The UltraMind Solution
Review of Mark Hyman's Book on Fixing the Broken Brain
The UltraMind Solution: The Simple Way to Defeat Depression, Overcome Anxiety, and Sharpen Your Mind (Scribner, 2009) is Dr. Mark Hyman’s latest book. It’s sure to be the solution for most readers looking for help with problems involving the mind. It will also be a great boon to those who are suffering with any kind of physical illness, as Hyman explains that whatever affects the health of the body also affects the health of the mind. Accordingly, his second subtitle is Fix Your Broken Brain By Healing Your Body First.
The Doctor's Broken Brain
Hyman begins the book with a recounting of the factors that led to his own mental break-down. He attributes inadequate sleep, mercury poisoning from coal-burning factories in China where he practiced medicine for a short period, inadequate nutrition, and other stressors to his eventual mental incapacitation.
Seven Keys to UltraWellness
In seeking solutions to his own suffering, Hyman discovered a number of principles that underlie mental health – in fact, health in general. He calls these principles “The Seven Keys to UltraWellness”. Using patient case studies and research, he illustrates how each of these “seven keys” impacts mental and physical health.
Accessible Information
Hyman’s medical background doesn’t prevent him from writing a book whose information is accessible to the average reader. Though he deals with some complex biological processes, he uses familiar concrete objects to make those processes understandable for readers who may not have a background in biochemistry or medicine. For example, in discussing the importance of adequate B vitamin intake, he uses the analogy of a train. Hyman is a natural teacher, able to provide information in-depth enough to convey the importance of the subject he’s covering, yet simple enough to be assimilated by the average reader.
Self-Help for Healing the Broken Brain
One of Hyman’s purposes in writing the book is that he believes that his informed readers have the ability to heal their minds and bodies. “Most health problems can be addressed without the help of a trained health professional,” he says on page 350 of The UltraMind Solution. “If you work on taking out the bad stuff and putting in the good stuff, 80 percent of problems will heal.”
A Simple Plan
That should be wonderful news to anyone who is concerned about his health and the side-effects that come with pharmaceutical drugs. Hyman outlines an easy to follow plan that shows exactly how to take out “the bad stuff” and put in the “good stuff”. From his experience he says that 80% of those who try the plan will notice marked improvement. The remaining 20% will need more focused help from a professional health care provider.
Tools For Successfully Fixing the Broken Brain offers all the tools a reader needs to improve mental and physical health and functioning. In addition, over a hundred pages of supplementary materials are available free on-line. These materials include charts for tracking progress, recipes, lists of medical tests that can help to identify specific health problems, lists of foods most likely to be contaminated by pesticides, lists of foods containing the highest levels of antioxidants, and a number of other useful items.
The UltraMind Solution
Who Will Benefit
Anyone who is suffering from autism, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, depression, anxiety, or a whole host of other ailments should read this book. Many are sure to find the ultimate solution to their health problems here.
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