Books about Disease from Amazon.com

A brain scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilities

On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain--the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side--swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time.

Questions for Jill Bolte Taylor

Amazon.com: Your first reaction when you realized what was happening to your body was one you would expect: "Oh my gosh, I'm having a stroke!" Your second, though, was a little more surprising: "Wow, this is so cool!" What could be cool about a stroke?

Taylor: I grew up to study the brain because I have a brother who is only 18 months older than I am. He was very different in the way he perceived experiences and then chose to behave. As a result, I became fascinated with the human brain and how it creates our perception of reality. He was eventually diagnosed with the brain disorder schizophrenia, and I dedicated my career to the postmortem investigation of the human brain in an attempt to understand, at a biological level, what are the differences between my brain and my brother's brain. On the morning of the stroke, I realized that my brain was no longer functioning like a "normal" brain and this insight into my brother's reality excited me. I was fascinated to intimately understand what it might be like on the inside for someone who would not be diagnosed as normal. Through the eyes of a curious scientist, this was an absolutely rare and fascinating experience for me to witness the breakdown of my own mind.

Amazon.com: What did you learn about the brain from your stroke and your recovery that your scientific training hadn't prepared you for?

Taylor: My scientific training did not teach me anything about the human spirit and the value of compassion. I had been trained as a scientist, not as a clinician. I can only hope that we are teaching our future physicians about compassion in medicine, and I know that some medical schools, including the Indiana University School of Medicine, have created a curriculum with this intention.

My training as a scientist, however, did provide me with a roadmap to how the body and brain work. And although I lost my left cognitive mind that thinks in language, I retained my right hemisphere that thinks in pictures. As a result, although I could not communicate with the external world, I had an intuitive understanding about what I needed to do in order to create an environment in which the cells in my brain could be happy and healthy enough that they could regain their function. In addition, because of my training, I had an innate trust in the ability of my brain to be able to recover itself and my mother and I respected the organ by listening to it. For example, when I was tired, I allowed my brain to sleep, and when I was fresh and capable of focusing my attention, we gave me age-appropriate toys and tools with which to work.

Amazon.com: Your stroke affected functions in your left brain, leaving you to what you call the "la-la land" of your right hemisphere. What was it like to live in your right brain, and then to rebuild your left?

Taylor: When the cells in my left brain became nonfunctional because they were swimming in a pool of blood, they lost their ability to inhibit the cells in my right hemisphere. In my right brain, I shifted into the consciousness of the present moment. I was in the right here, right now awareness, with no memories of my past and no perception of the future. The beauty of La-la land (my right hemisphere experience of the present moment) was that everything was an explosion of magnificent stimulation and I dwelled in a space of euphoria. This is great way to exist if you don't have to communicate with the external world or care whether or not you have the capacity to learn. I found that in order for me to be able to learn anything, however, I had to take information from the last moment and apply it to the present moment. When my left hemisphere was completely nonfunctional early on, it was impossible for me to learn, which was okay with me, but I am sure it was frustrating for those around me. A simple example of this was trying to put on my shoes and socks. I eventually became physically capable of putting my shoes and socks on, but I had no ability to understand why I would have to put my socks on before my shoes. To me they were simply independent actions that were not related and I did not have the cognitive ability to figure out the appropriate sequencing of the events. Over time, I regained the ability to weave moments back together to create an expanse of time, and with this ability came the ability to learn methodically again. Life in La-la land will always be just a thought away, but I am truly grateful for the ability to think with linearity once again.

Amazon.com: What can we learn about our brains and ourselves from your experience, even if we haven't lived through the kind of brain trauma you have?

Taylor: I learned that I have much more say about what goes on between my ears than I was ever taught and I believe that this is true for all of us. I used to understand that I had the ability to stop thinking about one thing by consciously choosing to preoccupy my mind with thinking about something else. But I had no idea that it only took 90 seconds for me to have an emotional circuit triggered, flush a physiological response through my body and then flush completely out of me. We can all learn that we can take full responsibility for what thoughts we are thinking and what emotional circuitry we are feeling. Knowing this and acting on this can lead us into feeling a wonderful sense of well-being and peacefulness.

Amazon.com: You are the "Singin' Scientist" for Harvard's Brain Bank (just as you were before your stroke). Could you tell us about the Brain Bank (in song or not)?

Taylor: There is a long-term shortage of brain tissue donated for research into the severe mental illnesses. Most people don't realize that when you sign the back of your license as an organ donor, the brain is not included. If you would like to donate your brain for research, you must contact a brain bank directly. There is also a shortage of "normal control" tissue for research. The bottom line reality is that if there were more tissue available for research, then more scientists would be dedicating their careers to the study of the severe mental illnesses and we would have more answers about what is going on with these disorders. The numbers of mentally ill individuals in our society are staggering. The most serious and disabling conditions affect about 6 percent--or one in 17--adults and 9-13 percent of children in the United States. Half of all lifetime conditions of mental illness start by age 14 years, and three-fourths by age 24 years.

For more information about brain donation to the Harvard brain bank, please call 1-800-BRAINBANK or visit them at: www.brainbank.mclean.org

If you would like to hear me sing the brain bank jingle, please visit www.drjilltaylor.com!

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What Dr. Andrew Weil is to herbal medicine and Dr. Phil is to TV psychology, Dr. John La Puma is to culinary medicine. At thirty-five, after eating too much of the Standard American Diet (SAD, isn’t it?), Dr. La Puma had become SADly paunchy So he decided to research the science of nutrition while also going to culinary school to learn to cook. He created the revolutionary new concept of “culinary medicine”–recipes, foods, and meals that prevent or control common health conditions without sacrificing restaurant-quality taste.

Now you can use culinary medicine too. In ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine, you’ll learn to stock the medicine chest in your kitchen, use the doctor inside of you, and create dishes that give you lifesaving benefits and truly dazzling flavor.

Dr. La Puma serves up a step-by-step eight-week plan to motivate you and help you change your life. Try Saffron Scallop, Shrimp, and Chickpea Paella. Or Sicilian Pasta with Swiss Chard, Goat Cheese, and Basil. Or Spicy and Rich Sausage and Kidney Bean Chili.

Anyone who loves food, wants to have more energy, wants to reverse his or her family health history, or wants to know what to eat to get and stay healthy should read this book. Its recipes, meals, and menus can work within minutes of eating them.

Experience food you can’t wait to make, and grab the energy and good health to reclaim your life.



Doctor, What Do I Eat for That?

Your kitchen needs a ChefMD. Renowned physician and professionally trained chef Dr. John La Puma has just the person for the job–you! By following the ChefMD Eight-Week Plan, you’ll find your inner doctor and learn to eat for optimal health and maximum satisfaction. Use ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine to:

• Discover what and how to eat for forty health conditions–starting with Acne, ADD, Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, and Asthma
• Build a “culinary medicine chest” with fifty amazing foods that prevent or control common health conditions without sacrificing restaurant-quality taste
• Conquer fatigue, supercharge your immune system, and look and feel younger
• Get the most nutrition from the foods you eat
• Find the ChefMD Essentials–thirty-six healthful and flavorful brand-name foods in boxes, bags, and cans
• Fall in love with food again with fifty easy ChefMD recipes–and no guilt!

Eat and cook the ChefMD way and discover just how delicious life can be!.
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When Mehmet Oz or any of New York's leading doctors has a patient whose life depends on losing weight, they call on Joel Fuhrman, M.D. In EAT TO LIVE, Dr. Fuhrman offers his healthy, effective, and scientifically proven plan for shedding radical amounts of weight quickly, and keeping it off.Losing weight under Dr. Fuhrman's plan is not about willpower, it is about knowledge. The key to this revolutionary diet is the idea of nutrient density, as expressed by the simple formula Health=Nutrients/Calories. When the ratio of nutrients to calories is high, fat melts away and health is restored. Losing 20 pounds in two to three weeks is just the beginning. The more high-nutrient food Dr. Fuhrman's patients consume, the more they are satisfied with fewer calories, and the less they crave fat and high-calorie foods. Designed for people who must lose 50 pounds or more in a hurry, EAT TO LIVE works for every dieter, even those who want to lose as little as 10 pounds quickly. No willpower required-just knowledge!.
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A powerful call for a paradigm shift in heart disease therapy.

Based on the groundbreaking results of a twenty-year nutritional study by Dr. Esselstyn, a preeminent researcher and clinician, this book illustrates that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease but can also reverse its effects. The proof lies in the incredible outcomes for patients who have followed Dr. Esselstyn's program, including a number of patients in his original study who had been told by their cardiologists that they had less than a year to live. Within months of starting the program, Dr. Esselstyn's patients began to improve dramatically, and twenty years later, they remain free of symptoms.

Complete with more than 150 delicious recipes, this book explains the science behind the simple plan that has drastically changed the lives of Dr. Esselstyn's patients forever. It will empower readers to take control of their heart health..
Price: $9.46 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Introducing the most dramatically revised edition of Harrison's ever!

Now with NEW bonus DVD with 37 chapters and more than 500 brand new images and video clips!

MORE THAN TRUSTED, BEYOND ESSENTIAL . . .

The #1 selling medical textbook worldwide, Harrison's has defined internal medicine for millions of clinicians and students. The new Seventeenth Edition retains Harrison's acclaimed balance of pathobiology, cardinal signs and manifestations of disease, and best approaches to patient management, yet has been massively updated to give you an innovative array of bold new features and content. If ever there was one must-have resource for clinicians and students - this is it!

UNMATCHED EXPERTISE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

As an unprecedented amount of medical information bombards you and your patients, where do you go to sort it out and make sense of it all? When your patients request clarification on something they've “printed off” where do you turn for expert explanations? The same trusted resource physicians and students have turned to for over fifty years: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. Now more than ever, trust Harrison's to filter and clarify the exploding knowledge base, to highlight the breakthroughs, and to deliver a clear, balanced distillation of the best and most current information on which to base clinical decisions.

THE MOST EXCITING AND EXTENSIVELY REVISED EDITION EVER!

Here are just a few of the reasons why the new 17th Edition of Harrison's is the best edition yet:

• Bonus companion DVD featuring: 37 new “e-chapters”; over 500 brand-new radiological, laboratory, and clinical images, including complete atlases; state-of-the-art video clips; an Image Bank of nearly all the illustrations contained in the parent text, and much more
• Expanded, modernized illustration program with more than 800 brand-new, additional illustrations-a 60% increase over the previous edition
• Dozens of brand new chapters on vital topics in medical education and clinical practice: Global Issues in Medicine: Patient Safety and Health Quality; Health Disparities: Atlas of EKGs; Clinical Management of Obesity: Atlas of Hematology: Atlases of Chest, Neurological, and Cardiovascular Radiology, and much more! Also included a complete new Section on biological foundations and emerging clinical applications of regenerative medicine!
• Brand new, reader-friendly text design optimizes the full-color format
• An expanded, innovative focus on global health
• NEW Global Advisory Board comprised of 11 prominent medical experts from Asia, India, Europe, and South America
• Revision of the popular On Line Learning Center, which offers more skill-sharpening self-assessment questions and answers, plus additional case studies for helping you apply Harrison's content to the daily care of patients
• Harrison's related products are available in a full suite of formats to meet all your educational and clinical needs. Harrison's Practice of Medicine is a complete database of more than 700 clinical topics formatted for use at the point of care. The Harrison's Manual of Medicine is one of the most popular and heavily used handbook-sized resources in internal medicine. The Harrison's Self-Assessment and Board Review features more than 1000 board-type cases and questions and highlights the use of Harrison's as a great board prep resouce.

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This is an incredibly informative and reader-friendly book about a common debilitating medical condition that goes largely undiagnosed and untreated ADRENAL FATIGUE: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome is a very empowering work cram-packed with vital information about a condition that very likely affects millions of people..
Price: $9.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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