Brain science is completely foreign to me and is something I will probably never fully understand. the brain, being so complex, is the source of so many disorders that it's difficult to even wrap my own brain around it. Many of the disorders dealing with the brain are caused by imbalances or something going awry in the nervous system. The wide range of disorders includes dementias, personality disorders, mood disorders, injuries within the brain itself, debilitating fatal diseases, and addiction. Many of these disorders do now have exact known causes, and many affect the entire body while some are central to the brain and nervous system.
Mood disorders, and mental health disorders are some of the more confusing brain disorders that I would love to have a better understanding of. There is so much research available but knowing where to begin seems a little overwhelming. The connection between brain function and psychological research is so strong that is seems like all the answers should be available. Many psychologists operate under the idea that the brain is a muscle and can be trained and changed over time to produce proper functioning. However, there is also the other side that thinks psychological disfunction is the product of chemical imbalances that requires intervention from other sources to maintain chemical balance in thee brain. Finding the middle ground here is the key when discussing mental illnesses , and psychological disfunction. This goes back to the idea of Ayurveda and creating balance within the body and life.
Another aspect of the brain that has a huge impact on society is addiction. This is a hard topic to discuss (so it will be brief) as addiction runs in my family, and currently we are dealing with several family members actively suffering or trying to recover from addiction.
Addiction is so strongly connected to brain chemistry. The brain becomes overwhelmed with a rush of signals, and when it no longer receives those signals, it craves more in order to restore the chemicals that were missing or lost. Seeing exactly how addiction has affected my family, and my growing knowledge of science and the brain, I have become more empathetic and able to better understand exactly why addiction and drug use is such a hard habit to break. Drug use, in the beginning, is a choice but addiction and the affects afterwards are in no way a choice, and restoring proper chemical balances in the brain is a lifelong battle.
So many aspects of the brain and diseases can be related back to the idea of balance and Ayurveda, and even metabolism. Since the brain is the center of nearly every aspect of our lives, it is connected to so many biological processes. Relating more to Ayurveda and the idea of balance, the brain is arguably the center of everything.
Great post! This was written well as there were smooth transitions from your thoughts and connecting it back to the complexity of the brain and affects that drugs on the brain. I'd agree with you about your aspect of the different types of brain disorders/illnesses so it can be shown from that point of view.
ReplyDeleteI like the connections you made! I think learning more about how addiction happens definitely helps to being more empathetic towards those that struggle with it. Some people don't even realize or think that they are addicted, and addiction happens more often than people think with even just the use of medically prescribed drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are so many individuals who do not understand the effect of addiction on the brain. There are also many individuals who do not understand that addiction is a disease and changes pathways within the brain. Drugs change the way in which our brain processes signals and neurotransmitters. With prolonged use of certain medications/drugs, our body's/brain can become dependent on the use of these medications and even changes brain chemistry. I think that our society has a whole definitely needs better education surrounding addiction, so that those struggling can receive proper help and care.
ReplyDeleteRylee, I'm in the same boat as you. I've never been super good at medical stuff to begin with, but when it comes to the brain I'm at a total loss. I think you did a good job giving an overview about some of the important functions the brain carries out, and the things that can harm it. I also like the last connection you drew with ayurveda and the brain being the center of everything.
ReplyDeleteHey Rylee! I really enjoyed reading your blog post, and I think it is very brave to admit when you are struggling to understand something because most of the time in situations like that, everyone else is in the same boat as you. The brain is an incredibly hard organ to understand, even scientists have a hard time with it as well. I think that you gave a good overview of the brain considering how much knowledge is out there on the brain--it would take probably an entire lifetime to read, understand, and write about everything there is about the brain. I like all of the personal connections you made with disorders, especially drug addiction. There are so many people out there that struggle with drug addiction, and it would be easier to find people who have experience with drug addiction (either personal, family or friend related) than someone who doesn't. I think society has a really hard time understanding addiction when they aren't the one who is the addict; I think the first step to empathy and support for drug addicts is for people to understand what it does to the brain, and you eloquently explained that. Overall, I think you have a very good blog post with lots of good information, connections, and writing skills.
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