ENCORE: Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness, Part 1

Dr. Austin Perlmutter is co-author with his father, Dr. David Perlmutter, of “Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness.” His book explores how modern life—with its attendant fast food, sleep deprivation, lack of exercise, non-stop stress and saturation with social media—rewires our brains for poor decision-making. The result is a torrent of lifestyle-related maladies. Dr. Perlmutter, a recent graduate of medical training, reflects on the limitations of mainstream medicine in addressing these problems. In fact, medical training itself renders overworked young doctors ill-prepared to message effectively to patients. Dr. Perlmutter explains how chronic inflammation rewires our brains and impairs judgment. Research shows that it severs connections between our frontal cortex—the rational brain—and the amygdala—the seat of emotional reactions. No wonder that our society is beset with conflict and impulsivity. Dr. Perlmutter reflects on what it might take to transform our medical system in future decades. Click HERE for part 2.