Everybody desires health, but sadly, most Americans are not healthy enough to thrive, think with precision, feel energized, and be free of illness. The United States leads the world in medical technologies, yet life expectancy in America is the lowest of all comparable countries. At the same time, chronic disease and mental illness are rising. The data seems to show that Americans are increasingly unhealthy and unhappy.
“I can remember being back in medical school, learning an almost depressing conception of the brain. Basically, the development of our neurons peaks at around age 20, and then it’s just a downhill decline from there,” says Monti. Thankfully, the episode debunks this old way of thinking, due to a new functional MRI-PET scanner technology. This scanner technology shows that the brain can be rewired to function better. By “better,” Monti explains, he means “improved focus, longer attention span, better mood, decreased risk of developing dementia, and an overall better life.”
Now, he is leading a scientific team focused on solving severe health and brain problems. His main question is, “can the brain change?” To find the answer, he spoke with his colleague at the Marcus Institute, Dr. Andrew Newberg. Newberg is a trailblazer in the field of neurotheology—the neurological study of religious and spiritual experiences—and director of research at the institute. He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed brain-related articles and has done groundbreaking research on the effects of meditation and prayer on the brain.
According to Newberg, the brain can indeed change. “All the evidence points to the fact that the brain can change, and it can change very significantly. And it can change throughout our lives. So no matter how old the person is, their brain can always form new connections between the neurons. Sometimes it can even grow new neurons that can help us keep our brain healthy and adapt to all the different things we face throughout our lives.”
The episode explores the brain-body connection, including gut and emotional health and how they impact each other. Newberg uses PET/MRI scans to show the effectiveness of meditation as a treatment for stress and a way to improve brain performance.
The technology used by Newberg is one of only about 30 or 40 in the United States, says Monti, and one of only 100 or 200 in the entire world.
The scanner provides advanced ways of imaging the brain. A regular MRI scan takes inactive images. However, the PET scan uses radioactive tracers to detect cellular changes, and a functional MRI can look at red blood cell activity as a different measure of metabolic activity. Combining these three technologies into one machine gives researchers the most detailed information about the brain yet.
The scans can show anxiety levels in a person from stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or other factors. The technology can also show how therapy such as meditation or prayer improves the brain and emotional health and regulates the nervous system.
For example, the episode features a patient who used this technology to help with the grief and trauma of her brother’s death. To help her, The Marcus Institute used a groundbreaking intervention called the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET). NET weaves together biology, emotions, stress, memory and nutrition to help people face and process their experiences in a way that allows them to heal.
The Marcus Institute is also using the scanner technology to treat Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s occurs when specific nerve cells in the brain die, leading to less of the brain chemical called dopamine. According to the episode, we don’t know why this happens, but we do know that oxidative stress and inflammation are part of the process. One of the natural protectors against these processes is a molecule called N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Using scans of the brain’s dopamine system, the institute was able to see significant improvement in Parkinson’s patients who took NAC for a few months.
This potential for healing is why Newberg and Monti have spent so much time researching the benefits of a bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach to wellness. According to Monti, “each of these areas—biological, psychological, social, and spiritual—act like legs on a table to keep our brains in balance.”
When one or more legs are compromised, Monti says, the entire table tips, often causing a health problem. He continues: “By shoring up our biological leg through diet and exercise; our psychological leg through meditation and treatments like NET; our social leg by maintaining healthy relationships with others; and our spiritual leg by connecting to things that are purposefully meaningful like prayer, nature, or art, we can restore balance and protect our health.”
This episode provides compelling evidence that through integrative strategies like that used by the Marcus Institute the medical industry may offer significant hope for the future of health.
