Thursday, April 17, 2008

Reading List

I brought back some interesting souvenirs from the Sjoggie's conference. I love the exhibit hall at conferences. Manufacturers promoting their products give away the darndest things. I scored a squishy toy in the shape of a ball sporting scuba gear - still haven't figured that one out, a toothbrush with a padded handle, mouthwash, toothpaste, and multiple samples of artificial tears and mouth lozenges. 

More useful, however, were the three books that I purchased there. 

Peripheral Neuropathy by Norman Latov, MD, PHD, addresses some of the neurological problems that many autoimmune disease patients experience. 

The Memory Bible - An Innovative Strategy For Keeping Your Brain Young by Gary Small, MD. In one of my earlier posts, I discussed my Tired = Stupid experience. I am looking forward to reading this book. If I can remember where I put it....

The most intriguing book, though, is The Balance Within - The Science Connecting Health and Emotions,  by Esther M. Sternberg, MD.  A review by Elliot S. Gershon MD, Professor of Psychology, University of Chicago says: 

" ......a dazzling tour of a most promising area of neuroscience - the interface between the immune system and the nervous system. The pathways by which the nervous system control stress responses, inflammation, and other hormonal and immune system events, and the feedback mechanisms by which immune system chemical transmitters regulate the nervous system, have only recently been discovered." 

Easy for HIM to say. But simply put, we've always known there's a mind-body connection. It will be interesting to see on a biochemical level exactly what that connection is. 

What an interesting stack of books for my bedside table. 

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