Dr. McCleary

Young brains are busier wiring themselves than they will ever be as they grow older. It is this unique observation that makes traumatic injuries so devastating to young brains at this developmentally precarious stage. Unfortunately, it happens to be just at this age that risk-taking and other potentially dangerous behaviors are peaking. Football is an example of [...]

The brain is essentially a post-mitotic organ. That is science-speak that can be loosely translated to mean each nerve cell (also called a neuron) is as old as the owner of the brain. Many of the other organs of the body produce individual cells on a continuous basis. For example, the lining cells of the [...]

  During recent human evolutionary history (about 1.5 million years ago), the human brain increased in size by 33% in less than a million years.  For this extraordinary expansion to occur required exceptionally favorable circumstances.  By any measure, the modern human brain is large.  Brains generally increase in size as body size increases.  However, the [...]

  No, this is not a blog entry about sinusitis, rhinitis or epistaxis (how doctors refer to a bloody nose). It involves an evolutionary discussion of nasal function, anatomy, and connections with prevalent modern day health problems. In human physiology, the chemical senses (smell and taste) play minor roles compared to vision, hearing and touch.  [...]

  We have all heard about the ‘Fight or Flight’ response in the Neanderthal context.  This basically refers to the hormonal changes  triggered when a caveman met a wild beast.  It was designed to preserve the species.  He, or she, was suddenly forced to fight the beast or leg it out and out-run or out-climb the more powerful animal.  The [...]

  Sounds pretty healthy at first blush, doesn’t it?  How could anything having to do with fruit be anything but healthy?  After all, it is recommended that we consume five to eight servings of fruits and vegetables each day.  They contain many healthy nutrients such as antioxidants-the compounds that counteract the harmful effects of ’free radicals’, those damaging compounds [...]

  Athletes who compete at the highest level are able to do so because they train the muscles they depend on to maintain their competitive edge.  For example, basketball players are required to get high off the court to lob a pass or perform a jump shot over the outstretched arms of an opponent.  The extensor [...]

  The prognosis for most patients with malignant brain tumors is poor.  Surgical resection followed by radiation therapy is the standard therapy.  Chemotherapy is often used in an adjuvant fashion.  Of potential interest in this area are several papers that have appeared in the medical literature over the past 10-15 years evaluating potential dietary approaches to [...]

  I recently received an email questioning whether mental illness might in whole or in part be related to diet and nutrition.  It is clear to me that the two are intimately related.  Around the turn of the prior century the mental asylums of the southern United States were filled with patients suffering from dementia, [...]

  There are millions of Americans who require insulin for the medical treatment of diabetes.  Doctors who direct the therapy of these patients often recommend what is referred to as ’tight’ glucose control.  Such a regimen necessitates multiple injections of insulin throughout the day designed to keep blood sugar levels within normal limits at all times.  The purpose of this approach is to minimize the chances [...]