Balance is a lively, 360-degree exploration of our body’s supersense. Health and wellness writer Carol Svec examines every facet of balance in a way that is highly entertaining, broadly accessible, and rigorously researched. Readers follow her through various facilities as she talks with scientists doing state-of-the-art research. She grilled an egg in a virtual kitchen, had her senses fooled in a Tumbling Room by a mannequin named Hans, survived “the Vominator” without losing her lunch, and experienced drunken dizziness inside a police muster room. Chapters include fascinating case studies of people whose lives are affected by balance dysfunction, the latest research initiatives, the coolest gadgets used by researchers, and first-person accounts of what it’s like to be a scientific guinea pig for balance. In a clear, friendly style, Svec communicates what she has learned about balance from some of the top scientists in the world, including how balance research is being applied to help those who are ill, elderly, disabled, or simply prone to queasiness, and what ingenious, potentially life-changing advances may be coming down the road.

“Balance is an incredible book by one of my favorite authors. From the first chapter, I was swept up in a quirky journey that illuminates one of the most mysterious aspects of the human body. Both awe-inspiring and funny, this is science writing at its best.” —Joy Bauer, MS, RDN, health and nutrition expert for NBC’s Today show and best-selling author of From Junk Food to Joy Food


 

"Svec takes us on a fascinating romp through the science of balance and the mind-body connection…a well-balanced blend of science, stories, surprises and her own dizzying adventures as a guinea pig.”  —Jena Pincott, author of Do Chocolate Lovers Have Sweeter Babies?:  The Surprising Science of Pregnancy

“Never again will I understand the mere act of standing upright as anything less than a small miracle. Carol Svec's exploration of balance is unexpected, engaging, and ultimately enlightening.” —Samantha Dunn, author of Not By Accident: Reconstructing a Carrless Life

“Balance is easily taken for granted. In this book, Carol takes you on a journey through the vestibular system to demonstrate how the inner ear works with the eyes, muscles and brain to control our ability to balance. She interviews some of the top researchers in the field and exposes herself to tests that would make your stomach flip (literally). Carol's writing is informative and funny, educational and illuminating. A great introduction to a very complicated system.” —Cynthia Ryan, Executive Director, Vestibular Disorders Association (VEDA)

“With crisp, lucid, and witty prose, Svec leads us on a kind of Odyssean journey into the secret symphony performed every second of every day between our eyes, ears, brains, nerves, joints, and even blood. Who knew ‘balance research’ could tell us so much about ourselves? I didn’t, and was bowled over by the whole thing. This is less a book about the misunderstood sense of balance and more a paean to the clever clockwork of the human body.” —James Nestor, author of DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves

“A comprehensive view of what we take for granted—until the devastation of no longer having it.” —Nicole Detling, owner and senior consultant with HeadStrong Consulting

“...thoroughly informative and engaging, Svec's "dizzying journey" maps a crucial, too-little understood aspect of health and well-being.” —Booklist