Book Report: The Better Brain by Drs. Bonnie J. Kaplan and Julia J. Rucklidge

Some years ago my family physician recommended I read Spark by Dr. John Ratey, a book about how improving blood flow through exercise and body movement improves brain health (amongst other things). It's a great book, and should be in every health care workers (regardless of your profession or field of study) library.

Now, along comes along a seminal book about a similar topic...better brain health. But this time how the mental health crisis that is hitting our world today can be thwarted, if not resolved, with multi-nutrients.

For years, researchers and snake oil sales people (opposite ends trying to achieve the same results) have been looking for that one thing that will change our lives, solve our problems, etc.

Kaplan (Canada, a 2019 winner of the Rogers Prize for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the equivalent in that field to Nobel) and Rucklidge (New Zealand) have written a well-researched book that shows that our declining health is associated with the decline in the health of our soil, the blandness of our food and the lack of properly balanced micronutrients (vitamins AND minerals) have contributed to an increase mental illness, amongst many other ailments.

Today, Psychiatrists have become psychopharmacologists, relying primarily on medications to solve issues, instead of nutrition, exercise and counselling as the first line of treatment. We could save our health care system $Billions if we replaced medications as a first line of treatment with better diets and multi-nutrient supplements.

Regretfully, the company that makes the best multi-nutrient supplements mentioned in the book is run by a family whose actions and beliefs lead to the death of a child and a conviction for their actions, and I choose to not support this company. I hope the success of this book will lead to better competition worldwide soon. But I have been informed (since first writing this article) that there is a better product out there and it's Alberta, Canada made too.

It was my opinion that Spark should be in the library of every health care worker and I would now add The Better Brain as a MUST addition to your library as well. Even if you are not in health care, this book should be part of your library as well.