Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Neurobiologist Ornstein (The Amazing Brain ) and physician Sobel review current research on the relationship of the brain (i.e., psychological, emotional, and social factors) to health. ``The primary functions of the brain,'' they say, ``is health maintenance.'' In a readable and entertaining style they discuss how the brain functions in emotional and perceptive experience, its relation to the immune system, and how positive attitudes, strong social connections, unselfishness, and healthy emotional expression affect our resistance to and recovery from disease. The authors feel obliged to defend the stance that psychological and social forces are critical determinants of disease; indeed, some findings challenge traditional views. A valuable progress report for most public libraries. Nancy B. Burrell, U.S.F. / New Coll . Lib., Sarasota, Fla. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Joining the reaction against Cartesian separation of mind and body and belief in ``magic bullets,'' Ornstein (The Amazing Brain, etc.), Stanford University professor of neurobiology, and Sobel, director of protective medicine at Kaiser-Permanente Health System, contend that the brain's primary function is not to think but to maintain and restore health to the body. The brain also activates the body's own immune system and alleviates pain using hypnosis or morphine-like analgesics. Medical intervention, they claim, is less vital to disease prevention than are nutrition, hygiene, environment, behavior and social stability. The brain alone is aware of and stimulated by all these factors, and using a combination of regulators like the hypothalamus and chemical and electrical impulses, it coordinates the body's inner functions and relates them to the external world. Above all, the authors maintain in this highly readable, informative book, social support and a consistent set of beliefs and positive attitudes help the brain adapt to or minimize negative effects of genetic traits on health. (June 1) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

A very good book written on the most fascinating of subjects, the human brain and health. For too long, Western societies have viewed the mind-brain relationship separate from the body. This has been particularly true for practitioners of the medical and healing arts. More and more experience and new research insights are changing this conceptual framework. In this well-written, easy-to-read book, Ornstein and Sobel take us on a journey that describes the brain as the central factor for each individual's health. They relate how the brain regulates pain, the immune system, heart function, etc. They show the reader that our emotions, social bonds, worldview, and way of defining and solving problems all affect the brain. The result impacts in either positive or negative ways on our health. The authors draw upon the most recent research in neurophysiology to provide a most fascinating look at the truly remarkable human brain. Included in this book is an extensive note section that provides additional information and insight about each chapter as well as reference information. The authors are experienced teachers, researchers, medical practitioners, and writers. They provide a balance of the practical with the scientific, making a complex and scholarly topic understandable to a general audience. Academic and public library collections.-R.L. Jones, Pennsylvania State University, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Booklist Review

Is there a connection between tragic personal loss and serious illness? Why does petting a cat cause a drop in blood pressure? Ornstein, a neurobiologist, and Sobel, a physician, address these and other fascinating questions in their examination of this intricate relationship between the brain and physical well-being. The brain's major function, they maintain, is the control and maintenance of health; it is not only responsible for the basic regulation of body temperature and breathing but also interacts with the immune system and controls responses to outside stimuli. Among the topics examined here are the brain's response to pain, how mental suggestion can alter diseased states, and how social isolation can shorten life expectancy. Finally, the authors discuss ways in which one can successfully adapt to stress and perhaps lower susceptibility to disease. Notes, bibliography; to be indexed. JKL. 613 Medicine, Psychosomatic / Brain / Health [OCLC] 86-29807