Product Description

Dr. Michael Gershon has devoted his career to understanding the human bowel (the stomach, esophagus, small intestine, and colon). His thirty years of research have led to an extraordinary rediscovery: nerve cells in the gut that act as a brain. This "second brain" can control our gut all by itself. Our two brains -- the one in our head and the one in our bowel -- must cooperate. If they do not, then there is chaos in the gut and misery in the head -- everything from "butterflies" to cramps, from diarrhea to constipation. Dr. Gershon's work has led to radical new understandings about a wide range of gastrointestinal problems including gastroenteritis, nervous stomach, and irritable bowel syndrome. The Second Brain represents a quantum leap in medical knowledge and is already benefiting patients whose symptoms were previously dismissed as neurotic or "it's all in your head."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #63896 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-11
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

New York TimesBook Review
"Persuasive, impassioned... hopeful news [for those] suffering from functional bowel disease."

-- New York TimesBook Review
"Persuasive, impassioned... hopeful news [for those] suffering from functional bowel disease."

Synopsis
The author's groundbreaking research reveals a "second brain" located in the abdomen that must cooperate with the main brain in order to insure gastrointestinal health. Reprint. NYT.

Customer Reviews

Not just my gut feeling!
A compelling informative guide to the concept of "Big brain and little brain". This book is super And its not just my gut feeling. Readers may also look up "Natural Stomach Care", and "Your Gut Feelings".

Readable Science, not New Age twaddle!
This is a serious enteric neurology text (the first!) and an entertaining memoir rolled into one. Dr. Gershon is passionate about the brain in the bowel and he (and his editor) have done a superlative job of explaining some very complicated neurochemistry. I haven't even read through to the practical advice section and I think it's superb already! Highly recommended not only for those with unhappy guts, but for anyone who's ever been curious about the digestive system, how it works and how it evolved to have such a big and independent control system.

Second brain holds clues for first brain problems
I am a neurological development consultant who has read this book thoroughly and concur with the findings from a developmental point of view. I found this book a must read for anyone who has a developmentally challenged child or adult. In working with brain disorders and brain injuries, I always look to the bowel in the course of the examination because, 'if the bowel ain't happy, the brain ain't either!' There is so much more that is not in this book about the bowel that affects the brain that it would take several volumes of books to elaborate on what is already known today. If you or a loved one suffer from psychological ailments, brain disorders, IBS, or even just common irregularities of the bowel,reading this book is an appropriate start to gain an understanding of basic biological processes of the bowel.

Also recommended: Biological Treatments for Autism, Tissue Cleansing Through Bowel Management,