Dr. David Snowdens The Nun Study - Book Report/Review Example

The usual manifestation is a disturbance of functions including memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language, and judgment, and these maybe chronic or progressive. This paper gives a brief summary of the book, my impression of the book, the strength and weakness, a comparison of the book with three journals, the lessons I've learned, and a conclusion. Overall summary. Dr. David Snowden writes about a pilot study he had among the nuns in Mankato, Wisconsin associating educational level and age-related disabilities.

This initial research gave him the idea of expanding his study to other convents and focusing on Alzheimer's disease. In this study, the nuns (75 -104 years old) contracted to give access to their medical and personal histories and to donate their brain tissue after death to Snowden's project. Among the Catholic nuns. Snowden studied every nun in that community that had the same health care provided, living situation and income status. Because he could do away with these factors, Dr. Snowden's research can focus on which behaviors and attitudes most affect aging, especially mental fitness.

The Nun Study's scientific findings are well outlined in this book. . Among the project's findings is a clear correlation between a low rate of Alzheimer's and high linguistic ability. Snowden has also found a positive relationship between the consumption of certain antioxidants (e.g., lycopene, found in pink grapefruit, tomatoes and watermelon), an exercise program and an optimistic outlook and aging successfully. Snowden's human- centered and compassionate story gives many early insights.Strength.

The writing is warm and personal. The insights given into religious life and aging are unique. The subjects of the study are equally intriguing with ages (74 - 106) that are not normally found elsewhere. More, these are not just any women but are those who have dedicated their lives to serving others. I appreciate the dedication of the researcher to carry out this time-intensive study. It is not easy to work the length of time he did. It is also not easy dealing with geriatrics to get their stories out to show us that there is so much we can all do to alter for the better how we age, and ultimately how long we live.

The book offers a wealth of practical findings: why building linguistic ability in childhood may protect against Alzheimer's; which ordinary foods promote longevity and healthy brain function; why preventing strokes and depression is key to avoiding Alzheimer's; what role heredity plays; and why it's never too late to start an exercise program; and how attitude, faith, and community can add years to our lives.Weakness. Any longitudinal research may suffer from time erosion of data. How did Snowden manage not to become too repetitive or not to condition respondents to particular questions over time Granted that this