This is kind of off the wall, but could be interesting. My daughter gave me a book for Christmas, "The Brain That Changes Itself," by Norman Doidge, MD. Here is a small sample. Victims of amputations develop a phantom limb that causes pain, itching, etc. They cannot scratch the itch because the limb is no longer there. A doctor believes the nerves in the brain were still wanting to work, so the brain rewires itself to occupy these nerves. These nerves are doing something new, but still send out the message that this missing arm is itching. The patient is blind folded, and a stick is rubbed against different parts of the body, and the patient must respond about what is being rubbed. When rubbing the stick against the patients cheek, the patient said he can feel the stick on his face, and also on his missing limb. He can now scratch his phantom limb now by scratching his face. Problem solved!
The first story in the book is about a woman that has a balance problem...just like we do, and that also causes visual problems. The doctors train her to balance herself using her tongue and a device that is attached to her tongue and an leveling device inside a hat. Her brain begins to develop a new system of brain maps that help balance her. After a while she can now balance, and her eyes are working with the new method of balancing. They are now working on a device small enough to fit entirely in her mouth.
The idea behind this book is that our brains are like plastic, and they can be RE-programed to do new things, or stop old things. I got thinking about those crickets in my ears, and there is something in my brain that is causing my brain to hear those little insects. I just need to find what I can do to put them to sleep, like rubbing my cheek or my ears. My ears don't hear the noise, only my brain. You will enjoy this book, and maybe we can find a way to retrain our plastic brain.
