Book Title: Why Isn’t My Brain Working? A Revolutionary Understanding of Brain Decline and Effective Strategies to Recover Your Brain’s Health
Author: Dr. Datis Kharrazian
In my constant exploration of the world of natural health, I’m currently reading a book called “Why Isn’t My Brain Working?” by Dr. Datis Kharrazian.
It’s an absolutely fascinating read, and I wanted to share my experience of it with you.
Why I’m reading this book
I came across this book while looking for an explanation of a number of symptoms that were pointing to oestrogen dominance in my body, and I came across his first book “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?“, which discusses the connection between thyroid conditions and oestrogen levels.
I found what he was saying to make so much sense that I wanted to read more and when I found his book on the brain, I was hooked!
What the book has to say
“Why Isn’t My Brain Working?” is all about the systems of our body that can go out of balance and cause our brains to function at less than optimal levels.
And it’s not just limited to the brain tissues themselves. As you quickly learn on your journey through this book, almost every system in the human body can affect brain function if it goes out of balance.
Here’s a selection of some of the different systems and issues he discusses in the book as being directly connected to mental performance:
- Blood sugar balance
- Stress
- Brain circulation and oxygenation
- Gluten sensitivity
- The gut-brain axis
- Brain inflammation
- Neurological autoimmunity
- Neurotransmitters
- Hormones
In each chapter he takes you through an explanation of the system, what things can go out of balance and what that looks like, and things you can do to begin addressing the root causes of the issues.
He also includes lots of case studies that really help to bring the scale of the potential impact home, like:
- The two-year old who went from having a severe speech delay to speaking normally after six months of glutathione treatment
- The 28-year-old who went from walking unsteadily, an uncoordinated left arm and double vision after a brain injury, to riding a bicycle, swimming and playing the guitar
- The 45-year old woman suffering from such severe depression that she was unable to work, who adjusted her brain functioning to the point where she was able to hold down a full time job and is considering writing a book about her experiences
and countless other inspiring stories of people who experience almost miraculous resolution of their symptoms with the right healing protocols.
He also talks about the importance of understanding brain plasticity – the fact that our brains can learn and relearn skills at any age, but we need to keep our brains in tip top shape to access this ability.
Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s writing style is informative, thorough and entertaining, but most of all it is enlightening.
He works hard to keep the language and information accessible, and provides references through the book to research that supports his assertions.
What I got from this book
The two main things of value that I got from this book were:
- That the brain can be affected by SO many different systems, so it’s important to address each one of them
- That there are practical things that each of us can do to take control of our brain health, using the right everyday nutrients, supplements and herbs
He does also provide a wonderful summary of all of the different strategies in a chapter towards the end of the book, which is great for quick reference.
I really like how practical his suggestions are. He doesn’t tell you exactly what to do, because that would be impossible, but he gives you very clear guidelines to follow to find your own way to the right solutions.
I am now in the process of working through every single one of his recommendations, based on the symptom both myself and Paul are experiencing, with the aim to improving our general health, but specifically our mental capabilities.
I have a list of supplements and herbs to try, and we are working through each of them in turn, using ourselves as guinea pigs, and documenting the effects.
There are also plenty of recommendations around diet, but given that we have been eating a mostly whole foods vegan diet for the last 9 years, with no gluten or soy, there’s not much for us to do personally in this area.
Sometimes, the supplements make things worse, but more often than not we see things improving, like:
- Reduction in long-term inflammation
- Increased energy levels and optimism
- Greater stability in mood, energy and health
We have much more work to do yet, because we’ve only just started on this journey, but I have confidence that with patience and a lot of trial and error, we’ll find ourselves ina very different place in a year’s time.
Where the book falls short
There’s not much to criticise about this book, except perhaps to say that it can feel a little overwhelming at times.
And through no fault of Dr. Kharrazian’s, who has done his best to distill so much information into an accessible and practical form.
It’s just a result of the fact that our brain health is tied to so many different systems that there’s so much work to be done, it can be hard to know where to start.
I certainly would love a really practical workbook-like version of the content, to help me work through every thing in order of priority and effectiveness.
But on the whole, I’m super impressed with this book and keep going back to it on a daily basis as we refine our supplements and observe our health and well being.
Other people’s thoughts on the book
At the time of writing, “Why Isn’t My Brain Working?” gets a 4.7 star rating on Amazon.com, which is definitely a high-quality rating, and is one of the reasons I was willing to pick this book up in the first place.
Other people have found the book at be very valuable and used his recommendations to treat serious conditions such as dementia, brain fog, poor memory, anxiety and more.
Some of the reservations about the book were along the same lines as mine, regarding the massive volume of information, and the difficulties with putting it into some practical plan of action.
Others also decried the cost of some of the recommended tests and consultations, so you’ll need to use your own judgement on which ones you might want, and which you’re happy to proceed without.
The consensus does seem to be that this book will take multiple reads to digest all of the information, and taking notes on just the parts relevant to you might be advisable.
And if you’re inclined to self-diagnose with every malady under the sun, try to be restrained as you read this book, and focus on the most pressing issues first. One reader suggests reading the list of symptoms at the start of each chapter first, and then just picking the chapter to begin with that seems like the best match.
Another great suggestion from a reviewer was to get a copy of the audio book, if that’s how you absorb information best.
What I think about the book
I really appreciate the time and effort that Dr. Kharrazian has put into writing this book.
There is so much valuable information contained that has the potential to transform your health and mental functioning.
I will be reading and re-reading and re-reading this book until I have absorbed everything I need from it, and I will continue to experiment with our nutritional support to ensure that we are always improving our health and well being.
If you’re looking for answers that doctors haven’t been able to provide about why your mind is not working the way you’d like it to, then I highly recommend that you give this books a read.
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Get it on Amazon
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Get it at the Book Depository
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Thanks for reading.
I hope you discover all kinds of ways to get your brain working properly again.
And have an awesome day!
2 comments
Sybil Primrose
Dear Nikki, I agree with everything you wrote about this book, and am so grateful to the author for sharing his knowledge in a wonderfully readable and methodical way. I don’t remember how I ‘found’this book,but as a senior with what seem to be potential health challenges, I’m glad I purchased it. I am now in the process of sorting out what is applicable to my situation. What I am most interested in is finding a practitioner who is using this information when treating clients. Do you know of anyone in S QLD or N NSW . ( I live on the range, not on the coast.) I am a C60 customer of yours and know this product is very helpful for me Many thanks for being an Australian supplier…
Nikki Stokes
Hi Sybil,
I’m glad you found the book helpful.
Unfortunately I’m not aware of health professionals who might who follow this approach, so you might need to ask around locally.
Have a great day.