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Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201726A
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01:37 >> Dear friend, welcome to "It Is Written Canada." 01:40 I'm thrilled to have as my guest today Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley, welcome to 01:46 "It Is Written Canada" once again. >> Thank you. 01:49 It's a privilege to be here, Chris. >> Now, Dr. Nedley, throughout 01:52 the past you've actually been with "It Is Written Canada" several times. 01:56 We've done an entire series on depression. We've done a series on 02:01 optimizing the brain. We've done several different programs on overcoming 02:07 addictions and stress and anxiety. And, you know, Dr. Nedley, you 02:13 are the president of Weimar Institute, which is really at the cutting edge of 02:19 studies of lifestyle, on lifestyle and the brain. Why don't you talk a little bit 02:25 about Weimar Institute and what Weimar Institute is all about. >> Well, thank you. 02:30 Weimar Institute is a medical-health facility, but 02:33 more than that, it's a higher-educational institution. 02:37 So, we have a college where a lot of research is being done. We have researchers there, and 02:43 we have programs in pre-med. We also have a nursing program. In fact, California called it 02:51 the first alternative-medicine nursing program in the state. It may be in the entire country. 02:58 But they still sit for the NCLEX exam, so they still are able to work in hospitals or do 03:04 anything that RNs do. They pass those national boards. But they also come out with a 03:09 knowledge of nutrition and lifestyle intervention. So, our nurses are getting the 03:16 top jobs in the country out of nursing school that are available because of the unique 03:22 training that we give there at Weimar. In fact, we've had many 03:27 hospitals actually willing to pay their entire way through nursing school if they come to 03:32 Weimar because of how they can use them in management and in more of a global type of 03:38 position as a result of their knowledge there. We also -- In the pre-med 03:43 program, we do a lot of research. So, in most pre-med programs, 03:47 they're just teaching you the hard sciences, but our pre-med students actually are embedded 03:53 in depression and anxiety recovery programs and the NEWSTART programs for diabetes 03:58 reversal and coronary artery disease reversal and even cancer treatments. 04:03 So, they get to shadow some of the top physicians in the world. And they're way ahead clinically 04:09 when they go to medical school and one of the reasons why we have the highest rates of 04:15 acceptance at U.S. medical schools. But they're also involved in 04:18 research, and, you know, if you want to change the world today, you have to change it through 04:23 the language of the world, and that is through research and studies and measurements and 04:29 statistics. And so our students are very good in that, and they're 04:34 actually asked to present around the world in regards to the research that's being done there 04:40 at Weimar. We also have a religion program, a theology program, an education 04:45 program. We have a business program. And you'd say, "Well, why 04:49 business at a health college?" Well, we need healthcare administrators. 04:53 >> Yes. >> And we need those that can start up new businesses with a 04:59 different approach. And Weimar, because of its ability to -- Actually, we were 05:06 evaluated last year by the National Student Survey evaluators that come in and 05:12 evaluate students from all different universities. Weimar got number one in our 05:18 students being able to solve real-world complex problems, and they were also number one in 05:23 their academic excellence, as well as integrative learning -- so, hands-on learning. 05:28 >> For sure. >> So, it's a very practical college to go to. 05:31 And it is -- It's exciting to be a part of it. It's just a small college, which 05:36 we want to keep it small so the student-teacher ratio is right. But our business students 05:42 actually interface with some of the top business entrepreneurs in healthcare and in other 05:47 businesses that they don't really have the ability going to other business programs. 05:53 And our religion and theology is not just the Biblical languages, but it's making it practical -- 05:59 and through healing. It turns out Christ actually spent more time healing than he 06:03 did preaching... >> Yes. >> ...or teaching. 06:06 And so our theology students learn how to utilize their churches as a center of healing. 06:13 And thus they're able to reach a far broader audience and they're able to generate a lot more 06:19 interest in the spiritual things. >> And if a student were 06:22 interested in Weimar Institute, where would they go and find that information? 06:26 >> Weimar.edu would be a great way to start. 06:29 >> And just to help people out, why don't you spell "Weimar" for 06:32 folks? >> W-e-i-m-a-r. 06:35 It's kind of like the German "Weimar," but it's pronounced in 06:40 English "Wee-mar." >> Yeah. W-e-i-m-a-r.edu. 06:44 >> Correct. >> And if they go to the 06:46 Weimar Institute page, they can find out more about the 06:50 NEWSTART program and the depression recovery program, 06:54 where somebody can go and have some real intensive healing 07:00 time, find some eradication for depression, eradication of 07:05 coronary heart disease, of diabetes, of high blood 07:09 pressure, and also some cancer treatment. >> Yes. It is amazing. 07:14 People will state, "Miracles happen every day at this place." And it's exciting to be a part 07:21 of it. >> Well, thank you for taking the time to be here with us at 07:24 "It Is Written Canada." And let's talk a little bit about changing the brain. 07:33 You have extensive experience in helping people with brain function, with optimizing their 07:41 brains. So, let's just talk about that. Can the brain really change? 07:48 >> We call it neural plasticity. And actually the brain does change. 07:54 Whether you think it's changing or not, it's either changing for the better or it's changing for 08:00 the worse. And how the brain changes is based on what we do over and 08:07 over again and the experiences that we have. And of course that's good news 08:12 and bad news. >> Sure. >> So, if we put in positive 08:16 neural plasticity as we do positive things for the brain and have positive experiences, 08:23 it can turn on what we call the neural plasticity switches into a very positive mode. 08:30 And our brain over time can continue to improve. Our brain actually has a 08:36 built-in capacity for continual improvement throughout life. It was not the original 08:42 designers' plan of the brain that, after 30, it kind of shut down and not be able to learn 08:48 new things. If we have positive neural plasticity in motion, the brain 08:54 can continue to become a better and better brain throughout life. 08:59 >> Okay, and I wanted to make sure I heard you -- and I heard it a second time there. 09:03 You just said that the brain actually was created. The brain was designed... 09:09 >> Mm-hmm. >> ...to have continual improvement over the course of 09:14 life and not reach a plateau midlife and be on decline. Is that what you, in fact, said? 09:20 >> Exactly what I said, yes. >> Okay. So, let's unpack some of that. 09:23 What is neural plasticity? You've used that word a couple of different times. 09:27 What is neural plasticity? >> Well, that is -- the "plasticity" part means that 09:34 it's moldable, you know, like a heated plastic can be moldable. And of course "neural" talks 09:41 about the neurons and how they're grouped together. So, our brain can actually be 09:46 molded for better or for worse based on what it's doing, what our body's doing, and the 09:53 experiences it's having. >> Okay, so, neural plasticity is the ability for the brain to 09:59 change... >> Correct. >> ...for the better... 10:01 >> Or for the worse. >> ...or for the worse. So, let's spend some time then 10:05 talking about, how then can the brain change? And let's focus our attention on 10:11 how the brain can change for the better. >> Okay. 10:15 Well, the easy way is to talk about the worse because if we don't focus on the better, over 10:21 time it actually is gonna get worse. >> Okay. 10:24 >> And so -- But let's go with your question. What are the factors involved in 10:31 positive neural plasticity? In order for positive neural plasticity to occur, the brain 10:37 has to be engaged. It has to be focused. If there's no focus, there's no 10:44 positive neural plasticity. And so the more focused the experience, the more engaging we 10:51 are, the more determination we have, the more perspiration we're willing to put into it, 10:58 the better the brain change is over time. >> And so what are then -- And 11:04 so let's maybe talk about some of the factors that then can make it worse, that can make 11:09 neural plasticity worse, that can take the brain in the wrong direction. 11:13 What are some things that individuals either are doing or can do, that are available to 11:19 do, that are actually gonna take their brain down the wrong course? 11:23 >> When we allow the brain to get distracted, it turns the positive neural plasticity 11:30 switches off and it actually decreases our brain's ability to focus. 11:35 So, we are living in an age today where there are more distractions than ever before in 11:40 human history. And therefore we have to develop the skills of focus and 11:46 attention and be more focused on that than ever before in human history if we're gonna be able 11:52 to counteract the many distractions that are out there. And a lot of the distractions 11:57 are coming from the devices and the push notifications and the chats and the -- you know, the 12:04 e-mails that come in throughout the day and the news-related flashes that we get about what 12:10 Trudeau said about mankind or whatever. And those types of things 12:15 actually take our mind off of what they would be doing otherwise and actually bring in 12:20 negative neural plasticity and shut off those positive neural plasticity switches. 12:25 >> Now, we did a program, an entire program together talking about memory and where we 12:32 addressed some of those distractions, but let's spend a few moments talking about 12:36 distractions. >> Mm-hmm. >> You talked about devices. 12:40 >> Mm-hmm. >> How is a device going to distract -- And I know that may 12:43 seem a very obvious question, but how does a device distract? >> Well, we might be focused on 12:51 learning something, and then all of a sudden we get a little beep in saying that we've got a 12:56 Facebook message and we just want to look at it. "Who is it that sent me this?" 13:01 And even if we don't follow it and go to the Facebook post itself, by getting our focus 13:09 distracted in that way, we have a cortisol bump in the adrenal glands. 13:14 There are actually physical changes that take place. And our I.Q. will go down with 13:21 the multitasking aspect of things by about 15 points. And that'll put a 30-year-old at 13:28 the ability of an 8-year-old as far as their I.Q. is concerned. And so we might wonder why 13:34 30-year-olds act like 8-year-olds sometimes. One of the reasons is the many 13:39 distractions that are around them. >> What are some practical 13:43 steps? Because we live in a world that is driven by these devices. 13:46 I know for myself I have a laptop, I have an iPad, I have a Kindle, I have an iPhone. 13:52 What are some practical steps that an individual can take to minimize the distractions in a 13:58 world that seems to be driven by technology? >> Yes. 14:02 I would recommend that -- in fact, studies have shown this -- no more than one hour of digital 14:09 media a day or screen time a day. And have that time also be 14:14 focused, where you're not allowing yourself to be distracted during those times. 14:20 For instance, I have to do research on the computer. The computer is something that 14:25 is helpful for us to be able to know where to go to research, but we shouldn't do end-all on 14:31 the computer. I've noticed the best research is actually not on the computer. 14:34 It's gonna be on a printed article somewhere, where I have to get the full article. 14:38 So I might have to go to the library to get that full article. 14:41 But the computer can be a way of us actually directing ourselves into the right direction. 14:48 But when I'm on there, I don't allow any chats to come in. I don't allow any text messages 14:54 to come in. I don't allow any e-mails to go in. 14:56 Now, I am gonna take care of e-mails, but I'm gonna do that at a set time every day and try 15:01 to knock out -- even though I'm a president of a university and get over 200 e-mails a day, I'm 15:06 gonna try to knock out my e-mails in 20 minutes or less. And so, you know, I'm very 15:11 focused and I'm getting it done and then it's done for the day. And my secretaries and everyone 15:16 will say, "Well, you're gonna have to wait. He'll do it once a day. 15:19 We're not sure exactly when he's gonna do it, but, you know, he's not gonna be looking at that. 15:24 He doesn't even know that he got that yet." And that's what helps keep my 15:29 positive neural plasticity going. >> And so they're very practical 15:33 steps, and it's very interesting. I will tell you, I just 15:36 completed my doctoral program. And when I was doing the edits to my dissertation, I'll never 15:42 forget my professor sent me some recommendations. And I went and worked on it and 15:48 sent it back, and he said, "You didn't change the things that I asked to change." 15:51 And I thought, "What is going on here?" So, instead of doing it on the 15:54 computer, I actually printed the document, the chapter. >> There you go. 15:57 >> And I crossed it all off, and I made the fixes and then went back to the computer and typed 16:01 them in. And I'll tell you, it was an amazing thing. 16:04 It really transformed my thinking on how to be more efficient and effective even 16:09 when it comes to research, sermon preparation, script preparation, and very practical 16:14 things in life. So, a practical step there is then to limit the distractions. 16:19 If you have to be on a computer if you have to do e-mail, be very focused. 16:23 Don't multitask -- I'm e-mailing while I'm checking Facebook while I'm writing a Word 16:28 document and I'm adding things in an Excel document. Rather, do one thing at a time 16:33 in a very focused fashion and turn off your push notifications so you're not being distracted 16:38 from that one thing. Is that kind of where you're going with all of that? 16:41 >> Yes. And also write instead of type when you can. 16:45 Studies have shown, you know, it takes three dimensions to actually write 'cause we have to 16:49 press, as well. And when we're writing with our hands, we're actually 16:53 solidifying positive neural plasticity. When we type it in, it leaves us 16:57 very quickly. And even at the end of a typing session, people will not realize 17:02 what they've typed in. After you've taken notes like that, you actually have them 17:07 retained. You don't even have to go back to the notes right away. 17:10 You might have to go back to them, you know, a couple of days later to review it for a test 17:14 and get it back really quick, but writing is shown to be far superior to typing when taking 17:20 notes. >> That is fantastic. So, what are some further steps, 17:25 or in this area of neural plasticity, what are some other things that we can talk about to 17:31 help encourage growth and improvement in that neural plasticity? 17:35 >> Well, there is a chemical called BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor. 17:43 We can actually measure it in the bloodstream. And we have found that when BDNF 17:48 levels goes up, we are able to learn far better and far more efficiently. 17:54 And when BDNF levels go down, our positive neural plasticity switches are turned off and our 17:59 brain is actually getting worse instead of better. >> Okay. So, BDNF. 18:05 >> Yes. >> Now, I ask this question whenever you start giving us 18:09 principles for improvement. How might one go about increasing their BDNF? 18:15 >> Adequate sleep is one of the ways of doing it. It turns out seven hours or more 18:21 of sleep a night will improve BDNF levels -- and of course getting sleep at the proper 18:28 times. When we go early to bed, early to rise, our retention level 18:31 goes up because we're making more melatonin. Plus, we're making BDNF. 18:36 And so rest is one of those things. Exercise is also crucially 18:41 important. And there was a study that was done recently that I found very 18:46 interesting. Most people, when they lose sleep, their BDNF levels fall. 18:51 >> Yes. >> But those who are avid exercisers -- despite the fact 18:56 that they've haven't gotten enough sleep, their BDNF levels stay up there. 19:01 So, a lot of people say, "I don't have time to exercise. I don't even have time to sleep, 19:07 and I have to choose sleep over exercise." Actually, the studies show if 19:11 you're gonna choose one over the other, actually exercise would be the one to choose and get a 19:16 little less sleep because staying fit and being part of a fitness program will actually 19:21 maintain BDNF levels even when sleep starts to go down. >> Okay. 19:26 So, BDNF can be increased by getting enough sleep. How much is enough sleep? 19:32 >> Well, in this study, it was seven hours. There are some people, rare 19:36 people, that can get by with six hours... >> Okay. 19:39 >> ...a day and still be okay. But if you get less than six hours, virtually everybody's 19:45 BDNF levels are gonna fall. Interestingly, if you get too much sleep, your BDNF levels 19:50 also fall. >> Okay. So, how much is too much? 19:53 >> Too much for any adult is gonna be over nine hours. So, if we're over nine hours of 19:59 sleep -- Now, I'm not classifying teenager as adults. There may be teenagers that need 20:05 10 hours. But once you're, you know, in your 20-, 21-year-old, they only 20:10 need nine hours of sleep. And if they're getting more than that, the BDNF levels can also 20:15 fall. >> So, for the average adult, to increase your BDNF levels, you 20:19 want to get seven to nine hours of sleep per night... >> Mm-hmm. 20:23 >> ...and at the right times. So, you're saying early to bed, early to rise. 20:26 >> Correct. >> And then also you talked about exercise. 20:30 About how much exercise? >> Well, as far as the adequate BDNF levels, it's about an hour 20:36 of aerobic exercise a day that makes it ideal. Now, even if you're doing 20:41 12-minute run a day, that's still gonna bring up your BDNF levels over not doing that. 20:47 But if you want to maximize it, it's about an hour of aerobic exercise a day will help keep 20:52 that brain really sharp. >> Anything else that can be done to help increase your BDNF 20:58 levels? >> Yes. Now, this is an area of new 21:01 research, but it's called fasting. Intermittent fasting actually 21:06 brings BDNF levels higher. >> Okay, so, intermittent fasting. 21:11 So, let's first define "fasting." Fasting is going for a period of 21:15 time without food. >> Without food or calories. Now, you want to have water. 21:19 >> Okay. >> So, a water fast is normally the best way of doing it. 21:23 But as we send the brain into ketosis, it actually turns on the positive neural plasticity 21:30 switches. >> Okay. >> And so there's one way in 21:34 which you can have ketosis every day, and that is if you eat breakfast and lunch, but 21:41 eliminate suppers. You will go into a daily and evening ketosis that will help 21:47 keep that brain sharp. Or you could also, you know, do a day of fasting, a week or 21:52 something like that, and get some benefit. Or you could do both and 21:57 probably get even a double benefit. And so this is why the great 22:01 brain thinkers of the past ages would often go into a fast when there was very difficult 22:10 decisions to make and when they needed to analyze all of this information. 22:15 Going into that fast actually helped them. And we see many individuals in 22:19 antiquity coming out of that fast making some very wise decisions as a result of the 22:26 ketosis that they were in from that fast. >> Okay, so, you can -- So, the 22:32 BDNF levels are increased through exercise. >> Mm-hmm. 22:36 >> They're increased through -- now you're talking about intermittent fasting, which 22:41 is -- what you originally talked about is eating two meals a day and two meals within a... 22:47 >> Mm-hmm. >> ...specified time period. >> That's right. 22:51 If you go 15 hours without eating, you're going to have ketosis, and if you go 17 hours, 22:56 even more. So, if you're eating, like, at 7:00 in the morning and your 23:00 last intake of food is 2:00 in the afternoon, that'll put you on a 17-hour fast until your 23:06 7:00 a.m. breakfast. And so that'll produce a nice effect, raising the BDNF levels 23:14 and keeping that brain sharp. >> And then let's talk about that. 23:18 BDNF and neural plasticity and brain change -- how does that all then work together? 23:24 >> Well, it helps you to actually stay more focused. And it also helps to keep your 23:30 skills up. Even your athletic skills have been shown to be helpful. 23:35 There was a study of 144 pilots, and their brain activity in regards to their hand-eye 23:43 coordination of doing difficult maneuvers in flying airplanes, different emergency procedures, 23:49 they actually deteriorated over time even though they were taking courses and learning. 23:54 But if their BDNF levels stayed up, their mind stayed sharp. And so even in their 50s and 24:01 60s, their mind and hand-eye coordination was as good as a 40-year-old or a 30-year-old if 24:07 their BDNF levels stayed high. >> That is exciting. So, the way to turn on a 24:14 positive brain change is to see your BDNF levels increased. >> Mm-hmm. 24:20 >> And that comes through intermittent fasting... >> Mm-hmm. 24:23 >> ...through -- What are the other two? >> Exercise. 24:26 >> Exercise and... >> Sleep. >> ...sleep. 24:28 >> Adequate sleep. >> And that gives you more focus, and with that more focus, 24:33 now you can see continued improvement and change in the brain. 24:39 >> Yes. And then getting rid of distractions. 24:42 The time to learn is when we don't have distractions around. And so making sure we're 24:49 distraction-free during the times when we want our brain to really gain hold. 24:54 >> And then with that and the brain now coming into kind of an ideal situation in which it has 25:04 high neural plasticity, what are some things that be done to kind of exercise? 25:10 You know, we exercise by running. We exercise by lifting weights. 25:14 What are some things then that can be done with the brain to exercise it and see continued 25:19 improvement? >> Well, memorizing Scripture would be one of the ways of 25:23 exercising the brain. Learning a new musical skill. Learning to play the violin 25:29 would be a way of exercising it. Learning to even play a new sport, going out and learning to 25:35 play tennis, can be one of the ways of helping to exercise that brain. 25:39 So, there's a number of ways of doing it, but there's one great way, and that is actually -- 25:45 Using your focus time to memorize things will also greatly help the brain. 25:52 For instance, there have been studies shown that if you memorize Scripture on a regular 25:57 basis, your positive neural plasticity switches are turned on just as a result of that 26:03 process, and you're able to absorb a lot more other things that you're learning throughout 26:08 the day that may not even be related to Scripture. >> And so now, again -- So, you 26:13 have this positive brain change. You're getting enough sleep, seven to nine hours an evening. 26:19 You're exercising an hour a day, taking time to intermittently fast, where you're going periods 26:25 of time without consuming calories. >> Which, by the way, gives you 26:29 more time to exercise. >> Which gives you more time to exercise. 26:32 And then now you have time for these focused times of memorizing Scripture, reading, 26:40 studying, learning new -- learning new and different things in your life that can 26:48 help you now improve that brain. >> And getting rid of devices that distract. 26:54 Or, if you have to use the devices, take all the distraction ability off of them. 26:59 And so you're just utilizing it for your focused interest and then signing off. 27:06 >> And with all of that, Dr. Nedley, I don't know -- and I'm gonna put you on the spot 27:10 here -- I don't know if you have a story or a testimony -- and obviously we want to be careful 27:15 because you deal with patients -- but a story of someone who was heavily 27:20 distracted and came into a place where they were able to remove those distractions and have 27:27 positive brain change. >> Yeah, absolutely. In fact, one of them is a 27:32 student now at Weimar. He is someone who had a learning disability. 27:38 He had major problems emotionally in his life. In fact, he spent two years in 27:43 a juvenile jail. When he got out of the jail, his mother didn't even want him to 27:48 come home because of not being able to deal with him. And so he went to a home for 27:54 teenage boys that was distraction-free, got him off the devices, and actually put 28:01 him on a healthy diet. And then he applied to Weimar to become a doctor. 28:07 And at first he was turned down because of his juvenile history, but the director of the home 28:12 called the enrollment people and said, "Put him on probation. That guy's coming along." 28:17 And when he came there, he utilized the distraction-free devices, and he also began to 28:24 work with his hands in three dimensions out on the farm. And his grades at first in the 28:30 hard sciences were like C+, and then they went up to B+ and then A-. 28:35 And last year he published a paper, had to go to Harvard to present that paper. 28:39 He is a senior pre-med student getting ready to take his MCAT, and I have no doubt he's going 28:45 to be an excellent physician, as his brain has changed wonderfully. 28:49 He's an emotionally intelligent, very sociable young guy. But he is very focused, and he's 28:55 utilized the power of neural plasticity to change his life. >> And it's an amazing thing, 29:01 Dr. Nedley, as we end today's program, that God has made our brains in such a way that they 29:08 are pliable, malleable, and as we do the right things, He can change us for positive. 29:14 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, what an amazing story that demonstrates what you 29:19 want to do in each of our lives. Lord, help us to have the courage to make the changes that 29:26 we need to make, that we would have brains that are continually improving and can be used by 29:32 you. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. >> Amen. 29:37 >> Dear friend, I'd like to offer you today the DVD of this program. 29:41 Here's the information you need for today's offer. 29:43 >> To request today's offer, just log on to 29:46 www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. If you prefer, you may call 29:52 toll-free at 1-888-CALL-IIW. >> Dr. Nedley, thank you for being here today. 29:58 >> It's been great, Chris. Thank you. >> Friend, I invite you to join 30:02 us again next week. Until then, remember, "It is written: 'Man shall not 30:06 live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 30:12 ♪♪ |
Revised 2018-07-31