Product Description

Although vital to our well-being and even to our success as a species, the physical sense of balance has never attained the same recognition as sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste. Now, with an epidemic of debilitating falls sweeping America's aging population, the time is ripe for a lively and illuminating tour of the human body's most exquisitely intricate and least understood faculty.


BALANCE is the first book written for a general audience that examines the mysteries of the human balance system--the astonishingly complicated mechanisms that allow our bodies to counteract the force of gravity as we move through space. A scientific, historical, and practical exploration of how balance works, BALANCE also provides the keys to remaining upright for as long as humanly possible. From simple motion sickness to astronauts'"space stupids," and from fetal somersaults to the Flying Wallendas, McCredie guides readers on a delightful quest to elevate balance to its rightful place in the pantheon of the senses.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57969 in Books
• Published on: 2007-06-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780316011358
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
According to Seattle Times journalist McCredie, the rise in debilitating falls among Americans is reaching epidemic proportions, the result of a population's waning sense of balance. In the first half of this analytical primer, McCredie chronicles balance's role in evolution and the unfolding discovery of its function in the body through a jumble of stories about barbarous experiments on animals (pigeons, cats, etc) and humans-specifically, mental patients and deaf mutes. It's grim stuff, hardly indicated by the cover photo (young man, fluffy white clouds). Illustrations from 1934 that, while beautiful, don't match the current description of, say, the inner ear frustrate, while McCredie's tendency to fall into archaic language when discussing the 19th century aggravates. The second half is decidedly lighter, contrasting tales of tight wire walkers and acrobats with the stories of people who, through damage to the vestibular canal, have lost their balance. Here, McCredie writes engagingly of children on unicycles, Neanderthal man's hunting techniques, John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane crash and Nike knockoffs worn in China. Useful not only for its academic approach, this book could make a difference for anyone facing the natural challenges of aging.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
After the shock of seeing his fit father fall for no apparent reason, award-winning journalist McCredie became curious about the physiology of equilibrium. His extensive and creative research has led him to conclude that balance is the overlooked sixth sense and crucial to our survival. McCredie delineates his fascinating discoveries in a vividly informative and absorbing blend of medical history and case studies, marveling over the fact that it wasn't until the twentieth century that scientists gained any accurate understanding of the truly miraculous workings of the inner ear. Through studies of motion sickness and vertigo, it eventually became clear that the human balance system involves three sensory inputs: vision, proprioception (the body's ability to perceive its own motion), and the amazing vestibular functions. McCredie matches body mechanics with astonishing tales of acrobats, astronauts, and maverick researchers who discovered that simple exercises not only strengthen our sense of balance but also improve cognitive skills. McCredie offers practical advice for maintaining one's equilibrium and acuity and rekindles deep appreciation for life's incredible exactitude and grace. Seaman, Donna
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"Balance uncovers the strange and miraculous ways our brains and bodies collaborate--and what can happen when they don't." -- -Jesse Cohen, Lost Angeles Times Book Review

"High marks all around." -- - Kirkus Reviews

"It's a happy ending, especially as an appendix offers all the balancing exercises we need to keep us on our toes." -- -Peter Birnie, The Vancouver Sun

"McCredie delineates his fascinating discoveries in a vividly informative and absorbing blend of medical history and case studies..." -- -Donna Seaman, Booklist

"McCredie excels at delivering nitty-gritty scientific details in the form of wonderfully memorable anecdotes." -- -Haley Edwards, The Seattle Times

Customer Reviews

Balance
Mr. McCredie, while on a hike with his father, witnesses his dad simply drop from sight...he fell, lost his balance. From here Mr. McCredie shares with us his research on this sense. I was hitherto unaware of the magnitude of its importance. Happily, I am not in small minded company as Aristotle, Scott writes, did not include balance in his original list of our senses. Balance's history has been facinating...sea sickness, cognitive thinking, a walk in the park, pilots' training, infants' cognitive abilities, camels, Lawrence of Arabia, Lord Nelson, war, astronauts, birds and cats,the mentally ill, and John F. Kennedy, Jr. are just a few of the people and subjects Scott connects by this sense. I am glad I read the book.

As a literary interviewer for Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, I choose Scott McCredie's book initially because his writing style is compatible with my reading style, i.e.,tell me or teach me information on almost any subject, have it reach my brain in an interesting way and do it cleanly and clearly. Scott does all the above despite my having to grapple with science.

a fun read
This was a fascinating book. Mccredie makes a convincing case for including balance as a 6th sense, supporting his thesis with interesting examples from medical research, historical examples, and personal accounts. The bit about JFK Jr's plane crash attributed to a confused vestibular system was particularly good, and the other stories (the "brainport" device, for one) lent contemporary credence to his ideas. He's a great writer, and covers all the bases. I learned a lot. Highly recommended.

Almost everything you want to know about balance...
but don't know who to ask or where to look. If you are looking for how-to, you would be disappointed as that is restricted to the appendix. The last few chapters shed light on research that would one day retard the atrophy of our sense of balance or technology to compensate for it. In the meantime, our only hope is to stay active and agile and be less sedentary.