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The wonderful summaries of the scientific work are done in an inspirational readible format. I would recommend this book to any professional who wants to provide more hope for their patients, as well as to those who want to help themselves and others who may have or may want to provent brain atrophy and replace it with the potential of brain growth at any age.
The future of helping the mind is possible. I particularly like the concept that we can do more with children who have mental or brain diseases.
I am a pediatrician who was schooled years ago on the traditional mind maps and felt as I read this excellent summary of clinical and scientific work that there is truly hope on the horizon for those who have had little in the past. These gifted men and women have worked in an area that will benefit us all given time, energy and committment.
Thank you for bringing it to our attention.Rod Pollary, M.D. We have done a lot for those with heart ailments including transplantation, which is obviously not the brain's potential, however, with the concept of plasticity of brain and retraining there is something real that can be offered.
I particularly like the way in which the author has personalized the investigators and their dedication to their work.
This is wonderful news for all of us. The brain can and does recover from injury and insult. This book is highly readable and very encouraging. I work in the field of Traumatic Brain Injury and found this book full of powerful knowledge about neuroplasticity.
"The brain that changes itself" demonstrates the various ways the theoretical plasticity of the brain can produce significant recovery of patients suffering from the most debilitating ailments, including paralysis from stroke, and autism. Plasticity, as he implies, is the end all, be all remedy for a host of maladies, and then some.Mr. Doidge presents numerous case studies detailing the astonishing and successful impact of plasticity based therapies, there is a peculiar absence of failed outcomes using these methods. Doidge's presentation portrays him as more a cheerleader than an objective source of information on neuroplasticity, and his excitement comes through as glaringly obvious.
Doidge or is he grasping at straws in some cases.Mr. Doidge is also unclear what the future applications of this relatively new field of brain study are. Clearly, some patients have benefited greatly from plasticity based therapies, but none of these aforementioned conditions have been close to being eradicated, which begs the question, just what is the potential of neuroplasticity. Doidge's effort in writing this book is to be commended, as it simplifies the field of neuroplasticity and introduces its ground breaking ideas in a coherent and understandable manner to the masses with many interesting case studies. Can it benefit the plethora of conditions as described b y Mr. Prior to the acceptance of the idea that the human brain is surprisingly flexible and adaptable (plastic), most neuroscientists were of the belief that different sections of the brain specialized in specific tasks (localization), and these specialized areas became rigid and solidified early on in life in such a way that sufficient damage to each section would forever deprive the victim of its functionality.While Mr.
Seemingly, he believes plasticity of the brain can reverse or cure maladies in every walk of life, including but not limited to alzheimers, dementia, age related memory loss, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, learning disabilities, worries, obsessions, compulsions, bad habits, stroke, and problems with sexual attraction and love. Beyond that, a more focused and less deterministic approach would have made this an outstanding piece of work worthy of five stars. As a result, just how far can plasticity take us is difficult to ascertain.Unfortunately, Mr. Consequently, his ideas have a deterministic flavor to them.
The case studies were fascinating. I look forward to more on this frontier. What I liked about this book was the hope it holds for all of us that if we persevere on a mental or physical path, we may reach a goal that others think impossible. There seems to be an explosion of new concepts about the brain and about how to harness its powers in ways we are just beginning to understand. Pain Banishment, Not Pain Management:Non-Invasive Treatment for RSD/CRPS and Other Chronic Pain: Such As Neuropathy, Migraines, Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia ~ EVEN WHEN NOTHING ELSE WORKS ~ All those little neurons in the brain that are inching toward each other eventually respond to repetition. It may take a long time, but staying with the task is the key.
It helps to understand a lot. This is a fascinating book describing the latest findings in the area of brain research. I enthusiastically recommend it for anyone who wants or needs to find out more about the workings of the brain, particularly anyone dealing with a child with developmental issues.
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