"Neurology is a quantitively small corner of medicine that, increasingly, occupies a position of outsized importance and distinction in both the practice of medicine and in the health and well-being of society. The Decade of the Brain came into public awareness in 1990 as an initiative of president George W. Bush involving the NIH and NIMH "to enhance public awareness of the benefits to be derived from brain research"(1). In the intervening 20 years since 1999, we have seen significant increases in understanding the myriad of neurological diseases that confront society"--

Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, headache, and neuropathy are all conditions for which narrowly focused medical interventions all too often fall short. The first book in its field, Integrative Neurology synthesizes complementary modalities with state-of-the-art medical treatment to offer a new vision for neurological care. The authors begin by looking inward at the crisis of stress and burnout that confronts all of medicine, but neurology in particular. It goes on to provide a selective yet in-depth review of important topics in neurological practice from the perspective of integrative medicine. Taking an evidence based approach throughout, chapters cover chronic diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and Parkinson's Disease. The volume also address clinical issues such as headache, traumatic brain injury, navigating the endocannabinoid system and aging, nutrition and stroke, neuropathy, toxins and neurodevelopment, as well as the modalities of Ayurvedic Medicine and acupuncture. Integrative medicine is defined as a healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) as well as all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative. Series editor Andrew Weil, MD is Professor and Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. Dr. Weil's program was the first such academic program in the US, and its stated goal is "to combine the best ideas and practice of conventional and alternative medicine into cost effective treatments without embracing alternative practices uncritically."

Most brain related activity has focussed on specialized interests within individual disciplines. Recent multidisciplinary activity has provided the impetus to break down these boundaries and encourage a freer exchange of information across disciplines. This text reflects these developments. It spans the landscape of brain science to provide core information from 12 disciplines (including evolution, philosophy, anatomy, chemistry, computer science, brain dynamics, psychology, neurology, psychiatry, psychotherapy and brain imaging). In outlining how and why it is now possible to realistically model aspects of the brain's dynamics from such a wide range of intellectual endeavors, this book will prove itself useful to undergraduates, postgraduates and all those seeking a contemporary perspective and evaluation of the current status and future directions in the brain sciences.

Neuropathy is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. It affects millions of people. Despite the fact that neuropathy is a common and devastating disease, few effective treatments are available for the neuropathy patient. New treatment ideas in the form of integrative neurology, a combination of traditional medical and alternative medical thought, are offering the first real hope for neuropathy patients in years. Techniques like acupuncture a two thousand year old therapy, state-of-the-art methods such as non-invasive brain neuromodulation and low level laser therapy are discussed. Current medications now available for the treatment of neuropathy offer only symptomatic relief for neuropathy patients, however, many of the therapies included in this book may actually promote nerve regeneration. This book includes a multitude of alternative medicine treatments for neuropathy that are supported by over 330 scientific references. It is hope and help for neuropathy patients.

This book takes an in depth and hard look at the current status and future direction of treatment predictive markers in Personalized Medicine for the brain from the perspectives of the researchers on the cutting edge and those involved in healthcare implementation. The contents provide a comprehensive text suitable as both a pithy introduction to and a clear summary of the "science to solutions" continuum in this developing field of Personalized Medicine and Integrative Neuroscience. The science includes both measures of genes using whole genome approaches and SNIPS as well as BRAINmarkers of direct brain function such as brain imaging, biophysical changes and objective cognitive and behavioral measurements. Personalized Medicine for Brain Disorders will soon be a reality using the comprehensive quantitative and standardized approaches to genomics, BRAINmarkers and cognitive function. Each chapter provides a review of recent relevant literature; show the solutions achieved through integrative neuroscience and applications in patient care thus providing a practical guide to the reader. The timeliness of this book's content is propitious providing bottom line information to educate practicing clinicians, health care workers and researchers, and also a pathway for undergraduate and graduates interested in further their understanding of and involvement in tailored personal solutions.

This practical and comprehensive title provides illuminating, evidence-based approaches in headache medicine for using traditional medical therapies in conjunction with alternative approaches to care. In all, the book details how multidisciplinary management and the combination of conventional and complementary medical services – integrative medicine – leads to superior patient outcomes: improved patient satisfaction, reduced stress, and more readily treatable, less serious illness. State-of-the-art and developed by experts in their fields, these 12 chapters present research and analysis of a wide range of non-pharmacologic interventions in headache care, seeking to inspire clinicians to formulate personalized headache treatment plans, and to work together by integrating their expertise in a multidisciplinary context to address patients’ unique conditions, needs, circumstances, and treatment. Chapter one provides an overview of integrative medicine and proposes a step-wise approach for incorporating integrative modalities into a headache practice. Chapter two focuses on the attention to be paid to relevant aspects of a patient’s medical history. The next four chapters discuss lifestyle factors that play a role in headache, including trigger identification, exercise, nutrition, and sleep. The scope of mind-body therapies such as acupuncture, yoga, and mindfulness is explored in chapter seven, and the psychology of pain is the subject of chapter eight. Chapter nine investigates the safety and efficacy of nutraceuticals, or pharmaceutical alternatives. The final three chapters review neuromodulation and interventional approaches to headache management. An invaluable and timely contribution to the clinical literature, Integrative Headache Medicine – An Evidence-Based Guide for Clinicians will be of great interest to neurologists, pain physicians, primary care clinicians, behavioral psychologists, psychiatrists, physical therapists, social workers, nutritionists and any other health professionals interested in delivering the highest quality care for headache patients.

Learn how to reduce the impact of environmental toxins on brain development, functioning, and health. The human brain is a marvelously complex organ that has evolved great new capabilities over the past 250,000 years. During most of that period, daily life was vastly different from our lives today. Exercise was not optional - one literally had to run for one’s life, livelihood, and sustenance. The Stone Age diet was not a fad, but the only food available. Periods of fasting arose from food scarcity, and hence the earliest keto-diet was commonplace. Life changed greatly with the advent of agriculture and industry. Diseases that were previously unknown or uncommon began to surface as by-products of civilization’s advance. Changes in our ways of living have altered the nature of illness as well as its diagnosis and treatment. From the 1970s to the present, tens of thousands of chemicals with applications in all aspects of our lives have grown more than 40-fold. Exposure to these new substances has impacted many aspects of our health, especially the delicate parts of the brain and nervous system. In parallel with the changes in our environment, we have seen the growth of brain disorders including Alzheimer’s Disease and autism in previously unimaginable ways. Here, Arnold Eiser elucidates some features of diseases affecting the nervous system that are increasing in incidence with a focus on those disorders that appear related to environmental toxins that modern life has introduced. He takes readers behind the scenes of the science itself to discover the human stories involved in the discovery and management of these illnesses. Offering insights from a variety of scientific disciplines, Eiser clearly and succinctly illustrates the impact of toxins on our brains and how we might better protect ourselves from negative outcomes. With interviews from leading authorities in the field of neuroscience, environmental toxicology, integrative medicine, neurology, immunology, geriatrics, and microbiology (re the gut microbiome), this book offers a robust understanding of the complex threats to our brains, and the healthy brain’s dependence upon many other systems within our bodies. This is a voyage of discovery into the science, history, and human struggle regarding disorders challenging the brain as well as their possible prevention.

Tapestry of Health artfully synthesizes the complex world of healthy living into a set of clear principles in guiding you to feel your best and thrive at your highest potential through evidence-based integrative medicine treatment of body, mind and spirit. Living a healthy lifestyle is not always easy. The conflicting health advice can feel overwhelming. Tapestry of Health takes the complex world of healthy living and gives you a set of clear, uncomplicated health principles that will show you how to feel your best and thrive, no matter your starting point. The book shares practical and easy-to-implement health plans that will help you: ? transform your health and weight ? improve your nutrition ? optimize your sleep ? manage your stress Doctor Monti and Doctor Bazzan are clinical and academic pioneers in the emerging medical specialty of integrative medicine. They having started the first-ever department of integrative medicine at a US medical school. In their book they share the principles and health plans they have used with their own patients over the last two decades to create transformative results. Their approach to health integrates all aspects of well-being, including the physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, social, and nutritional. They present here evidence-based restorative approaches and emerging cutting-edge strategies. They also offer a new perspective on how we view wellness in a way that reflects the shift from seeking medical care only when we are sick to one when we mindfully take responsibility for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. All this makes Tapestry of Health your partner on your path to optimal wellness.

Decision Neuroscience addresses fundamental questions about how the brain makes perceptual, value-based, and more complex decisions in non-social and social contexts. This book presents compelling neuroimaging, electrophysiological, lesional, and neurocomputational models in combination with hormonal and genetic approaches, which have led to a clearer understanding of the neural mechanisms behind how the brain makes decisions. The five parts of the book address distinct but inter-related topics and are designed to serve both as classroom introductions to major subareas in decision neuroscience and as advanced syntheses of all that has been accomplished in the last decade. Part I is devoted to anatomical, neurophysiological, pharmacological, and optogenetics animal studies on reinforcement-guided decision making, such as the representation of instructions, expectations, and outcomes; the updating of action values; and the evaluation process guiding choices between prospective rewards. Part II covers the topic of the neural representations of motivation, perceptual decision making, and value-based decision making in humans, combining neurcomputational models and brain imaging studies. Part III focuses on the rapidly developing field of social decision neuroscience, integrating recent mechanistic understanding of social decisions in both non-human primates and humans. Part IV covers clinical aspects involving disorders of decision making that link together basic research areas including systems, cognitive, and clinical neuroscience; this part examines dysfunctions of decision making in neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, behavioral addictions, and focal brain lesions. Part V focuses on the roles of various hormones (cortisol, oxytocin, ghrelin/leptine) and genes that underlie inter-individual differences observed with stress, food choices, and social decision-making processes. The volume is essential reading for anyone interested in decision making neuroscience. With contributions that are forward-looking assessments of the current and future issues faced by researchers, Decision Neuroscience is essential reading for anyone interested in decision-making neuroscience. - Provides comprehensive coverage of approaches to studying individual and social decision neuroscience, including primate neurophysiology, brain imaging in healthy humans and in various disorders, and genetic and hormonal influences on decision making - Covers multiple levels of analysis, from molecular mechanisms to neural-systems dynamics and computational models of how we make choices - Discusses clinical implications of process dysfunctions, including schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, eating disorders, drug addiction, and pathological gambling - Features chapters from top international researchers in the field and full-color presentation throughout with numerous illustrations to highlight key concepts

Part of the Weil Integrative Medicine Library, this volume provides a rational and evidence-based approach to the integrative therapy of mental disorders integrating the principles of alternative and complementary therapies into the principles and practice of conventional psychiatry and psychology. Integrative Psychiatry and Brain Health examines what works and what doesn't, and offers practical guidelines for physicians to incorporate integrative medicine into their practice and to advise patients on reasonable and effective therapies. The information is presented in accessible and easy-to-read formats, including clinical pearls and key points.