The UltraMind Solution by Mark Hyman, M.D.

When my brain fog and unreliable memory got to be too much for me and my friends and family, I went to a doctor who gave me some hope and a book. This book, The Ultra Mind Solution -- Fix your broken brain by healing your body first: The simple way to defeat depression, overcome anxiety, and sharpen your mind, answered a lot of questions my shaky brain hadn't even come up with. The author, Mark Hyman, a practicing physician of functional medicine, says the causes of many brain issues start in the gut.

Dr. Hyman's seven tips for clearing mental fog, banishing insomnia, and alleviating depression come with lots of explanation and many examples from his practice. He suggests a rather dramatic six week test period followed by a less rigorous, but still careful approach to eating, exercise and self-care.

The seven tips, in short, are as follows:
Key # 1 Optimize nutrition
Key # 2 Balance your hormones
Key # 3 Cool off inflammation
Key # 4 Fix your digestion
Key # 5 Enhance detoxification
Key # 6 Boost energy metabolism
Key # 7 Calm your mind

Dr. Hyman spends many pages explaining what he means by each tip and providing information and guidance for following his keys to ultramind health. I found the book and its questionnaires helpful and interesting, but a bit repetitive. As I'm using the book under a doctor's care, we're doing blood tests and other medical investigations to help me figure out what is really going on. I'd be very interested in hearing from someone using this book on her own who can say whether it works as an independent resource. Please let us know if you've read and applied the information in this book.