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The Second Brain : The Scientific Basis of Gut Instinct and a Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestines |  | Author: Michael Gershon
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
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Seller: howellmichellev
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 290547
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0060182520
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.32
EAN: 9780060182526
ASIN: 0060182520
Publication Date: November 1, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com Review
Did you ever tell someone that they think with their stomach? Then you're on the cutting edge of scientific thought, according to researcher Michael D. Gershon. The title of his book The Second Brain refers to the hundred million nerve cells in and around our guts that often act entirely independently of the dictator inside our heads. This isn't so bad--there are some meals we'd rather not have to think about eating, much less digesting. Gershon tells us the stories of his development into a scientist, his determination to promote neurogastroenterology as a legitimate field of research, and the nature of "the brain gone south," all with humor and aplomb. Though not for the overly squeamish (after all, even if Gershon were to pull his punches, his subject still carries traces of old taboos), The Second Brain is a lively and invigorating read. The illustrations are superb and well labeled; this complements the text, which ranges from clinical to personal, as when the author details the events leading to his mother's tragic death following unnecessary surgery for an ulcer. The interactions between the enteric nervous system and digestion, emotion, and disease are not simple, but Gershon's patient prose explains everything in terms any interested layperson can understand. As in the best scientific works, The Second Brain informs and inspires, surprising the reader with unexpected complexities and mysteries arising in such a seemingly primitive venue. It makes excellent after-dinner reading. --Rob Lightner
Product Description
Dr. Michael D. Gershon's groundbreaking work clearly demonstrates that the human gut actually has a brain of its own. This remarkable scientific breakthrough offers fascinating proof that "gut instinct" is biological, a function of the second brain. An alarming number of people suffer from heartburn, nausea, abdominal pain, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, or related problems. Often thought to be caused by a "weakness" of the mind, these conditions may actually be a reflection of a disorder in the second brain. The second brain, located in the bowel, normally works smoothly with the brain in the head, enabling the head-brain to concentrate on the finer pursuits of life while the gut-brain attends to the messy business of digestion. A breakdown in communication between the two brains can lead to stomach and intestinal trouble, causing sufferers great abdominal grief andtoo oftenlabeling them as neurotic complainers. Dr. Gershon's research into the second brain provides understanding for those who suffer from gut-related ailments and offers new insight into the origin, extent, and management. The Second Brain is the culmination of thirty years of research. It is an extraordinary contribution to the understanding of gastrointestinal illnesses, as well as a fascinating glimpse into hoe our gut really works.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 The Second Brain August 5, 2009
silver elves (honolulu, hi.)
If you are planning to be a student of medicine or neuro-psychology, then you seriously might start with this book. Gershon shares his 30 years of research of the gut and its enteric nervous system in a detailed story account, which is technical but very readable to the interested student. It may not be on your official prerequisite reading list given to you by the college you are about to attend, but trust us and read it anyway because it deserves to be for its revolutionary content. Until his research in this book revealed that the gut has nerve cells that act as a second brain, the gut went for too long unrecognized as capable of being an independent functioning organism, and its importance in both medical health as well as psychological health had taken a back seat to the head brain. Therefore, we highly recommend this groundbreaking book.
Learning Never Ends April 29, 2009
Dolores D. Bittleman (New York, New York)
This book deserves and needs careful, attentive reading. It's a stunning exposition of relatively ignored fundamental physical processes.
 very fascinating, but no index and no glossary May 27, 2005
Haseeb (Tempe, AZ United States)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The enteric nervous system or the nervous system of the gut is what this book is about. It's not an easy read for people who have no background in science. Before reading this book, one should have a good understanding of ligands, receptors and neurotransmitters because the author doesn't do a very good job of explaining the basics. What makes this book especially difficult to read is the fact that it's highly technical and he uses medical jargon throughout yet he doesn't have a glossary nor an index. With that said, I think there's a tremendous amount of fascinating information in this book worth pondering on. People who are interested in science and medicine and like to read about how scientists go through the process of learning and discovery should read this book.
The main part started out how the author struggled to prove that serotonin was a neurotransmitter in the bowel. Then he went on to explain some of the complexities of the enteric nervous system in detail while asking questions, making more discoveries and explaining what others in the field are doing. I was mostly focused on the beautiful details describing the enteric nervous system. I don't think people realize (or care) that the entire lining of the digestive system from the esophagus all the way to the anus is lined with well over 100,000,000 cells that not only receive information but secrete chemicals that communicate with other parts of the body as well. The mere fact that there are more nerve cells in the bowel than in the spine tells us that digesting food is no simple matter. The enteric nervous system is highly complex because it has to coordinate and process all kinds of information not to mention chemically analyse its contents and secreting the right kinds of chemicals in the exact amounts to digest food and to propel it though the intestines. The propulsion of fecal matter in the rectum mainly just involves the enteric system and muscles of the colon, but it communicates with the spine and brain to coordinate its activities. Sever a connection between the three and you can lose your defecatory and urinary reflex or lose control over them completely. There is a storehouse of other interesting information in this book. One other interesting fact brought up in the book is that the surface membrane on one square centimeter of human intestine is enough ot cover a doubles tennis court. I imagine that the entire surface membrane lining of all of the intestines would at least cover a football field.
Reading books like this helps me to keep things in their proper contexts by making me ponder on the perfection of God's creation. When we go on exile from the world for a while, it makes us better equipped to tackle the problems of everyday life.
The prognosis for the person taking Prozac is troubling. October 29, 1999
Janice Pearson (Santa Cruz, California)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
I was interested in Gershon's hypothesis about the connection between taking the antidepressant Prozac and the potential for chronic neurological bowel disfunction. At first I was swayed, thinking that, yes, the receptors for serotonin would be desensitized by the longer exposure to the serotonin molecules, due to the blocking of the re-uptake receptor by Prozac. He then freightens the Prozac dependant person with the hypothesis that their natural production of serotonin will decline and further that ultimately, the person has to look forward to an irritable bowel followed by bowel immobility...all due to Prozac's action. What I am wondering is this, are these unfortunate effects of Prozac due to the blocking of the re-uptake receptors or is it due to a presumed increase of concentration of serotonin in the enteric nervous system? If the depressed person is on Prozac because of low seratonin levels, then it seems like their levels of seratonin would just be brought up to normal, thus relieving some of their symptoms of depression but not necessarily causing a surplus in the neurotransmitter, serotonin. I wish the author would more clearly explain this and also I would like it if he would explain how the blood/circulatory system relates to the transport of neurotransmitters in both nervous systems.
 In the author's own words: this is not a "how to" document. September 17, 1999
William Sardi (San Dimas, CA USA)
10 out of 21 found this review helpful
It's nice to get your colleagues to write glowing reviews, but this book only provides hope and no help to the sufferer of chronic bowel problems. It contains excessive extraneous information (the author is allergic to chickens and uses a Macintosh computer), as if you wanted to know. Dr. Gershon admits "I have cured no one in my lifetime," and that he can still hear his beloved father asking him the question: "What disease is that going to cure?" Gershon says he always had trouble answering that question, and he will leave readers with more questions than answers as well. It's hard to believe this is a serious book since it provides no index, even though published by a major book house. One wonders why someone would write a book only to disappoint readers?
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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