Chapters

We live in an age where diseases have become extremely prevalent. Whether it be cancer (in its varied forms) or psychological diseases (from depression to OCD to psychosis), we find ourselves searching for answers of all kinds. Each one of us has a loved one that is fighting a battle against disease. In the first part of the book titled "How not to die", Dr Michael Greger talks about how we can prevent and fight many of these diseases. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular type of disease or talks about a specific organ that helps keep us alive and running. The second part of the book talks about the solutions; various foods to add to your diet.  Normally I would talk about a specific chapter of the book and how it connects to other ideas elsewhere. However, as I read the book and looked at what Dr. Gregor advises elsewhere (on YouTube and his website), the common theme he advocates is to switch from animal based diets (meat, dairy, fish, eggs) to a plant based diet. This...

In the book “ 12 Rules for Life ”, Ph.D clinical psychologist and YouTube sensation Jordan Peterson talks about lobsters and standing straight.  As you journey with him through his life experiences and his ideas of what the world is, you come to appreciate the effort he has put in. In the first of 12 rules, he starts by talking about lobsters. How lobsters have been around since a time even before the dinosaurs and how the lobster is our earliest ancestor. How we inherit the mental circuits ( and behaviours) of the lobster nervous system.  He then goes on to discuss how humans (and other animals) see Success and Failure. What kind of mental infrastructure is reflected in cases of Success and Failure. He talks about how a successful animal (one that is big, strong, attractive) differs in mental chemistry and circuitry over one that has failed. Between these two indicators of success and failure, lies the animal kind. It is a range from 1 to 10.  He then goes on to talk abo...

In the book "Rewire Your Brain" , John Arden mentions a method to rewire your brain to be more healthy. The acronym FEED involves 4 steps towards better mental health.  F - Focus E - Effort E - Effortlessness D - Determination As one goes through the book, he mentions various steps. Starting with a basic understanding of brain anatomy, he moves forward with practical steps! Such practical steps include cultivating memory, fueling your brain (with food), exercise, sleep, social exposure. He also moves into the spiritual domain by discussing resiliency, wisdom and most importantly, a mindful attitude. Let us take each letter of the acronym. F- Focus Focus involves paying attention. In today's world we are either constantly distracted or pay attention to media that is meant to turn you into an addict. Paying attention opens the doors towards better concentration on tasks that require a deeper understanding. This improves the health of the brain, namely the frontal lobe whic...