The Psychotic Doctor

Do I have your attention yet? :-) Well, before you send a lynch mob, let me offer some thoughts. Consider the following.

Most historical information was written by people who WERE NOT THERE when the event happened. There are people who write about history and make a concerted effort to slant the information in a certain direction, which is obviously a lie. But even among the honest and fair historians, information writen is based upon the information gained from the records of others--both people who were there and other writers who were not there. Hence, the information written is not necessarily the truth. It may be or it may not be. The writer/historian may be scrupulously careful and honest, but the work is only as correct as the information upon which it is based.

And what about the people who were actually AT THE EVENT? Behavioral science research into eye witness testimony in court suggests that one has to be careful about eye witnesses. Five people may see the same event, but the court may get five different (even if slightly different) stories.

FREE PUPPIES... Mother, AKC German
Shepherd. Father, Super Dog...able to leap tall fences in a
single bound.

FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER. 8 years old. Hateful little dog.
Bites.

Over 50% of all communicating is non-verbal and if you include all communication except the actual words used the total non-verbal/body language communication is well over 80%. As important as words are, if you really want to connect with your audience and "communicate," you need to pay attention to your body language.

An article in Reader's Digest, August 2006 issue, states the number one thing you can do for your brain's health is: Move It! Meaning: Put on your sneakers or jogging shoes and get onto your feet and move. Increase your heart rate! Dr. Donald Stuss, PhD, neuropsychologist and director of the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care in Toronto, states: "The best advice I can give to keep your brain healthy and young is aerobic exercise." Mark McDaniel, PhD, professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis notes that "exercise may forestall some kinds of mental decline." Exercise may even restore memory. Arthur Kramer, PhD, preeminent exercise and brain-health researcher in humans, along with his colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found two critical results in their work: First, Fit people have sharper brains, and second, people who are out of shape, but get back into shape, sharpen their brains.

Want to read more in-depth on the subject of brain health? Look at this article in Macleans.ca magazine. Or this site regarding Brain Fitness Program for training the brain to function better.

Purkinje Cells Defined: A specific type of nerve cell that carries each and every piece of information outputted by the cerebellum. These cells possess a great deal of control over the refinement of motor activities. Wikipedia offers information on Purkinje Cells.

The Studies: Rats, aged 5 to 23 months, were divided into two groups, one was exercised in a certain manner and the other was left to be sedentary. The first study found that sedentary aged rats had 11% fewer Purkinje cells and 9% smaller Purkinje cell soma volumes than exercised aged rats, and that exercised aged rats have the same number of Purkinje cells as young rats. The follow-up study indicated that the degree of age-associated degenerative changes in parts of the central nervous system is dependent on earlier life style and health habits and may be prevented or delayed by physical exercise. You and I are not rats, but the implication is that exercise results in greater brain cell strength.

J. Comp. Neurol. 428:213–222, 2000.