I've been reading V.S. Ramachandran's A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness. He's a biggedy-wig neuroscientist with titles that go on and on. In the book he describes the phenomenon of phantom limb, specifically phantom limb pain. Often, if the patient's limb was in a prolonged contracted or physically painful condition prior to amputation, the pain continues even though the limb is no longer there.
Ramachandran has been able to "cure" phantom limb pain using mirrors, to trick the brain into seeing the limb healthy, uncontracted, and moving in working order. The patient is really seeing a reflection of his intact limb, but the brain believes it to be the missing limb, and therefore stops firing pain signals.
The brain is an amazingly complex, capable, elastic organ.
My take home message?
Don't ever put limits on my kid.
7 comments:
Amen.
You are the mirror for your children, Michelle. You reflect them whole and safe and happy. And they are.
You just moved half-way across the country with two kids and this is your light reading? You are my idol.
Damn straight!
The brain-big mystery. The hardest worker in the body. Interesting how we can "trick" the brain. I always thought the brain was the trickster.
My dad had phantom limb pain. He would say that it feels like his leg was still there. He had diabetes type II and gangrene set in. He had a lot of strep infections in the ulcer he had on his shin. I don't remember how long it took before the phantom limb feeling disappeared.
Interesting post, as usual.
Isn't it amazing?
:)
He's a biggedy-wig neuroscientist...love this.
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