To say that The Edge Effect by Dr. Eric Braverman was an eye opening read would be an understatement.  For me, this book caused a paradigm shift in the way I understand illness, aging, paranoia, ADD, memory and focus issues, hormone imbalance, and a whole host of other health problems that I just couldn't seem to wrap my brain around.  And it gave me a whole new appreciation for the importance of good quality foods as the basis for regaining your 'edge'.   Because I'm SO excited about the things that I've learned in the Edge Effect, this post turned into a *little* bit more than just a 'book report'.  Somehow, I have accidentally written my thesis on the brain in here, just to be sure you're following along, with added pictures and links to the quizzes in the book.  Sorry if I'm way too wordy, but I'm super excited to share this info, and wanted to lay a good groundwork so you can understand the basis of The Edge Effect, and get excited about it too.  I highly recommend owning this book!

The What What?
The title threw me a little...I didn't get it, until he explained it in the book.  The 'edge' is how you feel when you're at your best, mentally and physically.  It's where we all want to be, health-wise.  The premise of the book is that losing that 'edge' is a oftentimes a slow, progressive process, like a cascade of dominoes falling, and that often, the 'standard'  American medical system sees and treats the symptoms of this regression as separate and unrelated health issues.  Dr. Braverman offers a unique perspective on 'the first dominoes' to fall, and traces the regression of health back to the health of the brain.

Dr. Who?
Dr. Braverman graduated from the New York University Medical School, and then continued his studies on the brain at Harvard Medical School and the Princeton Brain Bio Center.  His interest was piqued by some studies done by his mentor, Dr. Pfiefer, that linked psychological problems and hypertension to nutrition and diet ***based on how nutrition and diet affected brain health***.  Let me restate that last part...what people were eating affected the health of their brains, and that was showing up as psychological problems and high blood pressure.   Whoa.  This piqued Braverman's interest, and he began looking into other common health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and even common conditions like menopause that seemed to 'cause' health problems.  He also studied Eastern and alternative medicine extensively, and incorporates this along with nutrition, traditional medical treatment, and his understanding of brain health into the care model that he offers at the PATH medical centers.  The Edge Effect is the 'users guide' to the brain, with lots of practical advice on how to maintain your brain health and regain your 'edge'.

"Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain!"
"You know," quips Dr. Braverman, “medical science has made a remarkable anatomical discovery. For most people, the head is attached to the rest of the body.” 

So, why is it that we know and hear so little about the function and role of the brain when it comes to health?  I had a pretty elementary understanding of the role of the brain...it's the main control and memory center for the body, right?  And I had a vague idea that personality may be somehow also part of the brain's 'job'.  Why would the brain be an important focus for 'unrelated' health issues like joint pain or high blood pressure? 

According to Dr. Braverman, brain health has a 'global impact' on overall health.

Part I of the Edge Effect gives you a 'tour' of the brain, and outlines it's function as the 'electrical circuit box' to the body.  When you plug in a lamp, the circuit box in your home provides power to make the lamp function.   In the same way, the human brain transmits the energy and electrical signals that supply power to the whole body, so that all of the organs, muscles, and cells work together as a healthy and whole living unit. 

Just as the lamp plug is the 'connection' between the appliance and the power source, we also have a point where the body 'connects' with the brain.  This is one area that he considers 'the edge'...when the connections are functioning, we are working in harmony.  When they are not functioning properly, we begin to experience 'shorts' in our wiring.

Our 'wiring' happens to be called the nervous system...it's made up of the spinal cord, and nerves.  The nerves are made up of individual nerve cells, called neurons. What's amazing is, that the nerve cells don't actually touch one another...and that's part of the incredible design.  Each of us has an intricate network of over 100 trillion synaptic gaps. 

These tiny, yet critical spaces between each nerve cell allow the 'flow' of electrical messages too and from the brain throughout our bodies in a coordinated, controlled and precise manner.  This is where the 'connections' that I was just talking about take place.  Below is an illustration of nerve cells sending a message through electrical impulses, with the insert showing a magnified synaptic gap, or synapse.

Meet the Cast
See the little red bouncing balls in the illustration above?  Those guys are neurotransmitters, and THIS is where things get interesting.   Within each of the synaptic gaps, there is a supply of four key electrochemicals that 'ferry' the messages across the gap. 

I'll be brief here, because I've been so wordy above, but the neurotransmitters are created in the brain (each one is created in a different lobe or area of the brain).  They must all be available and work in harmony with one another for our bodies to function properly...however, we each are born with a unique proportion of each of these neurotransmitters.  And this is where the book starts to blow my mind. 
Figuratively, of course. 

The neurotransmitters you are dominant in basically lay the groundwork for your nature or personality. 

Seriously.  The neurotransmitters are responsible for your inborn 'nature'.
Here are the 4 primary neurotransmitters, and what they do:

Dopamine:  Power/drive, focus, motivation, metabolism, blood pressure, digestion.
Acetylcholine: regulates brain speed, sensory processing, smooth thought processes, feeling based thinkers, empathy/sensitivity, coordination, lubricates the nervous system, and a building block for myelin (the coating that protects and prevents 'shorts' in the nerves).
GABA (Gamma AminoButyric Acid):  stabilizing/calming, inhibitory/rhythmic brain waves, dependable, schedule oriented, objective, values organization.
Seretonin: Regulates sight and regulates output of all other neurotransmitters; sense of healing, nourishing, satisfied feelings to the whole body, allows you to rest/regenerate.  Playful, realist, great coordination and enjoys challenges and play, love excitement and parties.

The Fun Part of the Book: The Quizzes!
The Edge Effect lays a LOT more ground work about the brain and personality, but if you'd like a quick look at your potential dominant nature, then you may want to try this quiz: the Braverman Nature Assessment

My husband and I took the quizzes on a road trip over the holidays.  Essentially, you count up all of your True answers at the end of the test.  Allow me to save you a lot of time and paper and brain cells:
After learning your basic personality balance, the next quiz shows you which of the neurotransmitters you may be deficient in.  While there is some 'crossover' in the symptoms of one or more deficiencies, one of the fascinating things that Dr. Braverman has discovered is that a deficiency in any one of the neurotransmitters affects the body and organs in a precise and unique way.  Repairing this deficiency through diet, supplements, and lifestyle/exercise choices that support the neurotransmitter(s) that you're deficient in can address these symptoms, which can restore positive health.  Our traditional American healthcare system, on the other hand would 'see' each symptom as a separate and unrelated issue that requires medication and diet changes...oftentimes signing up the patient for the 'prescription merry go round' that does not actually address the underlying causes for declining health.  

Click here for the deficiency quiz, on Dr. Braverman's PATH medical center website. 

What Next?
After taking the quizzes, my husband and I both felt that we'd been 'pegged', and a certain sense of hope and relief that the symptoms we had puzzled about in our family were not just random and unfixable 'fluke' problems that had previously been explained away with vague answers like 'age' and 'stress'.  We were ready to address the problems stemming from our deficient neurotransmitter levels.

Part II of The Edge Effect is a thorough look at each one of the four natures.  Braverman addresses each nature in even more depth, as well as common illnesses and health/memory/focus issues.  He follows a typical 'case study' in each chapter, with a patient who is experiencing the 'domino effect' of a decline in their health, and shows how these problems stem from a deficiency in their primary neurotransmitter 'nature'.  He then follows them through to the resolution of symptoms by increasing their neurotransmitter output.  Each chapter also outlines 'friendly' medications for that biochemical, in cases where a health issue is preventing you from making progress in your health.  I love it that he is open to medications, but mainly as a 'patch' to get the patient to a point where they are able to recover their neurotransmitter levels through specific supplements, diet changes, and exercises. 

Diet
When I say 'diet' here, I don't mean 'weight-loss-through-calorie-counting'. 
One of my favorite parts of the book are his descriptions of how certain nutrients support brain health.  The neurotransmitters are made up of specific protein building blocks, called 'amino acids', and these are the raw elements that our bodies *need* to create these vital chemicals that regulate our health and mood.  Including foods in your diet that are rich in the specific amino acids is very beneficial to rebuilding healthy levels of your deficient neurotransmitter.  I found the food lists to be very practical and intriguing, though I would have enjoyed an even more comprehensive list of foods and herbs (which he mentions only briefly in the supplement recomendations). 

There is also a three day diet plan to help you envision what it would look like to eat in the way he prescribes.  Braverman suggests that food choices alone are generally not sufficient to turn the tides of a moderate to severe deficiency, and supplementation, along with other treatments should also be used in tandem.

Hormones
The role of hormone balance is also addressed.  Each neurotransmitter has a family of hormones associated with it, that move in to 'bolster' the body when the neurotransmitter becomes deficient.  This creates hormone imbalances in the body, and eventually 'burn out' of the adrenals if it goes unchecked.  For instance, dopamine, the 'go getter' neurotransmitter is related to cortisol, the 'fight or flight' hormone.  When the body is low on dopamine, it ratchets up cortisol production to provide you with the energy to keep going.  This type of emergency balancing act by the body does NOT provide a sense of wellness, but at least you're still on your feet, right?  Seretonin is related to progesterone, and so on.  These hormones naturally decrease as we age, anyway, but running on a constant deficiency will burn you out much faster.  Dr. Braverman suggests that hormone levels, and replacement therapy should be overseen by a medical professional.

And More...
Certain types of exercises are recommended for each nature, as well as positive lifestyle changes.  He also includes a chart of supplements and dosages that may be used to correct a mild, moderate, or severe deficiency.  Braverman mentions his unique supplement blends, which I finally located, at his website: here.

But What If I'm Already Sick?
Part III of The Edge Effect covers a variety of states of imbalance, including illnesses, the general ages and systems that begin to fail, as well as addressing overall dietary and theraputic ways of regaining balance and prolonging optimum health.  Many specific states of disease are discussed, as well as potential treatments and therapies that are beneficial.  There is also a very helpful section on personality balancing that covers how a person may see themselves, and how others may perceive them.

Conclusion
Overall, I give this book very high marks.  It's one of the most eye opening reads on overall health that I've come across, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in combining alternative and traditional medical care, or who is looking for answers for seemingly unrelated mental/psychological and physical symptoms. 



A few other links and articles that might be of interest to you are below:

Dr. Braverman and the Edge Effect interview, Douglas Labs Newsletter. Spring, 2005

When the Brain Goes, So Goes Your Health, Dr. Eric Braverman, the Huffington Post. March 16, 2009

An alternative 'deficiency' quiz.


So, what do you think?  Is this mind blowing to anyone else? 
If you'd like to own a copy of the book, I bought mine through Amazon.com for $10.36 with free shipping, here: