Safdar I. Chaudhary, MD Medical Director S’eclairer; Clinical Assistant Professor, Chatham University; Board Certified in Adult Psychiatry by American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

3. Understanding The
Fundamentals of Brain Health
& Chronic Disease
Safdar I. Chaudhary, MD

4. Objectives
Identify poor lifestyle choices the root causes
of modern chronic diseases
Practice stress relief techniques
Learn skills to have a healthy lifestyle and the
possibility of having a meaningful and
sustainable improvement in health

5. State of Affairs- Pain Meds
Enough
prescription
painkillers were
prescribed in
2010 to medicate
every American
adult around-the-
clock for one
month.

7. Attention Deficit Disorders
 Approximately 11%
of children 4-17
years of age (6.4
million) have been
diagnosed with
ADHD as of 2011.
 The percentage of
children with an
ADHD diagnosis
continues to
increase, from 7.8%
in 2003 to 9.5% in
2007 and to 11.0%
in 2011.
The total cost
care for ADHD in
the US in 2000
was $31.6 billion.
Of this total, $1.6
billion was for the
treatment of
patients.

8. Toxic Environment
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11. Autism

12. Chronic Diseases
 Leading Causes of Death and Disability in the U.S.7 out of
10 deaths among Americans each year are from
chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer and stroke
account for more than 50% of all deaths each year.
 In 2005-almost 1 out of every 2 adults had at least
one chronic illness. Obesity has become a major
health concern. 1 in every 3 adults is obese. 1 in 5
youth between the ages of 6 and 19 is obese.
 Arthritis is the most common cause of disability.
 Diabetes continues to be the leading cause of kidney
failure, non traumatic lower-extremity amputations,
and blindness among adults, aged 20-74.
 Excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading
preventable cause of death in the U.S., behind diet
and physical activity and tobacco.

13. Four Common Causes of Chronic Disease
Lack of physical activity, poor nutrition,
tobacco use, and excessive alcohol
consumption are responsible for much
of the illness, suffering, and early death
related to chronic diseases.
More than one-third of all adults do not
meet recommendations for aerobic
physical activity and 23% report no
leisure-time physical activity at all in
the preceding month
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

15. Fear via hormone & nerves
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16. Integrative Medicine

17. Nutritional Brain Energy Enhancement for Reducing
Mental Fatigue and Improving Mood and Cognition

20. Environment and us
 Our genes express
based on the
environmental exposure
 Some estimates
indicate- 2 % of
diseases are genetic
such as
• Hemophilia
• Huntington’s Disease
Remaining impacted by
life style &
Environmental
Exposures
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21. Mindfulness Practices

22. Exosomes
Exosomes are secreted by most cell
types and contribute to functions
including tissue repair, neural
communication, and the transfer of
pathogenic proteins.

23. Our beautiful body
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25. Effects of food content
In humans, serotonin levels are affected
by diet.
An increase in the ratio of tryptophan to
phenylalanine and leucine will increase
serotonin levels. Fruits with a high ratio
include dates, papayas, and bananas.

27. What Controls Our Health
Women who believed that they were prone to
heart disease were nearly four times as likely to
die compared to women with similar risk factors
who didn't hold such fatalistic views.
The higher risk of death, in other words, had
nothing to do with the usual heart disease
culprits -- age, blood pressure, cholesterol,
weight. Instead, it tracked closely with belief.
Think sick, be sick.

28. Our Environment
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30. The Brain that Changes Itself
Researchers are discovering that we
can teach an old brain new tricks.
It seems the organ is more flexible than
scientists originally thought.

31. The Brain: How The Brain
Rewires Itself
Growing number of discoveries showing that
greater use of a particular muscle causes the
brain to devote more cortical real estate to it.
Mental training has the power to change the
physical structure of the brain.
The ability of mere thought to alter the
physical structure and function of our gray
matter.

32. Wonderful Mind
Our Perceptions
Our Belief Systems
Emotions- Fear Based or Trusting
Healthy Responses

33. OVERTHROWING THE
DOGMA
FOR DECADES, THE PREVAILING
DOGMA IN neuroscience was that the
adult human brain is essentially
immutable, hardwired, fixed in form
and function, so that by the time we
reach adulthood we are pretty much
stuck with what we have.

34. Pathways of Brain
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38. Story of Wisdom
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39. Empowered with Possibilities
But research in the past few years has
overthrown the dogma. In its place has
come the realization that the adult brain
retains impressive powers of
"neuroplasticity"--the ability to change
its structure and function in response to
experience.

40. Good Medicine
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