Brain Stuff

I've been looking at loads of Xrays and MRI's since I've been here in India, and yesterday I saw an interesting case... actually, I saw about 10 cases yesterday that would qualify as highly unusual, but this one stood out.

I first met Mr. Shah in 2005 on my first trip to India. He is the best friend of my partner here, so I have spent a lot of time with him in my 3 trips here. Shahbhai (Shah-bay), as they call him, is the quintessential businessman: a bonafide real estate mogul, builder of highrises, and owner of 3 factories which employ over 3000 people. His cel phone never stops ringing and it is hardly away from his right ear for more than 2 minutes at a time. He is the most serious, business minded, and some might say...humorless... people I have ever met. I called him Spockbhai once... joke didn't translate too well. Swell guy though.

Shahbhai had a stroke 2 years ago from a big clot that got stuck in a cerebral artery on the right side, and this was clearly visible on the MRI of his brain that he got right afterwards. The left-sided paralysis he had is gone, and he has improved very much with chiropractic care. Before I adjusted him this time, I sent him for a follow-up MRI of the brain (costs about 42 USD!) to see if the clot was still there. Thankfully the new films showed it was totally gone, but with some scar tissue left.

But what struck me was this... his left hemisphere was at least 20% larger than his right.

I checked all the films, old and new, and it was like this on all of them, so it wasn't atrophy from after the stroke. On the radiologist's report, they called it age-related atrophy... he's 60... but it was clearly not from a normal aging process...

These are the questions I had...

The left brain typically controls logical, linear thinking while the right brain handles creative expression. Knowing Spockbhai's tendencies for 100% focus on business and finances, I wondered if this was from decades of exercising the left hemisphere and neglect of the emotional side?

Or the other chilling thought was that it was from the constant celphone use? ( I asked, and healways holds it to his right ear. ) If anyone could cook his cortex with a celphone, he'd be a top contender for sure. He'll take a business call even while his guru/living god is talking. For real.

I know this is pure speculation here, but this is what I wrote down on a prescription pad for him before he left.

"Drink lots more panni (water.)

More art, music, dancing and poetry.

Less celphone.

Live long and prosper."

Can't hurt...