“The Brain That Changes Itself”

By Anais Starr - Perfectly Well! on October 18, 2012

Title: The Brain That Changes Itself
Author: Norman Doidge, MD

From the book’s forward:

It is a plastic, living organ that can actually change its own structure and function, even into old age. Arguably the most important breakthrough in neuroscience since scientists first sketched out the brain’s basic anatomy, this revolutionary discovery, called neuroplasticity, promises to overthrow the centuries-old notion that the brain is fixed and unchanging. The brain is not, as was thought, like a machine, or “hardwired” like a computer. Neuroplasticity not only gives hope to those with mental limitations, or what was thought to be incurable brain damage, but expands our understanding of the healthy brain and the resilience of human nature.

I’ve been reading several books about the brain. Not just lately – over a period of years.

I started thinking about brain function a few years ago and it had to do with my diet. I had been vegetarian, no meat, fish, fowl, eggs, for 30 some years. I began contemplating that, understanding the body’s need for dietary fat, and thinking I was severely lacking in that department. I don’t actually know that this was the case, but the thinking propelled me on a path to try to figure out, at least for myself, foods that made me feel good AND enhanced my brain function…

(… to be continued)

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