# The Second Brain, Dr. Michael D. Gershon



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060930721?tag=ir...ASIN=0060930721The bowel just is not the kind of organ that makes the pulserace,'' Michael D. Gershon admits. ''No poet would ever write an ode to theintestine.'' Nevertheless, in ''The Second Brain,'' Gershon makes apersuasive, impassioned and, at times, downright lyrical case for thecounterintuitive notion that ''there is a brain in the bowel, howeverinappropriate that concept might seem to be.'' Gershon, who is chairman of thedepartment of anatomy and cell biology at Columbia University's College ofPhysicians and Surgeons at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and one of thefew neurobiologists to turn his attention to the ''lowly gut and its nervoussystem,'' recounts with considerable warmth, humor and dramatic flair how hevaliantly endured ''the slings and arrows of outrageous colleagues'' whoinitially dismissed his then heretical discovery that serotonin, alreadyestablished as an important mood regulator in the brain, also functions as aneurotransmitter in the bowel -- where more than 95 percent of the body'ssupply of this chemical is produced. Moreover, the bowel, with its hundredmillion-plus nerve cells, is ''the only organ that contains an intrinsicnervous system that is able to mediate reflexes in the complete absence ofinput from the brain or spinal cord.'' The fruits of Gershon's painstakingresearch eventually helped persuade fellow neuroscientists, physicians anddrug companies to entertain the possibility that gastrointestinal disordersheretofore thought to be triggered by psychoneuroses may actually beprecipitated by a ''mental disease'' of this ''second brain.'' Although attimes his elaborately detailed descriptions of intestinal research methodologymay be daunting, much of the book succeeds in presenting an often grim andcomplex topic in a surprisingly witty and engaging manner -- as well asdelivering hopeful news to the estimated 20 percent of Americans sufferingfrom functional bowel disease.January 17, 1999 New York TimesBy JACQUELINE BOONE


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## flux (Dec 13, 1998)

Written by a world-renowned neurobiologist who studies the nerves of the gut, this book nicely spells out the science on how the gut works and more importantly how it is controlled by its own nervous system, which is located in the gut itself, hence the title The Second Brain. The new information eloquently presented (and some of it discovered) by Gershon successfully challenges the dogma that IBS is in one's head.[This message has been edited by flux (edited 05-23-99).]


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## marianne (Jan 3, 1999)

I just finished reading this elegantly written book. I now understand some of my symptoms and what is causing them. Although this is a serious book, it is written with great style and dry humor by the leading expert on this topic. I guarantee that you will like the author very much because he reveals so much of himself in this work.


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## Guest (Oct 7, 1999)

I just purchased the book today...on the recommendation of everyone here!It looks a bit more techy than what I'd normally read in relation to health, but I'd really like to know what's going on with my body, so I'll give it a read.


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## Guest (Oct 15, 1999)

Ok, I admit I didn't read the whole thing (I'm more of a fiction reader.) But - I did read the parts on IBS, and was very encouraged. He basically says that IBS is similar to Crohn's etc. in that there IS a pathology, it just hasn't been located yet.


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## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

I would like to draw attention once again to this particular book and man. Dr. Gershon was the individual who's work with serotonin, and the role in bowel motility, allowed Glaxo Wellcome to develop the drug Lotronex which received FDA approval on February 9, 2000.Although this book may be somewhat technical for some, Dr. Gershon indicated to me that this book was inadvertently written for us, IBS sufferers.I believe that anyone who reads this book will come away with a better understanding of how the new line of serotonin antagonist's may bring you some relief.[This message has been edited by Jeffrey Roberts (edited 02-10-2000).]


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