I first heard about
Cure when it popped up as highly recommended by health guru
Chris Kresser. Once I started reading it, the was no question about
why he loved it. Author
Jo Marchant digs into the question of exactly how accurate
the old maxim “mind over
matter” really is, how far
it actually goes in real
life, why it works, and how we could (and in some cases already do)
harness our minds' abilities to affect our bodies in radically
positive ways.
The
book covers a lot of ground, balancing science
and research with the
wide-ranging stories
of real people either benefiting from mind-body science or whose
dilemmas are driving the next wave of research. Marchant explores
the situations and applications of/for everyone from pregnant women
to burn victims to chronic disease patients to children growing up in
poverty. She does an
excellent job of making the science reader-friendly; you don't have
love or be an expert in biology, chemistry, or neuroscience to get
what you're reading and follow along. I occasionally thought there
was room for improvement in the structure of some of the chapters,
but over all it was a well-constructed and thought-provoking read.
The
best aspect of the book, in my opinion, was the positive and
affirming nature of both the stats and the conclusions. Marchant
clearly demonstrates the value and potential of highly controllable
factors such as placebos, rituals, and personal, intentional and
compassionate care to revolutionize health and pain management in
constructive, drastic, and economically powerful ways. She makes a
solid case for integrating 'holistic' and 'alternative' health
practices based on the mind-body connection with mainstream practices
in ways that stand to benefit all of us. Perhaps even more
importantly, Cure gives
both individuals and care providers what they need to know to be
empowered to take better care of themselves, their families, and
their communities.
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