Brain Food for Writers
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
—Albert Einstein
As writers, whether we're using the left brain (logical, factual, detail-oriented) or the right brain (feelings, imagination, symbols and images) good brain health is vital to our creativity.
Speaking of left brain/right brain . . . actually, it's better to have an integrated brain so we can use both hemispheres at once. If all this sounds a little dry and scientific, let me explain how I came to be so interested in having an “integrated brain.”
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Chronic insomnia, thyroid dysfunction, asthma and other ongoing health problems were making it difficult for me to carry on my career as a writer. Add frequent burn-out to the mix and I finally crashed and burned one too many times.
In July 2002 I quit doing writing workshops and let my Website grow cobwebs. Whenever I had some energy, I would try to do projects at home—such as publishing e-books and starting a new chat room for writers. But the burn-out always got the better of me and I would have to quit yet another project.
Being a natural health freak, I tried every supplement and cleansing program under the sun to try to rectify my poor health. But, until the Spring of 2005, I was always coming at it from the wrong angle (I say this, of course, with 20-20 hindsight). I didn't understand that there was one condition underlying all of these seemingly unrelated problems.
During the Spring of '05, my problems with noise sensitivity and stress overload got so bad I don't know how to describe the nightmare. Miraculously, one day on Amazon, I stumbled across a book called Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight that exactly described my problems. The book labels the condition “sensory defensiveness” and the resources section of the book set me off on a journey to heal my nervous system and rewire my brain.
It was a learning curve and not everything I tried worked. But by September my condition was so much improved, I could work 14-hour days building this Website with no sign of burn-out.
Not only that, but for the first time since I was a kid I have abundant energy. Learning to take care of my brain has been a phenomenal turning point in my life.
You don't have to have a condition like sensory defensiveness to benefit from tuning your brain.
-Milli
(see Milli's bio & photo)
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Don't Wait For a Crisis To Learn What I Learned:
1. Slow down. This is your life!
2. Relax.
3. Remember to play.
4. Reevaluate your life frequently. Is it working?
5. Reevaluate your goals. Are they the right ones?
6. Take care of yourself first.
7. Say no. You probably don't have to do most of those things you think you have to do.
-Karin Ireland, author of Learning to Trust Myself: Lessons From Cancer and Other Life Dilemmas
Page Contents
Brain Health for Writers
Cellfood - Increase Your Brain's Oxygen Levels
Binaural Beats - “Brain Entrainment” for Creativity
Making the Brain/Body Connection
Rainbow Light Protein Energizer
Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight
The Sensitive Person's Survival Guide
Emotional Healing: The Simplest Way to Do It
This section is currently being revised and updated
Disclaimer (no legalese)
This section of the Website represents Milli's own experiences with natural healing. The suggested products and books are in no way related to any of the writers featured on this Website, apart from Milli Thornton herself.
None of the suggestions for health made on these pages should replace the advice of your doctor or natural health practitioner.
Muscle testing by a practitioner of East-West medicine (that is, one who combines the ancient wisdom of Oriental medicine with conventional Western doctoring) can be a useful way to ask your body whether a particular product will suit your body's needs.
A natural health practitioner can also explain the concept of the healing crisis—which is when your body resurfaces (and is ready to release) old dis-ease or imbalance. You can sometimes feel worse before you feel better when clearing out old patterns of imbalance. Don't forget to seek expert advice and support!
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Think-O2 Tea
"Promotes Mental Performance"
Ginkgo, gotu kola, sage, rosemary, peppermint and lemon balm all contain beneficial compounds known to preserve neurotransmitter levels in the brain.
Research has shown that maintaining acetylcholine levels in your brain supports memory performance and brain function. The herbs in Think-O2 contain compounds that inhibit an enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine in the brain. Using various independent test systems, the anti-oxidant* activity of Thnik-O2 has been shown to be significant.
How does it taste? It's a refreshingly aromatic blend of herbals—slightly bitter, sweet, and spicy with mint.
* antioxidant = a compound which prevents free radical or oxidative damage
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Cellfood - Increase Your
Brain's
Oxygen Levels for Creativity
“Although the brain is only 2% of the body's weight, it uses 20% of the oxygen supply and gets 20% of the blood flow. Blood vessels supply the brain with oxygen and nourishment, and take away wastes. If brain cells do not get oxygen for three to five minutes, they begin to die.”
—from "Introduction to the Brain," enchantedlearning.com
Does Cellfood contain oxygen?
Cellfood is able to generate oxygen from splitting the water molecule. The concentrate is added to water and at that time begins to generate oxygen. Cellfood itself does not really contain large amounts of oxygen. Cellfood's unique ability to generate oxygen has been verified by an independent laboratory.
Can Cellfood be used to purify water?
Yes. Cellfood can be used to purify water that you are somewhat uncertain about (such as from a river or stream). Simply add 5-10 drops of Cellfood to 1 pint of water. It will even take the "smell" out of the water and improve the taste. In earthquake areas (such as California) Cellfood should be kept available to make sure that stored water that is kept around for several months can be purified. Cellfood in independent lab reports has been shown to be able to kill pathogen organisms effectively.
“Chronic Fatigue and Fybromyalgia have been my constant challenge for the past 8 years. I read about the oxygen supplement Cellfood and it made so much sense! The very FIRST time I tried Cellfood, I felt the energy return to my body. My brain-fog cleared. My concentration improved. I can actually play with my grandkids!” - Ranae, Alaska
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Binaural Beats: Brain Entrainment for Creativity
Binaural beat recordings are specially generated sounds designed to alter your brainwaves—bringing about states of happiness, creativity, or relaxation, for example. They're perfectly safe, non-addictive, and can be used as often as you like.
The Inventor: Creativity CD
Use the Inventor CD for:
*Boosting your creativity, coming up with new ideas
*Using your imagination to assist your business
*Thinking of clever book plots and story ideas
*Viewing the big picture and making intelligent connections
Your usual gush of fresh ideas has slowed to a slow drip. Your creativity has almost stopped dead. You need new thoughts, sparkling imagination . . . you need answers, solutions, book plots, designs . . . you need to be able to push a button and have your mind's eye come up with a million suggestions.
Suddenly, it's easy. You simply slip on your headphones, slide back in your chair and listen. You hear the gentle sounds swishing inside your head, relaxing you gently. You feel warm and cosy. Suddenly the floodgates to your inventor's mind are opened. The answers come gushing. . . .
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Making the Brain/Body Connection:
A playful guide to releasing mental, physical
and emotional blocks to success
by Sharon Promislow
Easy to read . . . Easy to do . . . Amazingly simple!
Based on Brain Gym and Kinesiology, this book will help you significantly reduce stress by integrating your brain.
Write in this book, color in the pictures, get involved. The author provides goal setting for where you want to be/how you want to feel and takes care of “mind chatter” right at the beginning of the book.
The exercises are accompanied by fun illustrations and broken down into easy stages. Want something quick to rewire your brain and reduce stress? Use “The Quick Six”: for instance, cross-patterning, which is like a cross-march (but you don't go anywhere) alternated with walking in place like a puppet on a string.
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“I was getting expensive NeuroLink treatments for my sensory defensiveness, but it didn't 'stick' and I kept losing the benefits. I would have to travel into the city and pay more for yet another treatment. Using this book at home for myself, I retain the benefits even when I forget to do the exercises regularly.” —Milli
“A clear and fun introduction to the basic principles of holistic wellbeing. Improve how you feel and perform.”
—Dr. John Thie, founder of Touch For Health
“Sharon Promislow has drawn together a wonderful combination of delightfully simple yet powerfully effective strategies for people of all ages to optimize performance. Anyone wishing to reduce stress or regain the joy of learning and increase empowerment in challenging situations must have this book.”
—Dr. Wayne Topping, author of Success Over Distress
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Water: The Ultimate Cure : Discover Why Water
Is the Most Important Ingredient in Your Diet
and Find Out Which Water Is Right for You
by Steve Meyerowitz
Drinking water is one of the Quick Six ways to recharge your brain quickly (see Making the Brain-Body Connection). Now you can read exactly why it's so important.
The book opens with an introduction by the hero of water, Dr. Batmanghelidj (known as Dr. Batman for short), entitled “Don't Treat Thirst With Medications.” This eye-opener will give you a new outlook on taking charge of your own health.
Meyerowitz then goes on to cover topcis such as “The Dehydration Epidemic,” how much to drink, how to use water to lose weight and protect yourself from cancer, and water as the Fountain of Youth.
The middle section of the book is devoted to describing the effect of pollutants and chemical additives on our drinking water (if you don't think your water is polluted, think about the age and quality of your pipes ). The final section covers every conceivable kind of filtered water, including shower filters to protect our skin from an overdose of chlorine.
“This book will inspire you so much, you'll be excited about drinking water! Since reading it, I've begun drinking my water out of a fancy wine goblet to give it the status it deserves in my life.” —Milli
Read Milli's article “Water: Do Writers Need It?”
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Rainbow Light Protein Energizer
“Proteins in the diet affect brain performance because they provide the amino acids from which neurotransmitters are made. Think of neurotransmitters as biochemical messengers that carry signals from one brain cell to another. The better you feed these messengers, the more efficiently they deliver the goods.”—William Sears, MD
Food-Based High Protein, Low-Fat Instant Shake With Energizing Herbs & NO Sugar, Soy or Dairy
Rainbow Light's Protein Energizer shake is a sugar-free, low-fat nutritious instant protein shake with a delicious natural vanilla flavor. (Note from Milli: “I'll vouch for the great taste. It's a light powder and easy to mix into juice.”)
Unlike other protein drinks that can leave you feeling heavy and bloated, Rainbow Light's Protein Energizer will help you feel nourished, energized and ready to face your day. Plus, Protein Energizer is 100% hypoallergenic and completely vegetarian, because it contains no soy or dairy, and is very easy to digest. The perfect complement to your daily health regimen, it features:
* 15 grams of hypoallergenic rice protein per serving. Rice protein has a complete amino acid profile making it an excellent source of protein. Protein Energizer is free of soy and dairy, both of which can be hard to digest and cause a feeling of heaviness and bloating.
*
3 grams of fiber per serving from four different sources: rice bran, oat bran, beet root and apple fiber.
* 780 mg )herbal powder equivalent) of adaptogenic herbs that increase stamina, mental alertness and work performance without the use of stimulants like caffeine or ephedra. These energizing herbs also help combat the sleepy feeling some people get when they eat protein.
*
500 mg of spirulina per serving, far more than most other instant shakes. Spirulina is a highly nutritious blue-green algae that naturally contains a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals, and is one of the most concentrated sources of protein in the plant or animal kingdom.
* 8
Whole food nutrition from spinach, kale, dandelion greens and beet juice concentrates.
*
A comprehensive blend of plant-source enzymes identical to those found in raw, whole foods, making Protein Energizer very easy to digest.
Rainbow Light Protein Energizer Powder Vanilla -- 15.75 oz
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Greens+ Chocolate Energy Bar
Made with Organic Superfoods & High Energy Herbal Extracts for Optimum Energy, Superior Well-Being & Peak Performance
Don't be fooled by junk food disguised as health food. Greens Plus has combined organically-grown superfoods, soy protein, high energy herbal extracts and a little bit of honey to produce the only cold-processed, alkaline-forming green food bar. If you're hungry and short on time, grab a nutrient-rich Greens+ Energy Bar NOW!
The Greens+ Energy Bar contains no white sugar, salt, corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, synthetic sweeteners or genetically modified foods of any kind.
Note from Milli: “This is the most delicious power bar I've ever found—and the best price for this brand. Since so much of the food we eat is acid-forming (which puts our pH balance out of whack), adding a high-quality, alkaline-forming yummy snack can only be a win-win for our bodies. Get those nutrients to your brain while you write!”
Ingredients: Organic medjool dates, organic almond butter, organic quinoa sprout powder, non-gmo soy protein isolate, original GREENS+® powder (non-gmo soy lecithin, organic Hawaiian spirulina, organic apple fiber, barley grass powder, wheat grass powder, Japanese chlorella, hydroponic soy sprouts, organic brown rice bran, sprouted barley malt, alfalfa grass powder, dairy-free probiotics, royal jelly, Montana bee pollen, acerola berry juice, natural vitamin E, licorice root powder, milk thistle extract, echinacea root extract, Siberian Eleuthero root extract, astragalus root extract, licorice root extract, organic red beet juice, dunaliella salina algae, organic Nova Scotia Dulse, organic ginkgo biloba leaf extract, organic Japanese green tea extract, grape seed and skin extract, organic Swedish bilberry extract), organic rice crisps, wildflower honey, mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E).
Chocolate Coating Ingredients: Cocoa butter, barley malt sweetened chocolate, cocoa bean extract.
Warning: May contain pieces of sprouted nuts or date pits.
Greens Plus Energy Bar Chocolate -- 12/Box
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Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight:
What to Do If You Are Sensory Defensive
in an Overstimulating World
by Sharon Heller, Ph.d
Illuminates an Often Misunderstood Condition:
*Explains how the tendency to become easily over-stimulated has a name and a framework of understanding beyond stress and anxiety
*Explains why many sufferers are misdiagnosed with such psychiatric conditions as anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive behavior, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression or anorexia
*Helpful for anyone who reacts with irritation and even alarm to ordianry sensation that other can turn out, suce as touch, heat, cold, motion, sounds, lights, odors and taste
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“Here is the list of some of my sensitivities that I composed on 3/15/05 after reading this book. It was such a relief to find out that my 'princess and the pea syndrome' was actually valid and that others suffer this way too.” —Milli
Clothing labels can make my whole day miserable. I have accidentally ruined good clothes by trying to gouge, rip or cut labels out when agitated.
I never wear jeans. I can't bear constricting clothing with harsh fabrics.
Being patted or tapped from behind drives my stress levels through the ceiling.
The last time a stranger touched me from behind (a man touching my elbow to say hello) my knee-jerk reaction was so obvious he said, “I didn’t mean to scare to you!”
I detest putting lotion on and only do it when or because I have to. It just doesn't feel good.
I procrastinate about having a shower because I'm ultra-sensitive to temperature changes and I loathe the follow-up tasks, such as applying moisturizer and drying my hair. It's hard to start my day properly with this ordeal looming over me.
Noises bother me intensely. I could write a book on that one, but one example is the toilet flushing. I have to leave the room immediately and close the door (any sound where I have to wait for it to end is supremely stressful). Even the birds sing too loudly so I can’t sit outside to have my cup of tea.
Insomnia could be another book. The tiniest noise while I’m trying to get to sleep puts my nervous system into hyper-drive and my brain on high alert.
The cats have to be barricaded downstairs at night now because their disturbances whenever they slept with us were adding to my chronic insomnia.
If Brian points across my field of vision, especially if I’m driving, I go bananas. I can’t stand his hand or fingers near my eyes, even when he says he was “nowhere near” my eyes.
Transitions during the day bother me a lot and eat into my productivity. Usually my whole day goes out of whack in the morning, when I procrastinate about having a shower and getting dressed because I dread the transition (not to mention the other unpleasant aspects). Lots of days I live in my pajamas until mid-afternoon.
I can be in a relatively good mood before bedtime, but then one tiny incident—a tap on the shoulder or the cat licking its fur too loudly—puts my stress into overdrive and then I have another awful night.
One stupid thing while lying awake for endless hours at night is fearing to sleep on my left side—in case Brian rolls over and breaks my nose accidentally.
I go through five times as much toothpaste as Brian does because I can’t tolerate “morning mouth” or the feeling of food residue on my teeth.
If there’s a hair in my sock when I put it on, I can’t go on with my day until I get that offending hair out of there. Bumps in my socks are also unacceptable.
Brian wants me to go camping with him but it’s something I dread. Instead of thinking of the fun we’d have, my mind goes immediately to all the discomforts and temperature changes I would have to cope with. And the insomnia while lying on the ground waiting for creepy-crawlies to come get me. What fun is any of that?
I feel guilty and ashamed of most of the stuff on this list and especially guilty about having such eruptions of anger when it happens.
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9/16/05 Follow-up note from Milli: “Reading Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight helped me get over the shame and guilt mentioned above, and I now understand the source of the anger also. It helped so much just to read about other people having the same reactions. The treatment I've been getting and/or self-administering (not all of it mentioned in this book—that's why I've listed other brain tools) has given me back my life. An important step in my healing was another book listed on this page entitled Making the Brain/Body Connection. But without the book The Sensitive Person's Survival Guide I believe I might still be a mess. I was lucky to find all three of these books in a relatively short frame of time.”
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The Sensitive Person's Survival Guide:
An Alternative Health Answer to
Emotional Sensitivity & Depression
by Kyra Mesich, Psy.D.
Review by Milli Thornton
I don't have scientific proof that the methods in this book can help you reintegrate your brain. But, speaking for myself, I cannot separate this book from the other things I did to integrate my entire being and pull myself out of the sensory defensiveness.
It's a deceptively simple, quick, easy read. But if you truly need this book, you'll resonate with Mesich's discoveries—and probably be puzzled yet intrigued by the simple solution she offers.
If you're an empathic person (i.e., one who can easily relate to, and even absorb, the emotions of other people) and you're having over-sensitivity problems, explore this book. Using the Yarrow flower essence recommended by Dr. Mesich has given me a new lease on life. I was in really bad shape and needed to consume three or four bottles worth (you put the drops—which are tasteless—under your tongue with a eye dropper), but when it finally kicked in I could really tell the difference.
It's important to first understand why Yarrow will help, so you'll have the insight to stick with the program until you get your own results. When I say “program,” I don't mean to make it sound hard or complicated. Even if you're a total gibbering mess, like I was, you'll be able to easily incorporate this little routine into your life. And you don't have to keep doing it forever. I did it for several months and then didn't need the drops any more.
There are different kinds of Yarrow for different healing purposes (just as there are different colors of the Yarrow flower), and the book will help you assess which might be best for you. In the resources section the author provides information on how to obtain Yarrow flower essence.
[Important Note on Yarrow: Yarrow capsules are readily available in the health food store but will not have the same action as the flower essence.]
This book has been a life saver for me. Thank you, Dr. Mesich. I know you probably have far more skeptics than believers. I'm definitely a believer.
See my aura photos for a visual take on the improvements I've experienced.
FAQ on flower essences from a trusted expert
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Your Inner Physician and You:
Craniosacral Therapy & SomatoEmotional Release
by John Upledger of the Upledger Institute
“The 'inner physician' is that part of the psyche that can heal—when one becomes aware of the psycho-emotional issues that come with pain. Dr. Upledger describes his methods through personal accounts such as that from Mary Ellen Clark, the Olympic diver, whom he cured of dizziness.”
So goes the Amazon book description. But don't let this rather dry and innocuous description fool you. I recently loaned my copy to a friend and she stayed up half the night devouring it. You will read about a whole new system discovered within the body in the not-too-distant past (why do our doctors never mention this?) and be inspired by amazing cures that border on the miraculous—cures that are solidly based in the physical.
Cranio-Sacral Therapy has been a miracle for me. After a life-time of suffering from sensory defensiveness, weekly visits to my Cranio-Sacral Therapist over approx. an 8-week period wreaked remarkable changes in my condition. I can't recommend CST highly enough—for all kinds of health problems and stress in general. But, a word of advice. Be consistent and stick with it until you get long-lasting results.
You'll find a database of trained CS therapists at the Upledger Institute Website. But read the book first. You'll get more from your sessions once you understand the full potential.
—Milli Thornton
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Learning to Trust Myself: Lessons From
Cancer and Other Life Dilemmas
by Karin Ireland
This page-turning self-help memoir, Karin Ireland's 20th book, is a story of courage and personal growth that will have you thinking about your own life in a new way.
After removing a 6+ centimeter cancerous lump from Ireland's breast without getting clean margins, doctors pushed her to have a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation as her best "chance" for survival.
Initially, Ireland believed she would die. Then she began to believe she might survive if she could find a way to boost her immune system instead of subjecting it to major surgery and toxic treatments.
As Ireland explores dozens of options she also explores the self-defeating beliefs and behaviors that brought her to this point. She discovers that much of what she needs to do to be well physically is what she needs to do to be healthy in other areas of her life.
“Terrific book! Karin has an incredibly powerful, honest voice that penetrates to my very soul.”
—Susan Price, Writer, November 2004
Don't Wait For a Crisis To Learn What I Learned:
1. Slow down. This is your life!
2. Relax.
3. Remember to play.
4. Reevaluate your life frequently. Is it working?
5. Reevaluate your goals. Are they the right ones?
6. Take care of yourself first.
7. Say no. You probably don't have to do most of those things you think you have to do.
-Karin Ireland
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