Stacy Blecher's blog

People who claim to have had religious or spiritual experiences or personal connections with a divine being often describe their experience in the same way.  They tend to report a sense of enlightenment, the loss of a sense of self and time, and feeling of being one with the world around them (1).  This description persists cross culturally, overtime and regardless of religion.  Due to the fact that so many different people have such similar mystical experiences scientists propose that there must be some common thread that links these individuals together.  Naturally, since all of our other experiences are processed in the brain, why not look for an area of the brain that processes G-d, or a G-spot? 

A recent study found that the Alzheimer’s disease rate in Asian Indians is only 25% of the rate in the developed world.  While more than 10%  of Americans over the age of sixty five suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, only 1% of their North Indian peers suffer from the same disease (1).  This finding prompted researchers to dig deeper into understanding why such a disparity exists between the two nations.  Understanding the disproportion of incidents is not a simple task, for the underlying causes and mechanisms of Alzheimer’s disease are not fully understood.

When I had my wisdom teeth removed my doctor told me to go home, rest and take a pill called codeine if I experienced any great pain.  I gladly followed his orders.  Had my doctor told me to go immediately to the gym and run on the treadmill until I felt better I would have looked at him like he was crazy and I doubt that I would have obeyed his commands.  While the two treatments for pain –codeine and exercise –seem to be opposites, recent neurobiological research suggests that a doctor would not be unjustified prescribing a hearty dose of physical activity to a patient suffering from pain.