Josh: Hey guys, Dr. Josh Axe here, welcome to Ancient Medicine Today.
Hey, Jordan focus, we're in fact teaching on focus right now.
Jordan: Oh, sorry, sorry.
Josh: All right.
So hey guys, in this video, we're going to teach you the top ways to focus.
Now, if you need to improve your focus and really this is great.
These tips are going to be great for people with ADHD and ADD.
And really, if you're one of those people that have trouble multitasking, you've really
trouble focusing on one thing at a time, we'll go through the best essential oils, vitamin,
supplements, and foods that are going to help you focus more effectively.
Jordan: And best of all, we're not going to take long so you only have to focus for a
short period of time because it seems people's attention spans have been . . .
Josh: They're short these days.
Jordan: . . . greatly shortened because people are on their smartphones, etc.
Sorry about that, I didn't know we were starting, I wasn't focused.
Let's get going.
So these are focus killers, you mentioned it, multitasking.
I'm not even going to go where I could between the two of us and multitasking.
Josh: Yeah.
Jordan: You're ever on a phone call and you know somebody's checking their emails, not
just because you hear the click but they repeat themselves three times, I've become a master
at not doing that.
But either way, multitasking in many cases, makes you a jack-of-all-trades and a master
of none.
Josh: None.
Jordan: So multitasking is a focus killer.
Josh: ADHD, it can be really tough on focus.
If you're a person that tends to be . . . now, not just ADD, ADHD, hyper active, and part
of that can be related to diet, Jordan.
Jordan: Absolutely.
Josh: We now have too much sugar in the diet, other things going on in life but we know
that ADHD or being hyper active can cause some issues as well.
Jordan: This is a huge one, dehydration robs the brain.
You need hydration and you need fat to function.
And let's face it, people are out eating a bunch of dried sugary stuff that actually
sucks hydration out.
You need to drink more.
Drinking more helps you focus, and don't just drink anything, drink purified water, drink
teas, we love teas.
Bone broth is amazing, and diluted fresh juices are really, really good.
Josh: Yeah.
One of the worst dehydrators is soda, all the caffeine, all the sugar, robs your body.
Low-fat diets actually can really rob your body of focus.
Remember, your brain is made up of some fat and cholesterol.
You've got to be getting good healthy fats in your diet.
So again, low-fat diets are going to be counterproductive to actually helping you focus.
Jordan: And excessive sitting or standing.
Today, they're now calling sitting the new smoking.
Josh: New smoking.
Jordan: Okay.
And if you sit and smoke that's like double whammy, right?
Josh: Yeah, definitely.
Jordan: Excessive sitting and standing.
So you want to have a balance, like people did in the past, you want to make sure to
sit but then often stand or get up.
And what I love about the Dr. Axe office, any moment of any day people could be doing
planks, they could be walking, they could be doing . . . I do my push-ups periodically.
Josh: Yeah.
Jordan: In fact, I'm due for a set right now.
Keeps me focused but excessive sitting or standing can be a focus killer.
Well, that's the bad news, but what about ways to boost your focus.
Josh: Sure.
Well, we know there's some great things here like adaptogenic herbs, like rhodiola rosea.
Rhodiola, oftentimes is used by athletes to improve stamina and performance but also focus.
One of the biggest things Jordan, that can cause lack of focus is when people are exhausted
and tired.
Jordan: Yes, yes.
Josh: I mean, think about this, what's your hardest time to focus?
Is it 3:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon, you just had a big lunch and you hit that 2:00 coma
at work, and you're having trouble focusing, getting things done and concentrating?
Well, the good news is rhodiola is one of those natural energy enhancers that can help
your body focus and give you more stamina and endurance.
Jordan: Absolutely.
One of the greatest ways to focus is using essential oils.
In fact, check this out.
Josh: True.
Jordan: This is called the focus blend.
I just feel invigorated with certain oils.
So what you're going to do is you're going to use vetiver with a carrier oil, a carrier
oil can be almond oil, could be olive oil, could be avocado oil, etc.
Don't necessarily use coconut because it's thick.
If you do, use a fractionated coconut.
Include ylang-ylang, which is my favorite oil mainly, because I like to say ylang-ylang.
And I always wonder when you repeat two words like mahi-mahi, ylang-ylang . . .
Josh: Isn't there a song?
Jordan: No, I think it's dulang-dulang.
Josh: Okay, there we go.
Jordan: So lavender, chamomile is another one, but lavender for added calmness and focus,
so you apply to your wrist and behind your ears.
What's interesting about essential oils, there are certain points in the body, meridians
if you will, and if you apply oils and pressure you're going to get great results.
The bottom of your feet are full of those sort of meridians/nerve endings.
So again, it's vetiver in a carrier oil, ylang-ylang, lavender.
Use it on your wrists and behind your ears.
That's a great focus one, so think about this, when I was younger I would always get the
worst grades after lunch because I'd be so tired from the high carb sugary lunch I ate.
Man, if I had an essential oil it could have awakened me just like that.
There you go.
Josh: And we won't even get into school lunches here but that's a whole other topic.
A few other essential oils I love, if you need to sort of boost your energy level, peppermint
oil is fantastic, sometimes cedarwood has got benefits to vetiver there.
Jordan: I like grapefruit.
It just makes me feel alive.
Josh: Yes, citrus oils are awesome too.
So some of the foods you want to be doing, fine-tuning your diet, you want to eat, consume
a diet that's very high in vegetables, high in organic natural meat products, some things
like berries.
But you want to get a lot of greens in your diet, very energizing foods on a regular basis.
Rather than doing the sandwich for lunch, doing a big salad with a little bit of olive
oil, balsamic vinegar, chicken breast, but something like a big salad for lunch, that's
the way to go if you really want to support your diet.
Foods like bone broth are incredible, but really a diet that's high in plants, high
in omega-3 fats, that's going to be a great diet to follow as well.
Jordan: You know what else is good for those of you who are thinking, "I don't want to
eat all those big salads," chocolate and coffee, organic is a great way to boost your brain.
You know what's really cool, I don't drink coffee necessarily, but those chocolate, dark
chocolate covered coffee beans, a couple of those you'll be energized right away.
And they're full of nutrients.
Herbs and spices, this is by far my favorite.
So this morning, I had a steeped infusion, some would call it a tea, where I cut organic
ginger and turmeric, and I also had some medicinal mushrooms, like reishi in there, man, it will
wake you up.
Herbs and spices help boost your brain.
There are many, turmeric is really good, periwinkle is good, it has vinpocetine.
Bacopa is good.
And one of my favorites, it's a ginger, black pepper, long pepper combo, in Ayurveda they
call it "trikatu."
It boosts your metabolism, boosts bioavailability of nutrients, and boosts your brain.
Josh: Wow, awesome.
Here we go.
Key supplements can be so important in terms of improving your overall focus.
Jordan, some of my favorites include B vitamins.
Jordan: Yeah.
Josh: You know vitamin B12, vitamin B6, these are really crucial for honing in your focus.
Omega-3 fatty acids found in a wild caught fish oil, fish roe, cod liver oil, so omega-3s
are great as well.
But I would say those B-complex vitamins, the omegas.
And then the other one for me would be probiotics can be crucial, taking those as a supplement.
And I'm going to throw one more in there, bone broth protein or a protein collagen can
be great as well.
Jordan: Absolutely.
Meditation and I am talking about clearing your mind and focusing on something you want.
Meditate on scriptures.
Meditation doesn't necessarily mean you go like this and make noises.
Meditation means that you focus, and you really ponder what you are thinking about.
And some people even say meditation simply means quotations.
Josh: Oh, I like that.
Jordan: So sometimes quoting "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and gosh darn, people like
me."
Josh: People like me.
Jordan: See, that's considered meditation.
This is a good one.
Josh: Treadmill workstation.
I, Jordan, for the longest time sat at my desk.
Well, a few years ago I got a standing desk, and I'll tell you I feel a lot better now
that I use a standing desk.
Now, a treadmill workstation can also be great, keeping you, again, you're just going to real
slow but . . . Jordan: Yeah, just don't turn it on high because
that [inaudible 00:08:15].
Josh: Hey, you could end up on your own YouTube video.
. . Jordan: Exactly.
Josh: . . . if you have that thing on too high.
But with treadmill workstations, they're great, they keep your energy up, you keep moving
or at the very least, try a standing desk or a stability ball or at least get up and
move every little bit, it's big for . . . Jordan: I'm going to check treadmill workstation
epic fails.
Josh: Oh hey, we're wrapping up here, so here we go.
All right, to close this off, focus.
Here's the thing that you need to be aware of that are really going to affect focus.
If you are trying to multitask all the time, it really affects focus.
If you're being hyperactive due to maybe increased sugar consumption, dehydration in your diet,
low-fat diets, and excessive sitting.
Jordan, what do you got for me here?
Jordan: Okay.
So low-fat diets, because your brain is made of fat, low fat diets also tend to be low
in B vitamins, interestingly enough.
Josh.
Oh, right.
Jordan: Because a lot of low fat foods are deficient in B vitamins.
Excessive sitting and standing, those are focus killers, but here's how to fine-tune
your focus.
You talked about rhodiola, we both talked about essential oils.
In fact, using an oil that you have at your desk to just inhale or a diffuser invigorates
you.
You can rub it on your wrist, rub it behind your ears, oils are great.
Foods, we talked about multicolored foods that are good for the brain.
And we talked about foods that are loaded with good fats, particularly omega-3s.
Wild salmon on a salad with some berries, blueberries are the balm for the brain.
Herbs and spices, turmeric, ginger, periwinkle, etc. are all awesome.
Josh: Oh, what else do we got here, key supplements, here we go.
Jordan: You got to focus.
Josh: Key supplements here, meditation.
And Jordan mentioned meditation, for me it's typically reading something potentially, something
scriptural, meditating on that and think about how you can apply that to your life or listening
to your creator, connecting with him is great.
And then treadmill workstations, another great way to improve your focus.
So guys, this has been Jordan Rubin, myself Dr. Josh Axe.
Don't forget, make sure to subscribe here, we've got a lot more content coming out on
natural remedies like essential oils, vitamins and minerals, some of the top foods you can
be eating.
And hey, if you want to learn more as well, you can check out my website dr.axe.com, we've
been talking about how to improve your focus.
We hope you've enjoyed this video.