Donna Jackson Nakazawa will be the special guest on the "Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams" radio program this Sunday evening at 8:00 PM Central Standard Time.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa is the author of three previous books exploring the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and emotion: Childhood Disrupted, which was a finalist for the 2016 Books for a Better Life award, The Last Best Cure, and The Autoimmune Epidemic. For her written contributions to the field of immunity, she has received the AESKU award and the National Health Information Award. Jackson Nakazawa has appeared on Today, NPR, NBC News, and ABC News, and her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Health Affairs, Aeon, More, Parenting, AARP Magazine, and Glamour, and has been featured on the cover of Parade as well as in Time and USA Today. She blogs for Psychology Today and HuffPost. Jackson Nakazawa has been the recipient of writing-in-residence fellowships from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Yaddo, and the MacDowell Colony. She lives with her family in Maryland.
In her thrilling new book THE ANGEL AND THE ASSASSIN , award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa illuminates the newly understood role of a tiny brain cell called microglia, and provides a hopeful examination of how this new science may lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of some of our most intractable mental health and neurological disorders. Until recently, microglia—an elusive type of brain cell that is vitally relevant to our everyday lives—has been thought to be merely the brain’s housekeeper, helpfully removing damaged cells. But a recent groundbreaking discovery revealed them to be capable of terrifying Jekyll and Hyde behavior. When triggered—and anything that stirs up the immune system in the body can activate microglia—they can morph into destroyers, impacting a wide range of issues from memory problems and anxiety to depression and Alzheimer’s. Under the right circumstances, however, microglia can be coaxed back into being angelic healers, able to repair the brain in ways that help alleviate symptoms and hold the promise to one day prevent disease.
A fascinating behind-the-scenes account of this cutting-edge science, THE ANGEL AND THE ASSASSIN also explores the medical implications of these game-changing discoveries. Jackson Nakazawa began her investigation with a personal interest—when diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder years ago, she was convinced there was something physical going on in her brain as well as her body, though no doctor she consulted could explain how the two could be interacting in this way. With the compassion born of her own experience, she follows scientists, practitioners, and patients on the front lines of treatments that help to “reboot” microglia—from gamma light flicker therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation to intermittent fasting to neurofeedback. She witnesses patients finding significant relief from pressing symptoms—and at least one stunning recovery—offering new hope to the tens of millions who suffer from mental, cognitive, and physical health issues.
Proving once and for all the biological basis for the mind-body connection, the discovery of the true role of microglia stands to rewrite psychiatric and medical texts as we know them. Hailed as “riveting,” “stunning,” and “visionary,” THE ANGEL AND THE ASSASSIN offers us a radically reconceived picture of human health and promises to change everything we thought we knew about how to heal ourselves.
The "Breaking the Silence with Dr. Gregory Williams" is heard LIVE each Sunday evening on the BBS Radio Network and has over 1.6 million weekly listeners to the LIVE radio program. The program then goes into the podcast world to over 115 podcast networks for ON DEMAND listening. If you would like more information about the program or would like to be a guest on the show, contact Dr. Gregory Williams at gawilli1@texaschildrens.org
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