The Book of Brain by Stephen Gislason MD

The Book of Brain is an engaging, entertaining and challenging education in the biological basis the human experience. Dr. Gislason has special and penetrating insights into the human mind.

The first section of the book is an overview of the key topics in psychology, cognitive science and philosophy. Important features of brain function are discussed and the chemistry of neurotransmitters is introduced so that reader can appreciate and implement solutions for mental and neurological problems that are discussed later in the book.

Learning, memory and children's behavior describes how children follow an ancient developmental path, face competition and selection every day and need the correct nurturing with the right food, shelter and affection to do well. Dr Gislason states: "Child psychology is an eclectic assembly of ideas, miscellaneous observation, opinions, fear and irrational beliefs.

If psychologists, physicians, and educators are confused, what about parents? The best parents are pragmatic and not theorists. They stay involved with their children, follow some basic guidelines they learned as children and tend to do whatever works. Good parents improvise childcare with a combination of innate tendencies, common sense, love and concessions to the demands of modern life."

Psychotropic drugs is a review of the uses and abuses of prescription drugs that alter brain function. This chapter should be read by everyone. Dr Gislason says: "Chemicals that interact with the brain have been used by humans for thousands of years. The deep question is why are humans so attracted to changing the way their brain works? One answer is that humans try to alleviate their own suffering and the suffering of others. Another answer is that altered states of consciousness are interesting and provide new perspectives on the nature of the mind. Chemicals that induced a state of euphoria or altered the contents of consciousness have always been highly prized. Plants, fungi and food fermentation have generously provided such chemicals and a few are derived from animals. Only recently have humans manufactured mind-altering chemicals in factories in large quantities, distributed worldwide. Some of these factories are legal others are not."

Eating Behaviors Dr Gislason describes the determinants of eating behaviors, appetites and food choices; He states, for example: "Human relationships are built around shared pleasurable experiences. Eating together is the principal social bond among people. The gratification or reward of eating is unmistakable. The basic form of all desire is hunger. Pleasure has a great deal to do with satisfying hunger. Our basic drives for food, comfort, love, warmth, and security merge as we try to establish and maintain relationships and a home environment. Eating patterns are important social determinants. Eating etiquette governs table behavior and supersedes the biological needs of any individual. Discrimination, inspired by different food preferences, is an important social fact."

Self Regulation The Alpha Nutrition Program is a rational plan that requires new learning, discipline and self-control. A basic intention is to do a better job of self-regulating. Self-regulation implies control over behavior. I learned by watching a few thousand people attempt to do this program that people with some measure of self-control were uncommon. I learned that self-discipline was in short supply and that rational plans tended to fail without a lot of support. Since eating is a social activity, changes in eating habits require a social method.

Mechanisms of Brain Disturbances "The brain’s main function is to track desirable molecules in the environment and cause them to flow through the body. Since the brain is the organ of the mind, molecular influences on the brain are manifested as mental influences. We can assume that if a person's brain gets the right signals from inhaled and ingested chemicals, then he or she will remain on a stable, adaptive course. If, on the other hand, the wrong signals are received from the ingested chemicals, then he or she follows a wobbly course, unstable and maladaptive.... Our experience with food-related diseases suggests that modern diets are probably responsible for most cerebrovascular disease and strokes, all diabetic neuropathies, some learning and behavioral problems in children, some mental illness, most depressions, most dementias and some neurological disease of unknown origin. The mechanisms are of these disorders are multiple and complex. "

Allergy and the Nervous System "Important disturbances of brain function occur during immune activity in the body with the strongest influences on the autonomic nervous system and mood-emotion circuits. Changes in arousal, mood, sleep-waking patterns, appetite, thirst and temperature regulation are regularly reported by food allergic patients. For example, fatigue, progressing to sleepiness with increased thirst, frequent urination, hot and cold sensations, and attention-memory deficits are routinely reported together in various combinations."

Brain Nutrition" Nutrition influences brain function in a variety of ways. The brain disturbances of an alcoholic, unstable diabetic, pellagra victim, or elderly patient with vitamin B12 and/or folic acid deficiency are all recognized examples of nutritional mental illnesses. Vitamin deficiency is always a concern with brain dysfunction, and the risk of deficiency increases as mental disorder increases. B-vitamins play a critical role in brain function. Vitamin B12 deficiency is a notable cause of numbness, tingling, incoordination, and impaired cognitive function. Niacin deficiency presents as dementia, dermatitis, and diarrhea. Thiamine deficiency causes cognitive dysfunction and is fully expressed in malnourished alcoholics as Wernicke's psychosis. Vitamin-mineral supplementation is always a desirable component of nutritional therapy, although high doses of individual nutrients are only desirable in acute deficiency states. Our emphasis is always on correct proportioning of nutrient intake - the right molecules at the right place at the right time.

The Book of Brain

Printed Text is $36.95 plus shipping; 326 pages. Rev 2004

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