The UltraMind Solution: The Simple Way to Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety, and Sharpen Your Mind

One of my guiding principles has always been: Never read a book that has the word "ultra" in the title.However, interesting perspectives on diet & health intrigue me, & when I saw endorsements from such respected doctors as Dean Ornish, Christiane Northrup & Mehmet Oz, I decided to break my rule and plunge into The UltraMind Solution.I'm glad I did, for this book is an engaging read that's full of cutting edge science & practical advice. Dr. Mark Hyman has been on a mission to do medicine & health differently since conventional medical thinking failed him in his own debilitating illness twelve years ago. He convincingly argues that maintaining the body's health is essential for the brain's well-being, and that many mental & psychological disorders can be rooted in physical, biochemical derangements in the body's health & metabolism.In part one of the book he details the background: his personal story which led to his changed philosophy & practice of medicine. He is an advocate of what is termed functional medicine, a relatively new discipline which focuses on not the established "label the disease, give it a drug" approach but "find what's functionally wrong behind the patient's symptoms, then correct the body's metabolism back to optimum function."The second part of the book contain the outline of his "Seven Keys to UltraWellness" (argh! there's that word again!). He covers optimizing nutrition, balancing hormones, reducing inflammation throughout the body, fixing digestive tract problems, enhancing the body's detoxification, boosting energy metabolism, & calming the mind itself. The third part of the book covers a six week plan to initiate many of these changes, while the fourth part goes into specifics for each of his seven key areas.Ok, so what's the bottom line? There's a lot of intriguing information and sound advice in the 400+ pages, & I saw nothing that I absolutely disagreed with. Like any diet or health book, he has his own viewpoint & focus, & some of his strategies & recommendations will work better for some than others. This book was a major swing factor in my own decision to try a vegan gluten free caffeine free water only lifestyle, which was difficult but very beneficial for me in multiple areas. I can see this book being useful for two groups of people: First, people who are suffering from problems such as anxiety, depression, "brain fog", adhd, migraines or other brain related problems might find something helpful or even life-changing in his plan. Other people, like myself, who are interested in new approaches & optimum health will certainly find new concepts & tools that they can implement in their own healthy lifestyle. Either way, an excellent book to read.

About 14 months ago, my body just decided to shutdown. Hindsight, it had been a long time coming with symptoms ranging from sleep problems, hair loss, GI issues and memory problems. I didn't think twice about any of them until 14 months ago. My weight shot up by 15 pounds in 3 weeks, my vision was blurry, my joints/muscles would not recover, I couldn't sleep, but was exhausted, my brain was functioning poorly, I was irritable, sad, angry, gassy, bloated and about 20 other issues. So I went to my doctor. First "diagnosis" (mind you no labs were done or offered)..it was my age. I was 32. Second diagnosis, I was overeating. WRONG! This all happened when I was in peak condition. I was training for a weightlifting competition and was eating better than ever and stronger than ever (until the crash). Third diagnosis, PCOS (no labs done). Fourth diagnosis, hypothyroidism. And on and on and on. I diagnosed myself with adrenal fatigue and decided to take a big ol' long break from the gym and allow myself to sleep as much as I wanted. That, alone, made me feel loads better. For six months, I allowed myself lto sleep as much as possible. Thank goodness for Google! I was also on a birth control pill, which, in hindsight, only exacerbated everything. Finally saw a naturopath who did a lot of lab work and basically told me to rest, eat well, take supplements and enjoy life. I thought there was some validity, but wasn't seeing fast results. Went to yet another doctor. Back to the stupid PCOS diagnosis and within 10 minutes the doctor was prescribing me 5 medications. I was totally done at this point. I started self-treating with loads of supplements (more than 20 different supplements a day). It is a slow progression, but things are looking better.I found this book while looking for ways to manage my depression. What a godsend this book has been. Not only has it reiterated everything I thought to be true, but it gives valuable advice and background information. This is definitely a revolutionary way of thinking that may cause some to be uncomfortable as it goes against everything we know to be true (or at least fed to us) and causes us to lose faith in a big portion of our medical community. All I can say is, stop drugging yourself up, read this book and get your body back on track. It is ridiculously slow process and patience is necessary. You have to be very mindful to tiny improvements. For me, I noticed my hair stopped falling out as much, I could fall asleep normally (and stay asleep) and about a week ago, I stopped needing naps! I am now going to include other supplements recommended by Dr. Hyman. I can't recommend this book enough. You are not unfixable and you do not need a label. You need to find the imbalances in your body and balance them. Simple as that.

This was a gift. Recipient was happy.