As American school children start their summer vacation plans, I got to thinking about the state of unrest in so many countries and what it was like for children in Syria, Yemen, Japan, Egypt, Mongolia, and so on. With so much strife going on in the streets, are there even classes available for them to […]
Returning Soldiers and Humanitarian Action: Bridging the Gap
A few days ago, I heard a news item that really caught my attention. It was about Team Rubicon – and maybe you’ve heard about them, but their mission was new to me. And while the news story was heart-warming, it had a very sad beginning: the wide-swipe of a killer tornado. But what is […]
When a Pencil is Still a Weapon: Torture and Untreated PTSD
Have you heard of the film that has recently come out, called “The First Grader”? It’s based on the real life story of an elderly Kenyan man, Maruge, who in his youth fought with the Mau Mau during the rebellion that precipitated Kenyan independence from the United Kingdom. The Mau Mau rebellion is generally recognized […]
Recognizing the Risk of PTSD in Our Patients
When we think of PTSD, many practitioners automatically think of soldiers, rape survivors, or childhood abuse survivors. Few of us think about other groups of people, particularly the patients in our hospitals, with a high risk of developing PTSD. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons […]
Microsoft and Skype…Continued
When Skype was founded in 2003, I’m sure that a merger with a global technological giant like Microsoft was far from their minds, or even dreams. According to Microsoft’s official press release, the driving idea behind Skype was to “break down barriers to communication” and connect people across the world for little cost.¹ And it […]
New Brain Science Teleseminar Series Makes History
I’m not sure where to even begin. To our knowledge, this has been the biggest practitioner teleseminar series to date, not only for NICABM but also for our profession. Practitioners poured in from all over the globe to join us on these ground-breaking calls, and we’ve been overwhelmed with your response. This audience size required […]
What Makes Up Working Memory?
I don’t know if you took music lessons as a child but . . . It’s hard for me to forget practicing my piano with my rather stern-faced teacher counting out the beat along with the metronome (it’s possible that she was stern-faced due to my lack of practice from the week before…). Now, returning […]
Lose the Gut, Improve the Mind
Many of you may have read my blog last Thursday, talking about Terry Bradshaw. Daniel Amen, MD has conducted studies on former NFL players, finding that many of the professional football players exhibited significant differences in their brain functioning that was consistent with chronic brain trauma. Many of these players were depressed and overweight when […]
Terry Bradshaw, the NFL, and New Brain Science Research
An article about Terry Bradshaw has just caught my attention – partly because I somewhat follow NFL football (the Patriots, Giants and Colts), but more because of it’s connection to the brain. On Monday, Bradshaw spoke out about the effect that his numerous concussions have had on his general cognitive functioning. He sustained more than […]
Aging and the Brain: Highlights from the Inner Reaches of Neuroscience
Many of us work with elderly people, either in our practices or in our personal lives. And of course, some of us are also getting closer to retirement ourselves and are starting to think about issues of brain deterioration in a more personal light. The field of neuroscience is exploding with new revelations from the […]