I am very excited to be a certified provider of The Listening Program©. TLP helps people of any age maximize their potential, performance and brain health. It is a therapeutic tool to enhance and improve auditory and sensory processing. Based on over a decade of research and clinical success, it stimulates the brain to take in information better, so that you can organize, process and remember better.

TLP has been used successfully for Autism, Brain Injury, ADHD and ADD, Sensory Integration issues, as well as to improve academic, professional and creative performance.

I can work with you locally, or long distance via webcam or phone sessions.

The Listening Program uses psychoacoustically modified classical music, which trains the brain to process sound more efficiently. This leads to improvements in:
Learning
Attention
Communication
Reading
Listening
Sensory Processing
Social Engagement
Behavior
Self Regulation
Musical Ability
Brain Fitness
Daily Living

It requires only 15-30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The program is carefully designed to systematically “exercise” different functions of the auditory processing system, helping us move from a “disorganized” to an “organized” system. The program can be customized as necessary to identify and strengthen an individual’s weaker areas.

The Listening Program combines decades of clinical research in several fields, including neurology, physiology, psycho-acoustics, auditory processing, music theory and more.

Alex Doman, the founder of Advanced Brain Technologies and the creator of The Listening Program, and Dom Campbell, best selling author of The Mozart Effect, have co-authored a new book called Healing at the Speed of Sound, which will be released later this month. I will be carrying the book in my office, as well as the CDs that go with it.  I am also offering ABT’s other products, including BrainBuilder, SoundHealth and Music for Babies.

For more information, including videos and testimonials, please see their website. If you would like to know more about a program with me for yourself or a child, please let me know. I am very excited to have this as an additional healing modality in my practice.

Are you concerned about Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia?  Few of us aren’t, especially as we witness the degeneration of older friends and family members.  But did you know that much of that outcome can be significantly influenced by your lifestyle choices now?  Here are six steps you can take to keep your brain, and your mind, healthy over the coming years.

1. Undetected gluten sensitivity has been associated with dementia and early onset Alzheimer’s.  If you are gluten sensitive, it is crucial to eliminate gluten completely from your diet. If you are not sure, but have family members with Alzheimer’s or dementia, diabetes, colon cancer or chronic GI issues, I can help you ascertain whether or not you are gluten sensitive.  If you are, taking steps to eliminate gluten from your diet will change your life and your health dramatically, both now and for your future.
2. Include healthy fats in your diet at every meal.  Fish oil has gotten a lot of press, and has been shown to decrease incidence of dementia.  My favorite forms are XanthOmega Krill, OmegAvail and smaller fish such as sardines, mackerel, and herring, which are high in Omega 3s and very clean, due to their short life span.  However, coconut oil and other plant oils such as black currant and evening primrose, may also be neuro-protective.  Foods that have healthy fat include avocados, nuts, and seeds (chia seeds are one of my favorites. See my article on SuperFoods for more info on these little nutrient dense powerhouses.)
3. Brain Exercise: keep using your brain in new and different ways. You can strengthen your brain and your whole nervous system by learning new things spatially, kinesthetically, even musically.  Word games and number games are great, but also try a class or dvd with a different kind of movement, choreography or balancing challenge.  Brush your teeth on one leg.  Learn a new dance step, a new instrument, or a new language.
4. Body Exercise:  Using your body keeps your blood circulating to your brain as well. Yoga balance postures and inversions are particularly helpful (I never miss an opportunity to promote the infinite benefits of yoga!).  Do burst training (short high intensity intervals). And then move for pure pleasure: take a walk outside or put on some music and dance.
5. Many studies have shown that social interaction keeps the brain healthy and functional longer.  Call a friend; go to a meeting; get out and see people face to face.
6. Hydration The brain is 75% water, and even small drops in hydration can effect its function.

One more supplement I love for brain health is Brain Vitale.  Brain Vitale is a combination of two powerful and beneficial brain nutrients: Phosphatidyl serine and Acetyl-L-Carnitine. These two nutrients have been extensively researched for their ability to enhance memory, relieve depression, improve mental acuity, promote recovery from stroke and nerve injury, and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Vitale is one of the most dramatically useful brain formulas, particularly for promoting mental alertness.

Want help customizing a program and following through? I’d be delighted to put my mind to it!

Personal Health – Studies Show Further Health Benefits of Exercise – NYTimes.com.

There is simply nothing to argue with here: regular exercise is essential to health.  At the seminar on the Healing the Brain that I recently attended, it was on every single list for maintaining – and even improving – brain health, particularly as we age.  This article makes the well-documented point that exercise decreases our risk of virtually every illness and degenerative disease, and that is true whether people are healthy to begin with or not.

There are so many ways to exercise.  Find (at least) one that you like and get moving!  Your brain, and your body, will thank you for it.

Mind – New Research Focuses on the Power of Physical Contact – NYTimes.com.

“Momentary touches” lead to clear, almost immediate changes in how people think and act.  This was one of the topics “touched on” at the Healing the Brain seminar from which I just returned.  In fact, if you combine the sense of touch with the sense of smell, you can increase your dopamine levels 400% within minutes, and it will last about an hour.  Any fragrance will do as long as it is something you enjoy: an essential oil or a loaf of fresh bread.  (more on this approach shortly, in another blog)  Pleasurable visual, auditory or touch also instantly increase serotonin levels, making us more relaxed, motivated and happy.  And enhanced stimulation also improves brain function: increasing cortical thickness, synaptic connection, and neurotransmitter and receptor levels.  That means improved learning and immune response, and decreased anxiety.

More and more, we are learning that brain structure can continue to be modified in positive ways long after development is complete.  One of the simplest ways to boost both your mood and your brain health is to enjoy pleasurable sights, sounds, touch, and fragrances.  I can’t imagine a simpler prescription, so what are you waiting for?

What an intense week!  I thought the Lyme Seminar in October was intense, but this made it look like spa time.  We started at 7AM and went until 10:30PM with only an hour break for lunch and for dinner.  My one complaint was the paradox that a seminar on this topic did not leave enough time for eating, sleeping and exercise, all of which were emphasized as essential for brain health!  But I have to admit that there was nothing I would have given up: what a wealth of material was presented.

My Certifications

So I am very proud to now have been certified by the Klinghardt Academy of Neurobiology in:

• Lyme and Chronic Infection as the Underlying Cause of Chronic Illness
• Healing the Brain: The Hidden Causes of Brain Dysfunction in both Children and Adults
• Autism: The Integrative Protocol
• Supporting Organs of Elimination (Detoxification Methods)

In addition, I am committed to four additional trainings over the next year.  It is so exciting to find someone from whom there is so much for me to learn. And of course, it’s pretty rare to find an M.D., PhD who not only embraces kinesiology, nutrition and homeopathy, but a) is one of the foremost clinicians/practitioners in the world and b) is passionate about teaching others all he can. I feel privileged to be in this cohort, much as I did when I had the opportunity to train with endocrinologist and author Diana Schwarzbein, M.D.

A few points from the Autism segment of the conference

Again, there is so much to share, from lifestyle to sensory therapies to nutrition and supplements, and more, more, more, but for now I’ll share a few notes on reducing auditory sensory overload to kids on the autistic spectrum.

• No background TV or music, especially at night
• Listen for and eliminate, whenever possible, odd noises that can be heard in sleeping area: refrigerator motor, traffic, heating/AC, ticking clocks, etc.
• Use rhythmic music, but only with intention and for a limited time.  Play it loudly, when that is what you are doing, but do not use it as background during other times of day.  It can be classical, choir music, folk music, Muppets, Beatles, etc, but make sure it has a range of instruments, and a strong regular rhythm.
• Provide lots of quiet time.

That’s all I have time for now, must go board my flight.  But stay tuned for lots more as I have time to write, or schedule a session to have the information applied for you individually.

warm regards from the Seattle airport,

Fran