The Brain That Changes Itself

This amazing book by Norman Doidge (psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and researcher) is about neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is a process by which the structure and function of the brain changes through thought and activity. Scientists previously believed that the brain had a fixed number of cells that gradually died as we aged. It’s now scientifically accepted that the brain can continue to rejuvenate even into old age. Physical exercise helps produce new brain cells, learning prolongs cell survival, makes new connections and increases the speed of neurons.

These findings have massive implications when considering how to help people with learning difficulties, strokes, dementia, mental/emotional issues and even pain disorders. Specific mental and physical exercises can be implemented to create positive change. Our brain adapts to the use we give it. Like the body, it’s ‘use it or lose it’.

Doidge takes us on a fascinating journey of discovery through the stories of scientists, clinicians and patients at the forefront of neuroscience.

Congruence

On a certain day in 1456 a farmer entered the great city of Norwich with his son and a donkey. The man was riding the donkey, and his son was leading it on a rope. No sooner had they entered the city walls when they heard a passer-by say in a loud voice, “How disgraceful. See how that man sits on his donkey behaving like a lord of the manor while his little son runs himself ragged trying to keep up.” Full of shame, the farmer dismounted and set his son on the donkey while he walked beside it.
In the next street, a peddler drew his customer’s attention to the trio. “Look at that. That little rascal sits up there like the Young Pretender while his poor old father trudges along in the mud.” Deeply embarrassed, the boy asked his father to climb on behind him.
Once they turned the corner into the next street, a woman selling bat legs and toad venom spat out, “See what has become of the human race. No sensitivity to animals. Look at that poor donkey. Its back’s almost bent in two carrying the weight of those two loafers. If only I had my wand with me…disgraceful!”
Hearing this the farmer and his son without a word slipped off the donkey and began to walk beside it. They hadn’t gone more than fifty yards, however, when they heard a market-stall holder shout across the market to his friend, “I thought I was stupid but look, here’s a real ass. What’s the point of having a donkey when it doesn’t do any work?”
The farmer stopped, and having given his donkey a pat on the nose, said to his son, “Whatever we do, someone disagrees with it. Perhaps it’s time we made up our own minds about what we believe is right.”

Taken from ‘The Magic of Metaphor’ by Nick Owen and credited to Mark Richards (originally from Oriental tradition)

Alcohol Slows Fracture Healing

A team at Loyola University Medical Center lead by Roman Natoli has discovered how alcohol can slow the healing of fractures. The study was conducted on mice and showed that alcohol:

• inhibits bone formation leading to bones that are less mineralised and weaker
• impairs normal cellular function by causing oxidative stress
• lowers levels of proteins that recruit stem cells to the fracture site (stem cells mature into bone cells)

The amount of alcohol given to the mice was equivalent to being about 3 times over the legal driving limit.

Should We Stretch To Warm-Up?

Should passive (static) stretching form part of our pre-activity warm-up or not? Ever since I can remember I’ve had this discussion with colleagues, clients and training partners. People usually have a firm view on the subject and stick to it doggedly.

Over the last few years the evidence base has mounted; static stretching before exercise or sport decreases performance! It decreases strength, speed and power. In addition to that, its effect on injury prevention is still controversial. Does this mean that static stretching has no place in training, not at all, it can be performed at the end of the work-out as part of a cool-down or as a stand-alone session. Static stretching increases flexibility which can improve technique and performance and may decrease injury risk.

Dynamic stretching on the other hand, can be performed as part of the warm-up as it fulfills a lot of a warm-up’s requirements. The active movements help raise the heart rate, increase blood flow to the muscles, increase muscle temperature and pliability, improve coordination and stretch muscles and tendons.

In summary, perform dynamic stretches to warm-up and static stretches to cool-down. Simple!

MBT: To Wear Or Not To Wear?

Ever wondered whether MBT shoes really work? Well, a study was commissioned by companies that manufacture rocker sole shoes. The research was carried out by a team of physiotherapists from King’s College London. 115 people with chronic low back pain (CLBP) were randomly split into 2 groups; one was asked to wear rocker shoes for a minimum of 2 hours a day and the other was asked to wear  flat soled shoes for the same duration. The subjects were followed for a year. At the end of the study the researchers concluded that “rocker sole shoes appear to be no more beneficial than flat sole shoes in affecting disability and pain outcomes in people with CLBP. Flat shoes are more beneficial for LBP aggravated by standing or walking.”

The Science Of Yoga

I recently read William Broad’s new book ‘The Science Of Yoga – The Risks and the Rewards‘. William Broad has practised yoga since 1970. He works as a science journalist and is a 2-time winner of the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. It took him 5 years to write this book. It covers the history, the origins of the different schools, the gurus that contributed to yoga’s growth, the physical and mental health benefits, the effects on fitness, injuries, therapy, sex and creativity. The book draws heavily on over a century of research and successfully puts across an unbiased view of yoga…the good, the bad and all the rest…

Some of the benefits of yoga that are substantiated by research are:

• increased telomere length (telomeres cap chromosomes and prevent gene degradation) which may help to increase longevity
• decreased inflammation
• increased production of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) which acts as a feel-good neurotransmitter
• increased testosterone secretion (increases sex drive, improves mood, increases attention and sense of well-being)
• stimulation of the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system and inhibition of the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system . This means that the metabolism will be decreased not increased and so the potential for weight gain. This may seem contrary to some of the propaganda released by yoga schools. For those that want to lose weight, engage in cardio-vascular exercise and not yoga.

Now for some of the bad…this is important to mention as it is a subject that is not often talked about. Biased yoga gurus have done such a good job of branding and marketing yoga that most of us naïvely believe that only good can come of it! Most of the injuries that occur during yoga are muscle strains and joint sprains that primarily affect the low back, shoulders, knees and neck. There are however several cases of more serious injuries such as fractures, nerve injuries and even strokes! Some of the most dangerous positions are the Head Stand, Shoulder Stand and the Plough. Extreme caution should be used when attempting these positions as they place a tremendous amount of strain on the neck. They should be modified if practised at all. It is also interesting to know that injuries don’t just happen to beginners, several prominent yoga teachers are now speaking more openly about the damage they have suffered over the years.

See my earlier post ‘Can Yoga Wreck Your Body?‘ if you would like some advice before taking up yoga.

What William Broad has managed to do is give a more informed and honest view of yoga. He has redressed the partiality that existed. Some may react by questioning whether to take up yoga…those that have practised for years may find denial easier and simply ignore the information. Personally, I think anything that educates us and gives us a clearer and fuller picture of reality is beneficial. His book has confirmed the doubts I had about certain poses.

By no means do I think we should avoid yoga, on the contrary, I think an intelligent and cautious attitude towards practice can limit any potential harm and will be far outweighed by the plenitude of physical and mental benefits.

“Go confident in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined. Our aspirations are our possibilities.”

Samuel Johnson

The Chicken And The Eagle

There was a chicken farmer who was a very keen rock climber. One day, climbing a particularly challenging rock face, he came upon a large ledge. On the ledge was a large nest  and in the nest were three large eggs. Eagle eggs.

He knew it was distinctly unecological, and even undoubtedly illegal, but temptation got the better of him and he discreetly put one of the eagle eggs in his rucksack, checking first that the mother eagle wasn’t around. Then he continued his climb, drove back to the ranch, and put the eagle egg in the hen house.

That night the mother hen sat on the huge egg, the proudest chicken you ever saw. And the cock seemed pretty pleased with himself too.

In the fullness of time the egg hatched and the baby eagling emerged. It looked around and saw the mother hen. “Mama!” it squawked.

And so it was that the eagle grew up with its brother and sister chicks. It learned to do all the things that chickens do: clucking and cackling, scratching in the dirt for grits and worms, flapping its wings furiously, and flying a few feet into the air before crashing to the earth in a pile of dust and feathers. And believing above all things that it was totally and absolutely a chicken.

One day late in its life, the eagle-who-thought-he-was-a-chicken happened to look up at the sky. High overhead, soaring majestically on the thermal currents, flying effortlessly with scarcely a beat of its powerful golden wings, was an eagle.

“What’s that?”  said the eagle in awe to his farmyard neighbour. “It’s magnificent. So much power and grace. Poetry in motion.”

“That’s an eagle,” said the chicken. “That’s the King of Birds. It’s a bird of the air. But we, we’re only chickens, we’re birds of the earth.”

And so it was that the eagle lived and died a chicken; because that’s all it believed it was.

Taken from ‘The Magic of Metaphor’ by Nick Owen and credited to Fr. Anthony de Mello SJ

Watermelon Relieves Post-Exercise Muscle Soreness

Encarna Aguayo and colleagues from the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena in Spain have published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that supports the use of watermelon juice to relieve post-exercise muscle soreness. They attribute the effect to the amino acid L-citrulline.

Meaning And Purpose Improve Health

Steven Cole et al. from UCLA have recently shown that having a deep sense of purpose and meaning in life can lead to positive genetic changes such as lowering the levels of inflammatory gene expression and strengthening the expression of antiviral and antibody genes. Theoretically, this could mean that those with a strong sense of purpose and meaning have a more efficient immune system and are less susceptible to inflammatory diseases.

Parallels can be drawn with Viktor Frankl’s influential book ‘Man’s Search For Meaning‘. In it, he relates his experiences of life in concentration camps during WWII. He believed that finding a meaning to life was crucial to survival in those terrible circumstances. After the war, he continued his work as a psychiatrist with logotherapy (a form of existential analysis) and became convinced that happiness was to be attained by finding meaning and purpose in life.