Better Brain & Body
So far, reading the book The Brain’s Way of Healing, by Norman Doidge, I am struck by the curiosity and determination of the doctors he writes about and the resilience of the patients and the partnership between the two. They have embarked on a discovery of healing modalities that are not considered valid in mainstream medicine or modalities of healthy living that have gone out of use in our modern world. These modalities connect the mind and the body and the brain.
From reading this book, I have decided that going to Micah’s gym three times a week is a must for my well being, and to change the beliefs I have had that I have low endurance levels and there were certain things I would always be bad at. Thank you Micah (my son Micah Macbeth who has two gyms, where he does fitness training for all ages and abilities) for being so passionate about what you do. And thank you Chris Monachino, trainer extraordinaire, for the way that you educate me about how to get stronger and gently nudge me further that I would ordinarily go.
In the beginning of The Brain that Heals, Doidge talks about the brain and body’s ability to heal quite serious chronic illnesses by conscious meditative walking. Building up slowly and attentively and allowing the body to do something quite remarkable which is to call on or switch on healthy networks to replace the ones that are causing problems: neural plasticity of the brain.
Then he goes on to highlight the benefits of light for the body and brain’s optimal functioning and in repairing and regenerating both. Getting enough sunlight has already been acknowledge as beneficial to mood, but he reminds us that it is the life giving principal in everything from warmth, to nourishment, to keeping our systems running smoothly.
From the Book: “ The idea that light is a potent healer has been hidden in plain sight for millennia. The ancient Egyptians saw the sun as the primary source of life. They took it as self evident, that all life forms derive their energy from the sun. The ancients also sensed that healing distressed tissues requires growth. “
That last line is one to chew on for a while.
