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Carved in Sand audiobook

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Carved in Sand Audiobook Summary

Acclaimed journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin takes readers on a lively journey to explain what happens to memory and attention in middle age.

Anyone older than forty knows that forgetfulness can be unnerving, frustrating, and sometimes terrifying. With compassion and humor, Jakobson Ramin sets out to discover what midlife forgetfulness is all about–from the perspectives of physiology, psychology, and sociology. Relentless in her search for answers to questions about her own unreliable memory, she explores the factors that determine how well–or poorly–one’s brain will age. She consults experts in the fields of sleep, stress, traumatic brain injury, hormones, genetics, and dementia, as well as specialists in nutrition, cognitive psychology, and the burgeoning field of drug-based cognitive enhancement. The landscape of the midlife brain is not what you might think, and to understand its strengths and weaknesses turns out to be the best way to cope.

A groundbreaking work that represents the best of narrative nonfiction, this is a timely, highly readable, and much-needed book for anyone whose memory is not what it used to be.

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Carved in Sand Audiobook Narrator

Cathryn Jakobson Ramin is the narrator of Carved in Sand audiobook that was written by Cathryn Jakobson Ramin

Investigative journalist Cathryn Jakobson Ramin is the author of Carved in Sand: When Attention Fails and Memory Fades in Midlife, published by HarperCollins in 2007. Her new book about the back pain industry, Crooked, will be published in April 2017.  She’s written for many national magazines on topics that include healthcare, neuroscience, business, public policy,  travel, art, design and culture.  A popular speaker, these days, she’s booking lectures that enlighten patients,  health care practitioners, corporations and medical facilities about how to manage back pain. Cathryn is married to Ron Ramin, a music composer. They have two adult sons, Avery and Oliver, and a Jack Russell-Daschundt mix dog named Dasch, after the punctuation mark, which he resembles. She divides her time between Northern California and New York City. Facebook: http://bit.ly/fbcrooked . Twitter: @cjramin

About the Author(s) of Carved in Sand

Cathryn Jakobson Ramin is the author of Carved in Sand

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  • Author : Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
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Carved in Sand Full Details

Narrator Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
Length 11 hours 0 minutes
Author Cathryn Jakobson Ramin
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date June 26, 2007
ISBN 9780061463006

Subjects

The publisher of the Carved in Sand is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is General, HEALTH & FITNESS

Additional info

The publisher of the Carved in Sand is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780061463006.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Dawn

July 24, 2013

First of all, there is no THIS ANSWER WILL FIX EVERYTHING solution in this book. What the book does do, is arm you with some knowledge about the many and complex reasons your over-40 brain can't remember everything in crisp detail and wanders off in the middle of things like a four-year-old instead of concentrating on the task at hand. The author walks you through all the strategies she explored for herself, and some she didn't need. I learned, as always, conventional wisdom is bullshit, a great many doctors tend to get in a rut and not care, and there is always someone out there just in it for the money. I know now that to protect my brain, I'm doing some things right: I'm do cardio 3-4 hours a week. I'm eating better than I ever have, and I'm stopping the insulin rollercoaster by eliminating most grains from my diet. (This author recommends whole grains; everything else I'm reading says they're WORSE than refined for insulin response.) I'll always have to compensate for the concussions I had as a teenager. The effects didn't show up when I was younger, but the damage is showing now. That was a revelation from the book. In the meantime, I have to challenge myself mentally and socially (the latter is hard for an introvert, but I'll try). If you're struggling to remember names, you're missing your keys every day, and you can't focus long enough to do something, and you're over 40, you might not be getting early Alzheimer's. But don't let your doctor brush you off if you think you are. There are ways to check into it. The earlier you know, the more you can do to stave it off.

Literary

July 16, 2019

I picked up this incredibly helpful book when I started losing my memory, to see if in fact this was a normal part of aging rather than my losing my marbles. I found that my marbles are intact, that memory glitches do come with aging, and to look at when those glitches might be the sign of something worse. Highly recommended!

Elizabeth

August 17, 2015

I don't think I've ever said this about a book before but I think everyone should read it. The author takes a journey through various diagnoses and, as she calls them, interventions to help her with short term memory and concentration problems and with chronic sleeplessness. The information she provides is overwhelming and the only request I would make is for her to create a cheat sheet at the end so that people experiencing these common problems could follow in her footsteps or work with doctors to diagnose their particular root cause. Although I also recommend this book for those who do not have memory problems because someone in their life probably does.

M.

February 06, 2013

Carved in Sand is an encyclopedia of what can happen to your cognitive faculties as you go from middle age to senior status. It explains all the types of mental impairments and what causes them. It discusses in detail 15 interventions that people can try to maintain their mental acuity into their senior years. Anyone who feels threatened by their own absentmindedness or inability to retrieve names and pertinent information that once was remembered easily should read this book. It will offer some remedies that some have tried, but most important it will help readers understand the causes and come to terms with where they are with respect to their cognitive ability.

Leib

April 09, 2021

4.0 out of 5 stars Hypochondria wrapped around a number of helpful tidbitsReviewed in the United States on December 23, 2018Verified PurchaseThis woman is a hypochondriac. It seems that she has so many ailments that it's a miracle that she makes it through to lunch the next day. (And that brings up the very apt question: If these illnesses were only as bad as they were in her imagination.....were the treatments that she investigated ones that had mass/ efficacy, or were they only because she was suggestible enough to feel better?)This is the second of her books that I have read (although it was published earlier than the first), and both follow the same format.The author talks about some problem that she has and she turns her experiences with going to MANY doctors into a book.Also, if the question is: What can damage memory? Then the answer from this book is: Anything and everything.1. Depression2. Insomnia3. Medications4. Stress5. Generalized metabolic disorders6. Alcohol7. Technology8. Chemical ExposureThe author herself has no less than 10 (!) interventions. (I wonder where did she get the money for all of this treatment? There are tens of thousands of dollars in treatment here.)Intervention#1: Assessment#2: Dietary Supplments#3: MyBrainTrainer#4: Neuropsychological Battery#5: Stimulants Adderall and Provigil#6: Meditation#7: Neurofeedback#8: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy#9: Hypothyroidism Treatment#10: Dancing lessons.There were a lot of neat little tidbits of information, and the writing is decent.I think that the takeaway messages from this book are something like:1. Use it or lose it2. Keep your health up. (Metabolic issues are a tried and true way to carry your age a lot worse than you should.)3. Real social interaction.I'd pay about $3 for this book.

Audrey

February 13, 2023

Although a bit dated now, I really got a lot out of this book and identified with so many issues and concerns. Really helpful to know what will help and what is a waste of money. Definitely recommend it and it would be great fodder for a book club discussion.

Robert

April 22, 2018

Many faceted look at the things that make our brains and memory deteriorate and what might be done about it. No single silver bullets, but enough ammunition that anyone might be able to cope a little better, for a little longer.

Dorothy

June 29, 2017

Super helpful book for those of us in middle (or past the middle) of life who struggle to remember how to spell words, where we put our keys, or what the hell we were just talking about 5 minutes ago. Well researched and thorough. (If not a bit scary.)

Carter

July 21, 2015

As a newly minted 48 year old man, I had my concerns. A little too much of my time these days was spent obsessing over "why couldn't I remember that?" and "Why is it so hard for me to learn this new thing?" I then coupled those feelings with "Oh my, am I slipping? Is there something very wrong with me?". This book really helped. The first thing it did was to reassure me that what I was going through was completely normal. Then it went through a very unscientific journey on how to deal with it. It was a wonderfully practical approach. Long story short, there are very real and very unavoidable cognitive challenges ~everyone~ will go through in mid-life. However, there are things that we can do to make the most of what we have. This book will help you get there.One other note, there are ~tons~ of books on "How to sharpen your mind" and "How to remember everything." This is not one of those books. This book will not tell you exactly what you need to do to bring by brain back to the place it was when you were 25. That's just not possible. However, this book reassure you and give you a toolbox to work with what you have. That was really refreshing for me.

Kris

April 06, 2009

Well, the good news is that I'm not going to worry so much about my occasional memory lapses. Apparently this affects many if not most people "in midlife". The bad news, such as it is, is that it is more or less inevitable. But staying active, both mentally and physically, is the way to lessen the effects, and I try to do both.A very interesting book which goes into some detail about the physical and neurological changes that come with memory loss, along with possible causes. Occasionally there's a bit too much technical detail, but I thought the author did a very thorough job of researching and making the results readable.

Kare

May 22, 2010

Like the author I have felt, at times, absent-minded and worse yet she took a journey to meet many brain experts, try their treatments and learn from their research - and it helped her make some wise choices. One of the biggest surprises to me was to learn how even apparently slight bumps on the head in childhood can and do have a big impact in adulthood - and well before the senior years. Another fact was that tango was the dance movement that most helped memory.

Diane

November 26, 2007

Fascinating stuff! I kept wondering how the book would conclude, and I think that was the most difficult part of this author's immense topic. I loved how she was willing to try absolutely everything to address her concerns. It was also entertaining to think about how she managed to get it all down, given the subject matter!

Msbmom

September 28, 2008

The author provided a comprehensive study of middle age memory loss. Thru first hand experience, she explored causes, procedures, prescriptions, and mental exercises. An interesting read for those concerned about their own memory loss.

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