Reddit mentions: The best books about nervous system diseases

Hi

I am in my 30's, grew up in the Philly area and have Moderate Ataxic cp. I have a bachelors, lived on my own at 18 and currently am an author and a consultant.

Early intervention is a great start! I also did therapeutic riding from 3 to 11, huge help! Riding really helped me reach all my early childhood milestones!! I also loved the water-swimming was really great for me

If you're going to CHOP, you may also want to contact AI DuPont. They have a huge CP program that's world renowned. When I was a baby, we started at CHOP, but by three, my mom said I am nevrer going there again with her. (Don't remember any of this) Our family really liked DuPont a lot more in terms of care and they made us feel like I was a child, not just a number for their research. In terms of distance, DuPont was 20 minutes farther but mom said it was an easier drive and parking was no issue at DuPont. So, despite it was farther, it was easier..

Now this was almost 40 years ago, CHOP, I am sure has changed. When I was in CHOP for three days at six months, they still had wards!!! Stuff has changed. I know DuPont has changed, but the same people still run the CP program, whom I love.

You may decide to stick with CHOP, everyone's different. But my parents doctor shopping, that -goes on the long list of things they did right!!

Just know it'll be ok! Most adults w cp wouldn't change it. Realize milestones will come, they may bee delayed but they're come!! Try to take the que from her as to if she wants to do things or not. For example, I went to 'regular' school from 2nd on. After the first year, I never wanted to do field day. I was, and still am, happy my parents let me stay home those days!!! Some adults with CP would disagree and say they're happy their parents made them do every thing just like a typical kid. This really has nothing to do with cp and how you feel one should parent. I think every child is different and should be listened to, not forced to do arbitrary things. That's just an example. Field day could be one of the highlights of your child's year!

You probably want your child to walk. That's Natural. I hope she does. Just know from an adults point of view, walking isn't important. Stress independence, and whatever mode of mobility that will facilitate that!!

PA is ranked top in schools and special ed. I have no idea what your daughter will need. Just know that everyone is different, don't rule anything out! Inclusion is great. But there are kids who do better in special ed settings, every student has their own best plan!! Just keep LRE in mind, students should always be placed in the least restrictive program that they would do well in. The reason why that's vague-is every student is so so so different in what's best for them! When I was preparing to transition to a therapy based pre-school program the district wanted me to go to a program for kids with a higher degree of physical disabilities. Mom fought to get me into a program that was designed for kids with communication delays, which was the right thing. Looking back, I am both glad that I started out in SPED, I am also glad in 4th grade that I started transitioning to REGED. Like many kids, middle school was really hard for me but high school got way better.

So School: take it as it comes, don't rule any option out, realize if something isn't working it can always be changed


The only thing my parents ever did-that I hated was force me to go to sleep away camp for kids with disabilities, awful. They did this twice, first when I was nine. I so wasn't ready, had never even slept at a friend's house yet. I only lasted three days. It was traumatic. And then, when I was almost 14, they made me go back. Everyone there treated me like I was four. It was traumatic. Now, other kids liked it-to me it felt like prison, just not for me. Being in the hospital was more fun.

My mom just always wanted me to make friends with others who were disabled and since I attended regular classes from sixth grade on, she always made special attempts, I always disliked this.. A friend is a friend-disability has zero to do with it!!

As far surgeries-buyer beware. I've had three as a child, all ortho/cp related. (at ages 11, 12 and 15) They really help some kids, but just expect if you do a surgery recovery will be harder/longer then you expect. And with CP surgery might set off other issues. I am not anti cp surgery for kids, just buyer beware

As far as government stuff: The ADA is a federal law that applies to everything, this basically makes businesses more accessible and ensures the same access to public accommodations. The two benefits that families may get is SSI and Medicaid. SSI is a monthly check to help with the child's expenses. Medicaid is government health insurance. Both these are means tested, meaning the parent(s) need to make under a certain amount to qualify. I didn't qualify for either until 18. As a teen I wish I had medicaid, they would have covered more then whatever private insurance I had through my dad's employer.

I want to say it'll be ok, you are awesome for trying to find out as much as you can! Take it as it comes and know every experience is unique!!

I will post some good links below-best to you and your family!

Cerebral Palsy: A Complete Guide for Caregiving (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)
https://www.amazon.com/Cerebral-Palsy-Complete-Caregiving-Hopkins/dp/0801883555/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=
(Good intro to cp, cause right after diagonosis-it can be a lot of new info or terms)

Ceebral Palsy Center: Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
https://www.nemours.org/service/medical/cerebral-palsy-center.html
(Even if you don't go to DuPont their page has lots of helpful Youtube videos on cp)

• Reaching for the Stars:
  http://reachingforthestars.org/
  
  Karen Pape
  http://www.karenpapemd.com/ (Dr. Pape has kind of different ideas than Freeman Miller, who was my doctor, nicest man ever, but never hurts to consider different schools of thought)
  
  American Academy for Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Medicine (AACPDM)
  http://www.aacpdm.org/
  
  Alternative Therapies for CP
  http://cpcare.org/treatments/alternative/
  (Never to replace your docs or the tradition 3 therapies of OT/PT/Speech, but if you want to try stuff in addition. Some things you may feel might be worth looking into, others you may feel won't help or don't sound credible.
  
  Don't get to over whelmed, you do not have to do everything all at once. The period after diagnosis is hard enough-if you feel it's best to stick to early intervention, that's enough. Do whatever works for you! And, never feel you have to have your kiddio in 20 different therapies or you're failing as a parent-not so!!)
  
  Intensive Suit Therapy
  https://oxfordrecoverycenter.com/suit-therapy/
  
  Thorncroft Equestrian Center
  http://thorncroft.org/
  (again, if I had a toddler and was going to chose one 'alternative' therapy to add in, it would be ridding, so helped me)
  
  Wrightslaw Special Education and Advocacy
  http://wrightslaw.com/
  
  (Lots of good info on how to navigate the school system and get what she's federally entitled to under IDEA, that's the federal law that grants us the right to equal access to a public education, even if she's never in SPED classes)

Friend asked for a similar list a while ago and I put this together. Would love to see people thoughts/feedback.

Very High Level Introductions:

• Mr. Tompkins in Paperback
  
  • A super fast read that spends less time looking at the "how" but focused instead on the ramifications and impacts. Covers both GR as well as QM but is very high level with both of them. Avoids getting into the details and explaining the why.
    
    
• Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution (Great Courses lecture)
  
  • This is a great intro to the field of non-classical physics. This walks through GR and QM in a very approachable fashion. More "nuts and bolts" than Mr. Tompkins but longer/more detailed at the same time.
    
    
    Deeper Pop-sci Dives (probably in this order):
    
    
• Quantum Theory: A Very Brief Introduction
  
  • Great introduction to QM. Doesn't really touch on QFT (which is a good thing at this point) and spends a great deal of time (compared to other texts) discussing the nature of QM interpretation and the challenges around that topic.
    
• The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces
  
  • Now we're starting to get into the good stuff. QFT begins to come to the forefront. This book starts to dive into explaining some of the macro elements we see as explained by QM forces. A large part of the book is spent on symmetries and where a proton/nucleon's gluon binding mass comes from (a.k.a. ~95% of the mass we personally experience).
    
• The Higgs Boson and Beyond (Great Courses lecture)
  
  • Great lecture done by Sean Carroll around the time the Higgs boson's discovery was announced. It's a good combination of what role the Higgs plays in particle physics, why it's important and what's next. Also spends a little bit of time discussing how colliders like the LHC work.
    
• Mysteries of Modern Physics: Time (Great Courses lecture)
  
  • Not really heavy on QM at all, however I think it does best to do this lecture after having a bit of the physics under your belt first. The odd nature of time symmetry in the fundamental forces and what that means with regards to our understanding of time as we experience it is more impactful with the additional knowledge (but, like I said, not absolutely required).
    
• Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics
  
  • This is not a mathematical approach like "A Most Incomprehensible Thing" are but it's subject matter is more advanced and the resulting math (at least) an order of magnitude harder (so it's a good thing it's skipped). This is a "high level deep dive" (whatever that means) into QFT though and so discussion of pure abstract math is a huge focus. Lie groups, spontaneous symmetry breaking, internal symmetry spaces etc. are covered.
    
• The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
  
  • This is your desert after working through everything above. Had to include something about string theory here. Not a technical book at all but best to be familiar with QM concepts before diving in.
    
    Blending the line between pop-sci and mathematical (these books are not meant to be read and put away but instead read, re-read and pondered):
    
    
• A Most Incomprehensible Thing: Intro to GR
  
  • Sorry, this is GR specific and nothing to do with QM directly. However I think it's a great book acting as an introduction. Definitely don't go audible/kindle. Get the hard copy. Lots of equations. Tensor calculus, Lorentz transforms, Einstein field equations, etc. While it isn't a rigorous textbook it is, at it's core, a mathematics based description not analogies. Falls apart at the end, after all, it can't be rigorous and accessible at the same time, but still well worth the read.
    
• The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics
  
  • Not QM at all. However it is a great introduction to using math as a tool for describing our reality and since it's using it to describe classical mechanics you get to employ all of your classical intuition that you've worked on your entire life. This means you can focus on the idea of using math as a descriptive tool and not as a tool to inform your intuition. Which then would lead us to...
    
• Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum
  
  • Great introduction that uses math in a descriptive way AND to inform our intuition.
    
• The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
  
  • Incredible book. I think the best way to describe this book is a massive guidebook. You probably won't be able to get through each of the topics based solely on the information presented in the book but the book gives you the tools and knowledge to ask the right questions (which, frankly, as anybody familiar with the topic knows, is actually the hardest part). You're going to be knocking your head against a brick wall plenty with this book. But that's ok, the feeling when the brick wall finally succumbs to your repeated headbutts makes it all worth while.

It's great that you want to study particle physics and String Theory! It's a really interesting subject. Getting a degree in physics can often make you a useful person so long as you make sure you get some transferable skills (like programming and whatnot). I'll reiterate the standard advice for going further in physics, and in particular in theoretical physics, in the hope that you will take it to heart. Only go into theoretical physics if you really enjoy it. Do it for no other reason. If you want to become a professor, there are other areas of physics which are far easier to accomplish that in. If you want to be famous, become an actor or a writer or go into science communication and become the new Bill Nye. I'm not saying the only reason to do it is if you're obsessed with it, but you've got to really enjoy it and find it fulfilling for it's own sake as the likelihood of becoming a professor in it is so slim. Then, if your academic dreams don't work out, you won't regret the time you spent, and you'll always have the drive to keep learning and doing more, whatever happens to you academically.

With that out of the way, the biggest chunk of learning you'll do as a theorist is math. A decent book (which I used in my undergraduate degree) which covers the majority of the math you need to understand basic physics, e.g. Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Special Relativity, Thermodynamics, Statistical Mechanics and Electromagnetism. Is this guy: Maths It's not a textbook you can read cover to cover, but it's a really good reference, and undoubtably, should you go and do a physics degree, you'll end up owning something like it. If you like maths now and want to learn more of it, then it's a good book to do it with.

The rest of the books I'll recommend to you have a minimal number of equations, but explain a lot of concepts and other interesting goodies. To really understand the subjects you need textbooks, but you need the math to understand them first and it's unlikely you're there yet. If you want textbook suggestions let me know, but if you haven't read the books below they're good anyway.

First, particle physics. This book Deep Down Things is a really great book about the history and ideas behind modern particles physics and the standard model. I can't recommend it enough.

Next, General Relativity. If you're interested in String Theory you're going to need to become an expert in General Relativity. This book: General Relativity from A to B explains the ideas behind GR without a lot of math, but it does so in a precise way. It's a really good book.

Next, Quantum Mechanics. This book: In Search of Schrodinger's Cat is a great introduction to the people and ideas of Quantum Mechanics. I like it a lot.

For general physics knowledge. Lots of people really like the
Feynman Lectures They cover everything and so have quite a bit of math in them. As a taster you can get a couple of books: Six Easy Pieces and Six Not So Easy Pieces, though the not so easy pieces are a bit more mathematically minded.

Now I'll take the opportunity to recommend my own pet favourite book. The Road to Reality. Roger Penrose wrote this to prove that anyone could understand all of theoretical physics, as such it's one of the hardest books you can read, but it is fascinating and tells you about concepts all the way up to String Theory. If you've got time to think and work on the exercises I found it well worth the time. All the math that's needed is explained in the book, which is good, but it's certainly not easy!

Lastly, for understanding more of the ideas which underlie theoretical physics, this is a good book: Philsophy of Physics: Space and Time It's not the best, but the ideas behind theoretical physics thought are important and this is an interesting and subtle book. I'd put it last on the reading list though.

Anyway, I hope that helps, keep learning about physics and asking questions! If there's anything else you want to know, feel free to ask.

Thanks for the reply.

I guess the difference in our opinions arises from this point that you made:

> yes but what entity is EXPERIENCING that consciousness?

I am not sure how you can invoke an additional entity, beyond the physical brain and neural connections, and have it still reside within the natural world (as opposed to some supernatural interpretation). If this entity you speak of is NOT beyond the physical, the all of your points become moot--I am who I am because of the physical continuum of my brain. I am 'me' and not Genghis Khan, because of the physical body that is thinking and speaking those words. I can't be anyone else but 'me', because 'me' is intrinsically tied to this physical body ('I' or 'me' is an illusion created by that physical body). I am not arguing that this entity does not not exist (or can't exist), but rather that its existence is not necessary to explain what we call consciousness.

Hypothetically, if the arrangement of physical matter that makes up a consciousness was somehow replicated in another body, even in conjunction with the memories of that other body, a whole can of worms is opened with relation to identity, if we assert that identity is a real thing. Another mind-fuck occurs when the corpus callosum is cut in a patient's brain. When this is done, the two sides of the brain cannot communicate and two centers of 'consciousness' become apparent (I highly urge you to read up on this, if you're not already familiar with it--very cool stuff). Have you cloned an identity by cutting a cord? What if once consciousness (one side of the brain), again hypothetically, could be replaced (via matter manipulation) with another person's? What then? In my opinion these types of questions are pointless to consider, since 'consciousness' and 'identity' are merely labels applied to illusions created by a physical brain. When we step outside the norm (the norm within which these illusions became to be) as in these examples, the concept of 'identity' and 'consciousness' fall apart and become useless. But, again, I think that it is OK because they were just labels in the first place.

> you still wouldn't want to die

This is instinct, not at all tied to or related to identity.

I hope the following sums up my position on the issue:

I think that, given our current understanding of the brain*, ideas such consciousness and identity are illusions. We ARE that computer that is drawing experience out of an inanimate object. The only thing holding back a computer (or a rock, for that matter) from being anything more than an inanimate object is the necessary brain tissue (or some simulation of such). There is no entity 'behind the eyes', that is just an illusion.

* For a fascinating read, see "The Accidental Mind".

Now, to address some of your other points:

> Let's not label matters currently outside of empiricism as 'matters of faith'

The word currently in your statement is crucial. If this was your original meaning, then I retract my statement calling it faith. What is important here from my perspective (considering my position stated above), is that the entity you have invoked is unnecessary and unsupported by evidence--much like a god, which is why I initially labeled it as faith. If we discover that the physical brain cannot account for that entity (in other words, it can't be an illusion), then it will be worth consideration.

> Logic is what persuades us that there is no God or that we are not living in the Matrix, not science or empiricism.

I find this interesting. How has logic convinced you that there is no god, or that we are not in a Matrix-like environment? I don't consider these possibilities seriously due to the lack of any reason to. I certainly would never utter the words "there is no god", since that is just as much a fallacy as saying "there is a god". I don't consider myself agnostic, however, because I don't even consider the question of god's existence seriously. The same follows with the Matrix construct. We could be in a simulation. There is no way to know whether we are or not from within. The problem that arises when seriously considering this is that there is no reason to consider it in the first place. If you do consider it seriously (as opposed to a fun thought experiment), then what if that simulation is part of another simulation. What if that simulation was created by god? What if that god was created by some higher order simulation. What if it all was created by something we can't even conceive? Ad infinitum... The invocation of such entities add nothing to our understanding of the universe and existence, given that the case where they do exist is indistinguishable from the case where they do not exist. Therefore what good are they to us to seriously consider? This has nothing to do with logic or science. If their existence is distinguishable, then this is in the realm of science and can be handled as such. But I digress...

> Consciousness is a word, a label. But it points to something that actually exists.

To reiterate, I don't think it actually exists, but is simple the inevitable result of an incredibly complex physical brain, which has evolved and been selected for due to the social advantages of such. The personal identity called 'you' is an illusion.

> I think, therefore I am.

This was said by Descartes, who went on to use it as a basis to prove the existence of god. That being said, he is still one of my favorite philosophers for this simple, yet undeniably true statement. However, I think you are misinterpreting it, at least in the context of consciousness. "I think, therefore I am" only means that something must exists. If 'I' am here thinking, then the concept of 'I' must be created by something. In the context of our debate, something must be creating the illusion of 'I'. This could be our physical brains, a computer simulation, etc.--whatever it is, however, it must exist. That is all this statement means.

> You can't test for conscious minds, even remotely.

This, again, is only true if you assume a 'conscious mind' is more than the sum of its parts. If not, then we certainly could 'test' for consciousness, given the appropriate technology. First we would need to define what it means to be conscious (another heap debate), in terms of neural activity and physical state.

> An advanced CPU - so often compared to the brain and its synapse and modularity - is NOT a consciousness. There is nothing 'experiencing' what a computer or robot is 'sensing' or 'thinking' - no matter how advanced it's sensors or programs were.

Here, you are stating that a CPU is not a consciousness. However, you've never defined what exactly a consciousness is. How do you know an advanced CPU is not conscious? How do you know that an advanced CPU could not 'experience' in the same way we do, provided it has the appropriate components and code to replicate our brains behavior accurately enough? Please define consciousness before claiming that something has or does not have 'it'. If your response is along the lines of "we don't understand it well enough to define", then you cannot make these inclusive or exclusive statements. You're also assuming that something has to be experiencing the 'sensing' or 'thinking'. What if 'sensing' and 'thinking' in a coherent manner is all that consciousness really is? I would argue that a computer is much like an intermediate 'consciousness' along the evolutionary line between a plant and a human. IBM has claimed that they have successfully simulated a cat's brain. Is a cat conscious? Assuming their claim is accurate, and that a robo-cat could be created and controlled via this simulation to behave indistinguishably from a real cat, is the robo-cat conscious? IBM is planning on simulating a human brain next. If this simulation is indistinguishable from a real human (à la the Turing test), what then have you to say in regards to consciousness?

> Again, it comes back to the same thing you said -- if a computer were capable of a conscious mind -- at what point does it 'gain' such a phenomena...

This is due to the vagueness in the definition of 'conscious', another heap problem, and can be summarily dismissed with the understanding that 'consciousness' is an illusion, created by brain matter. Adding code/components, at what point does it fit the definition of 'consciousness'? To reiterate, I feel that this can be simply explained with a realization that 'consciousness' is a label we apply to a higher functioning brain, specifically the illusion created by such a brain, and is not a real tangible thing.

> There is no evolutionary incentive - or really, anything in the universe - that necessitates a conscious mind -- but maybe that is a byproduct product of our advanced brain (there is no disincentive for a conscious mind either). Like a bellybutton - there is no need for it, but it's a by-product, and it's not harmful, so it's there.

Ack! I really hope you'd like to take back these statements. There certainly is a benefit of a conscious mind, when considering social aspects of organisms. In fact, the 'illusion' of identity was likely a result of the evolutionary 'force' of social interaction (the you are 'you', I am 'me' distinction in a social species). This evolutionary step (not a single step, of course) is arguable what has vaulted our species to domination over the rest of nature. Also, a belly button is absolutely necessary--it was the passage through which you were fed in the womb!

The rest of what you said I approached at the start of this wall-of-text, since it most likely identifies our difference in opinion.

* Edit for clarity and URL oops

Hi welcome-

I have cp and am almost 40. I have ataxic cp in all 4 limbs, 80% of those with cp have spastic. Ataxic and Spastic are types of cp. All my life, I classified my cp as moderate, but now, they're getting away from saying mild/moderate/severe and using a scale called Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). I would be level IV

If types and levels mean nothing to you or are confusing-don't worry that makes two of us! All my life various professionals have thrown around different labels or sub categories about me. While I found most or all of those therapists great and helpful, my type of cp-I've always been who cares.

I have a bachelors degree, am a publisher/author, and can am able to live alone. I walk short distances but mostly use a Manuel wheel chair. Since graduating college, I've worked sporadically but it's been a struggle to find and keep a job.

YES-there is absolutely hope for improvement! Your little girl is only 5mos. That is really too early to know how she'll do yet. It's certainly too early to 'close any doors.' Or say, she'll never.. All you know is if she's diagnosed w cp, her path will probably look a little different. It's ok, not to know 'what to do with that' and feel all sorts of ways, that's normal!

Most of us hit many childhood milestones, it just takes us longer. It is not too early to start 'working.' By that I mean your first goal should be to get her into early intervention for babies birth to three. Talk to your doctor about this-ask what is our quickest path into Early Intervention? What do I need to do to start? Contacting Easter Seals or your states Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) would also give you info on how to access Early Intervention services in your area.

Early intervention so helped me improve!! The other thing that really helped me sit, walk, talk etc was starting therapeutic horseback riding at age three! And, I loved it!

You got this! It will be OK! Take each day, year, challenge as it comes and know your little girl will amaze you in ways that you cannot even imagine.


' Below are all resources that I think are great to 'sorta get the lay of the land of cp..'

• Cerebral Palsy: A Complete Guide for Caregiving (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) https://www.amazon.com/Cerebral-Palsy-Complete-Caregiving-Hopkins/dp/0801883555/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=
  
• Reaching for the Stars: http://reachingforthestars.org/
  
• Dr. Karen Pape: http://www.karenpapemd.com (Dr. Pape has kind of different ideas than Freeman Miller, who was my doctor and co-wrote Cerebral Palsy: A Complete Guide to Caregiving. He is the nicest man ever, but never hurts to consider different schools of thought)
  
• American Academy for Cerebral Palsy & Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) http://www.aacpdm.org/
  
• Intensive Suit Therapy https://oxfordrecoverycenter.com/suit-therapy/
  
• Wrightslaw Special Education and advocacy http://wrightslaw.com
  
• Alternative Therapies for CP http://cpcare.org/treatments/alternative/
  
  (if you want to try stuff in addition. Some things you may feel might be worth looking into, others you may feel won't help or don't sound credible.
  
  Don't get to over whelmed, you do not have to do everything all at once. The period after diagnosis is hard enough-if you feel it's best to stick to early intervention, that's enough. Never feel you have to have your kiddo in 20 different therapies or you're failing as a parent-not so!! Do whatever works for you!)
  
  
• Wonderful blog about growing up with/having cp; If you root around it covers a lot of topics:
  
  A lot of experiences mirror my own, some contrast my experiences. Nonetheless, it gives lots of information/perspective. https://toniasays.blogspot.com/2017/08/parenting-kids-with-disabilities-what.html
  
  Best to you and your family!

You have a lot of work ahead of you for sure, but this is not an impossible task. First off, I wouldn't worry too much about the Nambu-Goto action right now. Instead, you're going to need to develop quite a bit of background knowledge and mathematical tools.

Sites like Brilliant, and Youtube lectures are valuable resources, but if you're going to be successful in this endeavour, I'd recommend that you put some serious effort into learning from textbooks. The ability to learn from a textbook does not come naturally to most people, but it is a skill that can be developed and will be necessary for you to make much progress in this direction. In fact, I'd say that perhaps the most valuable thing I gained in my undergraduate degree was the ability to sit down and actually learn from a textbook in a systematic way.

The book on String Theory by Zweibach is probably going to be the best resource for you as it's a quite approachable low level string theory book designed for advanced undergraduate students. In order to read and understand it, you'll need to first gain at minimum a popular level, hand-wavy understanding of general relativity and quantum field theory and a mathematical understanding of special relativity, quantum mechanics and electromagnetism.

One book I can't recommend enough to non-professionals wanting to get a semi-serious mathematical understanding of modern physics is The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose. In my opinion, the book is a masterpiece. He starts off with "what is a number", and by the end of the first half of the book has given a serious account of fibre bundles using only the ideas introduced in the book. His explanations are lucid, engaging and very deep. The second half then uses the mathematics introduced in the first half to describe much of modern physics. He has a section where he talks about String Theory, but he isn't much of a fan of it so doesn't spend a lot of time on the topic. However, the mathematics he introduces in the first half are invaluable for understanding quantum mechanics, relativity, quantum field theory and string theory. Roger is a bit of a maverick and has some 'cooky' ideas and opinions that would make many professional physicists blush with embarrassment, but throughout the book he is very careful to clearly say when he is making a controversial statement.

I think if you pick of the Road to Reality, and manage to seriously read the first 15 chapters while also reading (or watching) introductory books / lecture series on quantum mechanics and special relativity and electromagnetism you'll be in a great place to try and get into the basics of string theory.

some amazing books I would suggest to you are:

• Godel Escher Bach
  
  
• Road to Reality By Roger Penrose.
  
  
• Code by
  Charles Petzold.
  
  
• Pi in the Sky by John Barrow.
  
  All of these I would love to read again, if I had the time, but none more so than Godel, Escher, Bach, which is one of the most beautiful books I have ever come across.
  
  Road to Reality is the most technical of these books, but gives a really clear outline of how mathematics is used to describe reality (in the sense of physics).
  
  Code, basically, teaches you how you could build a computer (minus, you know, all the engineering. But that's trivial surely? :) ). The last chapter on operating systems is pretty dated now but the rest of it is great.
  
  Pi in the Sky is more of a casual read about the philosophy of mathematics. But its very well written, good night time reading!
  
  You have a really good opportunity to get an intuitive understanding of the heart of mathematics, which even at a college level is somewhat glossed over, in my experience. Use it!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Compass-Pleasure-Marijuana-Generosity/dp/0143120751

Here's a good read on how our behavior is influenced by our biology more than we might want to believe.

I like to write a "review" whenever I finish a book here's what I had to say after reading "The Compass of Pleasure":

Having finished The Compass of Pleasure there is one thing that strikes me more than anything else. It shows me a picture in which free will seems to play an extremely small part in our lives, if at all. By the time we factor in biological dispositions, parenting, socioeconomic status, race, country/ culture of origin, available opportunities, and the thousand other external pressures in conjunction with the way pleasure actively conditions our behavior; Free will seems to be an illusion and we are much more like jelly fish afloat on the currents of factors external of our individual consciousness. A haunting conclusion that if embraced on a societal scale would have tremendous implications.

EDIT
Few more things I pulled from that book:

1There is a neural unity of virtue and vice - Pleasure is our compass, no matter the path we take. What makes pleasure so compelling is that, through the interconnection of the pleasure circuit with other brain regions, we adorn it with memory, with associations and emotions and social meaning, with sights, sounds, and smells.

2To explain some of the irrational behavior involving gambling: Activation of win-related regions by near-miss outcomes is somehow pleasurable and is more pleasurable when the subject has personal control.
Near miss and total miss outcomes should evoke the same response in a rational world.

3We know from Schult’s Monkey experiments that rapid associative learning can transform a pleasure signal into a reward prediction error signal that can guide learning to maximize future pleasure. It is likely that this same process is what enables humans to feel pleasure from arbitrary rewards like monetary gain (or even near misses in monetary gain) or winning at a video game.

4“Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters, Pain and Pleasure... They govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it.”
-Jeremy Bentham
He was half right, pleasure does indeed guide us. However, we now have reason to believe that they are not to opposite ends of the same spectrum. The opposite of pleasure isn’t pain; rather, just as the opposite of love is not hate but indifference, the opposite of pleasure is not pain but ennui- a lack of interest in sensation and experience. Both pleasure and pain indicate salience, that is, experience that is deserving of attention. Emotion is the currency of salience, and both positive emotions like euphoria and love and negative emotions like fear, anger, and disgust signal events that we must not ignore.

5Emotional pain isn’t just a metaphor: In terms of brain activation, it particularly overlaps with physical pain.

6We can say for certain that: We evaluate our own economic circumstances and and prospects not on some absolute scale, but rather in comparison to those of people around us. We seem to be hardwired to compare our own experiences and circumstances to those around us.

I'll try to answer as many of these as best I can from the other side (just had our son in July).

1. My understanding is that at home pregnancy tests are fairly reliable. It's unlikely it's a false positive but you'll know for sure tomorrow.
   
   
2. It is normal to be both nervous and excited. My wife and I had planned to try for our son for a while before we started and when we got the confirmation I was both thrilled and incredibly nervous. It's a big change so it's totally normal to have some concerns. But it's a really great change as well.
   
   
3. As to questions at the doctor, we mostly asked about what the steps are from the doctor's perspective for going through the pregnancy. The Bump has a list of questions to ask at your first prenatal visit here that you can use as a guide to start if you want but depending on how early it is there may not be a ton of information for you at this point. You'll have plenty of time to ask extra questions at future visits too. I'd recommend starting a Google Doc with any questions you think up randomly so you'll have them all somewhere when you go to the doctor. As far as planning for a baby, for me just learning about the process of pregnancy was a good place to start. You'll need to look at finances, sleeping arrangements and other stuff too at some point but a good first place to start for me was what's going to be potentially happening for the next 9 months. I found The Birth Partner and The Expectant Father to be great resources for me to understand what was happening and how I could help.
   
   
4. Whatever you're feeling is appropriate. It's totally ok to be nervous but you don't need to freak out too much. You'll be able to handle whatever comes your way on this. The fact that your already reaching out for info is a good sign you'll be able to figure out what you need when you need.
   
   Congrats!

Here's the issue: we seek pleasure, it's literally what makes life worth living.

How to overcome the need of dopamine? Well…we can't and we shouldn't: it's the main drive that made our race survive till now! But we can control and deviate our addiction, by satisfying our brain with selected kind of pleasure.

Try to engage yourself in activities that you enjoy really much, but also lead you to something "more".

Examples:

• Exercice -> you get fit
  
• Read -> you learn something and/or develop creativity
  
• Find an hobby -> you develop skills
  
• Make love -> you develop skills, do physical exercise, you strengthen the connection with your partner
  
• Hang out with friends (maybe new ones) -> you develop social skills, you learn more about yourself
  
• Meditate: you gain insight
  
• Eat (healthy): you strengthen your body
  
  In other words you have to avoid pleasure as an end in itself; hopefully you'll defeat your addiction (mostly a matter of habits, for what I see) and maybe even become a better person. Good luck!

You are experiencing modern angst. If you had lived only 100 years ago these feelings [for the most part] would not have had a chance to have arisen in the form you are expressing [stardust, universe experiencing itself] - be grateful you can do do it at all [I'm not saying people didn't have these feelings, like Camus, Neitzche, Descartes and others but that most average people didn't have the chance to worry like this, in the information laden way you are spitting it, since most people were busy feeding themselves and their families by farming etc]. So, yes, you are alive and it's all so crazy to think about.

Oh and yes, we do actually understand more than a "spec" of reality.

You say that if I am calm about what your saying then I am missing the point and haven't grasped the full implication of it's meaning. I say truth is relative and the truth of what you're saying is one of many perspectives I can tap into and get lost in. You seem to be hyperventilating only one stream of thought - your existential purpose, validity, meaning.

You seem to want someone to validate your feelings with an equal amount of shock and awe. Well you might get it, so what then? I'm not saying the knowledge you are talking about doesn't lead one to existential angst and confusion, but just remember what the Buddha said about the nature of reality. All is change. All is impermanent. This isn't some lofty metaphysical concept that is impossible to apply to everyday life. On the contrary, it is imminently important to understand so as to get a grip on your situation. If all is impermanent, then your feelings, opinions, knowledge etc.. is all impermanent. You are holding onto the feelings of utter confusion and awe. You have made a mistake unconsciously, that everyone does, when they mistake their immediate phenomenal experience as a permanent "thing" in reality. To be consistent with the Buddha's revelation one must relax, quiet the mind and understand the nature of reality - impermanence.

Read - Buddhism: Plain and Simple and also Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Questioning, the kind you seem to be doing, is just spinning your wheels if not tempered with a calm awareness and composure. Do you want to seek contentment and happiness? Do you want to feel resolve? Then shut your mind up for a moment. Listen to the birds chirp. Sit quietly in your room and watch your breathe. Work with your hands and feel reality in all it's textures. Just be aware. Hopefully you will have a long life to ponder these questions you have but for now don't make the mistake that so many neurotics do; mainly the mistake of attaching oneself to a overly anxious perspective while neglecting other modes of thought that are just as easily attachable. You have control over your mind, and your mind is doing all this anxious thinking.

If you want to have these questions turned upside down and be thrown into a different sort of thought then you must read Krishnamurti and his musings about life, love, truth, intelligence, nature.... "A consistent thinker is a thoughtless person, because he conforms to a pattern; he repeats phrases and thinks in a groove." Jiddu Krishnamurti - more quotes here.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers” - Voltaire

Apply this quote to yourself. Spend time with it. What are you really asking and what answers are you really searching for?

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” - Buddha

Good luck.

> I'm unable to even try to get a diagnosis. Yes, try to get.

You won't actually be able to get a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (AS), it doesn't exist anymore. AS was removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in May 2013, I covered some of this in a reply to the post on WHO removing some gender based disorders from the ICD.

In Australia the removal of AS has led to people who would be otherwise diagnosed with AS be diagnosed as having social communication disorder. As social communication disorder isn't recognised as an autism spectrum disorder, there isn't any funding or additional support available to those diagnosed as having it.

> Oh and, the HUGE absence of resources for aspies over 18. It's as if the system assumes it's a "kid thing" and that you either die as a kid (like a lot of orphan diseases) or that symptoms no longer exist as adults.

As someone who wasn't diagnosed with AS until I was 30, this is a big issue. While I am successsfully able to manage without needing professional support, there are aother people I know who can't.

That said, there are a lot of good books and other resources out there. Two that I have found invaluable are Tony Attwood's The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome and Ashley Stanford's Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships. Being a partner and parent with AS has it's challenges but being a good partner and great father is well worth the effort.

For a more light hearted look at things, David Finch's The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband is a great autobiography which I also learned a great deal from.

If you have any questions or want someone to talk to, you just need to ask.

Disclaimer: I am an engineer, not a physicist, biologist, etc.

I've always been partial to Feynman's writings when it comes to non-technical discussions of physics. Six Easy Pieces is a great place to start, and if you enjoy it, you can try out Six Not So Easy Pieces. QED is a very accessible book on quantum electrodynamics. Don't let the complex-sounding title fool you--Feynman makes this subject very easy to understand for the layperson.

I really enjoyed reading Relativity for the Million by Martin Gardner, although it's been quite a while since I read it. Gardner is a great author, and this book is perfect for the interested layperson. If you enjoy puzzles, check out his other books. If you want to get a little more technical, Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Einstein is a good choice.

If you're up for a challenge and willing to commit to a bit of study, I recommend The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe by Roger Penrose.

As far as magazines go, I've found that Science News keeps me up-to-date on the latest developments in science without getting mired in the details of subjects that I may not be familiar with.

Related: depending on where we are in in our own life cycle, humans perceive time and movement differently. Just after birth newborns till about two months babies are capable of tracking slowly moving objects, but their eyes move only in jerks called saccades and they tend to fall behind the object they are trying to follow. By three months babies can perceive motion and their eye movement tracks moving objects smoothly. By six months months the brain can actually anticipate movements, that is, the eyes focus slightly ahead of a steadily moving object.

Also related is the steady improvement of visual acuity, the ability to detect detail. It starts at 20/600, which is thirty times poorer than 20/20 vision, and improves rapidly over the first six months of life, and then more gradually. Full acuity (20/20) isn't reached until a child reaches five years of age!

Together these explain why when playing with a young toddler, you can perform clumsy slight of hand tricks which impress and amuse them significantly, whereas it wouldn't work with an older child.

Source: This book by Dr. Lise Eliot (p212). Great read for parents expecting a newborn btw.

I also remember seeing a documentary about time perception of different creatures. And I remember that different creatures do have different time perceptions. Not only does a hummingbird perceive time more efficiently, so to speak, than you and I, but a slug perceives time less efficiently. I don't remember the documentary so I don't have a source for this though.

Edit: inserted page number

These are a number of my favorite books, and all of which are great reads.

• Philosophy: The Golden Chain of Homer is probably one of the most important books ever written in the field of Alchemy, which delves very deep into Philosophical territory.
  
  
• Business/ Economics/ Finance: The Economic Way of Thinking is always held in high regards as an excellent book in presenting basic economics. It presents the subject in a clear, and concise way, and meant to develop a new way of thinking for those new to economics.
  
  
• Non-Fiction/ Technology/ Science: The Road to Reality has a very nice overview of the essential mathematics of modern physics, and goes into a nice discussion of quantum mechanics and string theory.
  
  
• Current Affairs: A Sociology of Mental Illness is a great insight into current issues in the field of mental illness. You'll never see mental illness in the same way ever again after reading this book.
  
  
• Specialized Topic: Traditional Blacksmithing is probably one of my favorite books of all time. This is as good a discussion and instruction into traditional blacksmithing as you will find, as well as good advice into how a blacksmith ought to conduct himself to live a well rounded lifestyle.

Absolutely no issues with flying during pregnancy. Some airlines restrict pregnant women from flying past ~36 weeks, but I think that's because they don't want you going into labor in their airplane cabin at 32,000 feet. After getting thru security, buy a bottle of water for your wife. I was on a 2-hour flight over Christmas and was dying of thirst waiting for the drink cart to come down the aisle. Also, give her the aisle seat if possible so she can walk the aisles periodically to keep the blood moving and access the bathroom quickly if needed.

As for books, I've read a lot of good ones. I've liked the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, and Elisabeth Bing's Six Practical Lessons for an Easier Childbirth and Ina May's Guide to Childbirth for info on labor and delivery, and The Happiest Baby on the Block and the Wonder Weeks for infant care. Also The Birth Partner is a great book on delivery for both pregnant women and husbands. If you can find a secondhand bookstore near you, check it out--a lot of people sell off these types of books once they're done with them.

My grandmother has moderate Dementia, and possibly Alzheimers coupled with that. She lives alone, after 5 failed marriages and we see here every day, and she has a visiting nurse come to her house every day. It helps her to have some social interaction as often as possible. I am a teenager, but highly involved in the situation as my dad is often out of town on business and my mother is shepherding my sister to and fro private school, along with her job as well. It is difficult to deal with the situation at times, but one of the best ways we find, as a family, is to talk openly, honestly, and often about the situation. Some light-hearted humor at his/her expense when they aren't around helps us stay sane (maybe we're terrible people, but we really do give our full effort to help her whenever possible).

There is a book about Dimentia and related ailments called "The 36-Hour Day"; it is extremely helpful in understanding why they may act a certain way, and also how to help them in those situations.

tl;dr: My gramma has Dimentia, possibly Alzheimer's, and we take excellent care of her. Read the book linked into the comment for help.

I also wanted to offer an alternative view.

I will be the first to admit that labor and delivery is scary especially for a first time mother. BUT I think it would be incredibly helpful for you to learn more about the process. The more you know the less fear you'll have.

I originally subscribed to this sub because I thought I needed a scheduled c-section due to low lying placenta. It moved up on its own and I was able to have a vaginal delivery. I chose to do it naturally with no pain medication and honestly, it was an awesome experience. Yes- it hurt, yes- it was hard, but I would do it over again in a heartbeat! I ended needing an episiotomy which I know scares a lot of people but they gave me a local anesthetic first and I couldn't feel it at all. My recovery was so easy!!! I just felt a bit bruised down there for the first little while and that's it. Full disclosure, I know not everyone has this kind of experience, but statistically the vast majority of births are complication free.

So long story short, I would suggest you look into vaginal delivery more in-depth. Look into the stages of labor. Definitely research the potential risks and side effects of a c-section. Also with this being you're first, c-sections can have negative risks for subsequent pregnancies.

This book is designed for support people during labor, but honestly it was the best resource for learning the stages of labor. It's a very empowering book. I highly recommend it!
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/155832819X/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_8CzHAbDYV87PP

I'm not specifically saying you shouldn't go for a c-section, I just think giving your self the knowledge of the pros and cons will be a huge help!

Best of luck to you!!

My SO felt most baby books were really condescending or immature, but so far he's enjoying one my midwife recommended, [The Birth Partner] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/155832819X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492743861&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=birth+partner&dpPl=1&dpID=51XnpsE7XXL&ref=plSrch)

With baby books, I highly recommend you read the samples on amazon before buying, the dad ones especially. :)

Also! Watch the Happiest Baby on The Block videos with him about swaddling and other fantastic ways to calm even colicky babies.

And [here] (https://youtu.be/j7YucfJuziU) is a 3 part birthing class on youtube. :)

Actually, if you are reading Good Calories, Bad Calories, you can skip Metabolic Typing Diet. MTD is just another system to help you determine how your body processes fats and carbohydrates, which imho is the big variable when it comes to diet. But GCBC covers that along with updated information.

IIRC, GCBC also recommends starting with a super low-carbohydrate diet for a few weeks and then introducing carbs until you start to feel funky again, then pulling back til you feel better. This is pretty common practice for a lot of dieticians now. Incidentally, Taubes wrote a follow-up called Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.
which is a bit of a rehash of GCBC but focuses more on putting the knowledge into practice. IMHO both are worth reading.

I'm also a huge fan of David Perlmutter's Grain Brain, which talks about the link between carbs and the brain and brain disease and imho is really worth a read. It has a couple of follow up books too (Brain Maker about the vital role that gut flora plays and Grain Brain Cookbook).

Since embarking on my nutritional journey, I discovered I have a gluten allergy (explains all those times I fell asleep at the wheel after eating a sandwich). I cut out grains for the most part and eat primarily protein and veg, very little sugar, definitely no refined sugar.
My mood is better and more consistent, brain fog is gone, weight is easier to maintain, and I have more lasting energy.

It's unfortunate that institutions like the FDA and AHA (who are backed by industrial farming corps) hammered the American public with the lie of the one-size-fits-all Food Pyramid and low-fat, "heart-healthy" diets & that the word "diet" carries a connotation of weight-loss instead of health.

Our generation is paying for it with our health.

It sounds like misophonia. The last paragraph of this site has some suggestions such as cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as some other resources: https://misophoniainstitute.org/what-is-misophonia/
Haven't read this book, but perhaps it may be helpful to you: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Overcoming-Misophonia-2nd-Conditioned/dp/1548328693
Best of luck! Hopefully having a specific term to research is helpful. Looks like you're not alone. :)

Congratulations :D

I was referred to the book The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin (http://www.amazon.com/The-Birth-Partner-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X) which is, as far as I can tell, completely devoid of humor.

It is mostly focused on assisting your partner in pregnancy and birth (like explaining what she might be thinking/feeling and what you might be thinking/feeling at various points in pregnancy and labor), and also provides a lot of information for prepping for having a newborn at home, like lists of supplies that are necessary.

It also has a bias towards natural birth and home birth, and against "medicalized birth", but that's easy enough to ignore in favor of the wealth of other information it offers.

Best of luck!

• I really enjoyed Blood, Marriage, Wine & Glitter. I read Bear's other two memoirs first and found it fascinating to follow along their evolution, but you could read this as a stand alone.
  
• I've been meaning to read Pregnant Butch and just haven't gotten around to it.
  
• The Longest Shortest Time is a podcast that isn't explicitly queer, but does have some queer focused episodes.
  
  
  For non queer books:
  
  
• I also really enjoyed Bringing Up Bebe.
  
• The Birth Partner has been much recommended, but I'm not planning to read it until I'm pregnant again and much further along.
  
• Coping With Infertility, Miscarriage, and Neonatal Loss: Finding Perspective and Creating Meaning is something I'm currently reading. It's pretty good, although I actually do therapy so a lot of it is not new to me.
  
• Expecting Better
  
• NurtureShock I really, really enjoyed this. It's kind of like Freakonomics, but about parenting.
  

I really enjoyed the book Asperger Syndrome and Long-Term Relationships, written by an NT wife of an AS husband.

Granted, I've not seen the advice and insights in the book put into practice, being an aspie who has never been in any romantic relationship of note, so I'm not entirely sure of how valuable my judgment on such a book is. But I thought that the author's attitude and writing style was very respectful, positive, and encouraging, in contrast to some other literature I've read that I felt was less positive or constructive, or was subtly dismissive or disrespectful toward one or the other party in a mixed NT/AS relationship.

A great introduction to the subject is "The Compass of Pleasure" David Linden. It actually discusses many different things that act on the brains reward circuitry. It has a whole chapter dedicated to Obesity, which is pretty interesting. It's very readable for the lay person:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Compass-Pleasure-Marijuana-Generosity/dp/0143120751/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1368478289&sr=8-1

Here's a quick breakdown on Leptin though (note: I only skimmed this to see if it would be an appropriate source that I could actually directly link you to; I haven't read the whole thing):

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-facts-on-leptin-faq

Here's a decent breakdown of some of the science from the NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/tara-parker-pope-fat-trap.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&

Here's some studies that show that almost everybody who loses more than 15 pounds gains it all back:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1580453

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/74/5/579.full


If I have time later, I'll try to get you more. I have a friend waiting on me. But, if you want more academic articles, just go on JSTOR or Google Scholar and search "leptin" and "obesity."

edit: sorry, I don't have time tonight. I'll try to remember to get you some more info tomorrow.

The book I didn't like (despise is too strong, it was just too simplistic) was What to Expect.

I loved Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy. It felt in depth and comprehensive while still being practical.

Another two books I've loved have been "Brain Rules for Baby" and "What's Going On in There". Brain Rules is written for more of a layman's audience while the second is very very technical if you're not familiar with neurology, though the author does a good job of explaining things. They both touch on pregnancy and how different things affect the developing brain and why something is good or bad. It also talks about what you can do now, while pregnant, to give your child the best chance you can and all backed up with peer reviewed research. I loved them!

Some thoughts:

1. Highly recommend skimming through the 'Driven to Distraction' book and taking the linked adult ADHD self report test
   
   
2. My read of Scott's post http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/12/28/adderall-risks-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ and other things on the internet is that Ritalin is perhaps better than Adderall from the perspective that you're talking about: e.g. comedowns and euphoria. I've read that Ritalin has less of a euphoria. Also you can start super super low with dosages. Like 5-10mg Ritalin per day, which is about 2.5-5mg Adderall per day and titrate as needed. This has info on dosing: https://www.amazon.com/New-ADHD-Medication-Rules-Science-ebook/dp/B00JNLYOTK/
   
   
3. I felt similarly to you, I always had this perception of Adderall and Ritalin as scary drugs, then I read a lot into it after reading the 'driven to distraction' book and felt very reassured.
   
   Overall, seems like you would benefit from looking further into it. That's what I wish someone would've told me if I was in your situation.

> do you mean that they are man-made tools to help picture and calculate and predict?

Yes.

> once we figured out that light is the oscillation of the EM field, that proved to us that fields are actually a real physical... thing.

That's definitely not the case (the second part.) In fact the experiments of Michelson and Morley are usually cited as definitive proof that it's not a real, physical thing.

> If you don't feel confident answering, are there any books you would refer me to?

Check out Feynman's books "6 Not-So-Easy Pieces" and "QED". QED is the one more relevant to this discussion. I would also recommend Roger Penrose's The Road to Reality if you have a lot of spare time and are willing to keep up with it properly.

Are you taking an intro to physics course as an undergraduate? If so, and if you are interested enough to take more coursework on physics, try taking an EMags (Electromagnetic Fields) class in the EE or physics department. 20th century physics (relativity) and a couple of QM (Quantum Mechanics) classes would be helpful as well. After you take a couple of EM and QM courses, you'll really appreciate how god damn hard it is to have any sort of "intuition" about physics, and how important it is to just treat the math like math.

Interesting book is "Brain Storms the race to unlock the mystery of Parkinson's Disease" by Jon Palfreman

For years researchers didn't think there was a genetic link, but a family in Italy had 50% occurrence of Parkinson's Disease. Genetically the family had four genes that generated Alpha-synuclein. We need it to survive, but typically have only two genes.

When that protein, Alpha-synuclein, is misfolded it causes problems. So while genetics is possible, it is just one of many possible issues.

I have a very large family, yet only one with Parkinson's. We all seem to be highly driven, OCD and ADHD just being common to all of us. The great news is physical activity plays a huge role, so workout 3x a week is healthy!

Oh, with ADHD: Another great book I enjoyed. Deep Work by Cal Newport. I work as an Electronic Engineer, and need that block of time to sort things out. So I keep a rigid schedule, lets me get back to clients and still have time to think things through.

So eating right, exercise, and a good nights sleep are all key to keeping everything working.

If you can afford it, get a doula to help you stay focused on your goals and help you advocate for yourself with the medical stuff.

If you haven't read these books, read them, and realize you can still have the birth you want, even in a hospital. They mostly take place in birth centers but I don't think that limits you. Do your midwive's have privileges at your hospital? If I risk out of my birth center my midwive's would still be at the hospital with me helping me avoid intervention when possible.

Spontaneous Joyful Natural Birth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0984774696/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_unsmxbPZHJGV9

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553381156/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_UnsmxbK2RDTYK

If you want SO's help getting you ready to have the birth you want even in the hospital, have them read this-

The Birth Partner - Revised 4th Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions https://www.amazon.com/dp/155832819X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Kosmxb3AA7EZB

I had a counselor once tell me that I had an addictive personality and it only occurs in about 10% of people. It was before I was a drinker, but she mentioned alcoholics are like this and oddly enough warned me because both my mother (recovered) and father (still binges) have problems. She then said on the bright side, lots of successful people like CEOs and entrepreneurs have addictive personalities. In the end it’s about training your brain. Not exactly about addictive personalities, but still a good book is The Compass of Pleasure by David J. Linden -> https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0143120751/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_0143120751

Sorry you had a bad experience with doulas in your area! That's a shame.

BUT! A good book for you and your hubby is The Birth Partner https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X

It details what the woman in labor will be feeling and what you can do as a partner to help her. Really good read. Good luck!

I got the new millennium edition. While I was researching which one to get , a lot of people mentioned that millenium edition was glossy and had smaller print which made it harder to read. I must say it looks fine. I don't have any problems so far. The reason i picked the latest is because it was relatively cheaper (140ish vs 300+) and had over 900 erratas fixed with respect to older editions.

Bonus: Another book I started reading in tandem is Road to Reality by Penrose which is equivalent in excitement, inspiration and quality of material and gives a nice overview of math required for physics and relation between math and physics. Highly recommend.

Wow, lots of similarities!! As far as getting an "official" diagnosis, that's sort of the point we were at...it would've been a lot of money for not a lot of benefit. Honestly, it's been a while since I've looked at the books we have so, I can't remember which were most helpful (sorry) but, here's the ones that we do have:
book #1
book #2
book #3
book #4

If I do recall correctly I believe Book #3 Aspergers In Love by Maxine Aston was most helpful...but, I can't promise.

Also, if you didn't see it already, check out the link for the 5 Love Languages, we found that to be really helpful.

Edit...did the link formatting wrong!

Hoow. Well, I'm in the middle of re-reading The E-Myth, since it's a good refresher and I find myself having to scale up one of my businesses.

I'm looking at (re)reading Deep Survival next week because I'm going on retreat. I have saved it for a close reading and copious notes because I think there's something similar in the people who survive dangerous situations and the people who survive and thrive in starting small businesses.

I'm in the middle of The Social Animal, by David Brooks, which I adore. I think I'm going to keep it. (That's saying something, since I read voraciously, but I have only one shelf of books I felt was worth revisiting.) The way he's tackled the book is very interesting and it's incredibly deftly done.

I have Republic of Thieves out from the library, the newest in the Gentleman Bastards series. I don't know when I'm going to get to it. When I start a fiction book I tend to read it straight through, and nothing else gets done, so I'm loathe to start one.

I also have TapDancing to Work the new Warren Buffet autobiography, The Compass of Pleasure (which has been on my wishlist so long I've forgotten what I wanted it for) and Medieval Mercenaries a book about the history of mercenaries. I've always been very interested in mercenaries. I don't know why.

Today a friend recommended The Small Business Life Cycle which I already own, so it will be moving up on the list. I really admire the author, a US Army veteran and philosopher.

It sounds like you're kind of interested in discussing the birth aspects of your care. Totally reasonable and legit and unfortunately not super common in American medical care. Good for you for at least wanting to learn about it though - it's a pretty big deal and a lot people just let it happen to them.

If you want to teach yourself a bit, you might consider reading the book The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin: https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X Super helpful and not just for birth partners but for pregnant ladies too.

Also, your hospital probably offers a childbirth class that you might consider signing up for. Check their website or ask your doctor's office.

You can also feel free to tell your doctor at your next appointment that you want them to tell you what to expect in labor & delivery.

For non-birth stuff, I'll second the Group B Strep test that /u/snuglasfur mentioned and add that you might ask about getting the the TDaP booster vaccine (recommended by the CDC for women in their third trimester during every pregnancy to help pass immunity on to the baby).

You might find these [three] books interesting:

What's going on in there?

Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready

Phonemic Awareness in Young Children

Every child will be different, and it does depend on what they are exposed to.
Building vocabulary (by reading to a child, not lessons or flashcards), phonemic awareness, problem solving and building skills, creativity, and physical agility and strength through play are all more important than learning facts right now. Think of it as creating the sponge that lets a child be ready to learn when they are ready. Knowing an alphabet at 2 isn't that useful, but being able to identify individual sounds in a word is a fundamental pre-reading skill. Knowing what architect designed a building is cute at 4, but problem solving and building things with blocks and such is more important.

Just keep playing, talking, and reading, and it will all be OK.

If you think you can read an undergraduate textbook Ryden is a standard.

However, if you think that may be too advanced, start with some popular books on the subject such and The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, Parallel Worlds by Michio Kaku or the classic by Hawking A Brief History of Time.

If after reading those you want something more advanced but still not a textbook try The Road to Reality by Penrose. It reads like a popular book but he actually works through math (and the real stuff with like tensors etc...) to make his points so it is more advanced. Also, the Dummies Books are also a more intermediate step and are often decently good at teaching the basics on a lower technical level than a textbook.

I wonder if this study, once published, will be yet another "boys are this way always" and "girls are this way always" book or if it will actually examine the social constructs that lead to that divide-- things such as expectation, conditioning, archaic gender roles, etc.

We definitely don't need more of the former floating around out there. It's great to know things as they are, but it's better to look at the actual "why"s that make them that way.

A great example of the latter would be Pink Brain, Blue Brain. We need more books like that around.

I think that V.S. Ramachandran's The Tell Tale Brain might be a good place to start. His writing style is very accessible and he really gives you an awe-inspiring sense of the multifaceted intrigue of studying the brain. I think if you start there, you will enter the neuro field with a great perspective to encourage growth and curiosity. If you run into any problems or difficult concepts, you can always just come back here! I've found everyone at this subreddit to always be more than helpful.

Good Luck!

wow man.. you need to get into science. There is a lot more to the brain and especially the mind than just chemicals. Here is a play list I made on some things I find fascinating in neuroscience. It may serve to get you interested enough to read up on it more. If you find those videos interesting then you might enjoy reading The Tell-Tale Brain

You would appreciate anything by Oliver Sacks. He was a celebrated neurologist who wrote a bunch of great books about consciousness and fascinating stories about conditions he saw in his practice from a very philosophical rather than strictly clinical point of view. You could start with The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Hallucinations, or Awakenings. He gave a nice TED talk if you want to get a taste for it.

> I couldn't imagine staying on keto for the entirety of my life. Low carb yeah, but keto, while awesome for weight loss, is ott for maintenance imo.

You should take a look at what carbs do to your body, in the short term and over time. Those books listed on the keto calculator page are not just different variations on "cut carbs, lose weight." This is not "Read one, you've read them all." The historical context of why we have been told to eat lots of carbs and limit fat, despite so much science to the contrary, is complex and cannot be covered in a single volume. The depth and domino effects of the problem are still being figured out.

I'd start with The Big Fat Surprise as a contextual basis for Grain Brain, which in turn prepares you for Brain Maker. Big Fat Surprise meticulously pieces together the origin and evolution of the carbohydrate boom, and Grain Brain and Brain Maker explain how to get yourself out of its path. Judging by the perspective that you appear to be coming from, the first chapter of BFS will probably drop your jaw. And it just keeps going like that. This is a seriously deep rabbit hole.

>I'm also critical of the possible long term health implications, scurvy, immune function etc.

I'm not sure I understand. I could not carry in my arms the variety of vegetables that are abundant with Vitamin C. As for immune function, low carb is pretty well-established as a positive contributor. Like I said, domino effects. It's all in those books. How did we get vitamin C before the adoption of vegetables and fruit into our diets? Again, it's in the books.

You don't even need to buy them. You can probably borrow them from your local library, in either physical or e-book form. My library even loans its e-books through Amazon, so they go straight to my Kindle. It's a pretty slick system.

Little peanut gave me an AWESOME night of sleep last night. I didn't wake up til 5 AM, and even when I woke up, all I had to do was pee. Wasn't nauseous or stomach cramping or anything!

Hopefully all of August (and September) goes this way :)

[EDIT] Oh yeah, DH took me to a Barnes & Nobles after puppy class yesterday and we picked up 3 books!

• The Expectant Father
  
• The Pregnancy Countdown Book
  
• Sear's Healthy Pregnancy Book
  
  We also have 3 other books that DH picked up a few days ago... plus we're on an adventure to find The Mayo Clinic Guide and [The Birth Partner]
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155832819X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER)
  
  All this reading makes me happy~

If your goal is to understand basic concepts without the math, then a highschool physics book would most likely be the best place to start, as the highest math used is usually Algebra/Pre-calc.

That being said, without at least a calculus background it's hard to grasp some of the concepts beyond basic kinematics. Wikipedia might get you somewhere so it's a good place to start, but it could also lead you through a rabbit hole to pages upon pages of background.

I'd say if you want to tackle more advanced physics concepts then you need at least some background in math, so I'd try Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences by Mary Boas, a book that explains the physics and math somewhat side by side, or The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe by Roger Penrose. Neither is a light read, if you don't have a head for math don't even try Penrose as he uses arguments that assume a reasonable mathematical background. The Boas book is technically a mathematics textbook, so you would do well to supplement it with a College Physics textbook (I used one by Tipler in my university courses).

Amazon Links Below:
Penrose: http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/dp/0679776311/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404248577&sr=1-1&keywords=the+road+to+reality+roger+penrose

Boas: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mathematical-Methods-Physical-Sciences-Mary/dp/0471365807/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404248599&sr=1-1&keywords=boas

Tipler: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Physics-Scientists-Engineers-Modern/dp/1429202653/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1NX3QE9FG7XGKWQ15NQ4

Hope this helps, good luck!

Primarily change your diet. Drop grains and sugars. Eat healthy whole foods. Learn to cook. Read up on proper nutrition. Get some moderate exercise. Look into improving your gut bacteria through probiotics and prebiotics. Get sufficient sleep!

www.dietdoctor.com

http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Maker-Power-Microbes-Protect/dp/0316380105

Concentrate on looking after yourself and improving your body, mind and spirit. There is a wealth of information online for self improvement.

Read everything you can. Leaders are readers.

Watch some classic motivational speakers like Jim Rohn on YouTube.

The list goes on man, the only thing you need is the determination in your mind that you are sick of being where you are. Only you can know when that moment is.

We just bought this book for my husband to read, I skimmed through it quickly and it seems great - full of useful information and very straightforward. We are also taking childbirth classes, why doesn't your partner want to go to one? I've heard they are extremely valuable, and I would think it would help his anxiety if he feels more prepared.

It's not about fatherhood, really just about the first year of baby's life, but I recommend The Science of Mom (yeah, ok, the title literally says 'mom' not 'dad' - but ignore that bit!). It's an evidence-based guide on the first year of life, she goes over many studies and meta-analyses about many different parenting topics.

I've also heard great things about What's Going on in There?, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Yes indeed (and thank you /u/sleeps_with_crazy for the link below, it looks very helpful. I can actually follow the explanations! Yay.)

Speaking of conceptual clarity, my dream is to someday make it all the way through Road to Reality without glossing over any of the concepts. And I can't do it without supplemental reading, not a chance; he loses me completely halfway in (around n-manifolds and tensors I think). I think this level of explanation is pretty much exactly what I need for that, though! I can't hack the super rigorous stuff, and that's fine.

That's not true. That didn't come into effect until 1980. It was simply because it wasn't patentable. His lawyers did look into whether or not he could actually patent it, but determined it wasn't patentable. There is a great book about Salk's life and work you can find here on amazon. His lawyers did in fact look into patenting it but determined they couldn't have because of prior art.

My midwife recommended The Birth Partner to my husband - she said it's amazing and she recommends it to every birth partner that walks into her office.


There's also The Bradley Method - which is husband-coached childbirth. I've heard good things, but my husband wasn't too into this method since he thinks he might crack.

I'm reading HypnoBirthing now and relaying everything I learn to him. I'm going to pick up The Birth Partner for him from my midwife's lending library for him to read and we're also going to start watching HypnoBirthing classes on YouTube - I'm really hoping that'll be good for us.

Yes, there are lots of studies about the addiction patterns in the brains of video game players. I don't think he is implying that massive amounts of video gaming is healthy either. But 303030... is right. It is an addiction that affects a lot of things about you. If you want to read a layman's explanation by great neuroscientists, read The Brain That Changes Itself (there's a section specifically about porn) or The Compass of Pleasure (touches on masturbation, orgasm and I think porn).

Oh! I also have loved The Birth Partner. I feel like it had by far the best explanations of labor and what labor might feel like both for me and for my husband.

V.S. Ramachandran's The Tell-Tale Brain goes into detail regarding synesthesia, among other curious neurological topics. See also: Phantoms in the Brain.

Both books are very easy to read and deliver amazing insight into how the brain actually works. Ramachandran addresses synesthesia (along with mirror neurons and empathy, which are fascinating as shit) more in The Tell-Tale Brain.

Give The Birth Partner a read. It was pretty helpful to me. My wife planned to go med-free, but ultimately mid-labor decided to go with the epidural.

Try to pay close attention to her needs. Make sure you always have water (or ice chips, if she ends up having an epidural) close at hand and give them to her every so often. My wife vomited with every contraction, so I also made sure the puke-bucket was close by so I could hand it to her when she needed it. Make sure you know how to get in contact with the nursing staff for her if she needs something.

If she is planning to go med-free, you should discuss ahead of time how she wants you to react if she, in the pains of labor, changes her mind and says she wants something for the pain. Does she want you to be her rock and re-assure her that she can get through it without medicine? Does she want to establish a "safe word" that she can use when she REALLY has changed her mind and doesn't want you to push back?

Maybe it's a bit below your level as a neuroscience student, but I thought the recent book Pink Brain Blue Brain did a good job on sex differences. Basically, the author's premise is that neurological sex differences are very small (but measurable) initially, but then differentiation occurs during early childhood development, mostly as a result of social reinforcement/ influence. And that of course, due to the nature of brain development (neuroplasticity), those differences eventually become hardwired, eventually resultling in larger measurable differences in older children and adults.

In the process she revisits a lot of the literature on innate sex differences. For much of it, she calls either the data or the methodology into question, and her conclusion is that the differences are generally smaller than is often claimed (or at least that the data is not very conclusive). She also has harsh words for many self-help psychology/sex difference popularizers (like Robert Bly or Louann Brizendine), who she claims accepted the inconclusive science and ran with it.

That book is not exactly about gender in the Judith Butler sense-- she's more concerned with differences in cognition that impact parenting/ academic issues (like social/communication skills, spatial reasoning, etc). Still, I found it to be very provacative and interesting, and if nothing else it's a reminder that the popularized notions of scientific discoveries don't always align very well with the data.

Edit: damned autocorrect

While not specifically for pregnancy, I found these books incredibly helpful. They're written by neuroscience researchers at the University of Washington and my daughter and I ended up being selected as participants in some of their student's studies! The second book heavily influenced my parenting style (or reinforced what I was doing instinctively) and either I got lucky with a good kid or they're quite effective.

What's Going on In There: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First 5 Years of Life

and

The Scientist in the Crib

Have you seen their Highlights for High School feature?

Also, there are sites like Academic Earth that might be useful.

Here are a few blogs with potential. You'll have to decide for yourself if they have inappropriate content.

Here are a few book recommendations covering various fields, in no particular order (though they should all read #1):

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything
   
2. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
   
3. Einstein: His Life and Universe
   
4. The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
   
5. The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood
   
6. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
   
7. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
   
8. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
   
9. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
   
10. Cosmos
    
11. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language
    
12. The Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy
    
13. Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind
    
14. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist's Quest for What Makes Us Human
    
15. The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
    
16. Thinking, Fast and Slow
    
17. Chaos: Making a New Science
    
18. Isaac Newton
    
19. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
    
20. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
    
    And here's a video interview with Richard Feynman they might enjoy.

I'm having a good time with Happiest Baby on the Block (though I think it's really slow and repetitive, and their "conclusions" (it isn't this, this, or this, so it MUST be this) are a bit, uh, presumptuous; I think the book is spot on for how to treat the baby, especially in the "4th trimester") and The Nursing Mother's Companion. And these aren't baby books, but my husband and I are also reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and The Birth Partner to prep for labor.

I have a few more books on my shelf to reference just in case, like Sears' The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (but I am wary of anti-vacc notions of the book), Brain Rules for Baby, and for fun, Experimenting with Babies.

A few people have pointed out that there is some debate as to whether or not this story is true. Further down in the Wikipedia article it states that "lawyers from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis did look into the possibility of a patent, but ultimately determined that the vaccine was not a patentable invention because of prior art." The citation for this leads here, which is clearly not a first party source.

I did some more Googling (which, coincidentally, is what led me to make this post in the first place because of today's doodle) and found that all roads supporting this claim seem to lead back to this book detailing the history of the development of the polio vaccine.

I don't work for Snopes so this is as far as I'm going to go to authenticate the story, but the claim that Salk's altruism is an urban myth seems to only backed up by one book written 45 years after the fact, and thus doesn't carry enough weight for it to sway my views that this guy was a rock star in his field.

I really liked [The Birth Partner] (http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420264672&sr=8-1&keywords=the+birth+partner) by Penny Simkin and I'm making my husband read it now. It's a fairly easy read and I thought it gave a good overview. I'm actually holding it right now and this is the table of contents to give you an idea:

Part One: Before the Birth

1. The last weeks of pregnancy
   
   Part Two: Labor and Birth
   
   
2. Getting into labor, 3) Moving through the stages of labor, 4) Comfort measures for labor, 5) Strategies for challenging variations in normal labor
   
   Part Three: The Medical Side of Childbirth
   
   
3. Tests, technologies, interventions, and procedures, 7) Complications in late pregnancy, labor, or afterward, 8) Medications for pain during labor, 9) Cesarean birth, and vaginal birth after cesarean
   
   Part Four: After the Birth
   
   
4. The first few days postpartum, 11) Getting started with breastfeeding

Parents are responsible for their childrens behavior. This could be a blind spot preventing you from holding your own parents accountable. If you can't emotionally understand this you wont logically understand this following argument.

If a parent needs to get their children to do something or not to do something out of fear of punishment then it's not a relationship. It's dictatorship and you'll never get respect or compliance from your children when you act like you know what's best for them - and this is the reason why abuse escalates.

It's the parents responsibility to teach their children right and wrong by talking and listening to them, helping them understand, and ultimately modelling that behaviour themselves.

Before you have children, it's important to work on yourself because everything you experienced as a child from abusive parents thats lingering in your unconscious will come to the surface when you have your own children.

It seems you area already projecting some of this by thinking experimentation like smoking in the room or lying about homework is bad. Wouldn't it be better to foster a relationship where your children can you tell they tried a cigarette or don't want to do their homework? That way you can actually be involved in their lives.

If you raise your children correctly I wouldn't worry about most bad activities because you'll give them the skills to know better. The science shows that addictions, victim of bullying and peer pressure are all caused by child abuse and an unstable home. If you want to know more about this look up Gabor Mate (I have more resources).

Actually as children get older they become easier to parent when you raise them peacefully and being involved because you have built up a relationship.

Here are books I'd recommend:
Why Love Matters: How Affection Shapes a Baby's Brain
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Love-Matters-Affection-Shapes/dp/1583918175

The Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self http://www.amazon.com/Drama-Gifted-Child-Search-Revised/dp/0465016901

The Truth Will Set You Free: Overcoming Emotional Blindness and Finding Your True Adult Self http://www.amazon.com/Truth-Will-Set-You-Free/dp/0465045855[2]

For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence http://www.amazon.com/Your-Own-Good-Child-Rearing-Violence/dp/0374522693[3]

Stefan Molyneux: Real-Time Relationships: The Logic of Love http://www.freedomainradio.com/free/books/FDR_3_PDF_Real_Time_Relationships.pdf

On Truth: The Tyranny of Illusion http://board.freedomainradio.com/blogs/freedomain/archive/2008/09/11/book-on-truth-the-tyranny-of-illusion.aspx

Between Parent and Child: The Bestselling Classic That Revolutionized Parent-Child Communication http://www.amazon.com/Between-Parent-Child-Revolutionized-Communication/dp/0609809881

Playful Parenting http://www.amazon.com/Playful-Parenting-Lawrence-J-Cohen/dp/0345442865

Unconditional Parenting http://www.amazon.com/Unconditional-Parenting-Moving-Rewards-Punishments/dp/0743487486

Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves http://www.naomialdort.com/book.html

Parent Effectiveness Training http://www.amazon.com/Parent-Effectiveness-Training-Responsible-Children/dp/0609806939

The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life http://www.amazon.com/Philosophical-Baby-Childrens-Minds-Meaning/dp/0374231966

What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-There-Brain-Develop/dp/0553378252

Becoming the Kind Father: A Son's Journey http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Kind-Father-Sons-Journey/dp/0865715823

Connection Parenting http://connectionparenting.com/connection-parenting-book.html

Uhm...it's kind of hard for me to answer that, because I feel math-tarded all the damned time, and have to constantly be reminded that most of the population doesn't give a second thought to the math I use on a daily basis. So, I guess the answer is "maybe"? Depends on what level you got up to, and how much math explanations you're willing to put up with. His books are fairly computationally heavy - they kind of have to be, given the subject matter - but he does explain everything in a fair amount of detail, so I think you wouldn't have a problem if you wanted to read them.

Amazon has a lot of his books with the "Look Inside!" feature, and that link shows kind of what I'm talking about (starting in chapter 2. Chapter 1 of that book is a bit..odd). I hope it helps!

I need more info regarding his level of knowledge. As someone who went through the same struggles that this student is going through, I can recommend a lot of books but it depends on how much they know. In terms of cheaper books, If they've completed 18.01-18.03 and 18.06 plus 8.01-8.04 then the book "Road to Reality" by Roger Penrose is a good option. It's a huge book so it should keep him busy for a while and gives a very comprehensive treatment of various topics in mathematical physics.
here's the link:http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Reality-Complete-Universe/dp/0679776311

I quite like this book The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe. Detailed and excellent explanation. But, you need to have some good basics else it will be a bumpy ride.

Order The Birth Partner off amazon for your husband. Great book! I read through it and my husband is almost done with it. I plan on passing it down to the next friend who gets pregnant which is how it came into my possession.

https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X

1 more thing to say then I’m out.

> "There is a huge difference between the scientific establishment and established science." Nice

You must be new to the vaccine debate. I recommend checking out OP’s profile and sift through his vaccine-related threads.

RFK is one of the runner ups in the discussion. You can read about him from the astroturfer/shills/bloggers online. Google RFK jr. search under news. Google ‘RFK anti vaxxer.’

https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/tag/robert-f-kennedy-jr/

RFK wrote this book about Thimerosal (mercury) and compiled the entire scientific studies vs what the medical establishment says. “Consensus.” Anything relating to vaccines is safe even if it’s not.

Thimerosal is safe according to CDC and Wikipedia. I wonder if pharma pays anyone to edit wikipedia. Hm.

> Anti-vaccination activists promoting the incorrect claim that vaccination causes autism, have asserted that the mercury in thiomersal is the cause.[1] There is no scientific evidence to support this claim.[2]

Really? Then what is this?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3878266/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3774468/

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2014/247218/

https://childrenshealthdefense.org/wp-content/uploads/autism-mercury-abstracts-4.2.18.pdf

I want CDC to explain to me why injecting mercury into my body, hell into a babies body is “safe.” How is that safe. Is this an irrational question? Am I an anti-vaxxer for not wanting to inject a toxin into my body? Lmfao.

Watch Dr. Haley destroy Paul Offit in a debate.

Like queeraspie said, we're not mentally ill. Hopefully you take something from your experience in this subreddit.

Here's some books which may help you and your brother. If he won't/can't read them, you read them and use the information you gain to assist him figure things out. Some are geared toward Asperger's, but will be a good read regardless.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unwritten-Rules-Social-Relationships/dp/193256506X/
http://www.amazon.com/Social-Success-Workbook-Teens-Skill-Building/dp/1572246537/
http://www.amazon.com/Full-Life-Autism-Relationships-Independence/dp/0230112463/
http://www.amazon.com/Alone-Together-Making-Asperger-Marriage/dp/1843105373/
http://www.amazon.com/The-Journal-Best-Practices-Marriage/dp/1439189714/
http://www.amazon.com/Asperger-Syndrome-Long-Term-Relationships-Stanford/dp/1843107341/
http://www.amazon.com/Aspergers-Love-Couple-Relationships-Affairs/dp/1843101157/

It's questionable whether he had any real option to patent it, but it seems he tried to, realised he couldn't, and decided to play up the story as if he was supremely moral.

https://www.biotech-now.org/public-policy/patently-biotech/2012/01/the-real-reason-why-salk-refused-to-patent-the-polio-vaccine-a-myth-in-the-making

> As pointed out by Robert Cook-Deegan at Duke University, “When Jonas Salk asked rhetorically “Would you patent the sun?” during his famous television interview with Edward R. Murrow, he did not mention that the lawyers from the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis had looked into patenting the Salk Vaccine and concluded that it could not be patented because of prior art – that it would not be considered a patentable invention by standards of the day. Salk implied that the decision was a moral one, but Jane Smith, in her history of the Salk Vaccine, Patenting the Sun, notes that whether or not Salk himself believed what he said to Murrow, the idea of patenting the vaccine had been directly analyzed and the decision was made not to apply for a patent mainly because it would not result in one. We will never know whether the National Foundation on Infantile Paralysis or the University of Pittsburgh would have patented the vaccine if they could, but the simple moral interpretation often applied to this case is simply wrong.”

Intersting what you say about metabolic shifts, I a have recently been having some improvement with concerta but I also started to do some work on my gut with colostrum and resistant starch In the hope I could address some other health issues, anyway had a massive reaction to the gut protocol (5 days of extra toilet visits a huge panic attack) and the concerta seems to be having a different effect now. I’m feeling very sleepy on it now. I looked up the work of Dr Charles Parker and bought his book and it made a lot of sense however I’m not sure changing my gut to a more receptive environment for the meds to work is going to be easy

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00JNLYOTK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_9dbGDb4VHJMQG

Take your vitamins, eat your protein, try to stay active even if it's just walking a few times a week. Don't be afraid to call your OB if something is bothering you or if you are worried. 99% of the time they'd rather you call over something minor than to not call at all and be anxious. Get some books and sign up for child birth and parenting classes. We did ours though our hospital and they were pretty affordable and really educational. As far as books go, I am reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and my husband is reading The Birth Partner. These were both recommended by our child birth educators. I'm 30 weeks right now, and I would say as you get closer to the end, don't feel bad about not being able to do as many things as you could before you were huge and uncomfortable. Ask for help, take breaks, nap, relax as much as you can.

Great question!

I check these occasionally for new research:

• http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/child_development/
  
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/child_psychology/
  
  I should have read more of this book:
  
  
• What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life
  
  This site is also more focused on young children:
  
  
• http://www.parentingscience.com/
  
  Wikipedia has a lot of background info:
  
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Child_development
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Developmental_psychology

I like this book,

http://www.amazon.com/Overflowing-Brain-Information-Overload-Working/dp/0195372883

Some material about children development and filtering:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=de&lr=&id=FbeaTXALDo4C&oi=fnd&pg=PA117&dq=information+overload+children+development&ots=RX-A992xho&sig=lSgif1u-kRGW6Kp6LVWlv1zZ5XU#v=onepage&q=information%20overload%20children%20development&f=false

And a huge chunk I admittedly did not chew fully yet:

http://books.google.com/books?hl=de&lr=&id=IyCofOJKWCwC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=sensory+overload+children+development&ots=C--zUynlr1&sig=BUz3ktT8jzHbMt_Z1krLfLRMtks#v=onepage&q&f=false

Of interest re: mental disorders:

http://ajot.aotapress.net/content/55/4/416.abstract

http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/3/397.short

I don't think it's necessary. I watched a 3 part YouTube series by a midwifery group and read The Birth Partner and through those I felt very prepared. We didn't take a birth class because the schedule was very inconvenient and for the one that was convenient it was too expensive. I felt completely confident during my labor and my husband was a great partner because I had sent him things to read online and parts of the Birth Partner.

Sorry, that was a bit flippant. I'll note that despite that comment I have a lot of respect for South Korea's rapid industrialization and technological prowess.

In order to determine that "digital dementia" is a real phenomenon, we'd have to establish that:
a) those supposedly suffering from digital dementia have in fact suffered a decline in cognitive capacity
b) this decline has resulted from exposure to digital technology

This article doesn't provide enough details about the Korean studies to judge whether either a) or b) has been firmly established. Personally I'm more partial to Torkel Klingberg's model, according to which the exposure to modern technology is actually making us smarter, since having to handle so much information is providing significant mental stimulation. If we feel stupider this could just be an illusion created by the fact that demands on our cognitive abilities are increasing faster than our cognitive abilities are increasing in response to that stimulation.

Here's an interesting quote:

>For this invention will produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it, because they will not practice their memory. Their trust in writing, produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will discourage the use of their own memory within them. You have invented an elixir not of memory, but of reminding; and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true wisdom, for they will read many things without instruction and will therefore seem [275b] to know many things, when they are for the most part ignorant and hard to get along with, since they are not wise, but only appear wise.

That's Socrates's critique of invention of writing.

And here's a good piece by Steven Pinker: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/opinion/11Pinker.html?_r=0

The book by Klingberg: The Overflowing Brain

Edit: I didn't see gluay's comment about Spitzer's work, I'll have to take a look at that

He couldn't patent it because it was all natural stuff. He said it would be like patenting the sun. Patenting the Sun is a biography about him, good read. http://www.amazon.com/Patenting-Sun-Polio-Salk-Vaccine/dp/0688094945

Congrats!

Also - get this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X?sa-no-redirect=1

Really good book for dads-to-be.

You should read this. It explains it rather well. Just because we can't map out exactly how conciousness works doesn't mean it has to by mysterious. Your brain is a network, remove enough pieces of it and that network ceases to exist.

You can think of it like the internet. I may not know every website it is or how every website contributes to every other website. But I don't think the internet is some mysterious magical thing. Remove google, remove reddit, remove wikipedia, remove my friend's blog, remove the wires under ground, remove my modem, remove your modem etc and you start to dismantle it. But all things things together make "the internet".

Really the brain works the same way based on all the evidence we have. Remove certain regions and you begin to see certain aspects of consciousness slip away. Everything from memory, to processing visuals, to processing language, to understanding how to make choices and even to the concept of self. Everything can be contributed to physical regions in the brain that are repeatable and verifiable. We just don't have the 100% picture of it yet.

Mathematics is intimately linked with physics. I recommend Penrose's book The Road to Reality. Here is a PDF version. It is the best math book I ever bought. By far. Every equation has a purpose for its existence - divorcing math from physics started the demise of American education.

From my (doula) husband: "the birthpartner" by Penny Simkin
https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X


I had a lot of anxiety about reading the pregnancy books, so he did a good job at reading EVERYONE IN EXISTENCE and tossing me the best.

To be honest it's really hard to learn without doing the coursework. But yes such books exist; for example http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/dp/0679776311. You'll have to supplement with other things, but that should be a good backbone. There is also this list: http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/theorist.html.

Related: What's Going On In There? is an excellent child brain development book written by a neuroscientist after she became a mom. I loved it! But, warning, I could see how it could scare some people if they aren't the sort to like to learn about the good and bad of everything. I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated.

There are neurons in your guts. It is often likened to a second brain. And the gut flora do release chemicals that can affect you in many ways. An unhealthy gut biome can lead to anxiety and ADD symptoms.

There is a book you might be interested in called Brain Maker where a doctor writes about his experiences helping people's gut flora to help their overall mental and physical health. As a caveat though, he is very anti-wheat (his first book Grain Brain is about how the modern form of wheat is not healthy). Ignore the accolades from Dr. Oz, it's a good book.

Work out 3 days a week with HEAVY weights. None of that high rep, pussy weight shit. Do the big lifts. I'm talking benching, squatting, deadlifting. Do cardio the other two days. Your body doesn't want to change naturally. All it wants to do is keep you alive. That's why you've gotta force it. It's like pushing a boulder up a hill. If you need a good strength program, start with Bigger Leaner Stronger by Mike Matthews. Go on www.muscleforlife.com and read some of the articles. Get the book. Lean muscle will increase your testosterone, which adds to your energy and assertiveness. It's a feedback loop and an upward cycle. The rich definitely get richer.

Start eating healthy if you don't already. Lots of greens. Juice them if you can. It tastes nasty at first - but it will get better with time. Eat calorically dense food. I'm talking lean chicken breast, broccoli, mixed veggies, etc. You can eat healthy at a cheap cost, don't think you can't. Skip the sugars. Skip the junk food. Minimize your grains. You're not eating only for your physical health - but for your mental health as well. Read Brain Maker to see how food affects your brain. I attribute a lot of my depression and "brain fog" to eating a shitty diet for 3 years in school. Jerking myself senseless didn't help either.

Don't smoke weed, especially if you have an addictive personality. I wasted a lot of money and a lot of time smoking weed.

You can never replace time. You can replace money. If you can, always choose time over money. Speaking of money, start saving 10% of anything you earn. You will thank yourself later.

Don't fall into petty bullshit. Always think long term.

Drop anyone who is lame, negative, or petty like a hot coal. I don't care if they're the President. You shouldn't have any space for that in your life. No drama. No negativity. Surround yourself with like minded individuals who want to conquer.

Get up EARLY on weekends and get shit done. Don't sleep in until 3pm. That's fucking lame. Get up early and learn how to do a new skill, like start a business. Work HARD on your school work but get it out of the way as early as possible so you can work on what really matters - YOURSELF.

READ outside of class. Most of what you'll read in class will be bullshit. Read Self-Development books. Read Biographies. Read good Fiction. Read business books. Some of my favorites are Think and Grow Rich, 48 Laws of Power, Teddy Roosevelt's biography, and the 10X Rule.

Throw yourself into as many social activities as possible. I cannot emphasize this enough. You will be around tons of different people and you won't get locked into one worldview. You'll also increase your social skills.

Get as much experience with women as possible. I don't necessarily mean sexual, but if it progresses that way - fine. Have as many girl friends as possible. Not only will you be around feminine energy, but you have a higher chance of meeting other girls who you connect with on a deeper level as well.

Continue with NoFap. 99% of the men (if they can be called that) do not do this. You will be at a supreme advantage if you do. The only time you can ejaculate is with a girl.

I liked What's Going on in There? : How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553378252/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_7LAXCbTRSVYR7

Very scientific but she does a good job of breaking it down, for the most part.

You bet. There are interviews with over 100 medical professionals. Nearly all of them are board certified physicians speaking out because they know the truth:

http://cdn.greenmedinfo.com/sites/default/files/gmipub_58635_anti_therapeutic_action_vaccination_all.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Millers-Review-Critical-Vaccine-Studies/dp/188121740X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=188121740X&pd_rd_r=MNT66QS82NTYFRW1SR8V&pd_rd_w=2ZijU&pd_rd_wg=6PSZD&psc=1&refRID=MNT66QS82NTYFRW1SR8V

http://vaccines.mercola.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Thimerosal-Supporting-Immediate-Mercury%C2%97-Neurotoxin%C2%97/dp/1632206013/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429904431&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+kennedy+jr+vaccine

And before you say Thimerosal isn't in vaccines anymore go ahead and read the ingredients from this season's schedule... see Influenza.

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipient-table-2.pdf

Read ALL of these ingredients. Find ONE long term study proving these combinations are safe.

Not OP, just helping out with some formatting (and links!) because I like these suggestions.

> 1) The Magic Of Reality - Richard Dawkins
>
> 2) The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
>
> 3)A Brief History Of Time - Stephen Hawking
>
> 4)The Grand Design - Stephen Hawking
>
> 4)Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari (Any Book By Daniel Dennet)
>
> 5)Enlightenment Now - Steven Pinker
>
> 6)From Eternity Till Here - Sean Caroll (Highly Recommended)
>
> 7)The Fabric Of Cosmos - Brian Greene (If you have good mathematical understanding try Road To Reality By Roger Penrose)
>
> 8)Just Six Numbers - Martin Reese (Highly Recommended)

Six Easy Pieces and Six Not So Easy Pieces are good places to start.

You could also try Roger Penrose's The Road to Reality

Yes, there is such a place: the internet’s collection of academic papers has a very handy search engine at http://scholar.google.com/, plus an illegal download service at http://sci-hub.bz/

It’s going to take you several lifetimes to read it all, but that shouldn’t be too big a problem, right?

Even learning the baby-step basics is going to take years of hard work. You’ll have an easier time of this if you enroll in a full-time degree program in math or physics at a good university. You can’t really learn these subjects unless you do the work – just reading a webpage isn’t going to cut it – and it’s hard to stay motivated to do the work if you’re on your own.

• • *
    
    If you want one book though, you could try Penrose’s: https://amzn.com/0679776311

i'm sure you've heard of him, V.S. Ramachandran, he just wrote a book which focused on synesthesias. You should check him out if you don't already know about him. link to book

The book is available here for super cheap (used copies at least).

Also: If you're more interested in non-epidural methods, I recommend this book for both you and your husband: The Birth Partner -- it's excellent, and the entire thing focuses on labour. It's not a pregnancy-with-a-chapter-on-labour book. :)

There's absolutely nothing wrong. Walking earlier or later isn't even linked to IQ so no worries there. I was a daycare teacher for that age and I saw kids walk anywhere from 9-18 months. Your baby is totally normal and still has 4 months to start walking before a pediatrician would even bat an eyelash. I have read in this book written by a neuroscientist that walking is not something that can be taught so you don't have to practice it. That book also talks about how good crawling is for the brain because of the cross lateral movements involved and the sensory input the baby gets from their hands.

As an aside, Neurologists Oliver Sacks's Awakenings is a fascinating book where you can explore the the relationship between Parkinsons, dopamine, and its precursor L-DOPA.

http://www.amazon.com/Awakenings-Oliver-Sacks/dp/0375704051/

Someone on Reddit (I wish I could remember who so I could credit them, because it's both true and funny) recently said that General Relativity is bad differential geometry; and Quantum Mechanics is bad functional analysis.

What they meant by bad is that physics isn't math, so you get kind of a physics-ized math instead of the real thing. But still, those are the two branches of math you want to know for physics.

You might take a look at a popular book by Penrose called The Road to Reality. It's a huge book that basically describes all the math you need to understand most of modern physics, and then explains the physics. It's an awesome book.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Tell-Tale-Brain-Neuroscientists-Quest/dp/0393077829\

for fun

FTM so no personal experience, but a lot of people recommend The Birth Partner for their partners to read.

We've been trying to tell men that for a really really long time :P

You may enjoy this book.

https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X

The Birth Partner was my favorite book my husband I read in preparation of the birth. Incredibly informative. However, it basically focuses on the latter half of pregnancy and the actual birth and immediate aftermath.

Funny that Kennedy's 2014 work Thimerosol: Let the Science Speak that this article references, has been so thoroughly buried. BTW the typical response from the apologists is "we're not using thimerosol anymore."

I also found point #3 to be true. Almost all the advice I got was total nonsense. When people tell you stuff, go look up whether or not there is any scientific evidence that shows that it works.

I recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-There-Brain-Develop/dp/0553378252/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290829728&sr=8-1

It details how the baby's brain develops. Very revealing.

Long-term amphetamine usage causes the growth of countless dendrites on dopaminergic neurons. This is true for any powerful dopamine releaser. All these extra dendrites act as releasing sites for dopamine, so that the same supply of dopamine is spread out over a larger area. This is one of the major mechanisms behind progressive drug addiction and tolerance. These dendrites cannot be removed, they can only grow, and fixing this problem directly is at least as difficult as curing cancer.

Source: The Compass of Pleasure

This type of biological essentialism has been fashionable for awhile, although the evidence for it is actually very weak. See the book Pink Brain, Blue Brain for the opposite case: science supports the fact that human infants instinctively seek and copy the cultural form of their gender, and that their brains gain differences they didn't start with, basically by practicing some skills and neglecting others. (Social construction via nurture via nature - how's that for a unification.) So if you want boys to be good in school and girls to be able to assert themselves, you had better see they gain practise in what they're bad at. This school is doing exactly the wrong thing.

If you like that book, you might like this one. Written by a neuroscientist who's done work with phantom limbs, personality changes due to brain injury and other neurological oddities. His explanation of the brains various parts and functions blew my mind.

INTJ here, was informal doula/birth partner for my ENTJ friend. She did not go to any classes and would have hated the happy place things you described. She opted for an epidural.

We both read this book and found it helpful to mentally prepare. IIRC there was quite a bit on pain management:
https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X

If you have already read his past books, then don't buy the new one. It's mostly a repetition of what he has already said, only with a few new ideas. Admittedly, his ideas about art are interesting but they are not the main subject of the new book and thus, are not that well developed.

For reference, this is the book.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Reality-Complete-Universe/dp/0679776311

• UK: amazon.co.uk
  
• Spain: amazon.es
  
• France: amazon.fr
  
• Germany: amazon.de
  
• Japan: amazon.co.jp
  
• Italy: amazon.it
  
• China: amazon.cn
  
  
  This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting).

The Compass of Pleasure

The Birth Partner! https://www.amazon.com/Birth-Partner-Complete-Childbirth-Companions/dp/155832819X

Was a book before it was a movie: Awakenings by Oliver Sacks

Brain Maker:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MEMMS9I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_op.3Cb56WW3WR

My favourite's so far have been:

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

The Birth Book

Birthing from Within

and my husband is reading The Birth Partner

When I had that question I read a book:

https://www.amazon.com/Compass-Pleasure-Exercise-Marijuana-Generosity/dp/0143120751

http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Reality-Complete-Universe/dp/0679776311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334267314&sr=8-1

Mathematics Content Methods Meaning

I think this may be what you look for. I have read some chapters of it. It talks about meanings, where theories come from..

I also remembered it when I saw it in my bookshelve. Written by Roger Penrose. Penrose talks about math from numbers to modern physics application of math. Especially Einstein's math of space time can be understood in this book;
The Road to Reality

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0553378252/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419721700&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0679776311/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Roger Penrose holds the Platonist view. He discusses it in this ever interesting book The Road to Reality.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0679776311/

You want a "fact-based" pregnancy/parenting book? There is no proven "100% correct" method for pregnancy, childbirth or parenting. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell you a book.

Most of the books on the market are basically laundry lists of things that can go wrong. It's dull reading indeed. And since the science itself is contradictory, they will all be wishy-washy.

I recommend:

The Pregnant Body Book, by DK Publishing for it's glossy pictures and diagrams of pregnancy and labor

What's Going on in There, a book about brain development (this will do a better job addressing what is and isn't safe during pregnancy better than all the "how-to" manuals)

some weird stuff I've been reading (I have a 3mo) babies this age do not have the capacity for cognitive memory. Their cerebral cortex just isn't developed enough. This is why we cannot remember this stage in our lives. Babies this you DO though have associative memory as that is an entirely different part of the brain that is much more developed by then. This is why that nurse (or doctor) messed up. The reason children fear needles is USUALLY because of this. They have a associative history with them. If the nurse/doctor hid the needle and made sure the baby was not looking when they administered what looks like vaccines this would not take place and would lessen the chances of negative association with needles later in life.

This is from https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-There-Brain-Develop/dp/0553378252
by Lise Eliot Ph.D.

Sure... Let's start with the Flualval vaccine that literally states on the package it hasn't been tested to prevent the flu or even be safe:

http://i.imgur.com/4pcoy6r.jpg

Or how about the contamination of 98 million people given the polio vaccine...

http://www.immunizationinfo.org/es/issues/iom-reports/sv40-contamination-polio-vaccine-and-cancer

...knowing it can cause cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10472327

Info on SV40 http://www.sv40foundation.org/

There was a MAJOR CDC coverup involved in this particular instance.. was removed from their site but cached links can still be found

http://web.archive.org/web/20130522091608/http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/updates/archive/polio_and_cancer_factsheet.htm


Flu and other vaccinations using Thimerosal, linked to neurodevelopmental disorders (many vaccines claim not to use Thimerosal anymore.. but many still do)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12773696

http://www.amazon.com/Thimerosal-Evidence-Supporting-Immediate-Neurotoxin/dp/1632206013

Whooping cough vaccine found to be ineffective
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/54/12/1730

The information is there... deeply hidden and those making billions off the industry plan to keep it that way.

would you mind linking to that criticism? this was the only formal criticism i could find and it isn't related to the book discussed. if you're referring to this amazon review, you used some pretty misleading framing for your statements ("she refers to disproved or non-duplicated studies")

also as far as the feminist confirmation bias angle, this is such a general criticism that i can't even address it. can you refer to any individual studies that shouldn't be taken seriously because they're done by people with "radical ideas" re: feminism? and shouldn't you be able to find flaws in their methodology rather than dismissing them outright for their conclusions? that entire paragraph seems entirely pulled out of your ass to be honest

lise eliot doesn't identify herself as any kind of feminist, she is a neuroscience ph.d and associate professor and approaches her books' topics from that perspective. of course accusations of "radical ideas" probably wouldn't be thrown around if she were a man

I am leaving my other comment separate. I'm sorry it doesn't answer your question, really, but i still stand by the rec. As far as an actual answer to what you wanted, a what to do, how does it work, book, go with What's Going on in There https://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-There-Brain-Develop/dp/0553378252

------

Also as a piece of personal advice, the best (worst) way to spoil a child is not just to give them everything they want, but to shield them from everything they don't like.

Learning how to deal properly with annoyances can only happen if you experience some annoyances in the first place. Disappointment, loss, frustration, difficulty, hard work, waiting, having consequences for actions, having to apologize, compromise, and generally resolving conflicts (in this day and age, it is so easy to give up on anyone who makes you mad or doesn't please you 100% of the time... there are tons of people to replace them... but learning the skills to apologize, be kind, listen, etc, will establish friendships that you can trust and depend on).

But for the first couple months of baby's life, she literally cannot be spoiled. Start moral training once they can do things on purpose, 6-9 mo +.