This pioneering book helped to bring about a new way of looking at the brain, one which restored the perspective that the major role of the brain is to mind the body and maintain health. The Healing Brain provided much of the raw material for the new view: A complex internal pain-regulation system underlies turning off pain in response to sugar pills. The death of a loved one can cause immunity to disease to plummet. A sudden cardiac arrest after a shocking trauma could be due to signals deep within the brain’s frontal lobe. Our social nature links us fundamentally to others throughout our lives, and when these links are strained or ruptured, the health consequences are profound. Though individual bits of evidence may have been debated and speculative links challenged, the collective weight of the findings helped close the artificial gap between mind and body.

“The Healing Brain is a gem. The authors have managed to synthesize, summarize, and clearly communicate a broad body of knowledge…into a coherent description of how the brain affects our health and well-being. It is a treasure trove of information and insight into an area of vital importance to all.” —Philip R Lee MD, Professor of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Univ of California San Francisco.

Category: Health

Subjects: health care