At Home DNA Tests And Privacy. Who Can See Your Results? | Dr. Oz | S9 | Ep 117 | Full Episode
Dr. Oz investigates at-home DNA privacy risks, noting the industry's growth from $70 million to $340 million while highlighting that HIPAA doesn't apply if users miss opt-outs and life insurers remain unprotected under GINA. He then addresses "brain drain," defined by Dr. Mike Dow as nervous system exhaustion with three types: light anxiety, skyrocket panic, and extreme wired fatigue, offering specific dietary and exercise solutions for each. The episode concludes with a self-hypnosis demonstration to shift brainwaves from anxious beta states to restful theta waves. [Automatically generated summary]
Researchers have sent their DNA to three different companies and they've received completely conflicting information.
Plus, a new quiz to find out your personal brain train technology can block out stress, anxiety, and the exhaustion.
Coming up next, some lives today!
Yeah!
I love you, Deca.
You are seeing these ads everywhere.
The ads are online and they're on TV.
At-home DNA tests have exploded in the last two years.
In fact, these tests claim to tell you who you are and where you come from.
And they potentially hold the answer to your risk for disease.
And all it takes, you open them up, just a little swab inside your cheek, or sometimes you have to spit into a little tube.
And then that's it.
That little swab right there, you got it.
Maybe they've answered a lot of your questions about where you came from and where you may be going.
But now there's a new concern.
What about your privacy?
What happens to this swab of your DNA after you send it in?
Today, the truth about DNA test kits.
Are your genes being sold?
Consumer at-home genetic testing has become a booming market.
It's expected to grow from a $70 million industry to $340 million in less than five years.
With promises to reveal your family history, your ethnic origins, or the ideal healthy habits for your genetic makeup.
At-home DNA tests are attracting millions of buyers.
But after you get your results, what happens to your DNA sample?
Where does that cheek swab go?
We found out that data results are kept in the company's database.
And the actual DNA sample is often stored in a freezer for later use by the company or someone else.
Medical privacy protection, like HIPAA laws, don't apply if you overlook that sometimes hidden opt-out box.
Protecting Your Genetic Privacy00:14:12
That means if you're not careful, your genetic code may not be as private as you think.
We asked correspondent Barasieva Campo to take a closer look at these tests.
And after looking at these and doing your homework, looking at the benefits and some of the concerns, what do you think about these at-home DNA tests?
You know, these tests can really help you get in touch with your roots.
They can help you trace your family history back generations.
They can tell you things like your ethnic breakdown, what part of the world your ancestors came from, but they can also give you some really important information about your health.
They can tell you if you're at risk for certain diseases.
They can tell you if you're a carrier for certain inherited conditions.
So there is a lot of really good information that you can learn.
Yeah, so there's stuff for gossip and there's stuff that will really make a difference.
So I tried one of these DNA tests and I got my results and it was sort of interesting.
Some of the stuff surprised me, some did not.
I learned I'm about 69% Middle Eastern Northern African.
Well, I'm Turkish, so that sort of made sense.
But I didn't think that 26% of me was European.
A lot of Italian blood in me, by the way.
I don't know how that got in there.
I don't know what happened, but somehow it got in there, right?
Not asking questions.
But then I also found that I'm, you know, it confirmed that I'm less likely to drink caffeine because I'm very sensitive to it, which explains why I don't drink coffee, really.
And then I learned that it said that I had darker colored eyes.
But if you look at my eyes.
They're like greenish blue.
Yeah, I mean, look at that.
They're sort of light.
My mother has really blue eyes.
So they're not 100%.
Right.
But I was intrigued.
And I'd love to understand what's going on with the rest of the population.
Just to see out of curiosity, how many people have had these tests done?
Okay, come on back here.
Let's talk somewhere.
I'm just understanding the motivation for getting them, and I want to get into a little bit of the concerns that we're going to raise today.
So, Allegra?
Yes.
Is that right?
So, why'd you want to get one of these tests?
All my friends were doing it, so I thought it would sound like a lot of fun to see what was going on with my ancestry.
And what kind of results did you get that were interesting to you?
Well, I had thought I was Irish my entire life.
I mean, my Irish culture is just such a huge part of my life and my family's lives.
We come from a farm in Ireland.
My father has a broke.
We would do Irish step dancing.
I'm going to ask you to demonstrate in a second.
I would too.
I swear I would.
But you're not Irish?
I am Irish, but I'm also almost 30% Italian.
So it's Italian.
Cozy Italians.
Get everywhere.
We're family.
Alexa, why did you want to get tested?
Well, I'm Dominican, so that's an island.
It can come from any place in the world.
My mother's side is very light-skinned.
My father's side is very dark-skinned.
So I wanted to know where did I come from.
And how did the results influence you?
And I am curious about your background, but also the medical data they give you.
So with me, I was from European Africa, and what shocked me the most, I'm Native American.
Oh.
That I was not expecting at all.
Well, the heritage part wasn't as surprising for me.
The medical things they told me, those really caught me off guard.
And again, I can't tell how perfect they are, but they intrigued me.
Yeah.
You know, I have a question for these ladies.
Did either of you wonder what happened to your sample after you submitted it?
Now, yes.
I'm curious.
What are they going to do with my DNA?
I actually read everything before and I was really nervous to send it in.
And then I saw where you could opt out.
But now are they saying that's not really, they can still?
It's so smart to notice that.
Most people don't.
I didn't appreciate that.
But let's get everyone on the same page.
Let me explain to you all what's going on.
Come on over.
I want everyone, Alexa Allegra, and all the rest of you, to appreciate how your genetic code is unique to you.
Because the only person who has the same DNA as you potentially is an identical twin.
So most likely, your DNA is better than your fingerprints.
Let me show you how a tiny swab can reveal so much.
So these at-home tests are simple.
You get a little saliva again, you can spit into a tube as well.
You ship it off, right?
And the saliva is an easy, non-invasive way to inspect your DNA, the building blocks of your body, looking for key sequences, mutations, things that aren't supposed to be there.
And the DNA sequences can tell us about your ancestry, but also your risk for things like Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's and your eye color, what kind of earwax you have, and all these things I put here.
It's just a beginning of all the things you can actually learn.
Even predisposition to gaining weight, the length of your fingers, stuff you wouldn't imagine possible.
So how much of an issue is privacy with all that great data coming out?
They could probably do other things about you.
You might want to keep private.
Yeah, privacy is becoming a big issue.
We saw Senator Chuck Schumer talked about it.
The Federal Trade Commission has been looking into this.
And that's because there are so many important questions that we need the answers to.
Where are these samples going?
Are they stored indefinitely?
Do they remain anonymous?
Who owns your sample once you've submitted it?
So these are all really important questions.
It varies from company to company, and consumers really need to know the answers.
All right, so when we come back, why your DNA might not be as private as you think?
In fact, could your genes be sold?
And can you really trust the results?
Stay with us.
Moms living double lives from an equestrian mom running a drug empire.
I could make $10,015, $20,000 a week.
The soccer moms secretly working in the sex industry.
All nuance.
That's coming up tomorrow.
That was New York Senator Chuck Schumer warning consumers about at-home DNA tests and what companies may be doing with your personal stuff, your DNA, the most intimate thing you have.
Dr. Jennifer Miller is here.
She's a bioethicist.
She used a DNA test on herself and says she has concerns, significant concerns about them.
So what is it about these tests that concern you?
The first thing you're worried about is how reliable they are, how accurate they are.
Yes.
I have significant concerns about the reliability of these tests.
There have been cases where researchers have sent their DNA to three different companies and they've received three different interpretations of their DNA back, completely conflicting information.
Why would that happen?
Yeah, this is partly for two reasons.
One, the science is very nascent.
And secondly, for-profit companies only sequence snippets of your DNA.
So your full DNA contains about 3 billion nucleotides and they sequence and look at about 1 million nucleotides.
Why?
Because it's much cheaper.
So it's just a tiny little bit of what you're doing.
Right.
The second issue is, and I got confused by this, is there are ways of interpreting your data, but they're really hard for the average person, even a trained doctor, to understand.
Right, so a lot of people are concerned about genetic literacy, both for doctors, but especially for the general public.
What do concepts of high risk, probability, or propensity of developing a disease mean?
And finally, I got to say, if the average 25-year-old got bad news with Alzheimer's diagnosis, what would they say?
What would they do?
Exactly.
So my third concern is: what do you do with the information once you learn it?
Imagine you're 25, you go and you take one of these tests, and you may have a propensity for developing late-onset disease, Alzheimer's, which wouldn't happen until you're around 80.
So you're 25, what do you do from now until you're 80?
Studies show most people completely disregard this information and don't do anything about it.
I could see that for diagnosis like that, but I want to keep going because there are some things these tests do that I found very valuable for myself.
Things that it woke me up, dude, observations I could make about my own body.
But let's go to this privacy issue, which is the main concern that I have right now.
So take a look at a consent form from one of these companies, right?
And they all have wordings sort of like this that I could say, right?
And they say basically you can participate in research by the company that took the saliva and this is a quote: it's affiliated companies, including each of their respective websites, mobile applications, and services.
What is an affiliated company?
What does that mean?
Right.
So even if, so you can opt out of sharing your information for research purposes, but the companies can still share your information with third parties and internally and with their affiliates.
And when they share this information, you don't own it anymore.
Right.
So let's investigate what these companies could do with your DNA and how it can be used against you.
First up, insurance coverage.
You all know to get life insurance, you've got to fill out questionnaires.
So what happens if you have, and this is shocking to me, if the insurance company finds out that you have some ailment that's at risk in your genome and you don't tell them, you don't even pay attention to it.
What happens?
So technically under GINA, the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, health insurance companies cannot use your DNA as a way of discriminating against you and your health insurance.
But life insurance and disability insurance companies are not held to that standard.
So you are not protected in that realm.
So they could say, hey, you know, I just saw you got a little check mark next to getting Alzheimer's, even though it's a low likelihood and maybe wrong.
But because of that, we're not giving you insurance, or we're going to invalidate it.
We're going to limit your coverage, right?
But they could actually take it away, right?
They could say, hey, listen, you knew it.
You saw it.
It was on the box.
You didn't tell us.
So we're taking it away.
Exactly.
Second issue, law enforcement.
They can actually gain access to our information and it can be used against us.
So just like we can subpoena your phone records, you can also subpoena your DNA results.
Think about that.
Yeah, and it affects not just you, but also your family members.
So Alexa and Allegra, so I've got you both back.
You mentioned looking at the disclaimers on these tests.
You pay attention.
Alexa, you didn't mention it.
I didn't even notice it myself.
Are your concerns about the safety of the data heightened by what we just said?
Absolutely.
I'm very concerned, though.
I didn't know any of that.
I didn't do any of my research.
I just thought, I was just curious.
So here's the catch.
I think these tests are really valuable, personal.
Oh, okay.
So we have a concern here over the data.
So when we come back, how to protect your most private and sensitive information?
We want to protect your DNA from being sold.
You can only push your feelings away for so long, and then you say, like, that's enough.
Hold a copy.
I'm becoming a first-time mom.
Having Haley made everything snap into focus.
All nuas.
That's coming up Friday.
Today we're investigating the truth about at-home DNA test kits.
After you get your results, your DNA could be sold to a third party and used in ways you may not have intended.
Guess what?
Without your knowledge.
Mara, Siabo Campo and biothesis Dr. Jennifer Miller are back.
So Mara, right now, based on what you know, what kinds of projects are lost to protect you and your DNA, your most precious tool?
It's your most personal information.
You're basically signing away your privacy.
Once you submit this sample, you're opening the door for these companies to sell your information, like you said, or to share it with third-party companies so that you know what you're comfortable with and you can opt out if you're not comfortable with something.
But here's the key.
You have to do it before you submit the sample.
You've got to know what you're getting yourself into.
So let's talk about ways consumers can still get the information they want from these kits because I think they're super important and protect themselves.
The first is to opt out.
So the kits all look like this.
You open the boxes up and they've got some data, information in there.
It's on their websites as well.
Dr. Miller, what exactly would you be opting out of if you do it the way that you would do if you're concerned about it?
Right, so you'd be opting out of sharing your information with researchers.
But as we already discussed, your information is going to be shared with a lot of other third parties.
That's one of the ways they learn, right?
They have to share them a little bit to figure out what all the people who have Parkinson's have in common.
Right, so that's the pro side, but the negative side is we don't know really how all this information is being used yet.
And so you just want to be very careful.
Next up, you've got to make sure the lab is in the U.S. Why does that matter?
So the U.S. has generally higher standards than tests, say, in emerging economies.
So if you're going to take one of these tests, make sure that it's based in the U.S. and not in an emerging economy where it's much harder to hold a company accountable.
And finally, you can, if you want, ask to destroy the sample.
Do you think they'll do that, Mara?
Yeah, again, the policies vary from company to company, but yes, in most cases, they will destroy your sample if you ask them to.
But then there's also the question of will they destroy and get rid of the data that's associated with your sample?
So you have to inquire about that as well.
But here's the caveat.
If they've already shared that information, there is very little, if anything, you can do to reel that back in.
Yeah, I also just want to say it's not your sample anymore.
So there are risks when you take these tests.
All right, so I reached out to the FTC about the privacy concerns you're hearing about today.
And these at-home DNA tests are getting pretty popular.
So they acknowledge your information can be shared, and they encourage each of you to review the company's privacy settings and make sure they're right for you.
So let me give you my test on these, my idea, my thoughts on these tests.
I'm a big fan of them.
And I am because I want to know the information.
But I get that it's personal.
And people are, some of us more than others, concerned about our DNA being circulated out there.
So if you are, I'm going to just push back and say, I think you're conning yourself.
I think our data is all over the place anyway.
If they really want to get your DNA data, they're going to get your DNA data.
And at some point in our lifespan, they'll have everything they want on you.
So the question is, will they get it or not?
It's what are you going to do to protect yourself if they get it?
I actually think that there's more to it.
It's not about protecting yourself, it's about getting part of the ownership, right?
Data is the new oil.
And why isn't that we're not having some of the sharing in the data wealth?
You should own your DNA.
Send only just a little bit of spit.
You should license it, yeah.
If you want the rest to spit, call me.
Look, we just pointed out life insurance companies and law enforcement.
These are two huge organizations, and they're using our data.
You should own it.
Get a piece of the pie.
Get a piece of the pie.
And I also think the test can offer some upside risks.
For example, I found out that I'm at risk for macular degeneration.
I don't know if you know what that is, but that's if you don't have enough leafy green vegetables and luteins, it makes it even worse.
So I got an idea.
Maybe I'll eat more leafy green vegetables.
It's an excuse for me to keep my eyes healthy, which is a surgeon and the talk show host, pretty valuable for me to see all of you.
Eating Leafy Greens for Health00:16:02
So you do learn things, all kinds of interesting things about yourself that could affect your body, but it is a lot of fun.
76% of people do nothing with that information.
It's still a parlor trick for now.
For now.
Mara, let me leave the last word to you.
You've heard all this, you're pretty smart.
Would you do one of these tests?
Would you have yourself spit and put it in one of these containers?
I actually agree with you.
And I really, really want to get them done because I'm very curious about my ancestry.
I want to learn lots of cool things about myself.
Like you learned about different things about yourself.
I want to learn what kind of earwax I have.
And I think, like you, we live in a world today where we are sharing so much of our information anyway.
This is part of the world that we live in.
So would you opt out where it gives you a good one?
All right, so I'm going to put these tips on dras.com.
I'll be right back.
Does your brain ever feel like this, completely drained?
Coming up, we give you the quiz to find out your brain drain type and the solutions to fix it.
Does your brain ever feel like this?
Energy just seeping out, spinning away no matter how you try to plug it up.
There's a brand new term for that.
It is called brain drain.
Today, a new quiz to find out your personal brain drain type so you can block out stress, anxiety, and the exhaustion.
And who better to help than author and psychotherapist Dr. Mike Dow, who's joining us?
And listen, we've all heard of brain fog.
So many of us have fatigue, but brain drain, you say, is very different.
It is.
So brain fog is the result of a brain that's slowing down.
It's sort of a gray brain.
It's inactivity, right?
It's associated with senior moments.
Brain drain, however, is different.
If it had a color, Dr. Oz, it would be red or yellow.
It's a result of a brain that has too much going on.
And your brain is sort of caught in that exhaustion phase of the stress response.
And your brain actually needs a little bit of rest.
And you have too much going on.
That results in anxiety and worry.
So I want you all to see what brain drain feels like.
Come on over.
I bought a little demonstration just to clarify exactly what we're talking about because it's really common and it causes all kinds of other issues.
This is your brain running on a full tank, right?
You've got faith that everything is going to work out.
You feel resilient, right?
You can withstand anything.
And you've got patience.
It's right there in your brain, beautifully outlined and not the red and yellow you're talking about.
Beautiful and blue and working, right?
But as problems begin to add up, the tank of energy in your brain begins to sink.
And as the energy flows out of the brain, guess what happens?
Your problems begin to build.
You don't have the ability to refuel.
All of a sudden, now you've got anxiety.
You feel frazzled.
You even have fatigue because everything's just draining out of you.
Anxiety, frazzleness, fatigue.
That's what we're talking about.
And a lot of you have it, and you didn't realize it's from brain drain.
So, Dr. Dow says our brain drain all comes from an imbalance in the nervous system.
So explain what goes wrong in here that allows these symptoms to manifest.
Yeah, so there are two parts of the nervous system, and your brain is always tilted towards one side or the other.
So on one side, you have this fight-or-flight system, and when your brain is tilted towards that side, you're releasing brain-draining stress hormones, right?
Now, hopefully, your brain is going to be tilted towards the other side, which is the rest and digest system, right?
That's the parasympathetic nervous system, which by the way, also is associated with brain-balancing neurotransmitters.
So, let's say you have a deadline at work.
Temporarily, you're going to be tilted towards that fight or flight or the sympathetic nervous system, hopefully, just temporarily.
The redness you're talking about.
That red.
You got to get out yellow.
Yep, but hopefully, your brain's going to recover and it's going to go back to that nice sort of peaceful blue, that rest and digest, and you're going to be feeling good, recover, peaceful.
But what happens, Dr. Oz, more and more people in this country, people sitting in this audience watching today, they're feeling frazzled all the time.
And what happens?
They're watching the news, they see something upsetting, they check social media, they have a fight with their kids, and their brain is tilted towards that fight-or-flight all the time.
Those stress hormones are surging, and what can happen?
They feel anxious, they feel worried, and eventually their brain gets stuck over there.
And now they can't recover.
They can't sort of go back, and it causes what I call brain drain.
So, Dr. Dow says there are three types of brain drain, and we've got solutions to fix each of them.
And I've got a quiz to help out.
And who better to help?
Track our answers than Renata.
So, you all keep your own answers.
We're going to have Renata make it real for us because you're a go-to tester.
Are you ready for this?
Yeah.
This brain drain stuff.
Does that resonate with you at all?
Yeah, I'm all, oh, gosh.
I mean, there's just so many things going on that I get frazzled.
I can't focus.
Definitely, brain, I get brain drained.
And you dressed up.
You're in pink and red.
Keep your color note.
That's right.
All right, first question.
First question.
Keep track of these.
When I have too much on my plate, I feel A, a little anxious.
B, panic.
C, I give up.
Well, I think I'm a little in between A and B. You know, I get anxious.
Like, oh, I gotta hurry up and get it done.
I gotta hurry up and get it done.
And so I guess you would say it's kind of B too, because I'm panicking, trying to make sure I get it done.
So, but I pick A.
I want to choose A for anxious.
I want to hurry up and get it done.
You seem like you're a B, but I'll just give you my tension.
All right, Dr. Dow, come on over here.
We're going to trip two.
So the next question, I want you to read out and explain to everybody what it is.
Are you ready for this?
If something stressful is approaching, I feel A, a little tense, B, dread, or C, hopeless.
Oh, gosh, are you kidding me?
Dread, like, oh, Lord.
You know, I mean, that's, yeah, B, definitely like, oh, my goodness, here we go.
I got to get it done.
What do you mean?
Yeah.
I would say A, a little tense, and I always feel it first, not up here, but here in my stomach.
A lot of people feel it right here, and that's how I know I'm nervous about something.
Yeah, I'm an A too.
Exactly where I get it.
All right.
Come on over here.
This is the fun part here.
All right.
If your past was a movie, Renatha.
If it was a movie, not who would you star in, but what kind of movie would it be?
Everybody keeping track of these?
And at home, it's dr.Oz.com has got it for your head.
So, are you living a fairy tale?
A few bumps here and there, but generally pretty happy.
Or are you a drama?
Ooh, some scary events, some good ones, lots of stuff happening, right?
And I can guess this one for you.
And are you in a horror movie is the third answer.
Life is filled with traumatic events.
Everyone answer for themselves.
Renata, what movie are you in?
Well, I mean, you can know by knowing me, Dr. Oz, that I'm a drama queen, okay?
Just flaws rama!
Yeah, that's Rhodotha.
That's her right there.
There's a lot of happiness in my life, but there's also a lot of drama.
That's not, that, I wish I was always living, but this is what I'm over from the scene of my life too.
All right, my final question.
This is the last question.
All right.
Imagine you're back in school and you have a massive test the day you're going back.
How would you feel?
So, would you get butterflies in your stomach?
B, would you know you're going to fail and feel accordingly?
Or C, do you feel like you're running out of school because you've got to avoid everything?
All right.
Now, I'm just going to get you in the right mood, show you a picture of me when I was eight years old.
This is how I think of myself going back to school.
There I am.
Look at him.
Now, I know exactly what he felt.
I still get that feeling, but let me get you go first, Rhodotha.
What do you think?
So, gosh, I would say, B, I would feel like I'm going to, you know, going to fail.
I study so much, face the heart.
You know, sometimes study long, study long.
Study long, study wrong.
But, you know, I still have the anxiety that I'm going to fail.
You know, even though I would ace it at the end, honey, okay.
Wow, you're so smart.
I'm sure you were.
See, it's got, it's not about the result.
It's about how you get to that result, right?
How you feel.
I mean, there's no question.
I'm a butterfly guy.
I mean, I just, I remember when you were a little kid and just feeling like something was wrong with my stomach.
And then you recognize it, literally this.
But I never felt these other two.
So each of us are our own different.
There's no right or wrong.
It's just different ways.
So when we go to break, expect a while we're going to break.
I want you all to tally up your answers.
You know where you are.
You sound pretty bigish to me.
Dr. Dow and I work on this.
And up next, we're going to reveal what you are, right?
And we're going to find out your brain drain type and the solutions and what you can do to fix it.
Stick around.
Moms living double lives.
From an equestrian mom running a drug empire.
I could make $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 a week.
The soccer moms secretly working in the sex industry.
All nuance.
That's coming up tomorrow.
We're back with the Brain Drain Quiz to find out what's really causing your stress, your anxiety, and your exhaustion.
That we just took the quiz.
You can find that on drozz.com.
Now, who is ready to find out their type?
How many of you guys are mostly A's?
You see hands up there?
A lot of A's.
How many B's are there up there?
Oh my goodness.
How many C's?
So it's mostly A's, a lot of B's, and there's still some C's out there.
So it's perfect because that's probably how it distributes the population.
So come on back, explain.
For all the A's, which were probably about half the population out there, what's going on in their brains?
Yes, so light drain, you're going to feel mostly anxiety.
So light drain, all three of the brain-draining stress hormones, adrenaline, norepinephrine, cortisol, they're all going and staying fairly high.
But you do want to take some of the solutions we have because when left untreated, you're more likely to develop high blood pressure.
And we had about a third of the people saying they were skyrocket drained.
So skyrocket drain, as the name suggests, all three of those stress hormones are taking off like a rocket.
When that happens, you're going to feel panic.
You're going to feel dread.
Now, in postmenopausal women, we know that when you experience panic attacks, you have triple the risk of heart attack.
So you absolutely, yeah, absolutely.
That's what research shows.
So you absolutely want to take the recommendations.
But, you know, Dr. Oz, a lot of people who are in this category, they feel like they're caught between a rock and a hard place because of the old school treatments, Xanax, Kolonopin.
Their research has recently shown it's associated with addiction, overdose.
So they really are seeking these natural answers, and we have those for you today.
And finally, and we had about 15% of people say that they were this extreme drain.
What does that mean?
Extreme drain, you're gonna feel wired but tired.
So, you can imagine when you feel wired, you feel panicky, but because you feel tired, you don't have the energy to get through things.
And when that happens for a long time, it can almost lead you to feel a little hopeless because you don't have the energy to do anything in your life.
Let's start fixing these things.
Now that you know what kind of energy type you are, let's find that exactly what you should be doing to stop down your brain drain.
Yes, the first thing is these light brain types, because there's so many of you out there.
So, what should they be eating?
Yes.
So, if you have that light drain type, you have mildly high stress hormones.
One of the best ways to get those back down is vitamin C.
We know that one of nature's best forms of vitamin C, acerola cherry, I like it in a powder.
You can also find it in frozen packs in the grocery store.
It's delicious in smoothies.
You can add it to oh, yeah, it's got tartness to it.
Yeah, it's really delicious, isn't it?
And it can bring those stress hormones back down if you have that light drain.
And there are many ways to get into natural foods as well.
The other thing you recommend is interval training, which I've got my lady here working on.
This is one of Michael Dow's patients, by the way.
So, you recommended because she was this light drain type, which is the uses of interval training program.
Yes, so Milady completed the 14-day program in heal your drained brain.
You know, hi there, Milady.
How are you?
How's it going?
She's out of breath, she can't talk.
So, if you have light drain, you are able to do interval training because you know your stress hormones aren't so high, so you can rev your stress hormones.
People who are physically fit release 42% less cortisol throughout the day compared to people who are not fit.
So, if that's you, interval training is the way to go.
So, if you don't mind, tell us about the results that you've had both with the vitamin C and the interval training.
Well, I regained a lot of my energy back, focus, a little bit of clarity.
While I was on the program, the first couple of days was a little rough, but after, I would say the third day, it started to come and sink in for me.
Having those fruits and vegetables that he recommended in the book, I really relied on like tangerines, grapefruit, the green tea, and making sure that I'm writing it down as I'm doing it to make sure that it's coming along and you've lost 10 pounds.
Lost 10 pounds, even better.
Check!
All right, let's come over here to skyrocket drain type.
And guess what?
Renata is here for a very important reason.
I think that's probably what you are.
Sound right?
Yeah, sounds about right, Dr. Oza.
I'll admit it.
All right, Dr. Dow, for the Renatos of the world, which is a lot of one in three people.
That's right.
What do we do?
So, a lot of those skyrocket drains, they've relied on the Kolonipin, the Adavan.
Well, guess what?
There's another way to naturally get GABA.
We know that probiotics can actually naturally manufacture GABA in your gut, the same stuff that Adavan and Kolonipin manufacture, right?
So, you can get that natural brain-balancing effect.
Okay, you love yogurt, I know that.
I like yogurt, yes.
So, would this be a challenge for you?
What other kind of probiotics would you want to use?
Well, you know, I did some research, okay, and I found out that kefir smoothies have a good amount of probiotic in it, yes.
And also, miso dressing, okay, I also found miso dressing.
Yeah, on Instagram, miso dressing, I mean, it has the probiotic in there, it also has good amino acids.
Um, also, yes, mm-hmm, yeah, I said amino acids.
I like that.
What about the exercise plan for folks in the middle here?
Yeah, so sustained aerobic exercise.
If you have skyrocket drain, sometimes interval training can spike the stress hormones too high.
Sustained aerobic exercise, whether it's running, jogging, it's actually the best form of exercise to build new brain cells on the hippocampus.
And if you've been eating a lot of sugar throughout your life, we know that that can actually shrink the hippocampus.
So, it's a great form of exercise to do.
Yeah, there you go.
All right, sir.
Fend me!
All right, next up, the extreme drain type.
Denise is here, and I understand that you've put yourself in that category.
Yes.
And Dr. Dow's been giving you advice for the last couple weeks.
He has.
He's been beneficial in doing that for me.
Yes.
All right, so the extreme drain types.
Yes.
Which, you know, I was surprised to see so many folks out there.
What changes in Denise's diet did you recommend and what kinds of activity for the extreme drain types?
So omega-3 superfoods are fantastic.
So omega-3 superfoods have EPA and DHA, which I call EPA is what I call your stress-less omega-3 because research shows it helps you to bring the stress level down.
Extreme drain types need that.
DHA has been shown to help you sleep soundly.
I call it your sleep soundly omega-3.
Extreme drain types need that as well.
So it's sort of a two-for-one.
Now, shrimp may not be the best source of omega-3 compared to wild salmon or rainbow trout, but I like it because it's readily available.
If you're a Chinese place, a Mexican place, you can find it everywhere.
It's fantastic.
Mastering Self-Hypnosis Techniques00:06:06
In terms of the exercise, because extreme drain types a lot of times are so fatigued, I say just start with a 20-minute walk every day.
It can be a great baby step until you're ready to do the other forms of exercise, something more intense.
We know that 20 minutes of walking every day can improve sleep by a whopping 65%, right?
You got to do something.
Get yourself baby step your way there.
I know, Denise, your 14-day results were incredible.
Your brain drain went down about 75% over 14 days, which is incredible.
Yes, yes.
Less is more, especially with the activity.
Right.
All right, you can find all the solutions for the brain drain types on Dras.com, so you can refuel your brains today and spread the word up next for all of you.
Just well, you can't meditate.
What about self-hypnosis?
Hmm, get ready to try it.
Will it work on you?
You can only push your feelings away for so long and then you say like that's enough time.
mom.
Having Haley made everything snap into focus.
All new odds.
That's coming up Friday.
We are back with Brain Drain Solutions and now a new way to relax that you probably haven't tried.
I just love meditation.
It works for me, but I know many just can't get into it.
So today we're gonna try self-hypnosis.
Get ready, because you're all about hypnotize yourselves, not someone else.
You can hypnotize yourself.
Dr. Mike Dow's here.
How can self-hypnosis relax the brain and do what the brain drain we've been talking about?
Yeah, so self-hypnosis helps you to shift from that fight or flight mode over to that rest and digest mode.
Research has also shown that self-hypnosis also helps to slow the brain down from the fast beta waves associated with anxiety and brain drain down into really slow theta brain waves associated with a state of rest and peace.
Y'all interested in this, come on back.
Dr. Dow's gonna show us how to hypnotize ourselves.
You're gonna do it with me, I'll.
I'll sit next to you and I'll text.
Everyone, please do it with us.
Everyone at home, just take two seconds right now and just learn to self-hypnotize.
That way you control your destiny.
Okay, you ready?
Yep.
Okay, take it away.
All right.
So I want you to take your right hand and just place it in front of your face like this with your fingers pressed close together.
That's right.
Now fix your gaze on your middle finger.
Perfect.
Now with your eyes open, when your brain is ready to relax, you may notice that one of your fingers is going to move apart.
I don't know if it will be your ring finger or your index finger.
And when you notice one of your fingers moving just a little bit, I want you to close your eyes and place your hand in your lap.
Perfect.
And as you do so, I want you to notice and picture yourself going down a flight of stairs.
And you're going to feel your mind and your body going down, moving down this flight of stairs, becoming twice as relaxed on every stair because you deserve this time to rest and relaxed.
Feeling twice as relaxed on six.
Perfect.
Going down now, five.
Isn't it just so nice to relax here?
Four.
There you go now.
Three.
Feeling so nice and relaxed and peaceful on two.
And now feeling twice as relaxed and peaceful and calm on one.
And maybe now on this moment, just noticing how good it feels to give yourself just a second or two to yourself because you do so much, don't you?
And now, if there is just a little piece of emotion or energy that is helping you to recharge and balance your brain and rest, I want you to imagine that that emotion or that energy is traveling down into your dominant hand.
And I want you to squeeze your dominant hand.
And whenever you need a little bit of this rest, you can squeeze this hand at any point in the future.
And this calm, restful state will come back over you.
Isn't that so nice to know that you have the power to rest and recharge and relax whenever you'd like?
Isn't that so nice to know?
Now going back up that flight of stairs with a new sense of vigor for your day and everything that you get to do in your life.
Two, becoming twice as aware, coming back to this chair.
Three, so awake and energized.
Four, coming back five.
Here you are, six and eyes open here on seven.
That was pretty cool, Mike Dow.
What did you guys think about that?
How was that for you?
That was really good.
What you like the most about it?
I think when I actually initially closed my eyes, I could feel myself a little bit jittery.
And then, like, when you started saying getting down and down, and I actually did feel myself.
And then when I get the little tug of the hand, it's like, you know, the elastic band test when you're trying to like do things.
I felt that.
I felt that, like, okay, I'm in control.
I'm okay.
Isn't it so nice to know that we're in control, that we can always bring a little bit of that rest, recharge back to ourselves?
Yeah, I love that my fingers began to move apart.
You gave us that symbolism.
Yeah.
So for the rest of the day, I heard some ooze and ahs in the audience, like, oh, my, oh, it's moving.
Yeah.
Use your hands.
Control your destiny.
Omega-3s From Fried Fish00:03:28
Yeah.
Dr. Downs Broke Hill, your drained brain is available everywhere.
Check it out.
We'll be right back.
There it is.
See it up.
Thank you.
Moms living double lives from an equestrian mom running a drug empire.
I could make $10,015, $20,000 a week.
The soccer moms secretly working in the sex industry.
All nuance.
That's coming up tomorrow.
All right, quick question for everybody.
Everyone here and at home.
How many of you guys checked social media this morning before you even got out of bed?
Hands up.
Most people are honest.
I knew it.
It's no secret.
We're all a little obsessed with our social apps.
But guess what?
All that posting, that liking, that commenting can leave your brain completely drained.
You know, now that you mention it, my brain feels kind of fried.
Not fried.
Drained.
You see, one more day of posting shameless selfies could turn her brain into scrambled eggs.
Because when you constantly stare at your phone, you know, it says here that my symptoms could be attributed to a lack of omega-3s.
that you could get omega-3s from fish.
Right, but in addition- So, all you need to do is eat a bunch of fish.
Gotta go find Nemo.
Here we go again.
How much for this one?
Hashtag gross, but worth it.
This is excessive.
Man, it's smelly.
Omega-3s, here I come.
You know, this fish is really hard.
One order of salmon sashimi would have been fine.
No, no, no.
Please stop.
You're sure this is the biggest one you have?
Okay, so I have fish breath and I'm a little bit poisy, but I think I finally got enough omega-3s.
You really didn't need to do all that.
There's a much easier way to get omega-3s in combination with a healthy diet.
Just a reminder, supplements are intended to supplement your diet.
Remember, they can't replace eating healthy and balanced meals.
Thanks to my trusted sponsorship partner, USANA Health Sciences, for putting together that brilliant video to teach you all about the benefits of omega-3 fish oil.
Now, USANA products consistently receive a five-star rating for their quality and their purity.
I got Dean here.
What did you learn about the benefits of fish oil that everyone with brain drain, frankly, any other health problem that's related to omega-3s can benefit from?
Well, like we said, they're packed with omega-3s, which is really good for brain development, which is what you need, as you saw when you're just mindlessly scrolling on those apps, just no activity in your brain.
So that's really positive for that.
There's also other benefits.
It really supports joint health.
It supports cardiovascular, too.
So it's really good in a lot of different areas, but really that brain drain, it can really help with that.
Who's got brain drain back there?
Yeah.
Okay.
All right, for more information on USANA's BioOmega, go to Dr.Oz.com.