Betrayal and Blessings Program No SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW

Transcription

1 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 1 Betrayal and Blessings Program No SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW JB: This is It Is Written. I m John Bradshaw, thanks for joining me today. There's a fascinating verse in the Bible that gives a lot of people, like me, a lot of hope. I'm going to read it to you. It's found in Psalm 119 and verse 130. Listen to this: "The entrance of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple (NKJV). Now, isn't that something. The Bible says that God's Word entering into a person's mind can enhance the mind. Let's think about this generally. Is there something you can do to sharpen up your grey matter? And if there is, then surely this can have a great effect on your relationship with God. My guest today is the president of Nedley Health Solutions, Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley, thanks for joining me today. NN: Thank you. Great to be here, John. JB: The Bible seems to say that a person can take what intelligence they have and work with it and increase it. Is that scientifically true? NN: Absolutely it is. IQ can be improved upon. JB: How can someone improve their IQ? And the reason I ask isn't just because I want to ace a test. I want to thrive in my relationship with God, and if my mind is sharper surely I'm going to be able to do that. NN: Yes. And you want to be more effective and more persuasive as well, in dealing with others, and have an influence. And that's all centered on intelligence. JB: Absolutely. NN: So, there are a lot of things. One of the things is what we eat. Actually what we eat gets turned in to neurotransmitters. It actually can help our brain function better, to be able to think better. What we're viewing, what we're doing as far as recreational time and entertainment, what music we're listening to, and actually our associates and what we are utilizing our brain for when we're in down time. JB: All of these things can and do affect brain function and one's IQ. One's level of intelligence. NN: Correct. Yes.

2 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 2 JB: Tell me more. NN: Well, it's an electrical center and so it works via electricity. There's different areas that communicate with other areas using chemicals, so when an electrical transmission occurs, chemicals are released. If that nerve is then trained to pick up those chemicals, then the neuronal electrical signal will continue, and that is how thought occurs and it's how we even move. We can't actually move our arm and our leg unless our control center of our brain tells us to do so. JB: It's a remarkably complex thing, isn't it? NN: It is, yeah. JB: Incredible. Designed by God. NN: Yeah. A hundred billion nerve cells, over a hundred trillion connections in the brain. JB: Clearly then, how I live is going to affect this thing. You said even what we eat. NN: Well, actually, our brains utilize carbohydrates as their form of energy, and so one of the concerns about these fad diets that are high in protein, high in fat, and carb deficient is that it is going to cause a problem as far as brain communication, particularly in the frontal lobe of the brain. JB: It sounds like you're saying get plenty of carbs, it's as simple as that. NN: Yeah, the natural carbs. Now, if we do the refined carbs, we're going to get these big spikes in blood sugar and then big valleys. And the brain doesn't like that. It actually takes about four hours for the brain to recover from a valley, so that's why high sugar foods, even though they're high in carbohydrates, are not healthy for the brain. Your grades will go down by a letter, like a whole letter performance in most subjects when you're eating a high sugar diet. JB: Now, I've heard the phrase "brain food." NN: Yeah. JB: You've heard that, I'm guessing. Is there anything to brain food? Is there brain food? NN: There is brain food. Yeah, actually fruits, grains, nuts in moderation, vegetables. JB: Burgers? NN: Burgers are not really brain food.

3 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 3 JB: French fries? NN: French fries would not be brain food. JB: Ice cream. NN: Ice cream would not be brain food. JB: Soda? NN: Nope. JB: Cookies. NN: Ha ha. Nope. [laughs] JB: Roast beef? NN: Roast beef, no. JB: No? Pork, spare ribs. NN: Spare ribs and pork, no. JB: You know what I'm doing. I'm not listing my favorite foods, I'm listing the foods that people eat the most of. NN: The foods that America consumes, yeah. Exactly. JB: And these things have a deleterious effect on the brain. NN: They do. A lot of those foods that you mentioned raise cholesterol, and they have something that's very inhibitory as far as the neurotransmitters are concerned. JB: And the neurotransmitters essentially send signals from point A to point B. NN: That's right. Arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is actually present only in flesh foods. It is pro-inflammatory, and it also decreases the synthesis and storage of acetylcholine, another important neurotransmitter that's there for intelligence. Inflammation is bad, and that's why arachidonic acid is not good in an adult's diet. JB: And arachidonic acid comes from meat. NN: Arachidonic acid comes from meat and it's what produces even the inflammation and the pain in joints, for those that are susceptible to arthritis. And a lot of people notice

4 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 4 physical problems, if they have a disease already, with arachidonic acid. But what they don't realize is it's having an effect on the brain as well. JB: So, what we eat can have a negative impact on our brain. Let's add it up. What we eat can clearly negatively impact our relationship with God. NN: Yes. Yeah. And you know, interestingly, the Bible in the book of Genesis actually put God's diet in there as far as what he thought was best for His creation. JB: You'd think that what God gave us at the beginning would be ideal. NN: And it is. It's actually been shown. JB: What did God give us in the beginning? NN: He gave us fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables. JB: Perhaps I should read here, in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 29, "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" (KJV). Vegetables were added a little later. Is that right? NN: Yes, well, vegetables are in there, too. There are a lot of vegetables that are actually seeds, you know. We might say the leafy vegetables, you know, actually eating leaves were added a little bit later, fully when sin came into the world and the potential for disease. And how I look at those leaves is, many of those leaves are almost like medicine as far as healing properties are concerned. That's where, for instance, cancer patients can do well with many of those leaves. I think that's why He let us have the leaves after sin came into the world. He knew we were going to need to get healed. JB: So early, it was a very natural diet. NN: Correct. JB: We weren't eating any animals back in the Garden of Eden. NN: Correct. And interestingly, the evolutionists and the creationists actually agree on that point. JB: The point being? NN: Evolutionists say that we actually evolved not to eat meat. You know, when you take a look at the dentation and those sorts of things. Most of them agree very clearly that meat is not healthy for us, and they'll say it from the evolutionary standpoint. But actually those that believe in creation from the Bible will agree as well, on that.

5 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 5 JB: If I'm wanting to improve my diet, to improve my brain function, what should I be eating more of and less of? We've touched on it. NN: Yeah, you want to be getting the high-sugar foods out of the diet. You want to be getting, certainly, less meat if not no meat. And then you want to be eating carbs in their natural state. So whole plant foods, eaten whole, is a good way to go. And then, you may want to get some of the essential fats and vitamins that are hard to get sometimes, like omega 3. And, getting enough iron in the diet and getting enough zinc. Those things are all important as far as mental performance. JB: But if I want to get omega 3 naturally, where do I get it? NN: Flax seed, spinach. JB: Walnuts? NN: Walnuts. Yeah, walnuts are a good source. Green soy, what we call edamame will have a lot of omega 3. JB: You can get enough, naturally? NN: You can. Spirulina, the plants of the waters are teeming in it. Fish actually don't make omega 3; they get it from the plants of the waters. They don't have any more ability to make it than we do. It's essential for both of us. JB: Fascinating. What you know is that you can improve your brain's function, you can improve your intelligence, you can become sharper, you can do just a little better than you're doing right now. And that means that we can learn to thrive spiritually as well. There are many more factors we're going to talk about in relation to this. And we'll be back with some of those is just a moment. OFFER JB: We know the Bible as a book that teaches us to live in harmony with God and in ways that demonstrate His love to those around us. God knows what s best for us spiritually. But does He also know what s best for us physically? If you d like to know what the Bible says about how to live the longest, healthiest life possible, let me send you out a free booklet, Living Life to the Fullest. All you need to do is call (800) and ask for your copy of Living Life to the Fullest. If the line's busy, please do try again. You can write to us at It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN We'll mail a free copy to you in North America. Again, that toll-free number is (800) You ll find us online at ItIsWritten.com. RETURN TO PROGRAM JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw, and I'm joined today by Dr. Neil Nedley. Dr. Nedley, thanks for taking the time.

6 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 6 NN: Oh, it's great being here. JB: This is fascinating. We can do simple things. On paper they're simple; in practice, somebody might have a little struggle, I guess. Simple things to improve our brain function and therefore positively impact our relationship with God. NN: Correct. JB: Let me ask you a question. What about sleep? It seems that every time I read the news I'm seeing another report about the importance of getting adequate sleep. NN: Yes. Sleep is critically important. When we're lacking in sleep, particularly regularly getting less than six hours a day, we actually build up toxins in our brain that impair our performance, both emotionally as well as intellectually. So getting enough sleep is very important, but also, if you really want to optimize it, getting sleep at the right time is even just as important. JB: Okay. I'm going to zero in on both of these. What's the right time to sleep? NN: Well, the best time is early to bed, early to rise, as far as high IQ mental performance is concerned. JB: You said less than six hours, but how much should we be getting? NN: Seven to eight is pretty good. Actually, studies show that if you're getting over nine, you're actually getting too much. Over 10 is very bad. In fact, over 10 is worse than less than five. And so some people sleep too much, and that can cause a set of problems. JB: But even teenagers, eight hours is enough? NN: Certainly nine hours is probably what most early to mid-teens are going to need as far as optimal. But once they're 17, 18, eight should do it for them in most cases. JB: Now, related to sleep is this business I hear about circadian rhythms. NN: Yeah. Circadian rhythm is our daily cycle. So these are cycles that go around 24 hours. And actually, our daily rhythm is set by light. It was meant to be set by sunrise, coming up in the morning, and particularly the blue light from the blue sky helps to set that body clock so that we will sleep more efficiently the next night. It also helps our serotonin levels in the daytime. So, the circadian rhythm is important and what studies show is, if you get the light in the morning and if you go to bed early, say 9 or 9:30, you'll make more melatonin at night. And the melatonin will help you to retain what you learned that day, so that you can apply it later on. JB: You've mentioned melatonin and serotonin. What are they, what do they do?

7 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 7 NN: Serotonin is the chemical that helps us stay emotionally calm, when there's stress. But it's also a mood-elevating chemical as well. JB: You feel better. NN: We do feel better, yeah. You feel happier and you're actually a little more creative as well. JB: How can I get some of that, Doctor? Serious question? NN: Well, it is a serious question but it's actually through light. Yeah, light is a big mechanism for it, and through nutrition. We have to have tryptophan, the least essential amino acid in the diet, to be able to make serotonin. And then we have to get tryptophan into the brain. Serotonin gets turned into melatonin at night. And melatonin helps us to sleep better. It's 30 times more potent than vitamin E, as far as its antioxidant potential, so it actually can help reduce our risk of cancer. And it actually can improve our IQ by helping us to retain, later on for tests or ways in which we need to apply knowledge, by getting that nice peak by going to bed early. JB: What about people who are constantly changing this shift, that shift, from week to week and those who work nights? NN: You know, one day we don't sleep at all and the next day we go to bed at 2 a.m. and the next day we're going to bed at 10 p.m. And a lot of people aren't even on shift work, but they just have no regularity in their schedule. Not optimal brain health, by any means. JB: So, regularity is good. NN: Regularity is good. JB: Okay. What about, I'm a night person; I'm a morning person? NN: Now, that is environmental. I can take anyone who is a night person and turn them into a morning person in seven days. And a lot of people in the entertainment world are nighttime people, cause that's when they perform in their entertainment life, but it turns out, that's one of the reasons why they have more depression and they have more mental health issues, is simply because of those late nights continually. Now, people that have depression are more likely to be nighttime people, because they'll actually feel better the longer they stay up. But the solution to that is to take care of their underlying depression and get their circadian rhythms in balance, and then they'll be happy in the daytime, they'll wake up rejuvenated, they'll be ready to face the day, and then they'll be ready to go to bed when it's bedtime. JB: There's more to come and there's a lot to cover. We'll talk about circadian rhythms and more in just a moment. Stay with us here at It Is Written. How can you have a

8 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 8 sharper mind and then, with that sharper mind, enjoy a greater closeness with God? We'll find out more in just a moment. EVERY WORD JB: Life often throws up circumstances that provoke a person to lose their temper. I've often heard it said, well, you can't blame him, or her, given the circumstances. But look at this, it's Proverbs 16:32. The wise man wrote: "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city." It's virtuous to control your temper, not to lose it. The Bible never recommends blowing up, giving people a piece of your mind, letting it rip. God's grace is given to us so that we can be Christ-like, and Jesus was a model of evenness every day of His life. The Pharisees plagued His steps, He had Judas and Peter to deal with, and demon-possessed people. And yet, He never lost it. Challenging, isn't it? But it's what Jesus can do in your life and He wants to do it today. I'm John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let's live today by every word. RETURN TO PROGRAM JB: This is It Is Written. I'm John Bradshaw, joined today by Dr. Neil Nedley, the president of Nedley Health Solutions. I'm surprised, sort of, sort of, that there are so many things the average person can do to positively impact their brain health. And, if you stop and think about it, bad brain health is costing this country gazillions of dollars in medications, the cost of people suffering from depression, and suicide. NN: Exactly. That's right. Yes, and suicide, and missed work. Lost productivity. Lost creativity. JB: Some of the most expensive drugs, or the drugs that soak up much of the health spending, are drugs that are dedicated to mental health. NN: The average depressed individual makes $10,400 less income per year. They're seven times more likely to become unemployed. And so, the financial problems go with the mental health problems. JB: And the mental health problems, in many, many cases - now, let's be fair. Some people are just mentally unwell, for whatever reason, and they're sick. Just like someone has a problem with their pancreas or their spleen, this person has a problem with their brain and something that I'm bothered by is that it's still really stigmatized. People won't come out of the closet and admit they have a problem because they don't want people to know they have got a mental problem. And I hope we can get beyond that. NN: Exactly. I hope so, too. JB: And I want to encourage you, if you have mental health issues that you're hiding, or clinging to, or sweeping under the rug, see a professional. See somebody. Contact Nedley Health Solutions. Do what you must to address that, because so very often somebody battling mental illness can enjoy mental wellness. And we want you to be well.

9 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 9 NN: Exactly. Yes. JB: Now, you mentioned entertainment. NN: The factor that is probably most connected with being able to improve your intelligence is to be able to focus intently for prolonged periods of time. And our society is mitigating against that continually, not only because of the entertainment industry but even because of the smart phones that are there. You know, you're in the middle of something important and now all of a sudden you're getting a text from a friend. You log on to the Internet to get an assignment done, and then all of a sudden you're distracted by some sort of advertisement or picture on the screen that you click on. And so you're not able to get your work done. This type of thing actually has been shown to not only decrease general intelligence, but it also decreases emotional intelligence because our ability to focus is very much connected with our ability to empathize even with others. JB: So this is important. This is not just an observation, this is critically important. NN: This is critically important, and that's why I recommend, as well as other mental health experts, that people go through what we call a "digital Sabbath." And that means that they're not carrying any phone around, any form of distractibility where they can immerse themselves in something with totally undistraction. Without that ability to be distracted. And it will actually improve their EQ and IQ to do that. JB: Anything else we can do to improve focus? NN: Our body not only has a circadian rhythm, it has a circaseptan rhythm. JB: What's that? NN: That means that our body cycles go every seven days. So our heart rate has a sevenday sine wave. JB: That's just built in. NN: It's built in. Yeah, it's built in, with periods of lightness and darkness. Not just in human beings, it's actually built into animals as well. In fact, the scientists or the chronobiologists - it's what we call these people that study phenomena over long periods of time - it's in plants as well. But the question is, why seven. Because nothing in the universe is divisible by seven, you know. The solar year is not divisible by seven, the lunar month isn't. There's nothing there, but yet this planet beats to a rhythm of seven. And it turns out, if we take a recreational day where we just focus in on our frontal lobe, which is, the frontal lobe is also the center of spirituality, morality and the will. And we leave the mundane things aside, where we're truly being uplifted and recreational, it will actually improve our intelligence and focus.

10 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 10 JB: Now, hold on a minute. That sounds, from a scientific point of view, a whole lot like what God said, when He said, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days you labor and do your work." Your mundane, regular things. "But the seventh day is the Sabbath, the rest of the Lord thy God." The day to focus. NN: Yeah. And there was a good reason to remember that. JB: God thought of it all. NN: Yeah, and you know, the New Testament says the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. So it's actually something that benefits us significantly. And now there have been studies out of Loma Linda University, some of them that are just getting ready to be published, to actually show that our mental health improves significantly when we keep the Sabbath. Our ability to cope with stress, with bad things in our life. If the Sabbath is kept - in other words, the circaseptan rhythm, this weekly rest, is kept on a regular basis, it will significantly improve mental health, and to some extent physical health as well. JB: People have got music, I mean virtually, in their brains. It seems to me more than ever before. NN: Yeah, popular music in general suppresses the frontal lobe of the brain. JB: That's proven. NN: Yeah, it's proven. We'll see the same thing on an EEG, from watching entertainment television programming, we'll see the same thing when someone pops this syncopated rock and roll or heavy metal rhythm in. After 90 seconds to three minutes, they are no longer in beta wave function. No frontal lobe activity going on, it's just alpha wave. Now, frontal lobe suppressants are addictive, so for them, they think they're getting benefit because they're getting their addiction fix, so they feel calmer just like an alcoholic feels better when they drink alcohol. But it's still not good for their brain, and in reality they would do far better to get on either no music or even there might be some advantages of frontal lobe-enhancing music, which doesn't have these syncopated dance rhythms that are prominent and prevalent throughout the whole piece. There have been studies done on athletic and musical performance. Even a sharpshooter is more accurate when they're listening to traditional classical music than they are listening to rock music. JB: The good thing about this one, and I'm really encouraged by, is that even people who might be in a dark place, but all of us can do simple things to improve our brain function, and therefore have a real positive impact on our relationship with God. Let me come back to that verse I looked at, right at the beginning of the program. And I'd like you, from a medical perspective, to briefly explain how this works, because this is powerful. Psalm 119, verse 130. "The entrance of Thy words giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the simple." God's Word comes in and it positively impacts the brain function of somebody not at the top end of the IQ scale. How does that work?

11 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 11 NN: Regular study of the Word of God - and the Word of God is a spiritual, you know, it has a spiritual basis, a spiritual theme - but when you study and analyze spiritual themes, you get a lot of frontal lobe enhancement from that. And you can see it. Again, you'll see the beta waves on EEG, on spec scans. You'll see the circulation light up in the frontal lobe of the brain. And so, contemplating those words is healthy for us, and it actually will improve our IQ and our EQ. JB: Magnificent. So much you can do, to do better upstairs, to do better up here, and that's great. As I've said before, if you're going to do better on a test, that's good. If you're going to be more creative, more productive, that's wonderful. But the best thing of all is that you can thrive spiritually. And perhaps the very best thing you can do to improve the function of your brain and then your relationship with God is to spend time in the Word of God. David also wrote, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee." The Bible will help you to be strong because the Bible really is the written expression of who Jesus is. When the Word of God comes into our mind, Christ comes into our mind. And when Jesus is in your mind, your mind's going to be sharp and strong. OFFER JB: If you d like to know what the Bible says about how to live the longest, healthiest life possible, let me send you our free booklet, Living Life to the Fullest. All you need to do is call (800) and ask for your copy of Living Life to the Fullest. If the line's busy, please do try again. You can write to us at It Is Written, P.O. Box 6, Chattanooga, TN We'll mail a free copy to you in North America. It Is Written is a faith-based ministry, and your support makes it possible for us to share God s good news with the world. Your tax-deductible gift can be sent to the address on your screen. Or via our website, ItIsWritten.com. Thank you for your continued prayerful support. Again, that toll-free number is (800) You ll find us online at ItIsWritten.com. RETURN TO PROGRAM JB: Dr. Nedley, thank you. Thanks for joining us today, it's been wonderful. NN: Great being here, John. Thank you. JB: Let's pray together before we close here. Our Father in heaven, we thank You today for Jesus, the Living Word. We are grateful that as You've made us, according to the Bible, fearfully and wonderfully, You are able to keep us, sharpen us, improve us. You're able to help us keep so many problems away that we just, in so many cases, are inviting into our lives. So I pray that as we consider what we've talked about today You'll bless us and give us the grace to be as sharp as we can, not just for ourselves but for You. We thank You today. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. NN: Amen.

12 It Is Written Script: 1362 Peak Performance Page 12 It Is Written PO Box 6, Chattanooga, TN USA Tel: Fax: