So why is it that people with ADHD have a unique ability to hyper focus on things that they are really interested in or passionate about? Enjoyment and curiosity are psychological terms, they’re a way that we describe a human experience of liking things, or wanting to know more about them. From a neurobiological perspective they have a very clear identity and signature. And that’s dopamine. Dopamine is released from neurons which is called a neural modulator and as a neural modulator it changes the activity of the circuits in the brain such that some circuits are more active than others and in particular dopamine creates a State of hyper focus. It tends to contract our visual world and it tends to make us pay attention to things that are outside of our physical being. Dopamine also tends to put us in a state of motivation and wanting things outside the confines of our skin. So, whether or not we our trying to attain things outside of our physical bodies or focusing on things outside of our physical bodies, dopamine is the reason why we are able to focus on these things, because they caused us pleasure or are pleasurable to our mind and state of consciousness. However, dopamine as a neuromodulator changes the way that we see the world. So, for the typical person, there are many things around us that will attract our attention however we only give that attention to certain things. Dopamine causes a person to narrow their vision from the many things going on around them to the things of pleasure, therefore narrowing our visual and auditory focus to what is most pleasurable to us. So, this creates a tunnel vision and what our brain really wants and wants more of, and this is because of the dopamine that is released because of that certain stimuli. Therefore, having dopamine release can allow the person to direct their attention to particularly things in their environment.

There are two types of neural circuits that dopamine tens to enhance. The first one is called the default mode network which is the net work of brain areas in your brain that is active when we are not doing anything, when we’re just sitting there idle at rest. It’s hard to sit there and not think about anything, however, when you’re not driving, you’re not playing a video game, you’re just sitting there letting your brain go wherever it wants to go, your default mode network under lies that state of mind. The other set of circuits are the task networks. The networks of the brain that make you goal oriented or are at least trying to make a goal oriented. These are a completely different set of brain networks, and these task networks are communicating with one another and are doing so in very unique ways. Normally in a person without ADHD the default mode networks and the Task networks which go in a seesaw fashion and actually oppose one another. And a person with ADHD the task networks and the default mode networks are actually more in sync with one another and are more aligned. So in most people this would be abnormal however in someone with ADHD this is normal however this can cause disruption in the brain, that’s causing someone with ADHD the inability to focus on one thing at a time if they are not passionate about it because they’re networks are almost competing for attention that’s causing their brain to be highly overstimulated. Based on brain imaging studies when someone gets better and are treated for ADHD or age out of ADHD, it has been shown that these two networks tend to become anti-correlated again which helps the brain to relax and not be overstimulated. Dopamine helps these networks to run anti-correlated in the normal person, however, in someone with ADHD where dopamine release might be problematic it is not able to control the networks, that’s allowing them to start running in synchrony. So that raises a few questions. Could this be that dopamine is not that significant enough levels? Or could it be that dopamine is just doing things all wrong?

In the year 2015, in the publication biological psychology, it hypothesizes the idea that those with ADHD might have low dopamine. This led to a great deal of research to be conducted regarding people with ADHD and dopamine. It turns out that if dopamine levels are too low in certain circuits in the brain, it leads to unnecessary firing in neurons in the brain that are unrelated to the task that one is trying to do and that is unrelated to the information that one is trying to focus on. When dopamine is low, certain neurons are firing when they shouldn’t be. When dopamine is too low, neurons fire more than they should in these networks that govern attention. This is the low dopamine hypothesis. This might be why those with ADHD turn to high quantities of caffeine or high quantities of cigarettes, vaping, or marijuana, because these all have the ability to increase dopamine in the brain, in particular in the regions of the brain that regulate attention and these tasks related and default mode networks. We see the use of these chemicals more so in adults, however, children with ADHD tend to desire sugary foods in high quantities because this gives them the similar affects. And once they have access to sugar, coffee, and other stimulants depressants they might become addicted to them more so than the average person because of the effects of dopamine on their brain. For a long time, experts thought that people with ADHD were simply more susceptible to addictions from these chemicals, however, now it is thought that they might be seeking out the right amount of dopamine which can regulate the networks in the brain that helps their brain to calm down and focus on a few things rather than being overstimulated and unable to control their thoughts or actions.

Spinning off of this hypothesis, pharmaceutical companies have sought to increase levels of dopamine in patients that take medication‘s like Ridellan, Adderall, or modafinil. In particular, they seek to increase dopamine in task directed behavior and that coordinate the default mode network and these task related networks. While these drugs might be helpful because they are stimulants, they also have negative aspects to them on the mind and body. For example, Ridellan, is very similar to amphetamine which is typically called speed on the streets. Adderall Is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. These drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines are incredibly dangerous, addiction forming, and have a high potential for abuse. The pharmaceutical versions of these are what is used to treat ADHD. Though they are not exactly the same, they are structurally and chemically very similar and their net effect on the brain and body is essentially the same which is to increase dopamine in the brain and to increase levels epinephrine or norepinephrine, or noradrenaline or adrenaline and to increase levels of serotonin in the brain and blood, increasing serotonin is just a small effect of these drugs but is still present. The main focus in these drugs is to increase dopamine within the brain and body, so that the persons motivation, drive, focus, and energy and to some extent increase serotonin levels a little bit so that the person feels calm and relaxed. You can probably imagine why this would be a good effect of this medication on someone with ADHD. So essentially the pharmaceutical medication for ADHD are stimulants which are structurally and chemically very similar to the street drugs that we have all heard for decades are so terrible for our minds and bodies.

Throughout the past 12 years, I have had several patients that have either self diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or have been clinically diagnosed from a psychiatrist as having ADD or ADHD. I always suggest making dietary changes because it can positively impact not only ADD or ADHD symptoms, but it can positively impact your entire body, thus improving your overall mood, quality of sleep, clarity of thought and memory, just to name a few. It seems as though a few people are interested in making the dietary changes needed to help to lessen ADD or ADHD symptoms, and would rather take a pharmaceutical medication to fix this problem. However, there are adverse effects that have been described to me from patients who have taken various medication for ADD and ADHD. Several of my patients have complained that the medication they were taking only lasted for a certain amount of hours and then when the medication was wearing off they had very negative effects, such as a headache or being irritable. They have commented to me that it feels like they’ve hit a wall and they can tell exactly when the medication is wearing off because of the Drastic change in brain function and mood. I’ve seen some patients that have been greatly positively impacted by ADD and ADHD pharmaceutical medication’s, however, it’s important that you know the side effects of any medication that you are going to take because very few people have no side effects of the medication they are taking. And some people will suffer from the short term side effects of a medication, while others will suffer from long-term side effects of medications. Some of the negative effects of long term use of these medications include issues with one’s liver or kidneys. I’ve also seen patients that have had far worse anxiety or depression after stopping the ADD or ADHD medication that they were taking. And this might be due to what I discussed before which is that many of the ADD and ADHD pharmaceutical medications are intended to increase dopamine, therefore when they stop taking the medication their mood can be greatly impacted. This has been a surprise to the majority of my patients taking these pharmaceutical medications, as many of them were not told this from their doctor before they stopped taking the medication. Therefore, it is extremely important that you do your own research and I know the positive and negative side effects of any pharmaceutical medication that you are thinking of taking because I’ve heard of many doctors that simply rely on their pharmaceutical representative to tell them this information and some of the information doesn’t get relayed to their patients. You have to be your own advocate and do your own research so that you don’t blindly trust someone in the medical field.

I’ve also had a few patients in my private practice who have been more open to a holistic and all natural approach to mental health and wellness who have been open to cutting out some of the main contributors that are known to cause inflammation throughout the body. Some of these main contributors are: flour because it’s been genetically modified, gluten because it’s been known to cause inflammation and bloating, soy because it’s been genetically modified and impacts hormone levels, dairy, sugar, preservatives, and the chemicals and colors found in the foods that we might be eating every day. As a holistic and natural approach, I suggest that you try cutting out these foods for at least two weeks to see if symptoms of ADD and ADHD subside or go away completely. Once you have decided what foods you would like to give up and remove from your diet for these two weeks, I suggest that you make a food plan or a food schedule so that you can focus on that food plan for the next two weeks, rather than focusing on the foods that you have to give up. Try to remember that whatever you focus on is how you’re going to feel. So, if you are focused on the foods that you have to give up, you are a likely going to become irritable and want some foods even more. However, if you are able to prepare for this new diet and food plan ahead of time and focus on what you are going to eat and drink every day, you will be much happier and will adapt to this food plan much quicker. Then if possible, you are going to want to reflect on your day each night for about 10 minutes and write in your journal, whether it’s a therapy journal or food journal or whatever you’d like to call it, focus on your mood that day as well as how it’s correlated with the foods that you eat and drink. For example, if you noticed that you had less clarity and you felt edgy or mentally overstimulated at 4 o’clock in the afternoon for example, you can look back at your food plan and notice what you eat before that to see how that food or drinks impacted your mind and body. For example, if you had caffeine or a sugary beverage with lunch and then you felt this way at 4 o’clock, it might be due to the caffeine or the sugar. Therefore, you can make a little changes to your food plan after you know how a certain food or a drink impacts the way that you feel mentally and physically. I really encourage everyone to plan out what they want to eat and drink every day so that there aren’t any surprises or impulsive eating or drinking, because this is when you will make poor choices in the heat of the moment when you are hungry or thirsty, versus when you are planning out you’re eating and drinking schedule for the week when you are in a clear and calm state of mind. If we don’t control our daily activities, what we eat, what we drink, who were around, etc., they will control us because we will be much more easily convinced to do things in the heat of the moment or impulsively if we don’t have a plan, versus if we have a plan that we can focus on. The idea here is to learn about yourself so that you can make changes to your daily schedule that will have a positive impact on your mind and body so that you are in control of your mental health and wellness and saw that external factors happening around you don’t control your mental health and wellness.

Of my patients that wanted to try the holistic and natural approach to lessening their ADD and 80 HD symptoms, they all noticed an improvement in mental clarity and calmness after they eliminated these foods that tend to cause inflammation in the body. But that was not all that they noticed. They also noticed an improvement in mood, quality of sleep, energy during the day, productivity, less irritability and a more stable and regulated mood. This was likely due to their bodies having little to no inflammation due to eliminating the foods that cause inflammation throughout the body. Remember that your mental health and wellness is directly linked to your gut and immune health. What you eat greatly impacts your immune system, and your immune system directly affects your mental health and wellness. That’s why physicians practicing more holistic and natural approach will say to use food as medicine, because what we eat can either help us and benefit us, or it can hurt us and limit us and our ability to live fruitful lives. You have probably noticed that when you eat certain foods you feel like crap afterwards. Therefore, if you eliminate those foods and replace them with healthier foods that your body likes and is not sensitive or allergic to, you will feel much better mentally and physically, and your mood will be improved, and you will have the energy and the drive to deal with the things that you want to do.

Current Mental Health Topics

The Covid pandemic changed our lives in many ways; some people now suffer with heightened anxiety; others suffer with heightened depression symptoms while others lost familial or friendship ties. Anxiety was obviously heightened due to the threat of sickness and high potential for death due to coronavirus, and the push of fear from the media. At first the concern might have been real however as time passed, the lack of social interaction, whether it was from people working from home or people not seeing family or friends, social isolation has been the number one cause of social anxiety and depression symptoms of the past two years. Many of my patients still struggle going to the grocery store, a farmers market, friends houses, or family gatherings. The shut down was hard for millions of adults, but a few people have stopped to think about the negative a fax that the shut down has had on kids. Can you imagine how hard it has been on them to not only lose everything that their parents have lost, but also watched their parents go through the loss of everything that was normal to them and that gave them joy. Few people stop to consider what this is done to the children around the nation in the world. While adults have suffered and tried to make the last two years seem normal, kids schooling, and social activities have been pushed by the wayside. Another aspect of this that most people don’t consider is the fact that many families have been divided through the pandemic and the vaccine. As political beliefs and health and wellness differences have torn families apart, it is the children that suffer the most as their foundation has already been crushed, now they have to deal with losing family members. As families have grown divided, tensions have risen between family members as well as spouses which has also been traveling for children. Through the chaos of the past two years few have stopped to think about the negative impact that the pandemic shut down will have on kids. I have sat through therapy sessions listening to kids and teens cry about the things that they have been through in the past two years, many of the situations that could’ve been avoided if the shut down had not occurred and the political climate had not risen. It seems as though people act and behave in a way where they think their children either do not notice or do not take note of their behavior or the negative implications of their behavior and what that means to their life.

Are you someone that can think of something to do and then will have the motivation to get up and do it? Most people have a hard time finding the motivation to get up and do the things that they want to do if they give it too much thought, even a second thought can be enough to persuade you to not do the original thing that you thought of doing. Our brains are hard wired to search for things that will hurt us. This is a self protective measure that it was deep within your cognitive function. Fear resides within this area because it is thought to protect us. If we fear something, whether it’s good or bad, we likely well that do it, therefore, we are protected from something that might hurt us. Our brain doesn’t know whether something is good or bad for us, it just goes into self protection mode when we think of a task that might be new or require a lot of effort. If our brain in steals enough fear or doubt within us we will likely dismiss the idea of doing the thing we originally wanted to do. For many people starting a business can be very scary and seem like something that is unattainable. Therefore, when one has a thought of starting a business, they might get excited at the possibilities but may think of all of the things that they have to do to make the business a reality and they might talk themselves out of even trying to start that business. In this example, the brain has prompted the release of fear and doubt which has caused some of her sin to move from thinking about all of the possibilities and being excited about owning a business to thinking about all of the work and effort is going to take to start that business, as well as all of the negatives that might happen when they start that business, and they moved from being really excited to being full of fear and out. This fear and doubt is an asset to protect us from something that might potentially hurt us, however, if we listen to this year too often, it can hold us back from doing a lot of really fun and exciting things in our lives. This is the type of fear that exists to keep you from getting too close to an edge of a really high cliff for example. If we had no fear of heights or being hurt or dying from a fall, we would get hurt far more often. Once you learn how this fear presents itself to you in your mind and within your life, you will be able to override it and hack yourself through it to move past it when the fear is irrational. Meditation is a great way to work your brain muscle and T-shirt to focus on what you want it to versus your mind wandering and dwelling on things that are irrational or perhaps other peoples’ fears that might have taken on as your own. Sometimes when we spend a lot of time with people that complain or talk a lot about things that they are fearful of, we can take on their fears as our own. For example, within the past two years many people have been fearful of coronavirus while others have been cautious but still out and about living their lives without much fear at all. However, if you spend a lot of time with a friend who is fearful and you watch the news excessively which promotes fear as a motivator rather than faith and optimism, you may be persuaded to let other people‘s fears become your own. Through quiet time and reflection, and guided meditations, you can learn to distinguish what fears are actually your own and what fears you may have that started with other people, you can also learn what fears are irrational and what fears do you want to intentionally try to overcome. When you try to, and start to, overcome some of these fears it will be easier and easier to overcome other fears as your confidence in yourself and the world around you will grow as you overcome one fear at a time. The opposite is true of course as well. If you give into your fears they will grow and you will notice that you are avoiding things out of fear of failure or a fear of being hurt. Remember that whatever you focus on is how you’re going to feel, so if you are more focused on your fears you will have more fears and if you focus on your strengths and solutions to those fears and how things might turn out well, you will notice more and more things turn out well and you will notice your confidence growing. A fear-based life is also extremely dangerous for your immune system because that negative or fear-based thinking can actually shut down your immune system causing you more mental and physical illness. However, if you try to be positive, optimistic, and focus on solutions your brain and body will release different chemicals that promote and maintain mental health and wellness as well as an increase in function of your immune system and physical health and well-being.

10 Biggest Benefits of Meditation

Number 1 – Slower aging

As you age your body gets slower and you start to lose your edge but meditation can actually slow down the aging process in your brain. In a 2015 study from UCLA they found that those who practiced long term meditations had healthier brains than non-meditators. The researchers expected a small difference, if any, in the size of their brains but instead they found significant changes in brain volume. By meditating regularly, these people developed more gray matter in the brain. The volume of the brain size stayed far more consistent. In other words, meditation held back many of the most detrimental effects of aging in the brain for years to come. This means that meditating kept the brain at it’s peak size and kept age related illness at bay for a longer period of time.

Number 2 – Structural Transformation

Good meditation doesn’t just make your brain bigger it can change the physical shape of your brain as well. If you simply do a 20 minute meditation, it transforms specific structures in the brain like the hippocampus and the amygdala. The hippocampus is a tiny structure located in your temporal lobe. Though it’s small in size, your hippocampus plays a major role in critical cognitive functions like memory and learning. Without your hippocampus you couldn’t even remember your own name. Meditation help to strengthen, grow and calm your hippocampus therefore making your memory much stronger. In a recent research study, training researchers found that participants who meditated regularly had stronger, more pronounced hippocampi which means faster learning and a much more efficient memory structure. The amygdala is the emotional center of your brain known for its almond shape. The amygdala processes fundamental emotions like fear and anxiety. In the same 2011 as mentioned previously, the study found that meditation reduces the negativity related to stress and other damaging emotions. In other words, by meditating frequently you may actually transform the shape of your brain and change your life for the better. If meditating increases your brain size, brain function, memory and stability in emotions, think how much better you will feel if you can include even one meditation per day.

Number 3 – Deactivating Your Network

Your brain is full of systems that work like the default mode network or DMN. This large pack of neural structure affects the majority of your brain and it handles all kinds of cognitive functions from creation of selfhood to episodic memory, it even covers theory of mind and help you understand the past the future and the people around you. You couldn’t really live without it, but your DMN isn’t always your friend. A large problem for many people is something called mind wandering. Mind wandering is when your brain gets caught up in a cycle of what ifs, worries and doubt. The self referential ideas come directly from your DMN and can really bring you down. In fact, a 2010 study from the Journal Science claims that too much wandering makes people unhappy and unfocused. Luckily meditation may be the answer. A popular study conducted in 2011 from Yale University founded people who meditate have less activity in their DMN. Why is that? Well it’s because meditation slows down this neural network, it encourages you to live in the moment, to focus on the present, and spend less time worrying about your past or your future, and that can really lift your spirits. The same 2011 study from Yale University found that meditation can significantly improve your mood. Participants felt happier overall, and when their minds started to wander, they were much quicker to recover.

Number 4 – Perception of Pain

Meditation is more than just a mental process. If you practice meditation on a regular basis you can likely reduce both mental and physical pain. Let’s say you took a long hike yesterday and your legs are aching is there anything you can do to minimize the pain? Meditation may be just the answer you are looking for as. This was discovered in 2011 by a study in the Journal of neuroscience they found that meditation directly impacts pain mechanisms in your brain because pain in many ways is a mental process. While injury might not be something you can control, your experience of that injury and the pain you perceived it to have caused, takes place in your brain so if you can control your mental state you may be able to control your pain too.

Number 5 – Finding Your Flow State

Have you ever been so absorbed in your work you forgot the outside world even existed? This state of mind goes by a few different names some call it being in the “zone,” others call it absolute focus, but most called this a flow state. This is a short period of time when you’re 100% focused on one specific thing. Most people can’t just snap in and out of this type of flow state whenever they want, but meditation makes the transition to this flow state a whole lot easier. In practicing mindfulness you can isolate yourself in any environment and you can focus the entirety of your attention on small tasks like breathing. Regular meditators are amazing at practicing on and zoning in on this kind of attentional isolation, which can boost their concentration, their performance, and their time in a state of flow.

Number 6 – Unexpected Happiness

This next major benefit of meditation hits you when you least expect it. According to a 2008 study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, many people who meditate experience a small boost in their mood. Meditating is one of the most reliable ways to increase well-being and quality of life. But here’s the part most people don’t expect, meditation can also help you find happiness in the world around you. Those that meditate frequently often view people and places in a new light. Meditations help them discover new perspectives. They find joy in small and unexpected events and they learn to appreciate everything that life has to offer.

Number 7 – Social Gratitude

Gratitude comes naturally when you meditate. Those who meditate often discover value in many of the things you want to take for granted, especially the people who matter the most in your life. Meditation provides a new found appreciation for the connections that you’ve made and the bonds that you’ve built over the years. You may even reflect on all the ways your life has been shaped by your relationships, for better or for worse. As you discover yourself and learn to live in the moment, you can truly enjoy the time you spend with your friends and loved ones, because the unfortunate truth is many people don’t know how. This is mainly because they are so focused on making new friends they either don’t develop the ones they have or they let them go without a fight. So, by meditating regularly you can learn to value the people in your life and appreciate the power of real human connection.

Number 8 – Bonding with Compassion

Here’s another reason that meditation creates these deeper social bonds. Yes you can learn to live in the moment and yes you can become more appreciative of the people that love you, but you also care more about people in general. Meditation makes you a more compassionate individual; someone listens, empathizes, and truly invests in the people you meet. In a study conducted in 2012 by the Clinical Psychology Review, researchers tested whether or not this was actually true. They wanted to research the question: “Does meditation make one more compassionate?” They use two different meditation techniques; one was called “loving kindness meditation,” and the other was called “compassion meditation.” In theory these practices should develop practices in your brain related to kindness and compassion. Researchers found significant increases in those exact parts of the brain resulting in a higher capacity for both compassion and empathy. But there’s more… These two techniques gave people more than they ever thought possible. By increasing their capacity for empathy, meditation eased their social anxiety and reduced any pent-up anger they had been storing. So meditation doesn’t just help you bond with others with others, it also teaches you teaches you to be more compassionate to yourself.

Number 9 – Accelerated Concentration

Meditation is a great way to tighten your focus. A study done in 2013, published by the Association for Psychological Science found that mindfulness meditation helps you retain more information, helps you learn faster, and stay on task for longer periods of time. They tested this hypothesis with two groups of standardized test takers applying either to college or graduate school. One group was taught how to meditate and the other was not. If meditation really does improve focus, the first group should out perform the other group, which is exactly what happened. The meditating test takers were significantly more accurate and they received better overall scores. But that’s not all. This group of students were also much better at something called concentration correction. When they felt themselves getting distracted they quickly noticed this and were able to redirect their attention and got right back to work. So what’s the secret? Meditation doesn’t actually change the way you concentrate, but it does train your brain to ignore distractions because your brain has a bad habit of jumping from one new stimulus to the next. Obviously this scattered way of thinking can really impact your memory and your performance. Try meditation to help yourself stay focused when it matters most.

Number 10 – Lasting and Improved Confidence

Few people realize how much meditation can affect your self-confidence. This comes from a study conducted in 1995 by the General Hospital of Psychiatry. They discovered that meditations have a neutralizing affect on social anxiety and that as little as 15 minutes a day can soothe any general nervousness you may have while also reducing self-inflicted stress, which gives you more confidence in all kinds of nerve-racking situations. But this boost of confidence is not simply a one time thing. Meditation can soothe your nerves years after you stop practicing. In that 1995 study participants took an eight week course on mindfulness meditation and it did decrease anxiety, but it the improvements that they initially felt lasted over three years later even if they hadn’t practiced meditating since their original course. The biggest takeaway here is that even a brief time doing meditations can greatly change your attitude, your anxiety, and most of all your self-confidence.