Balance A dizzying journey through the science of our most delicate sense

*Starred Review* Science writer Svec voluntarily subjects herself to vomit-inducing tests, all in the name of science, as she explores the workings of our sense of balance. In this fascinating look into human physiology and physical stability, Svec speaks with enthusiastic researchers, physiologists, and kinesiologists who are at the forefront of the study of the causes of seasickness, dizziness, falling, and vertigo. She shows how varying sensory inputs can send your body into a whirl, explaining that it's not solely visual cues that cause dizziness but that sound, especially low and infrasonic frequencies found in some movie theaters, can also send us into a spin. Many off-the-shelf drugs alter the sense of balance as they change receptors in the brain. Proprioception, or the sensing of where our body parts are, deteriorates with age, and that is the leading cause of falling. Svec describes the factors that lead to sensory debilitation and what researchers are doing to mitigate and rehabilitate those experiencing loss of normal balance. She also covers the ongoing development of adaptive technologies, like virtual reality and robotic braces. Thoroughly informative and engaging, Svec's dizzying journey maps a crucial, too-little-understood aspect of health and well-being.--Kaplan, Dan Copyright 2017 Booklist

Our sense of balance involves so much more than standing on one foot and trying to stay upright. Through Svec's meetings with doctors and scientists, she has learned and written about how the signals from one's ears, eyes, and sense of touch affect one's balance. She covers the topics of motion sickness, virtual reality sickness, movie sickness, and many more subjects related to our sense of balance. Not only does Svec interview the experts in the field, she volunteered to experience firsthand experiments using the Vominator, goggles that simulate drunken dizziness, and rooms that trick the senses about which way is up. Svec includes narratives about people who have debilitating balance dysfunction and the work that is being done to help them function as completely as possible. The listener learns that balance issues increase for senior citizens, so home and community design are important factors for the aging population; for example, stairs that differ from the national standard of 7_ inches high are more likely to cause falls than standard-height stairs. Narrator Wendy Tremont King projects a friendly attitude, inviting listeners to engage even in the technical aspects of the book. VERDICT This work offers new and fascinating facts with every hour of listening. Although the book would be of special interest to those with balance dysfunction, everyone who is growing older will find useful information here.-Ann Weber, Los Gatos, CA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.