Interesting, but Needs Focus

That's the title of my review of Dr. Earl Henslin's book "This Is Your Brain On Joy."

Let me back up a bit. I was recently made aware that book publisher, Thomas Nelson, launched (a fairly revolutionary program) called Book Review Bloggers.

As an avid fan of both books and blogs, I was naturally interested. Here’s the program in short: Have a blog, submit blog to Thomas Nelson, receive approval of your blog being legitimate, select a book, read the book, write a review of the book on your blog.

It’s a great program that hands out free literature to willing readers in exchange for some very cheap press. I could go into it a little more..but I think that’s more appropriate for the Rhyno blog.

So now, onto my review of Henslin's book...

The book sleeve states the book features “a revolutionary program for balancing mood, restoring brain health, and nurturing spiritual growth.” So I went into this books with high hopes on what a renewed/varied/enhanced “walk” might positively impact the prospect of improved health (mentally, physically, etc.).

Within the first 10 pages of the book, Henslin states: “Prayer works. Prayer heals…But there is our part, the part God has allowed us to discover and uncover that is just as significant in our journey toward physical or mental healing.”

And I stood back a minute and said – science is just as significant as God? That doesn’t make too much sense. Surely it’s a factor – but to me, to be equally weighed is a bit skewed. Henslin also notes he believes “that having a better, even simplistic working knowledge of brain problems will help us better represent Jesus.”

This point is probably a more realistic one than his first. When we know what makes us tick – what foods amplify our conditions, we’re more likely to avoid such things – and in doing so, reflect ourselves in a more accurate manner.

Unfortunately, further on into the book, I found it to be more about what supplements and medications to take and less about a spiritual take on all things considered. In every chapter Henslin praises the SPECT brain scan – which is a way for your physician to see how blood is flowing through different areas of your brain. And in doing so he might be able to identify what areas are under or over active – leading to certain behaviors.

Between Henslin’s repeated endorsement of both Dr. Amen’s clinic and the $1,000 brain scan, I was fairly disappointed the book concentrated so much on possible remedies (either available over the counter, through a physician or through a costly scan – which in today’s economy is surprisingly tasteless) and less on your spiritual walk.

Granted, Henslin included various scripture passages and songs in support of particular conditions (whether it be anger, depression, anxiety, etc.) but in the end, I think the readers of this book are more apt to quickly seek out a medication in hopes of feeling better.