Check this tripper: Scientist say that the central nervous system (CNS) can rewire itself to bypass damaged nerves that cause paralysis. Tiny nerves in the brain and spinal cord can actually crisscross creating new nerve pathways between brain cells and nerve cells that control movement. Injuries once thought to be irreversible now seem to show hope of recovery.

The study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles looked at mice whose long axon nerve fibers were blocked causing paralysis of their hind legs. However, researchers left the core of the mice’s spinal cords, which contained short nerve fibers, intact. Within eight weeks the mice regained movement in their hind legs, astonishing researchers. The scientists then blocked the short nerve fibers, once again, causing hind leg paralysis. This showed that the short nerve fibers, which had reconnected, were responsible for the regain in hind leg movement.

Wow! Imagine that. Nerve cells repairing themselves and creating new connections in a self-healing, self-regulating repair process. I find this new discovery absolutely fascinating, although I’m not exactly surprised by it. I would expect this type of self-repair to be inherent in living organisms, especially one as complex as Homo sapien. And I’m certain we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. I still contend that the greatest gains in human health and healing will be realized in the realm of mind-body dynamics in the future–and perhaps not as far in the future as one might think.

The implications go way beyond reversing paralysis, in my mind. I think that all healing probably follows this type of mechanism in one way or another. There is so much about the human body and it’s physiology that we do not know, especially on the molecular (and smaller) level. I’m excited to see where science will lead us tomorrow. The human mind and body are truly magnificent, and we have yet to realize their full potential. Truth is, we probably haven’t even seen the half of it.