Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

As autism rates in children continue to rise–the latest studies suggest anywhere from 1 in 50 to 1 in 100 American children is autistic–parents are scrambling to find effective treatment methods The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism offers answers by exploring a range of effective treatment options and the possibility of a positive outcome via natural medicine therapies.

The book covers the basics of autism–what it is and what causes it–and the factors that are often involved in the disorder: heavy metal toxicity, nutritional deficiencies/imbalances, food allergies, digestive problems and fungal overgrowth, viruses or viral overload, immune dysfunction, problems in the birthing process, energetic legacies from unresolved family issues in previous generations, and vaccines. It also covers a range of natural medicine treatments, including elimination diets, listening and learning skills, nutritional supplements to correct imbalances, cranial osteopathy to reverse birth trauma, and many more.

A chapter is also devoted to the deeper question of what makes a child susceptible to autism. Included in this discussion is the work of William J. Walsch, PhD, whose research may well have pinpointed the genetic component of autism that has previously eluded scientific inquiry.

A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD.

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.

In Spark, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer’s.

Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), Spark is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run — -or, for that matter, simply the way you think.