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Heal Faster: Unlock Your Body's Rapid Recovery Reflex

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Discover how to harness your body's innate healing mechanisms to recover faster and more completely from virtually any condition, from common colds to chronic disease, by the author of Be Fruitful and cohost of the Body of Wonder podcast, and in collaboration with the AARP.

What if your body already has all the healing tools it needs--and you just need to learn how to activate them?

In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Victoria Maizes, a pioneer of integrative medicine, reveals the remarkable power of what she calls the "rapid recovery reflex"--your body's built-in ability to restore balance and heal from illness, injury, and stress.

Drawing on forty years of medical experience and cutting-edge research, Dr. Maizes shows that complete recovery is possible for a wide range of conditions when you know how to support your body's natural healing processes. From short-term ailments--like colds and sprains--to chronic conditions--like asthma and diabetes--to recovering from surgery, this book offers evidence-based strategies to heal faster and more completely.

Inside you'll discover:
-Science-backed strategies that can speed up recovery from common ailments (like GERD, UTIs, anxiety, asthma, and eczema), chronic conditions, and even surgery.
- Surprising reasons why you should sometimes let your body's natural inflammatory response do its healing work.
-A personalized Recovery Toolkit with essential supplements, practices, and remedies for different conditions.
-Integrative tools that really work when managing mental health, stress, and anxiety.

Rather than merely treating symptoms, Dr. Maizes shows how to address the root causes of illness while providing practical tools for activating your rapid recovery reflex. This comprehensive guide empowers you to take charge of your health and tap into your body's remarkable ability to heal itself.

432 pages, Hardcover

Published January 13, 2026

10 people are currently reading
139 people want to read

About the author

Victoria Maizes M.D.

2 books5 followers

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Jackie Sunday.
848 reviews55 followers
September 17, 2025
Americans are always in a hurry. We want everything now. However, when pain is involved, it can bring everything to a standstill. Naturally, we want a quick fix but, most of the time, there’s not a simple cure. It takes work.

Dr. Victoria Maizes shares her knowledge and experience treating patients. Surgery may seem like the logical solution but sometimes there are better ways to heal. This book comes with an organized layout of tips on how to bounce right back from an injury or medical problem.

She covers colds and viral infections, musculoskeletal pain, stomach ailments, skin and hair, orthopedic issues, asthma, depression and various other areas. Dr. Maizes said women are sadly underrepresented with medical research reports. She dedicates three chapters to cover women’s health issues. She also shares her thoughts on COVID-19.

I highly recommend buying a hardcover of this book to use as a reference. Read the entire book first and then go back to the areas that concern you. Each section includes recommended recovery plans and she has lots to say about diet, supplements and exercise. She also touches on the value of chiropractors, hypnotherapists, cannabis and psychedelic drugs for specific cases.

Dr. Maizes said that while we live in a wealthy country, we all know that the health care system in our country needs work. Sadly, the US ranks last or near last among high-income nations in preventable deaths! We are less healthy than other countries and nothing is being done to change it. We need to rely on the internet and books like this to give us guidance. The information is thorough and can be helpful for questions before seeing a doctor. It’s all about healing faster.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a copy of this advanced book with an expected release date of January 13, 2026. My views are my own.
Profile Image for Aria .
241 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
December 21, 2025
Heal Faster: Unlock Your Body's Rapid Recovery Reflex by Victoria Maizes is a practical, science-backed guide that earns a solid 4 stars. Drawing on decades of integrative medicine experience, Maizes introduces the "rapid recovery reflex"—the body's innate ability to restore balance after illness, injury, or stress—and offers actionable strategies to activate it for everything from colds and UTIs to chronic issues like asthma and anxiety. The book shines in blending research with real-world examples, from refugees and addicts who've thrived amid chaos to simple tools like supplements, mindset shifts, and lifestyle tweaks tailored to specific conditions. I appreciated the emphasis on supporting natural inflammation and root causes rather than just suppressing symptoms, plus the personalized Recovery Toolkit that makes it easy to apply advice immediately. The writing is clear and encouraging without being overly simplistic, and the exercises feel genuinely doable for busy readers.While some sections overlap a bit on core concepts, the structure supports quick reference, making it a handy resource for anyone wanting to bounce back faster from ailments big or small. Overall, Heal Faster empowers you to partner with your body's healing power in smart, evidence-based ways—highly recommend for proactive health enthusiasts. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
1 review
January 26, 2026
Empowering and Practical Guide to Taking Control of Your Healing
This book brilliantly returns agency to patients, reminding us of our body’s innate capacity to heal. Dr. Maizes covers everything from common ailments to complex conditions, providing actionable strategies for accelerating recovery.
What sets this apart is the balanced approach—it doesn’t dismiss conventional medicine but rather teaches you how to become an informed partner with your healthcare providers, even in complicated healing journeys. The emphasis on evidence-based self-care alongside medical treatment is refreshing and empowering.
Whether you’re dealing with a minor injury or navigating a more serious health challenge, this book gives you practical tools to support your body’s natural healing processes. A must-read for anyone wanting to take a more active, informed role in their health.
Profile Image for Marissa C.
86 reviews4 followers
January 12, 2026
This book I felt was a simple version of a medical textbook. Each chapter was specific to certain types of ailments that most people get over their lifetimes, so you could essentially just go to the specific chapter that you are seeking information on when it comes to healing. Overall, I did not fine it be a book that I would reach for to read, unless I needed specific medical advice and I didn’t want to have to sift through google. Every much like an Encyclopedia, dictionary or thesaurus.
Profile Image for Cee.
396 reviews
January 13, 2026
Amazing integrative medicine tips! This book helps you to put your health back into your hands not only doctors! Everyone should own a copy of this book. It’s helpful, practical and easily followed. I really appreciated the sections Your Rapid Recovery Toolkit and How to choose a Supplement. Can’t recommend this book enough!
1,003 reviews9 followers
January 13, 2026
I learned a lot of new ideas to keep myself healthy from this book. It is a great resource for both your physical body but also your mental body too. The book is very easy to read and the author goes over step by step methods on how you can help yourself if you are struggling with these certain problems, such as, Colds, the Gut, Heart Disease Depression, plus so much more. I like that she includes both alternative methods and medical advice that can help you with the topics she discuss in the book.
I was surprised at how many new ideas I came across and how those ideas have been helping me with certain problems, and I like how easy and simple the solutions are. I learned that you can use Coconut oil on your skin, you can lose weight by giving yourself a break from eating for 14 hours while you sleep and finally I've been using an app, that she suggested, that helped me add meditation into my life called Insight timer. The app is very nice because it has many types of meditations, teachers and length of time in which you can meditate, and its very adaptable to how much time I have in my schedule, plus it also helps to remind me to drink more water and stay connected with others.
Finally, you might not need this book right now, but it will be a great reference if you happen to need help with any of these topics later on, and it definitely worth reading.


I want to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book about how to take better care of myself.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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