Recommendations based on "If Our Bodies Could Talk: A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body"

Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society.” —Alexander McFarlane, Director of the Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies A pioneering researcher transforms our understanding of trauma and offers a bold new paradigm for healing in this New York Times Science bestseller Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.

Examines the use and avoidance of flesh foods, including beef, pork, chicken, and eggs, camel, dog, horse, and fish, from antiquity to the present day. Simoons finds that the recurrent theme of maintaining ritual purity, good health, and well-being underlies diet habits. He emphasizes that only a full range of factors can explain eating patterns, and stresses the interplay of religious, moral, hygienic, ecological, and economic factors in the context of human culture. From publisher description.

What is it like to be a brain surgeon? How does it feel to hold someone's life in your hands, to cut into the stuff that creates thought, feeling, and reason? How do you live with the consequences of performing a potentially lifesaving operation when it all goes wrong?In neurosurgery, more than in any other branch of medicine, the doctor's oath to "do no harm" holds a bitter irony. Operations on the brain carry grave risks. Every day, leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh must make agonizing decisions, often in the face of great urgency and uncertainty.If you believe that brain surgery is a precise and exquisite craft, practiced by calm and detached doctors, this gripping, brutally honest account will make you think again. With astonishing compassion and candor, Marsh reveals the fierce joy of operating, the profoundly moving triumphs, the harrowing disasters, the haunting regrets, and the moments of black humor that characterize a brain surgeon's life.Do No Harm provides unforgettable insight into the countless human dramas that take place in a busy modern hospital. Above all, it is a lesson in the need for hope when faced with life's most difficult decisions.

A candid, feminist, and personal deep dive into the science and culture of pregnancy and motherhoodLike most first-time mothers, Angela Garbes was filled with questions when she became pregnant. What exactly is a placenta and how does it function? How does a body go into labor? Why is breast best? Is wine totally off-limits? But as she soon discovered, it’s not easy to find satisfying answers. Your obstetrician will cautiously quote statistics; online sources will scare you with conflicting and often inaccurate data; and even the most trusted books will offer information with a heavy dose of judgment. To educate herself, the food and culture writer embarked on an intensive journey of exploration, diving into the scientific mysteries and cultural attitudes that surround motherhood to find answers to questions that had only previously been given in the form of advice about what women ought to do—rather than allowing them the freedom to choose the right path for themselves.In Like a Mother, Garbes offers a rigorously researched and compelling look at the physiology, biology, and psychology of pregnancy and motherhood, informed by in-depth reportage and personal experience. With the curiosity of a journalist, the perspective of a feminist, and the intimacy and urgency of a mother, she explores the emerging science behind the pressing questions women have about everything from miscarriage to complicated labors to postpartum changes. The result is a visceral, full-frontal look at what’s really happening during those nine life-altering months, and why women deserve access to better care, support, and information.Infused with humor and born out of awe, appreciation, and understanding of the female body and its strength, Like a Mother debunks common myths and dated assumptions, offering guidance and camaraderie to women navigating one of the biggest and most profound changes in their lives.

High Price is the harrowing and inspiring memoir of neuroscientist Carl Hart, a leading researcher in the field of drug addiction, who grew up in one of Miami’s toughest neighborhoods and, determined to make a difference as an adult, tirelessly applies his scientific training to help save real lives. WINNER OF THE PEN/E. O. WILSON LITERARY SCIENCE WRITING AWARD Young Carl didn't see the value of school, studying just enough to keep him on the basketball team. Today, he is a cutting-edge neuroscientist—Columbia University’s first tenured African American professor in the sciences—whose landmark, controversial research is redefining our understanding of addiction. In this provocative and eye-opening memoir, Dr. Carl Hart recalls his journey of self-discovery, how he escaped a life of crime and drugs and avoided becoming one of the crack addicts he now studies. Interweaving past and present, Hart goes beyond the hype as he examines the relationship between drugs and pleasure, choice, and motivation, both in the brain and in society. His findings shed new light on common ideas about race, poverty, and drugs, and explain why current policies are failing.

"All women need to read this book."—Dave Asprey, author of The Bulletproof Diet"Groundbreaking solutions for the common hormonal struggles women face both on and off birth control."—Amy Medling, founder of PCOS Diva and author of Healing PCOSA natural, effective program for restoring hormone balance, normalizing your period, and reversing the harmful side effects of ‘The Pill’—for the millions of women who take it for acne, PMS, menstrual cramps, PCOS, Endometriosis, and many more reasons other than contraception.Out of the 100 million women—almost 11 million in the United States alone—who are on the pill, roughly 60 percent take it for non-contraceptive reasons like painful periods, endometriosis, PCOS, and acne. While the birth control pill is widely prescribed as a quick-fix solution to a variety of women’s health conditions, taking it can also result in other more serious and dangerous health consequences. Did you know that women on the pill are more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant? That they are at significantly increased risk for autoimmune disease, heart attack, thyroid and adrenal disorders, and even breast and cervical cancer? That the pill can even cause vaginal dryness, unexplained hair loss, flagging libido, extreme fatigue, and chronic infection. As if women didn’t have enough to worry about, that little pill we’re taking to manage our symptoms is only making things worse.Jolene Brighten, ND, author of the groundbreaking new book Beyond the Pill, specializes in treating women’s hormone imbalances caused by the pill and shares her proven 30-day program designed to reverse the myriad of symptoms women experience every day—whether you choose to stay on the pill or not. The first book of its kind to target the birth control pill and the scientifically-proven symptoms associated with taking it, Beyond the Pill is an actionable plan for taking control, and will help readers: Locate the root cause of their hormonal issues, like estrogen dominance, low testosterone, and low progesterone Discover a pain-free, manageable period free of cramps, acne, stress, or PMS without the harmful side effects that come with the pill Detox the liver, support the adrenals and thyroid, heal the gut, reverse metabolic mayhem, boost fertility, and enhance mood Transition into a nutrition and supplement program, with more than 30 hormone-balancing recipesFeaturing simple diet and lifestyle interventions, Beyond the Pill is the first step to reversing the risky side effects of the pill, finally finding hormonal health, and getting your badass self back.

Gold Award Winner, 2024 Nonfiction Book Awards Runner-up, 2024 History category, San Francisco Book Festival Runner-up, 2024 General Non-Fiction, New York Book Festival For much of recorded history, people considered the heart to be the most important organ in the body. In cultures around the world, the heart—not the brain—was believed to be the location of intelligence, memory, emotion, and the soul. Over time, views on the purpose of the heart have transformed as people sought to understand the life forces it contains. Modern medicine and science dismissed what was once the king of the organs as a mere blood pump subservient to the brain, yet the heart remains a potent symbol of love and health and an important part of our cultural iconography. This book traces the evolution of our understanding of the heart from the dawn of civilization to the present. Vincent M. Figueredo—an accomplished cardiologist and expert on the history of the human heart—explores the role and significance of the heart in art, culture, religion, philosophy, and science across time and place. He examines how the heart really works, its many meanings in our emotional and daily lives, and what cutting-edge science is teaching us about this remarkable organ. Figueredo considers the science of heart disease, recent advancements in heart therapies, and what the future may hold. He highlights the emerging field of neurocardiology, which has found evidence of a “heart-brain connection” in mental and physical health, suggesting that ancient views hold more truth than moderns suspect. Ranging widely and deeply throughout human history, this book sheds new light on why the heart remains so central to our sense of self.

As One Of The World's Leading Brain Surgeons, Dr Jandial Is The Last Hope For Many Patients Who Have Extreme Forms Of Cancer - Patients Who Can't Be Saved, But Deserve More Time. Life On A Knife's Edge Is His Account Of The Resilience, Courage And Belief He Has Witnessed In His Patients, And The Lessons He Has Learned From Them. Both An Unflinching Account Of Extreme Surgeries And A Profound, Moving And Introspective Memoir, This Book Reveals The Depths Of A Surgeon's Psyche Who Is Pushed To His Limits, Day In, Day Out. From Keeping A Gun Victim's Heart Pumping With His Own Hand, To Saving A Woman From Paralysis And Performing Brain Surgery While Time Is Running Out On A Haemorrhaging Patient, We See How Making Life And Death Decisions And Facing Unimaginable Pressure Has Shaped One Man's Life. In This Breathtaking Memoir, Dr Jandial Shares What He's Learned About Human Nature, From Balancing The Line Between Life And Death Everyday.

In This Accessible And Groundbreaking Book -- Filled With The Moving Stories Of Real People -- Medical Doctor And Bestselling Author Of Scattered Minds, Gabor Maté, Shows That Emotion And Psychological Stress Play A Powerful Role In The Onset Of Chronic Illness. Western Medicine Achieves Spectacular Triumphs When Dealing With Acute Conditions Such As Fractured Bones Or Life-threatening Infections. It Is Less Successful Against Ailments Not Susceptible To The Quick Ministrations Of Scalpel, Antibiotic Or Miracle Drug. Trained To Consider Mind And Body Separately, Physicians Are Often Helpless In Arresting The Advance Of Most Of The Chronic Diseases, Such As Breast Cancer, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, And Even Alzheimer’s Disease. Gabor Maté Has Found That In All Of These Chronic Conditions, There Is A Common Thread: People Afflicted By These Diseases Have Led Lives Of Excessive Stress, Often Invisible To The Individuals Themselves. From An Early Age, Many Of Us Develop A Psychological Coping Style That Keeps Us Out Of Touch With The Signs Of Stress. So-called Negative Emotions, Particularly Anger, Are Suppressed. Dr. Maté Writes With Great Conviction That Knowledge Of How Stress And Disease Are Connected Is Essential To Prevent Illness In The First Place, Or To Facilitate Healing. When The Body Says No Is An Impressive Contribution To Current Research On The Physiological Connection Between Life’s Stresses And Emotions And The Body Systems Governing Nerves, Immune Apparatus And Hormones. With Great Compassion And Erudition, Gabor Maté Demystifies Medical Science And, As He Did In Scattered Minds, Invites Us All To Be Our Own Health Advocates. Excerpt From When The Body Says No “only An Intellectual Luddite Would Deny The Enormous Benefits That Have Accrued To Humankind From The Scrupulous Application Of Scientific Methods. But Not All Aspects Of Illness Can Be Reduced To Facts Verified By Double-blind Studies And By The Strictest Scientific Techniques. We Confine Ourselves To A Narrow Realm Indeed If We Exclude From Accepted Knowledge The Contributions Of Human Experience And Insight. . . . “in 1892 William Osler, One Of The Greatest Physicians Of All Time, Suspected Rheumatoid Arthritis To Be A Stress-related Disorder. Today Rheumatology All But Ignores That Wisdom, Despite The Supporting Scientific Evidence That Has Accumulated In The 110 Years Since Osler First Published His Text. That Is Where The Narrow Scientific Approach Has Brought The Practice Of Medicine. Elevating Modern Science To Be The Final Arbiter Of Our Sufferings, We Have Been Too Eager To Discard The Insights Of Previous Ages.” From The Hardcover Edition.

From trauma educator and somatic guide Kimberly Ann Johnson comes a cutting-edge guide for tapping into the wisdom and resilience of the body to rewire the nervous system, heal from trauma, and live fully. In an increasingly polarized world where trauma is often publicly renegotiated, our nervous systems are on high alert. From skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety to physical illnesses such as autoimmune diseases and digestive disorders, many women today find themselves living out of alignment with their bodies. Kimberly Johnson is a somatic practitioner, birth doula, and postpartum educator who specializes in helping women recover from all forms of trauma. In her work, she’s seen the same themes play out time and again. In a culture that prioritizes executive function and “mind over matter,” many women are suffering from deeply unresolved pain that causes mental and physical stagnation and illness. In Call of the Wild, Johnson offers an eye-opening look at this epidemic as well as an informative view of the human nervous system and how it responds to difficult events. From the “small t” traumas of getting ghosted, experiencing a fall-out with a close friend, or swerving to avoid a car accident to the “capital T” traumas of sexual assault, an upending natural disaster, or a life-threatening illness—Johnson explains how the nervous system both protects us from immediate harm and creates reverberations that ripple through a lifetime. In this practical, empowering guide, Johnson shows readers how to metabolize these nervous system responses, allowing everyone to come home to their deepest, most intuitive and whole selves. Following her supportive advice, readers will learn how to move from wholeness, tapping into the innate wisdom of their senses, soothing frayed nerves and reconnecting with their “animal selves.” While we cannot cure the painful cultural rifts inflicting our society, there is a path forward—through our bodies.