] your family. You have need to be on an [00:51:03] addiction prevention program." [00:51:05] >> Amen. [00:51:06] >> Every day of your life. And when I found [00:51:08] the older one vaping, I grounded her for [00:51:11] six months. I mean, we're like very [00:51:14] serious about if you want to go that [00:51:18] way. [00:51:19] That's up to you, but I'm not going to [00:51:21] do anything in my power to help you. Um, [00:51:25] the second one, and this is so [00:51:28] important, or the next one is H, head [00:51:30] trauma. A major cause of psychiatric [00:51:33] problems, but it's also a major cause of [00:51:35] substance abuse. Because if you damage [00:51:38] your frontal loes, which happens in 90% [00:51:41] of people who who have head trauma, 90% [00:51:44] of them, their frontal loes are [00:51:46] involved. [00:51:48] It decreases impulse control. Yeah. [00:51:50] >> So you might know this isn't good for [00:51:53] me, but if you want it, you do it rather [00:51:57] than if you want it, you distract [00:51:59] yourself. You make a better decision for [00:52:03] yourself. [00:52:05] Tea is toxins. Uh drugs, [00:52:09] um alcohol, [00:52:12] mold in your home can damage your brain [00:52:15] and make you decrease your decision [00:52:18] making. Um [00:52:21] general anesthesia is toxic to your [00:52:23] brain. And then the products we put on [00:52:25] >> general anesthesia is toxic to your [00:52:26] brain. [00:52:27] >> General anesthesia. And like I'm a [00:52:30] psychiatrist. Why do I know that? [00:52:32] because one of my patients um who is an [00:52:36] alcoholic who had a terrible looking [00:52:38] brain. She got clean. Her brain looked [00:52:40] great. She then had knee surgery calls [00:52:43] me up crying. She goes, "I think I have [00:52:46] Alzheimer's disease." And I'm like, "Did [00:52:48] she relapse?" And so I scanned her. Her [00:52:50] brain looked terrible again, but she [00:52:52] didn't relapse. It was the effect of [00:52:54] general anesthesia. And then I went to [00:52:57] the literature and I'm like, "What does [00:52:59] the literature say? The general [00:53:01] anesthesia is hard on the brain and can [00:53:05] increase the risk of dementia. And it [00:53:08] doesn't mean you don't get surgery. It [00:53:10] means probably should do some [00:53:12] rehabilitation work if you have to get [00:53:15] general anesthesia. [00:53:17] >> So avoid it if you can. Don't take it [00:53:19] lightly. [00:53:20] >> Well, like people like in the pain book, [00:53:23] this the one statistic that blew me away [00:53:25] that really sort of nudged me to write [00:53:27] the book. [00:53:30] If you have back pain, [00:53:32] >> yes, [00:53:34] >> um, and you get an abnormal MRI, [00:53:37] well, that scares the socks off of you, [00:53:39] triggers the doom loop, and you're more [00:53:42] likely to get surgery. Been there. [00:53:43] >> But head to head against um, [00:53:47] conservative care, surgery is no more [00:53:50] effective, and it has a 21fold increased [00:53:53] risk of side effects. [00:53:56] And then this is the statistic [00:54:00] people my age um 70 [00:54:05] 70% of us have abnormal backs who have [00:54:09] no pain at all. H people who are 50 who [00:54:12] have abnormal MRIs 50% of them have [00:54:16] abnormal back MRIs and no pain at all. [00:54:21] That means just because you have an [00:54:24] abnormal [00:54:25] MRI on your back or your neck or your [00:54:28] shoulder [00:54:30] doesn't mean surgery should be the first [00:54:33] thing you do. But because there's an [00:54:36] industry [00:54:38] around surgery, that's often the first [00:54:41] thing that's recommended. [00:54:43] And I argue, well, let's do the [00:54:46] conservative things with a brain boost [00:54:49] first and then if you need it, you need [00:54:51] it. Right? I'm not opposed to it. I'm [00:54:54] just opposed to that's the first and [00:54:57] only thing you do. [00:55:01] Why aren't public health authorities [00:55:03] um federal and state sounding the alarm [00:55:06] about cannabis? [00:55:08] Or are they? [00:55:09] >> They're not. um state of California [00:55:12] >> or at least in my state they're not [00:55:15] because it's a revenue source because [00:55:18] there's a political lobby. Um [00:55:22] and [00:55:24] it's shameful. I I I don't know how else [00:55:27] to say it when when you really [00:55:29] understand the research and now even [00:55:32] more emerging research on anxiety, [00:55:36] depression, [00:55:38] suicide and psychosis. I think we should [00:55:41] be [00:55:43] much more concerned from a public health [00:55:46] standpoint. [00:55:47] >> When was the last time you heard a [00:55:49] public health authority in the state of [00:55:50] California say, you know, legalizing [00:55:53] marijuana has been a disaster and here [00:55:55] are the numbers on it? [00:55:57] >> I don't think they say it because of the [00:56:00] pressure um that's put on them not to [00:56:03] say it. [00:56:04] >> California is the largest marijuana [00:56:07] growing state in the country. maybe the [00:56:09] world. Certainly the highest potency, [00:56:12] the best weed is grown in California, [00:56:14] Menescino, Humble counties, all that [00:56:16] famously. It's a huge part of the [00:56:18] state's economy. And you think that's [00:56:21] why they won't say it's bad. [00:56:24] >> Yes. It's money and influence. [00:56:30] >> So like we used to make fun of the, you [00:56:33] know, congressman from Kentucky because [00:56:36] he wouldn't say smoking caused cancer. [00:56:39] How is that? [00:56:39] >> It's the same thing. [00:56:43] >> Yeah. You just look at power and power [00:56:47] has to do [00:56:49] with money [00:56:52] and it's killing us and it breaks [00:56:57] my heart to have all these young people [00:57:00] think it's innocuous. [00:57:02] And now along with the marijuana [00:57:05] parties, they're having mushroom parties [00:57:07] because I think mushrooms is going to go [00:57:09] the same way as video games and we [00:57:11] didn't talk about social media and cell [00:57:13] phones. All of this stuff just unleashed [00:57:16] on the population. Uh [00:57:18] >> psilocybin mushrooms, [00:57:19] >> but now psilocybin. Uh we have a [00:57:22] daughter that's 22 and she's like, "Dad, [00:57:27] um they're not drinking as much, but [00:57:30] they're using mushrooms because they [00:57:32] think they're innocuous, but the visits [00:57:36] to emergency rooms for psilocybin [00:57:40] psychosis has gone up significantly. [00:57:43] It's a little harder to tell yourself. I [00:57:45] mean, I smoked marijuana all through my [00:57:47] childhood. I also hate a lot of [00:57:48] mushrooms and but it's a little harder [00:57:51] to tell yourself that mushrooms are like [00:57:53] no big deal because you can flip right [00:57:55] out on mushrooms. Like they eat enough [00:57:57] and they're hallucinogenic. They inspire [00:57:59] actual hallucinations. [00:58:01] >> So how do you and maybe you're totally [00:58:03] for that or maybe you're not but you [00:58:06] can't say it's like drinking a cup of [00:58:09] coffee. That's a profound thing. You see [00:58:11] things that aren't there. That's by [00:58:13] definition a big deal. No, [00:58:14] >> it's absolutely a big deal. and uh [00:58:18] they're studying it for PTSD and they're [00:58:21] studying it for depression and and I'm [00:58:26] for that. What I'm not for is it's good [00:58:31] medicine. [00:58:32] We should all do it [00:58:34] >> that I think it [00:58:36] >> No, it's kind of like weed in glaucoma. [00:58:38] Okay, if it reduces your glaucoma [00:58:39] symptoms, I mean, who how could you be [00:58:41] against that? But there's a a huge [00:58:45] distance between that conclusion and [00:58:47] hey, it's totally safe. Everyone should [00:58:48] use it, [00:58:49] >> right? [00:58:50] >> Like you'd take chemo if you had cancer, [00:58:52] right? But you're not absolutely [00:58:53] >> You wouldn't recommend your 8-year-old [00:58:54] had chemo. [00:58:55] >> Would hurt my brain. [00:58:56] >> Right. [00:58:58] >> Right. But then but I have to have chemo [00:59:00] or I'll die. I get it. [00:59:02] >> And so I need to rehabilitate my brain. [00:59:05] And it's probably from the almost [00:59:07] 300,000 scans I've done, the biggest [00:59:11] lesson is I'm not stuck with the brain I [00:59:14] have that I can make it better and I can [00:59:17] prove it. Now I can also make it worse [00:59:19] and I can prove that too, right? Every [00:59:22] day I am making my brain better or I'm [00:59:26] making it worse based on the choices [00:59:30] that I make. And that's so exciting. And [00:59:33] everybody gets really excited about [00:59:35] neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is you [00:59:38] can remodel [00:59:41] your brain. But neuroplasticity goes [00:59:44] both ways. Whatever you repeat, [00:59:48] you model in your brain. Whatever you [00:59:52] repeat becomes tracks [00:59:55] that force you into that road, if you [00:59:59] will. And so when I go to a restaurant [01:00:03] and the first thing they ask you is, "Do [01:00:07] you want a glass of alcohol?" when you [01:00:10] go no over and over and over again. [01:00:13] Well, no becomes strong in your brain. [01:00:16] And so the temptation is low. If you say [01:00:19] yes over and over and over again, that [01:00:21] then becomes an automatic response. And [01:00:25] so we're wiring our brains for health or [01:00:30] illness [01:00:32] um by the choices we make. [01:00:36] >> Back to psilocybin really quick. Are [01:00:38] what do we know about the risks of using [01:00:40] it? [01:00:41] >> That it can unbalance you. [01:00:44] >> That is true. I can verify that deeply I [01:00:47] mean completely unbalance you. [01:00:49] >> Yes. Um that you want to use it again. [01:00:52] Although alcohol, if you use alcohol, [01:00:56] there's a 15% chance you'll get hooked [01:01:00] on it. [01:01:00] >> Really? [01:01:01] >> 15%. If you use marijuana and you're [01:01:05] young, there's a 17% chance. If you're [01:01:09] older, it's only nine according to the [01:01:12] latest research. So, alcohol [01:01:16] and marijuana in the young have an [01:01:19] addiction potential for sure. If you're [01:01:22] older, alcohol is worse than marijuana. [01:01:26] Um, psilocybin, that's one of the risks, [01:01:30] although less so, it seems, than either [01:01:34] alcohol or marijuana. [01:01:35] >> Well, you can't function when you're [01:01:37] tripping. So, it's not like you could, [01:01:40] you know, eat four grams of mushrooms or [01:01:43] whatever and like go to work. You can't. [01:01:45] >> Well, and the doses in the studies, this [01:01:47] is very important. It's 25 milligrams in [01:01:51] the studies on depression [01:01:54] and many people I know who micro dose [01:01:57] are doing like 300 milligrams or 400 [01:02:00] milligrams. And so it is the wild west. [01:02:07] I am a fan of lion's mane mushrooms. [01:02:10] They have cognitive benefits and do not [01:02:12] make you see things. [01:02:14] What's [01:02:16] so another one of what I call a weapon [01:02:20] of mass destruction. Um [01:02:24] it is an opiate agonist which means it [01:02:29] increases the availability of opiates in [01:02:33] the brain. It's clearly addictive and [01:02:37] it's legal and it's often shown in it's [01:02:41] often sold in gas stations and places uh [01:02:48] like that. [01:02:49] >> Yeah. The Indians run the gas station 50 [01:02:51] yards from here. It's it's only cratom [01:02:54] for sale behind the counter. What I mean [01:02:57] is it I've never tried it. Is how [01:03:00] serious is it? [01:03:02] Well, I've had a number of patients. Uh, [01:03:05] in fact, I just did this great segment [01:03:09] on KTLA in Los Angeles. So, um, I [01:03:13] scanned, uh, Casey Mononttoya, who's the [01:03:16] weather person. She, um, loves me and [01:03:21] >> wanted to experience my work. And so, I [01:03:23] scanned her and scanned her producer. [01:03:25] >> And then we did them a year later. And [01:03:28] they both did what I asked them to do. [01:03:31] Casey's brain was better, like really [01:03:34] better, but the producers's brain was [01:03:38] worse. And it sort of broke my heart [01:03:40] because, you know, I get attached to how [01:03:42] brains do. And I'm like, why is it [01:03:45] worse? He goes, I don't know. I've done [01:03:46] this and I've done that. And [01:03:50] then he texted me. He said, the only [01:03:53] thing I did differently [01:03:56] between the first scan and the second is [01:03:57] I picked upratom. [01:04:00] And I'm like, why did you pick upratom? [01:04:03] >> Pick up mean started using. [01:04:04] >> Started using [01:04:06] and uh he was anxious something and he [01:04:11] said friend told him it would be [01:04:13] helpful. I'm like you need to stop [01:04:15] because it's clearly damaging your brain [01:04:21] and there's no it doesn't seem to be [01:04:23] regulated in most places. [01:04:24] >> It's not. No, it's in this sort of gray [01:04:26] period where clearly it's legal. They've [01:04:29] tried to ban it a couple of times, but [01:04:31] theratom lobby uh gets to the regulators [01:04:37] and uh I I'm hoping that at some point [01:04:42] this administration looks at it. [01:04:45] H [01:04:47] um so compare the attitudes toward drugs [01:04:50] in the United States just broadly vibe [01:04:52] check in other words in 1982 compared to [01:04:55] the attitudes you see now. [01:04:58] I think in 1982 we were [01:05:01] much more concerned about the long-term [01:05:05] negative impact of drug use uh marijuana [01:05:10] psilocybin [01:05:12] uh [01:05:14] than we are now. I I think just this [01:05:17] sort of general lie [01:05:20] that uh [01:05:23] and we unleash these things without [01:05:25] long-term neuroscience study because [01:05:29] marijuana was banned. It got banned in [01:05:31] 1937. [01:05:33] uh [01:05:35] they couldn't study it sort of like [01:05:37] psilocybin [01:05:39] and uh [01:05:43] it it is just uh [01:05:46] I see this as a psychiatrist and it just [01:05:49] blows my mind how we unleash these [01:05:52] things without actually taking the time [01:05:54] to study them. [01:05:56] >> Do other psychiatrists feel that way? [01:05:59] >> Uh many of us do. I have 60 [01:06:02] psychiatrists that work with me at Amon [01:06:04] Clinics and we all [01:06:08] believe this and um [01:06:11] there [01:06:12] >> has the American Psychiatric Association [01:06:14] taken a position on [01:06:15] >> it. It's not a huge fan of marijuana as [01:06:20] medicine. Um [01:06:23] and most addiction societies are very [01:06:28] concerned about it. [01:06:32] Could you roll it back in the state of [01:06:33] California right now? [01:06:34] >> No, [01:06:35] >> you couldn't. Oh, it's just it's that [01:06:38] powerful. Not with the current [01:06:39] administration, [01:06:40] >> right? [01:06:41] So are you suggest if there's going to [01:06:43] be a different administration [01:06:46] um [01:06:48] it it will be hard but but I think the [01:06:51] more we start caring about our brains. [01:06:56] So the most important thing I'm doing [01:06:58] right now is I'm working on creating a [01:07:02] national brain health revolution. My [01:07:05] goal is for everyone to ask themselves [01:07:08] this one question. whatever I'm doing [01:07:11] now, is it good for my brain or bad for [01:07:15] it? And if I can accomplish this, then [01:07:21] I think people will really start to ask [01:07:24] themselves that question. Um, [01:07:29] is it good for my brain or bad for it? [01:07:31] And the thing most pressing is [01:07:34] marijuana, psilocybin, [01:07:36] cell phones, social media, AI [01:07:40] that there's a brand new study out from [01:07:42] MIT that evaluated [01:07:46] uh smart kids who use AI to write their [01:07:52] papers rather than just doing it [01:07:54] themselves or just using Google had [01:07:58] significantly less brain function. [01:08:01] while they were doing that task. What [01:08:03] that means is if I go to the gym and I'm [01:08:06] used to lifting 25 lbs, so I could have [01:08:09] strong arms. Um, it's now I go to the [01:08:11] gym and I only lift 2 lbs. So, I'm not [01:08:14] going to have strong [01:08:14] >> Well, you don't go to the gym at all and [01:08:16] you just sit in your chair and eat [01:08:18] Doritos and [01:08:19] >> farm it out, right? You're faring out [01:08:22] the exercise. And we should be concerned [01:08:26] >> about AI. [01:08:27] >> About AI. Yeah. I mean, it's here and if [01:08:31] you use it responsibly, it can be a [01:08:33] helpful tool, [01:08:36] but it's going to cause a lot of pain, I [01:08:39] believe, and a lot less activity in the [01:08:42] brain. And what's the thing that [01:08:44] protects us against dementia? [01:08:46] It's work. Brain work. The more I'm [01:08:51] learning new things, the more I'm [01:08:53] pushing my brain, well, the healthier [01:08:56] it's going to be. [01:08:58] It's in many ways like a muscle. And so [01:09:03] I'm really good at reading brain scans. [01:09:05] If I just kept doing that, I'm not [01:09:07] learning new things. But if I figure out [01:09:10] new and exciting ways to read the scans, [01:09:13] well, that's good for me. Or I learn a [01:09:16] sport or I learn um a language just to [01:09:20] put it into a larger governance context. [01:09:23] So like let's say you had a population [01:09:24] that had been promised it was control it [01:09:26] you know had control of its own [01:09:27] government owned its own country and [01:09:30] then for I don't know like 50 years you [01:09:32] did nothing to serve their actual [01:09:34] interests and you started to worry that [01:09:35] they would rebel against you in some [01:09:37] sort of violent revolution and you [01:09:39] didn't want that wouldn't you do [01:09:41] everything you could to make them dumber [01:09:43] and more passive lower their [01:09:44] testosterone [01:09:45] levels lower their brain activity have [01:09:49] someratom have some SSRIs here's a benzo [01:09:52] go [01:09:54] get fat. You're like, why wouldn't you [01:09:56] want that if you wanted people to be [01:09:58] docel? [01:10:00] So, I wrote another book called The End [01:10:02] of Mental Illness. And in it, I imagined [01:10:07] if I was an evil ruler and I wanted to [01:10:11] create mental illness, [01:10:14] what would I do? [01:10:15] >> What would you do? [01:10:16] >> All of those things you just mentioned. [01:10:19] Um, I would have little girls selling [01:10:23] Girl Scout cookies. In fact, in the most [01:10:28] brilliant evil ruler strategy, there was [01:10:30] a Girl Scout who set up her cookie stand [01:10:33] outside a pot dispensary in San Diego [01:10:37] and within a span of like 3 hours [01:10:41] completely sold out and had to get more [01:10:44] product. And I'm like, that is brilliant [01:10:48] evil ruler strategy stuff. It's got get [01:10:52] little girls that are really cute to [01:10:55] sell you sugar with trans fats in them [01:10:59] to people who are smoking pot. I'm like, [01:11:02] and and the marijuana with the highest [01:11:06] level or one of the highest levels of [01:11:09] THC is called Girl Scout cookies. [01:11:14] So, it's so funny how, you know, [01:11:16] Pavlov's principle just it holds true [01:11:19] always. The second you say Girl Sky [01:11:21] cookies, I was just carried away with [01:11:22] thoughts of thin mints. [01:11:24] I was the texture, the taste, [01:11:28] >> but they don't love you back. [01:11:30] >> No, they don't. [01:11:32] >> So, I was at a [01:11:34] >> I was at a lunchon recently with Lisa [01:11:36] Trout, and [01:11:38] >> I love Lisa Trout. [01:11:39] >> Lisa and her husband, Kenny. um own [01:11:43] raceh horses and they own Justify. [01:11:46] >> Couple from Dallas, very nice people, [01:11:49] >> love them. And I'm sitting next to her [01:11:52] and I just had to do it because Justify [01:11:55] run won the Triple Crown. And I'm like, [01:11:59] "Would you ever feed Justify junk food?" [01:12:03] And she rolled her eyes at me. Um she [01:12:06] goes, "No." I said, "Would you ever get [01:12:08] him stoned?" And she goes, "Of course [01:12:11] not." I said, "Would you ever get him [01:12:13] drunk?" [01:12:15] And she just looked at me and I'm like, [01:12:18] "Why?" [01:12:20] He would never live up to his potential. [01:12:27] So whatever you eat or whatever you [01:12:31] drink or whatever you put on your body, [01:12:35] I just another one of those questions. [01:12:39] Do you love it? And does it love you [01:12:42] back? [01:12:44] Because if it doesn't love you back, [01:12:47] don't do it. [01:12:49] Right? And this is all about [01:12:51] self-interest because I've learned you [01:12:53] can't just tell people no because then [01:12:55] like in the Garden of Eden, they're of [01:12:57] course at the tree. It's like, but [01:12:59] what's the goal? And people go, "Come [01:13:02] on, Daniel. How can you have any fun?" [01:13:05] And I'm like, "Well, who has more fun?" [01:13:08] Right? cuz it what do you really want in [01:13:11] your life? And I think most people are [01:13:13] like me. They want energy. They want [01:13:16] memory. They want clarity. They want [01:13:18] creativity. They want passion. [01:13:21] Well, that takes a great brain. And so [01:13:25] it's like, "Oh, but you should just have [01:13:27] a glass of wine." I'm like, [01:13:30] "Well, I might love it, but it doesn't [01:13:33] love me. So why would I engage in [01:13:36] behaviors that don't love me back? [01:13:40] I think there are spiritual effects of [01:13:42] all of this. Dulling people physically, [01:13:46] emotionally, [01:13:48] you know, mentally, reducing their [01:13:50] cognitive power, everything that you've [01:13:52] just described makes it makes a person [01:13:55] less likely to ask transcendent [01:13:56] questions. I think [01:14:00] >> less likely to ask any questions because [01:14:02] they are [01:14:04] their habit centers are in control [01:14:08] rather than their purpose centers. [01:14:12] >> What's a habit center? [01:14:14] >> So it's the dopamine [01:14:17] loop in the brain. So there's an area [01:14:20] called the nucleus encumbent which is [01:14:22] what responds to dopamine and gives you [01:14:25] pleasure or pain. and um it's connected [01:14:31] to the basil ganglia. It's part of the [01:14:34] basil ganglia. If that takes over your [01:14:38] life, you're just going to give in to [01:14:40] whatever those habits created that. And [01:14:44] it [01:14:45] >> is that are you describing craving [01:14:47] there? [01:14:48] >> Well, there's a difference between [01:14:51] wanting something [01:14:53] and liking something. An addiction often [01:14:57] goes to you want it but you don't [01:15:00] necessarily like it anymore. [01:15:02] >> Yes. [01:15:03] >> And there's really this dance I often [01:15:07] say between the elephant and the writer. [01:15:10] So the elephant is your emotional brain [01:15:14] and the writer is your prefrontal [01:15:16] cortex. It has to [01:15:19] control [01:15:21] or break your emotional brain. So the [01:15:25] four-year-old in you is not always in [01:15:29] control. And when you hurt your frontal [01:15:31] loes, so think of hitting soccer balls [01:15:33] with your forehead repeatedly. That'll [01:15:35] hurt your frontal loes or playing tackle [01:15:38] football. Um now all of a sudden free [01:15:42] will [01:15:44] goes from perhaps 80%. [01:15:48] To 40%. [01:15:51] And then when you get stoned, well, now [01:15:54] it's at 10%. Or you get drunk. [01:15:59] It's this beautiful dance between your [01:16:02] frontal loes and your emotional brain [01:16:05] that often become disconnected in [01:16:09] addiction. [01:16:11] How hard is it to get off marijuana? [01:16:14] Um, easier than some things. Julius got [01:16:19] off after he saw a scan. I see that a [01:16:22] fair amount when people go, "Oh, this is [01:16:25] not really helping me. It's damaging [01:16:28] me." Um, so he gets off or anyone gets [01:16:31] off who's a daily user. They're millions [01:16:34] of daily users. But what happens next? [01:16:37] >> Well, it takes a while. It takes a [01:16:39] couple of months, I think, for that to [01:16:42] fully get out of their system. And it [01:16:47] depends on do they get off and [01:16:51] substitute brainhealthy behaviors that [01:16:54] help rehabilitate their brain and that [01:16:59] combination makes it easier to get off. [01:17:02] If they get off and then replace it with [01:17:06] vaping or replace it with sugar, um [01:17:12] they're much more likely to relapse. And [01:17:14] when you go to AA meetings, I always [01:17:16] found this very interesting. They'd have [01:17:19] the donuts and everybody's smoking and [01:17:22] they're eating donuts and coffee with a [01:17:24] lot of sugar. And I'm like, maybe we [01:17:27] could replace those things with [01:17:29] healthier things, healthier choices. [01:17:31] >> People who get off uh particularly [01:17:33] alcohol tend to go bonkers with sugar. [01:17:37] What is that? [01:17:38] Well, they're just trying to replace [01:17:40] feeling good because sugar works on the [01:17:42] dopamine centers of your brain as well. [01:17:46] And I always thought, why isn't brain [01:17:48] health part of addiction treatment [01:17:51] centers? I wrote a book with David [01:17:54] Smith. So David is the founder of the [01:17:57] Hate Ashberry Free Clinic in San [01:18:00] Francisco. He's the considered the [01:18:02] father of addiction medicine. And um we [01:18:07] wrote a book together called Unchain [01:18:08] Your Brain: Breaking the Addictions That [01:18:11] Steal Your Life. And in it, we put a [01:18:13] brain healthy program for addiction [01:18:17] treatment centers. And many of them [01:18:19] around the country use that, which I'm [01:18:22] so excited about. But um I rewrote the [01:18:26] 12 steps in one of my books. I have a [01:18:30] book called Your Brain Is Always [01:18:31] Listening. [01:18:32] >> That's audacious. [01:18:33] >> I'm sorry. That's audacious to rewrite [01:18:35] the 12. [01:18:36] >> I thought it was a big deal, but I'm [01:18:37] like, they haven't been rewritten since [01:18:39] the 1930s. [01:18:41] >> I said, what if a neuroscience [01:18:42] >> at the Old Testament next [01:18:45] rewrote the 12 steps? Well, I wouldn't [01:18:48] start with step one. Step one is my life [01:18:50] is out of control. Yeah. [01:18:51] >> I would go step one is what do you want? [01:18:55] Relationships, work, money, physical, [01:18:58] emotional, spiritual health. What do you [01:19:02] want? And step two [01:19:05] is, is your behavior getting you what [01:19:08] you want? Obviously, it's not. Step [01:19:11] three, let's go get your brain healthy. [01:19:15] Brain health is three things. Brain [01:19:17] envy, got to care about it. Avoid things [01:19:19] that hurt it. Know the list. Do things [01:19:22] that help it. Know the list. That's got [01:19:27] to be the next step. Because with a [01:19:30] healthy brain, you're less likely to [01:19:33] relapse. Or if you relapse, you don't [01:19:36] see it as a failure. Because every day, [01:19:39] and this is what Julius and I did, every [01:19:41] day you win or you learn is you take a [01:19:45] curiosity mindset into the problem [01:19:49] rather than a shame mindset into the [01:19:52] problem. I failed. It's like, well, [01:19:55] let's look at it. Um, and if you can [01:19:58] understand, do you know when people [01:20:00] relapse? When they have low blood sugar, [01:20:03] when they've gone too long without [01:20:06] eating, they're more likely to relapse. [01:20:09] >> That's 100% true. [01:20:10] >> So, like carry nuts with you um or just [01:20:16] something with you all the time so you [01:20:18] don't get hungry. [01:20:21] And [01:20:22] >> why why does hunger cause relapse, low [01:20:24] blood sugar? is it lowers blood sugar. [01:20:26] When you get lower blood sugar, you have [01:20:28] lower frontal lobe function. Really, [01:20:31] it's so interesting. And there's this [01:20:33] fascinating study where they took 107 [01:20:36] couples at married couples and they [01:20:40] measured their blood sugar right before [01:20:42] bedtime and then they gave them voodoo [01:20:44] dolls and they asked them to rate [01:20:49] their feelings about their partner with [01:20:53] pins in the dolls. And so they measured [01:20:56] their blood sugar. And the people who [01:20:58] had the lowest blood sugar had more than [01:21:00] twice the number of pins in the voodoo [01:21:03] dolls. I thought that was fascinating. [01:21:06] >> That is fascinating. [01:21:07] >> Yeah. [01:21:09] >> So, you listed the things that make your [01:21:12] brain smaller and less functional. What [01:21:14] are the things that make it bigger and [01:21:16] better? [01:21:17] >> So, if we go back to bright minds, blood [01:21:20] flow, it's clearly exercise. Um, and I [01:21:24] think coordination exercises and [01:21:28] strength training are both really [01:21:30] important for blood flow, retirement, [01:21:33] and aging is learn new things. And [01:21:36] everybody should get blood work every [01:21:37] year, I think. And one of the tests you [01:21:40] should always get is feritin. So ferotin [01:21:42] is a measure of iron storage. And if [01:21:45] your iron is high, it promotes aging. [01:21:49] Um, and you should donate blood twice a [01:21:52] year. So, donating blood twice a year [01:21:55] for people who have high veritin levels, [01:21:57] good for their brain, good for the [01:21:59] >> So, there was something behind the whole [01:22:00] leech idea. [01:22:02] >> Well, it's so funny. Tana and I were in [01:22:06] uh Istanbul. Uh, we went to the spice [01:22:09] market and they had leeches for sale in [01:22:11] the spice market. And I'm look at my [01:22:13] wife and I'm like, why did they have [01:22:15] leeches for sale here? and she's a [01:22:18] neurosurgical ICU nurse and she said cuz [01:22:22] they suck blood and it can help wounds [01:22:26] heal and it also takes off excess iron. [01:22:30] Now, if your iron levels are low, it's a [01:22:33] very bad thing. Don't do that. Um, [01:22:36] >> so you wouldn't recommend leeches for [01:22:38] everyone? [01:22:39] >> No. [01:22:41] Uh, as far as inflammation, omega-3 [01:22:43] fatty acids, I think everybody should [01:22:45] probably take fish oil or an omega-3 [01:22:48] supplement, um, healthy, uh, fish. [01:22:52] People who eat grilled or baked fish [01:22:54] once a week have more gray matter in [01:22:57] their brain. I think you should floss [01:23:00] regularly, take care of your teeth. Uh, [01:23:03] curcumin is a wonderful [01:23:06] anti-inflammatory supplement. also [01:23:09] saffron for so many reasons. Um [01:23:12] >> what's curcumin? [01:23:13] >> Curcumin is a spice from turmeric. So [01:23:18] turmeric [01:23:18] >> also called cumin. [01:23:20] >> Not called cumin. It's different. [01:23:22] Curcumin. Uh very popular in India and [01:23:27] curries. Uh curcumin is one of the [01:23:30] components of it that has specific [01:23:33] anti-inflammatory [01:23:35] effects. And there's studies showing it [01:23:38] decreases depression because depression [01:23:41] and inflammation, inflammation is one of [01:23:43] the causes of depression. Um, from [01:23:48] genetics, like know what your risks are [01:23:50] and be on a prevention program every [01:23:52] day. Don't text and drive so you have a [01:23:55] head injury and avoid toxins. Right? So, [01:23:59] I'm not a fan of drugs or alcohol, but [01:24:02] there's an app I like called Think [01:24:04] Dirty. It allows you to scan your [01:24:06] personal products and it'll tell you on [01:24:08] a scale of 1 to 10 how quickly they're [01:24:10] killing you. And so just start reading [01:24:13] the ingredients. What are personal [01:24:15] products? Like [01:24:16] >> shaving cream. Like for years I shaved [01:24:19] with Barbol. And when I scanned it, um [01:24:23] zero is live a long time. 10 is die [01:24:26] early. Barbasol's a nine. And I'm like, [01:24:29] "Oh, I don't want to do that." And so I [01:24:32] now shave with something called Kiss My [01:24:34] Face. Used it this morning and it's a [01:24:37] two, right? It doesn't have toxic toxins [01:24:40] in the personal product. So think [01:24:43] deodorant, shampoo, body wash, lotions, [01:24:47] things along that line. Read the labels. [01:24:50] Right? Most people are smart enough now [01:24:52] that they're reading food labels. They [01:24:54] need to read product labels. Um the M, [01:24:58] we didn't talk about the M, but that's [01:24:59] mental health. If you're depressed as a [01:25:02] woman, it doubles your risk of [01:25:04] Alzheimer's disease. If you're depressed [01:25:07] as a man, it quadruples your risk of [01:25:11] Alzheimer's disease. And now we know new [01:25:14] studies, SSRIs increase the risk of [01:25:17] dementia. Like holy smokes. And so, but [01:25:22] significantly [01:25:23] >> significantly head-to-head against SSRIs [01:25:27] or head-to-head against [01:25:28] anti-depressants. [01:25:30] Walking like you're late for 40 minutes, [01:25:33] 45 minutes, four times a week, equally [01:25:36] effective. Taking fish oil equally [01:25:40] effective to anti-depressants in a study [01:25:42] from New Zealand was actually more [01:25:44] effective. Um, learning not to believe [01:25:47] every stupid thing you think. Cognitive [01:25:50] behavior therapy works for depression. [01:25:52] Pushing away those thoughts, [01:25:55] not pushing them away, engaging them. I [01:25:58] teach you how to do it. It's really fun. [01:26:00] And then Saffron is a brand new study [01:26:03] out. They looked at um 192 studies on [01:26:08] 17,000 people looking at what [01:26:10] supplements actually had scientific [01:26:13] evidence that they worked for [01:26:16] depression. And saffron in many studies [01:26:19] was equally effective to [01:26:21] anti-depressants. And if you added zinc, [01:26:24] >> saffron, [01:26:25] >> saffron, if you added zinc and [01:26:27] curcumans, even more effective. And the [01:26:30] supplement Sammy, they those were the [01:26:33] ones that had good scientific evidence [01:26:37] that they were effective. And I love [01:26:40] saffron and I've taken it every day for [01:26:43] six years. Why? Studies for mood. I'm [01:26:46] I'm not depressed, but I'm happy to be [01:26:47] happier. Studies for memory, and it's [01:26:52] pro-sexual [01:26:53] rather than SSRIs, which sort of numb [01:26:57] your sex drive and make it harder to [01:26:59] have an orgasm. So, I'm like, so what [01:27:02] would I do? Prozac or saffron, zinc, and [01:27:06] curcumins? I'd do saffron. Um, [01:27:10] immunity infections, we haven't talked [01:27:11] about this. I would know your vitamin D [01:27:14] level and I would optimize it. 60 70% of [01:27:19] the population in America has suboptimal [01:27:22] levels [01:27:22] >> and that's because they don't go outside [01:27:24] or they're [01:27:25] >> sunscreen. [01:27:26] >> Yeah. [01:27:26] >> And because they're not going outside, [01:27:29] >> but we've been told that skin cancer is [01:27:31] the real threat. [01:27:32] >> Yeah. But since we've been told that [01:27:34] skin cancer has gone up, not down. [01:27:37] Now I think [01:27:38] >> Well, how does that work? Not not well, [01:27:42] >> right? No way. It's like the [01:27:44] dermatologist won. They made us afraid [01:27:47] of the sun, [01:27:49] >> but we need the sun. We were made in the [01:27:52] sun or we evolved in the sun and we need [01:27:56] our vitamin D level to be at a healthy [01:28:01] range. Now, don't go crazy with it cuz [01:28:03] then you'll end up with kidney stones. [01:28:06] But you want to know it, right? You [01:28:09] can't change what you don't measure. [01:28:12] You want to know it and then work to [01:28:14] optimize it either by getting more sun [01:28:18] or supplementing it. It's so important. [01:28:22] And eating garlic, mushrooms, and onions [01:28:27] help support immunity. So the second eye [01:28:30] in bright minds is immunity and [01:28:32] infections. And I believe infectious [01:28:35] disease psychiatry, it's going to be a [01:28:38] major branch of psychiatry in 50 years. [01:28:41] And like CO for example, [01:28:44] flamed the brain. It was so interesting [01:28:48] cuz when CO first started, I mean, I [01:28:50] have all these patients and they would [01:28:53] get COVID and they get anxious or they [01:28:54] get depressed or they get psychotic. [01:28:57] You could see it on their scans where [01:28:59] their emotional brains became [01:29:01] dramatically [01:29:03] overactive and if you have long co it's [01:29:07] damaging your brain. You can actually [01:29:09] see it on skin. CO I mean I think that's [01:29:12] true. I mean it's true anecdotally in my [01:29:15] life get people at the you know the low [01:29:18] point of COVID were depress people who [01:29:20] had COVID and those few days were you [01:29:23] know it can get difficult. It affected [01:29:25] their emotional condition a lot. Why? [01:29:30] >> So if you get CO [01:29:32] in the next six months, you have a 25% [01:29:35] increased risk of having a new onset [01:29:38] psychiatric illness. And what our scans [01:29:41] taught us, it caused inflammation [01:29:44] that targeted your emotional brain. And [01:29:48] so the way to help that is omega-3 fatty [01:29:54] acids decrease inflammation. Curcumans [01:29:58] decrease inflammation. Queretin, another [01:30:01] supplement, decreases [01:30:03] inflammation. And then make sure you're [01:30:07] on an anti-inflammatory [01:30:09] diet where you're not eating processed [01:30:11] foods, much sugar, or much simple [01:30:15] carbohydrates. This is a fascinating [01:30:17] study from the Mayo Clinic where they [01:30:19] looked at people who had a fat-based [01:30:22] diet. So, think avocados, nuts and [01:30:25] seeds, green leafy vegetables, salmon, [01:30:29] healthy oils, [01:30:31] um 40% less risk of getting Alzheimer's [01:30:35] disease. People at a simple [01:30:37] carbohydrate-based diet, bread, pasta, [01:30:39] potatoes, rice, fruit juice, sugar, a [01:30:43] 400% increased risk of Alzheimer's [01:30:47] disease. The D in bright minds is [01:30:50] diabetes. You do not want that. It's a [01:30:53] combination of being overweight and [01:30:56] having high blood sugar. It's a disaster [01:31:00] for the brain. So, when I get my [01:31:01] overweight, pre-diabetic patients, I'm [01:31:04] like, if you want to love your life for [01:31:06] the rest of your life, we got to get [01:31:08] this under control. Um, the N is neuro [01:31:12] hormones. Talked about testosterone a [01:31:14] little bit. And the S is sleep. So, all [01:31:17] of those things are the bad things and [01:31:20] the good things to do for your brain, [01:31:22] but it all boils down to is this good [01:31:25] for my brain or bad for it? [01:31:28] You can tell if someone is pre-diabetic, [01:31:32] overweight. It's evident on the brain [01:31:34] scan. [01:31:36] >> Yes. Their brain scans look older than [01:31:39] they are. [01:31:41] >> And that's reversible. [01:31:44] Absolutely. [01:31:46] Now, the earlier you get it, the better, [01:31:48] right? If you have somebody with stage 4 [01:31:50] Alzheimer's, I'm probably not going to [01:31:51] make the biggest difference in their [01:31:54] life. But if they have stage one or two [01:31:57] or they have mild cognitive impairment, [01:32:00] it's like let's go. Let's go after. [01:32:03] >> Really? [01:32:04] >> My favorite story, one of them is Nancy. [01:32:07] So I did a big NFL study at a time when [01:32:10] the NFL was sort of lying about [01:32:12] traumatic brain injury in football was [01:32:15] 2007, 2008, 2009. And Ray White was one [01:32:20] of our players. He played linebacker at [01:32:24] um for the San Diego Chargers and he [01:32:27] joined my study so I would see his wife [01:32:29] who had frontal temporal lobe dementia [01:32:31] which is wicked dementia and at a young [01:32:35] age [01:32:36] >> she was in her mid-50s [01:32:39] and um the doctor at UC San Diego told [01:32:43] her told Rey you should find a home for [01:32:45] her. [01:32:46] >> Oh gosh. because within a year she is [01:32:48] not going to know your name. And he was [01:32:52] mad and he was sad and he said, "Could [01:32:54] you just tell me your opinion?" And we [01:32:56] scan Nancy [01:32:58] and she had frontal temporal lobe [01:33:00] dementia. You could see it on the scan. [01:33:02] The whole front part of her brain was [01:33:04] severely low in activity. [01:33:08] And I said, I agree with the diagnosis, [01:33:11] but if she was my wife and I like my [01:33:15] wife, I would do all these things, [01:33:19] basically all the Bright Minds [01:33:20] interventions, plus put her in a [01:33:22] hyperbaric chamber, make sure she stops [01:33:24] drinking, alcohol, optimize her [01:33:26] hormones. [01:33:28] 10 weeks later, they came back and I [01:33:30] scanned her. Her brain was better. [01:33:32] Wasn't normal, but it was dramatically [01:33:35] better. And Ry had lost 30 lbs. in those [01:33:38] 10 weeks. And I'm always getting trying [01:33:40] to get my NFL players to lose weight. [01:33:42] And I'm like, "How did you do that? [01:33:47] How did you lose 30 lbs?" He said, "I [01:33:51] knew if I modeled a brainhealthy life, [01:33:56] she would do it, too." [01:34:00] And it just hit me that sometimes [01:34:03] motivation is about love. He loved his [01:34:05] wife. [01:34:06] >> Yes. And as he got healthy, she did [01:34:09] better. Now, frontal temporal lobe [01:34:11] dementia is awful. And it was a war. But [01:34:16] 5 years later, she was still home. Wow. [01:34:20] And I thought that was a huge win. [01:34:24] So you you're confident that this [01:34:26] intervention slowed the progression? [01:34:28] >> Absolutely. [01:34:31] >> What causes frontal temporal lobe [01:34:33] dementia? [01:34:34] >> We don't know. Um, sometimes it's [01:34:37] repetitive trauma, sometimes it's an [01:34:40] infection. Um, but by and large that's [01:34:42] one of the ones we don't know what [01:34:44] causes it. [01:34:47] Why is Alzheimer's sometimes referred to [01:34:49] as diabetes type three? [01:34:52] >> Because if you have diabetes and you're [01:34:54] overweight, you're much more likely to [01:34:57] have Alzheimer's disease. Do you think [01:35:00] that the rise in Alzheimer's which is [01:35:02] also I think real we can say it's not [01:35:04] just a matter of you know extended [01:35:06] lifespan or improved diagnosis but [01:35:08] there's actually more Alzheimer's right [01:35:10] >> yes [01:35:10] >> is that directly related to food I think [01:35:13] it's directly related to all 11 of those [01:35:16] risk factors [01:35:18] so for example if you have sleep apnoa [01:35:21] where you snore loudly you stop [01:35:22] breathing at night you're tired during [01:35:24] the day that triples your risk of [01:35:28] Alzheimer's [01:35:29] I I I think it's all of these things [01:35:32] going together and we bought this huge [01:35:35] lie that Alzheimer's is caused by an [01:35:39] increase in beta amaloid plaque [01:35:41] formation in the brain. Um but when they [01:35:45] develop medicines and vaccines against [01:35:48] beta amalloid that didn't work and we [01:35:51] have a couple that are now FDA approved [01:35:53] but they don't work very well and [01:35:55] they're very expensive. It's you have to [01:35:59] go after all the risk factors as early [01:36:03] as you can. I think all of us should be [01:36:06] on an Alzheimer's prevention program [01:36:08] which is the same program to prevent [01:36:10] depression. [01:36:12] H and it's basically it's healthy [01:36:14] living. [01:36:17] It's basically answering that one [01:36:19] question. Whatever you're doing today, [01:36:21] good for your brain or bad for it. [01:36:24] So that goes to food. It goes to the [01:36:27] time you go to bed. It goes to your [01:36:28] interactions. And it also goes to not [01:36:31] believing every stupid thing you think. [01:36:34] So, we talked earlier about pushing away [01:36:36] the bad thoughts. I don't want you to [01:36:37] push away. I want you to write them [01:36:39] down. [01:36:40] >> Write them down. [01:36:41] >> Write them down [01:36:42] >> where no one can see them. [01:36:43] >> Well, that's up to you. Um, [01:36:47] but it's like, and that just go, is it [01:36:51] true? I don't know if you know my friend [01:36:54] Byron Katy. She's got this elegant way [01:36:57] of killing the ants, the automatic [01:36:59] negative thoughts. So, my wife never [01:37:02] listens to me. I've had that thought. [01:37:07] And if you don't question a thought, you [01:37:10] believe it. And then you act as if it's [01:37:12] true, even if it's a lie. And so, my [01:37:17] wife never sort of listens to me. Write [01:37:18] it down. Is that true? No. [01:37:23] I've written 19 public television [01:37:25] specials. She's listened to every script [01:37:27] now. Maybe only once, but that's all I [01:37:29] need to. [01:37:31] >> Um, the second question is, is it [01:37:34] absolutely true with the 100% certainty? [01:37:37] You know that thought's true? [01:37:39] >> No. How does that thought make you feel? [01:37:43] Terrible. [01:37:45] Isolated, alone. [01:37:48] How does it make you act distant, [01:37:50] irritable with her? What's the outcome [01:37:52] of that thought? She'll not listen to [01:37:54] you. [01:37:56] Um, the fourth question is, how would I [01:37:58] feel if I didn't have the thought? [01:38:02] Fine. How would I act? Normal. What's [01:38:06] the outcome? Happier. [01:38:09] The fifth question is my favorite one. [01:38:11] take the original thought, Tana never [01:38:14] listens to me, and turn it to the [01:38:16] opposite, [01:38:18] Hannah does listen to me, and then I [01:38:21] could list all the times she does. And [01:38:24] that way, rather than allow the thought [01:38:26] to fester, see, if you just push it [01:38:27] away, it's still there, but now I've [01:38:31] gone into the heart of it and I've [01:38:32] killed it [01:38:34] and it doesn't bother me. It's so [01:38:37] effective and I have my patience. If you [01:38:39] just do that 30 times, take the worst 30 [01:38:43] thoughts that come in your head. [01:38:48] Like one of my patients, I'm a [01:38:49] pedophile. [01:38:51] Like, whoa, is that true? [01:38:55] Well, I have those thoughts. [01:38:58] Well, is it absolutely true? Says, I've [01:39:00] never touched anybody. [01:39:03] How does that make you feel like a [01:39:05] criminal? Well, how would you feel if [01:39:07] you didn't have the thought? Normal. [01:39:12] What's the opposite of that thought? I'm [01:39:13] not a pedophile. [01:39:15] You have any evidence of that? So, I've [01:39:17] never touched anyone inappropriately. [01:39:20] Right. Just because you have a thought, [01:39:24] it's like all of us have crazy thoughts. [01:39:27] Yes. All of us. Like this is going to [01:39:31] sound really crazy, but [01:39:34] we have two dogs and I love them both. [01:39:38] But the German Shepherd loves my wife [01:39:40] like way more than me. [01:39:42] >> Yeah. [01:39:42] >> I come home and he's like, "Hey, dude. [01:39:44] What's up?" [01:39:46] >> She comes home. It's like, "Oh my god, I [01:39:50] love you so much. This is where have you [01:39:52] been? I've been longing for you." I [01:39:55] mean, she's just nuts. [01:39:57] and he was in my office cuz when she's [01:40:00] not around, he loves me and he comes [01:40:02] hanging out with me. And then I just had [01:40:05] the thought, you know, if I killed my [01:40:07] wife, he would love me more. [01:40:09] >> Yeah, that's that's a that's a one [01:40:11] answer for sure. And then I'm like, [01:40:16] yeah, but no, [01:40:19] no, we're not killing her. And it's just [01:40:25] your brain. Jerry Seinfeld said this. [01:40:28] Your brain is a sneaky organ. We all [01:40:31] have weird, crazy, stupid, sexual, [01:40:36] violent thoughts that nobody should ever [01:40:39] hear. [01:40:41] And just because you have a thought has [01:40:43] nothing to do with whether or not it's [01:40:44] helpful, whether or not it's true. Um, [01:40:47] and it may not even be related to what [01:40:49] you want at all. Not at all. And there's [01:40:53] a verse in the New Testament I like. [01:40:56] Romans 12:2, [01:40:58] be transformed by the renewing of your [01:41:01] mind. And most Christians know that, but [01:41:04] they don't know the second part of it. [01:41:06] Then you can test to see if it fits [01:41:12] God's good, perfect, and pleasing will. [01:41:16] And murdering Tana does not fit God's [01:41:19] good, perfect, or pleasing will. And in [01:41:22] fact, will not make me happy cuz I love [01:41:24] her so much more than I love the dog. [01:41:26] >> Of course, [01:41:27] >> right? But just having a thought, it's [01:41:31] just like the weather. It's like, oh, [01:41:35] it's a storm and I can take that thought [01:41:38] captive [01:41:40] and I don't have to believe it. There's [01:41:42] nowhere in school where we teach kids to [01:41:46] manage their minds. And so if they get [01:41:49] these crazy thoughts, [01:41:52] they think they're bad [01:41:56] and they don't know how to deal with it. [01:41:58] So they smoke, but [01:42:01] to manage it and then that becomes the [01:42:04] habit loop of their life. [01:42:07] It's a familiar [01:42:09] familiar process I think for most people [01:42:11] listening. [01:42:13] One question that arises where do those [01:42:14] thoughts come from? [01:42:17] >> It's a great question and because the [01:42:21] thoughts may actually not be yours. [01:42:22] >> Well, that's my distinct impression that [01:42:25] we're under we're under, you know, [01:42:27] attack or at least outside influence. [01:42:29] >> Well, it came from a different [01:42:30] generation. [01:42:32] There's a book I love called It Didn't [01:42:34] Start with You. And on our podcast, [01:42:37] Change Your Brain Every Day, we [01:42:38] interviewed Mark Woolen and he talks [01:42:41] about how trauma gets passed down [01:42:45] through generations. [01:42:47] That trauma causes epigenetic changes, [01:42:51] these little switches on your genes, and [01:42:54] it makes you more vulnerable to anxiety, [01:42:56] depression, and the thoughts that are [01:42:58] associated with those things. And it may [01:43:01] have nothing to do with you um [01:43:03] >> or any experience that you have had [01:43:05] >> or any experience you [01:43:06] >> So are you saying that that it like you [01:43:09] arrive in this world with it encoded in [01:43:11] your genes? [01:43:12] >> Yes. That we're not blank slates that [01:43:15] what happened [01:43:18] in the people before us. So like [01:43:21] aspartame can affect generations. [01:43:25] So can trauma. And there was a lot of [01:43:29] study done on this of children and [01:43:32] grandchildren of people in the Holocaust [01:43:35] and how it changed the chemistry in [01:43:38] their bodies making them more vulnerable [01:43:42] to having depression, anxiety, and PTSD. [01:43:45] It's also been found to be true for the [01:43:47] children of the soldiers who enter Iraq [01:43:50] and Afghanistan that they have a higher [01:43:53] incidence of mental health issues. But [01:43:55] what you're saying is not just that they [01:43:56] picked it up at the dinner table. You [01:43:58] know, mom and dad are traumatized, [01:43:59] therefore I am too. It's something that [01:44:02] is physical in origin. It was genetic. [01:44:05] >> Yes. That it's biological and [01:44:08] psychological. So all those circles, [01:44:11] they all work together all the time. [01:44:15] >> Why do you fix that? [01:44:18] >> Well, what you recognize those thoughts [01:44:19] aren't you? [01:44:20] >> Yeah. is you just write them down and [01:44:24] you evaluate. [01:44:25] >> Do you ever have those nonsense [01:44:27] thoughts? Evaluate them and find them [01:44:28] true like there is a monster under the [01:44:30] bed. [01:44:30] >> Well, sometimes. Well, sometimes, right? [01:44:34] >> All your fears come true [01:44:35] >> cuz the goal is never positive thinking. [01:44:39] That's not the goal. The goal is [01:44:42] accurate thinking with a positive spin. [01:44:47] I just published a huge study on 7,500 [01:44:50] people on negativity and negativity is [01:44:54] bad for your brain. Negativity actually [01:44:58] causes your prefrontal cortex frontal [01:45:00] loes to be lower in activity. And so um [01:45:06] so I'm not a fan of negativity, but I am [01:45:10] a fan of being honest. And that just [01:45:14] resonates the the most with me. Um, so [01:45:21] the pedophile, he he wasn't a pedophile. [01:45:24] It was the worry. It was the thought. [01:45:26] >> Of course, it's like jumping off a tall [01:45:27] building, you know? It's like, I don't [01:45:29] want to get near the edge. I could jump, [01:45:31] >> right? It's just a rogue thought has [01:45:34] gone wrong. And one of the exercises I [01:45:36] give my patients is give your mind a [01:45:39] name so you can gain psychological [01:45:43] distance from the noise in your head. I [01:45:46] learned that from my friend Steven Hayes [01:45:48] and he was on our podcast and I'm like [01:45:50] give your mind a name. I'm like well [01:45:52] what would I name my mind? Be [01:45:55] interesting to hear what you'd name your [01:45:56] mind but I named mine after my pet [01:45:58] raccoon. I had a pet raccoon when I was [01:46:00] 16 and I loved her. Um, but she was a [01:46:05] troublemaker. She teepeeed my mom's [01:46:07] bathroom. Oh, yeah. She um ate all the [01:46:10] fish out of my sister's aquarium. She'd [01:46:13] leave raccoon poo in my shoes. And [01:46:16] that's my mind. So, I named my mind [01:46:19] Hermy. That was her name because I [01:46:21] didn't know it was a girl when I got [01:46:22] her. And I just watched the movie The [01:46:24] Summer of 42. And Hermy was the main [01:46:26] character and I loved him. And [01:46:29] whenever my mind starts to act up [01:46:32] metaphorically, [01:46:34] I'll put her on her back and just start [01:46:36] tickling her. I'm like, "Come on, we can [01:46:38] do better than this." So, I'm not [01:46:41] punitive to myself. I'm a cheerleader. [01:46:44] And I realize I am not my thoughts. [01:46:48] >> Don't Don't take yourself too seriously. [01:46:50] >> Absolutely not. And and does it fit? [01:46:53] Right. It's another one of those [01:46:54] questions. [01:46:56] Does this thought [01:46:58] fit my goals or does it fit God's good, [01:47:03] perfect, or pleasing will for me? I'm [01:47:06] like, killing my wife doesn't fit. [01:47:09] There's like nothing about that that [01:47:11] fits. And I'm not a bad person cuz I had [01:47:14] the thought cuz it's just a thought, [01:47:16] right? I didn't control it. I'm a bad [01:47:19] person if I do something bad. This one [01:47:21] of the reasons that nursing mothers go [01:47:22] crazy is they have thoughts of harming [01:47:25] their own children whom they love more [01:47:26] than anything. [01:47:27] >> Yes. [01:47:28] >> I'm sure you've dealt with that. [01:47:30] >> Absolutely. [01:47:30] >> That's common. [01:47:34] >> It's very common. [01:47:35] >> And they hate themselves for having [01:47:37] those thoughts. [01:47:37] >> They hate themselves and they would [01:47:40] never do anything [01:47:41] >> of course not [01:47:41] >> to harm the child unless [01:47:45] their brain is damaged or their brain is [01:47:48] disrupted. So, I've scanned over a [01:47:52] thousand convicted felons, over a [01:47:54] hundred murderers. Um, we got this scan [01:47:58] of Kip Kinkle who murdered his mom and [01:48:00] dad and then went to his high school and [01:48:02] shot 25 people. His brain was so [01:48:04] damaged. [01:48:06] >> It's um well, he murdered his mom and [01:48:09] dad so he never really knew. Likely had [01:48:12] anoxia or lack of oxygen at birth. and [01:48:17] my hero story. So, when I first started [01:48:19] doing scans, [01:48:21] I loved it. I was so excited about it. [01:48:24] And then I had um I'm a distinguished [01:48:28] fellow of the American Psychiatric [01:48:30] Association. But then so many people [01:48:32] there started to hate me. They said, [01:48:34] "You shouldn't be scanning people. It's [01:48:36] not part of our tradition. That's not [01:48:38] what we do." And I'm like, when I was [01:48:41] growing up, I had a father whose two [01:48:43] favorite words, um, first one was [01:48:45] [ __ ] The second one was no. And I [01:48:49] heard that over and over again. And so [01:48:51] when they told me I shouldn't be doing [01:48:52] what I loved, I'm like, [ __ ] No, [01:48:54] I'm going to do it. But I became very [01:48:57] anxious because I I didn't like powerful [01:49:01] people telling me I shouldn't do [01:49:03] something. And it was really painful [01:49:06] emotionally. And then in 1995, I got a [01:49:09] call late one night from my [01:49:11] sister-in-law [01:49:13] who told me my 9-year-old nephew Andrew, [01:49:16] um, who's my godson, who I loved, [01:49:20] attacked a little girl on the baseball [01:49:22] field that day for no reason. And I'm on [01:49:25] the other end of the phone. I'm like, [01:49:28] that's awful. What else is going on? She [01:49:31] said, Danny, he's different. He's mean. [01:49:34] He doesn't smile anymore. I went into [01:49:37] his room today and I found two pictures [01:49:39] he had drawn. One of them he's hanging [01:49:42] from a tree in a suicide attempt, 9 [01:49:45] years old. The other one he's shooting [01:49:48] other children and that's the scariest. [01:49:50] >> And I'm like, [01:49:52] >> I want to see him tomorrow because I'd [01:49:54] been scanning people for 4 years and I'd [01:49:56] already correlated violence, at least in [01:49:59] some people, to the left temporal lobe. [01:50:01] your left temporal lobe is damaged, [01:50:03] you're more likely to have dark, evil, [01:50:06] awful thoughts. And so they brought him [01:50:09] up to see me the next day. They lived 8 [01:50:11] hours away. And I'm like, "Buddy, what's [01:50:14] going on?" He said, "Uncle Danny, I [01:50:16] don't know. I'm mad all the time." I'm [01:50:18] like, "Is anybody teasing you?" He said, [01:50:20] "No." Says, "Is anybody hurting you?" [01:50:22] No. Is anybody touching you in places [01:50:24] they shouldn't be touching you? He said, [01:50:26] "No." [01:50:28] 999 [01:50:30] child psychiatrists out of a thousand [01:50:33] would have put him on medicine and put [01:50:36] him in therapy. And I'm like, I have to [01:50:38] look at his brain cuz how do I know [01:50:41] unless I look, right? That's like one of [01:50:43] the taglines of my life. How do I know [01:50:45] unless I look? Why are psychiatrists the [01:50:47] only medical doctors who virtually never [01:50:50] look at the organ they treat? [01:50:53] And I went, great question. [01:50:56] I went to the scan center and I held [01:50:59] Andrew's hand while he held his teddy [01:51:02] bear and got scanned. And afterwards, my [01:51:06] mentor Jack Pauly, we're look, the image [01:51:09] comes up on the computer screen, he's [01:51:11] missing his left temporal lobe. And I [01:51:14] looked at Jack, his first time I've seen [01:51:15] it. I've seen it almost 200 times since. [01:51:18] Um, he writes down, so mom won't hear, [01:51:22] cyst, stroke, tumor. [01:51:26] and later that day got an MRI. He had a [01:51:28] cyst the size of a golf ball occupying [01:51:30] the space of his left temporal lobe. [01:51:36] I called his pediatrician. I said, "You [01:51:38] find somebody to take this out or drain [01:51:40] this thing." He called three [01:51:42] neurologists. All of them said they [01:51:43] wouldn't touch the cyst. They didn't [01:51:45] think it had anything to do with his [01:51:46] behavior. And they wouldn't they [01:51:49] wouldn't recommend surgery until he had [01:51:51] real symptoms. At which point I lost my [01:51:54] mind and start screaming at the [01:51:56] pediatrician. I'm like, I have a [01:51:58] homicidal suicidal child. What do you [01:52:00] think are real symptoms? So there's this [01:52:02] incredible divorce between psychiatry [01:52:05] and neurology. And I thought to myself, [01:52:08] neurologists, [01:52:11] neurosurgeons, neurosurgeon, what I [01:52:13] really want. So I called the chief of [01:52:15] pediatric nuros surgery at UCLA, Jorge [01:52:18] Lazerov. Um, and he was already famous [01:52:20] because he'd separated the Guatemalan [01:52:22] twins or connected at the head. And he [01:52:25] said, "Dr. Ammon, when these cysts are [01:52:28] symptomatic, [01:52:30] we drain them. He's obviously [01:52:32] symptomatic." [01:52:33] And after surgery, [01:52:36] I got two phone calls. First one was [01:52:38] from my sister-in-law who said the [01:52:41] surgery went really well. [01:52:44] And then she burst out into tears and [01:52:46] she said [01:52:48] when Andrew woke up from surgery, he [01:52:50] smiled at me. She said, "Danny, he [01:52:53] hadn't smiled in a year." Oh. And then I [01:52:56] got a call from Dr. Lazer, who said, "Oh [01:52:59] my god, Dr. Aman, that cyst was much [01:53:02] more aggressive than we thought. It [01:53:04] actually thinned the bone over his [01:53:06] temporal lobe." So it thin the bone of [01:53:08] his skull. And he said, "If he would [01:53:10] have been hit in the head with a [01:53:12] basketball, would have killed him [01:53:13] instantly. Either way, he would have [01:53:15] been dead in 6 months." [01:53:19] And it was that moment I lost all of my [01:53:22] desire for the American Psychiatric [01:53:25] Association to like me, for my [01:53:27] colleagues to love me. I'm like, if you [01:53:29] don't look, you don't know. How many [01:53:32] people are like Andrew? have brains that [01:53:34] aren't right that do bad things that we [01:53:37] just label as bad rather than as sick. [01:53:42] And um I mean there was that moment that [01:53:45] caused me to lose my anxiety and go to [01:53:47] war. [01:53:48] >> Did he improve? [01:53:49] >> He got so much better. And today he's [01:53:53] >> got his own business and his dad and [01:53:56] he's married and he has kids and [01:54:01] >> Yeah. And we've seen almost 200 cis [01:54:04] since then. [01:54:06] >> Well, there are a couple famous cases. [01:54:07] Charles Whitman most famously at [01:54:09] University of Texas, [01:54:10] >> right? Uh but of murderers who were [01:54:14] clearly driven to it or their brain [01:54:18] tumor or cis played a role in it [01:54:19] obviously, [01:54:20] >> right? It's not that uncommon. [01:54:22] >> And how would we know [01:54:24] unless we looked? And so Dosski said, [01:54:28] "You can tell about the soul of a [01:54:31] society, not by how it treats its [01:54:34] outstanding citizens, but by how it [01:54:37] treats its criminals." [01:54:38] >> Yes. [01:54:40] And [01:54:42] it it just I I want [01:54:45] to rehabilitate people who do bad things [01:54:48] or at least try, right? We should look [01:54:51] at their brains and see, [01:54:54] can we get them better? Can we get them [01:54:55] to love their brains so they don't go [01:54:57] out and use drugs? And I was involved in [01:55:00] a program in Washington state where they [01:55:03] actually screen for ADHD and learning [01:55:06] disabilities, made them go through a [01:55:08] 14-week course to learn about what they [01:55:10] had, and it cut recidivism from 69% to [01:55:15] 29%. [01:55:17] Now, I think this is a conservative [01:55:19] idea. that is [01:55:21] >> that if you invest [01:55:23] in true rehabilitation, [01:55:26] they're going to get out and they're [01:55:28] less likely to come back, which means [01:55:30] they're going to get out, they're going [01:55:31] to work, they're going to take care of [01:55:32] their families, they're going to pay [01:55:33] taxes, they're going to be a more [01:55:35] important part of society [01:55:39] rather than we just house them and [01:55:42] punish them further. [01:55:48] your new book, Change Your Brain, Change [01:55:50] Your Pain. Dr. Amon, thank you. That was [01:55:53] amazing. [01:55:55] >> Thank you so much. [01:55:57] [Music] [01:56:00] >> So, it turns out that YouTube is [01:56:02] suppressing this show. On one level, [01:56:04] that's not surprising. That's what they [01:56:06] do. But on another level, it's shocking. 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