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Brave New Medicine: A Doctor's Unconventional Path to Healing Her Autoimmune Illness
In this revelatory memoir, Doctor Cynthia Li shares the truth about her disabling autoimmune illness, the limitations of Western medicine, and her hard-won lessons on healing—mind, body, and spirit.
Li had it all: a successful career in medicine, a loving marriage, children on the horizon. But it all came crashing down when, after developing an autoimmune thyroid condition, mysterious symptoms began consuming her body. Test after test came back "within normal limits," baffling her doctors—and baffling herself. Housebound with two young children, Li began a solo odyssey from her living room couch to find a way to heal.
Brave New Medicine details the physical and existential crisis that forces a young doctor to question her own medical training. She dives into the root causes of her illness, learning to unlock her body's innate intelligence and wholeness. Li relates her story with the insight of a scientist, and the humility and candor of a patient, exploring the emotional and spiritual shifts beyond the physical body.
Millions of people worldwide are affected by autoimmune disease. While complex conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are gaining attention, patients struggling with these mysterious ailments remain largely dismissed by their doctors, families, and friends. This is the harsh reality that doctor-turned-"difficult patient" Li faced firsthand.
Drawing on cutting-edge science, ancient healing arts, and the power of intuition, this memoir offers support, validation, and a new perspective for doctors and patients alike. Through her story, you can find the wisdom and heart to start your own healing journey, too.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
245 people are currently reading
2638 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Li
19 books70 followersCynthia Li, MD, graduated from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and has practiced in settings as diverse as Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital, and St Anthony Medical Clinic for the homeless. She serves on the faculty of the Healer's Art program at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and has a private practice in integrative and functional medicine. She lives in Berkeley, CA, with her husband and their two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
January 24, 2020
One of the best health memoirs I've read about a doctor living a normal life until she's struck with mysterious symptoms that turns out to be Hashimoto's thyroid disease. I totally resonated with her after going through many of the same symptoms throughout my own health journey with Hashimoto's. Highly recommend this one for anyone newly diagnosed with autoimmune disease in general, especially those with thyroid disease.
It would be wonderful if all doctors would read this book to better their own patient care, and to lean toward a more functional medicine approach.
More in depth review to follow.
5*****
It would be wonderful if all doctors would read this book to better their own patient care, and to lean toward a more functional medicine approach.
More in depth review to follow.
5*****
July 3, 2019
I was so moved by the long journey to wholeness of the author, an internal medicine physician whose Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and chronic fatigue took her from a thriving medical practice to housebound with two young children.
HEROINE’S EPIC
Her courageous and unconventional trek to healing is a heroine’s epic that inspires and calls into question the efficacy of conventional medicine alone.
RECOVERY
Her answers illuminate all manner of recovery: looking at root causes, using the body and spirit’s innate wisdom and intuition, turning to ancient healing practices combined with cutting edge science and research.
WHOLE PERSON
Brave New World is both a beautifully written memoir and a prescription for whole person living. Highly recommended!
Pub Date 01 Sep 2019.
Thanks to Cynthia Li, MD, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#BraveNewMedicine #NetGalley
HEROINE’S EPIC
Her courageous and unconventional trek to healing is a heroine’s epic that inspires and calls into question the efficacy of conventional medicine alone.
RECOVERY
Her answers illuminate all manner of recovery: looking at root causes, using the body and spirit’s innate wisdom and intuition, turning to ancient healing practices combined with cutting edge science and research.
WHOLE PERSON
Brave New World is both a beautifully written memoir and a prescription for whole person living. Highly recommended!
Pub Date 01 Sep 2019.
Thanks to Cynthia Li, MD, New Harbinger Publications, Inc., and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.
#BraveNewMedicine #NetGalley
February 13, 2020
Summary: When a physician trained in internal medicine experiences a debilitating autoimmune illness that the medical establishment couldn't heal, she pursues a journey addressing both body and mind that allow her body to heal.
Cynthia Li was proud of her training in medicine. After surviving a tragic loss, she marries David and begins a family. And with the birth of her first child her own health begins to unravel because of an autoimmune illness beginning with her thyroid, an illness where her immune system attacked her body--a racing heart, sleeplessness, loss of energy and a host of other symptoms that left her unable to get off the couch. She had become the "difficult patient." There seemed to be neither cause nor remedy that doctors who shared her training could find. She struggled through a second pregnancy, with tensions in the marriage growing.
The book traces her journey toward healing that began with asking a new question, "how to get off the couch?" She began with her sleeplessness by addressing her daily rhythms and sleep rituals. She gives herself permission to receive and become part of a community of support. She discovers the importance of daily doses of nature. She recognizes that toxins in her home and her body can contribute to inflammatory responses and takes steps to detoxify. She learns to pay attention to intuition for what to work on next. She discovers the connection between mental states and gene expression and learns the importance of moving from flight or fight stress to "rest and digest" states that heal rather than inflame tissue.
Perhaps one of the most interesting chapters was the one on learning to inhabit your body. She recognizes how we are often disconnected and out of touch with our own bodies. She found a great deal of help through meditative techniques, qiqong practice, and acupuncture to harness and release the power of qi. She mentions in passing weird occurrences in her home as she was engaged in these practices, and this raised a red flag for me. As a Christian, I believe in a God in whom we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) and in whose presence and power we are strengthened both spiritually and bodily. I also believe there are influences not of God that may be malign. I think there is a larger conversation to be had about mind-body meditative practices than can be had in this review, and the need for spiritual discernment in their practice. None of this is to question the experience of Dr. Li, nor the importance of reconnecting mind and body.
She also discovered what many are discovering--that our gut health, the biological mix of organisms in our intestinal tract--can be out of whack. She practiced and proposed a 30 day reset diet and ongoing dietary practices to address this. She found the importance of breaking old habits that no longer serve one well. It has often been said that "laughter is the best medicine" and she discovered how important play and laughter are in improving our immune function. She started investigating hidden root causes behind chronic conditions, especially food allergies and stealth infections like the Epstein-Barr virus. Having experienced loss, she learned how to "bring grief out of the shadows." Finally, she learned that in coming out of chronic illness, it was important to reclaim one's purpose and find and tell one's story.
She summarizes this journey in fifteen steps of "how to get off the couch." After the narrative, she includes a section with practical advice and websites for following the fifteen steps, practices she has now integrated into her own medical practice.
This work is a gentle but powerful critique of Western medical practice. She notes the pressure of fifteen minute patient visits, the shortcuts taken in listening to patient histories that may ignore childhood traumas and family histories that may be at the root of health problems, the over-reliance on lab panels that can come back normal even when there are real problems. She observes the neglect of the factors learned in medical school that contribute over time to disease and our definitions of "health," our neglect of the connections between mind and body, and the importance of seeing patients as whole people, and the importance of what our bodies are exposed to and what we put in them.
More importantly, Cynthia Li articulates a whole-life approach to health, nearly all of which happens outside doctors offices. It addresses how we eat, sleep, work, and play, and the environments within which we live, and our relationships with other human beings. Her book reminds us that before what we do, we are human be-ings. She explores how we "be" healthy, something no doctor may do for us, but can only do with us.
________________________________
Disclaimer: This review, like the book, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, which if needed, should be sought from a trained professional.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Cynthia Li was proud of her training in medicine. After surviving a tragic loss, she marries David and begins a family. And with the birth of her first child her own health begins to unravel because of an autoimmune illness beginning with her thyroid, an illness where her immune system attacked her body--a racing heart, sleeplessness, loss of energy and a host of other symptoms that left her unable to get off the couch. She had become the "difficult patient." There seemed to be neither cause nor remedy that doctors who shared her training could find. She struggled through a second pregnancy, with tensions in the marriage growing.
The book traces her journey toward healing that began with asking a new question, "how to get off the couch?" She began with her sleeplessness by addressing her daily rhythms and sleep rituals. She gives herself permission to receive and become part of a community of support. She discovers the importance of daily doses of nature. She recognizes that toxins in her home and her body can contribute to inflammatory responses and takes steps to detoxify. She learns to pay attention to intuition for what to work on next. She discovers the connection between mental states and gene expression and learns the importance of moving from flight or fight stress to "rest and digest" states that heal rather than inflame tissue.
Perhaps one of the most interesting chapters was the one on learning to inhabit your body. She recognizes how we are often disconnected and out of touch with our own bodies. She found a great deal of help through meditative techniques, qiqong practice, and acupuncture to harness and release the power of qi. She mentions in passing weird occurrences in her home as she was engaged in these practices, and this raised a red flag for me. As a Christian, I believe in a God in whom we "live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28) and in whose presence and power we are strengthened both spiritually and bodily. I also believe there are influences not of God that may be malign. I think there is a larger conversation to be had about mind-body meditative practices than can be had in this review, and the need for spiritual discernment in their practice. None of this is to question the experience of Dr. Li, nor the importance of reconnecting mind and body.
She also discovered what many are discovering--that our gut health, the biological mix of organisms in our intestinal tract--can be out of whack. She practiced and proposed a 30 day reset diet and ongoing dietary practices to address this. She found the importance of breaking old habits that no longer serve one well. It has often been said that "laughter is the best medicine" and she discovered how important play and laughter are in improving our immune function. She started investigating hidden root causes behind chronic conditions, especially food allergies and stealth infections like the Epstein-Barr virus. Having experienced loss, she learned how to "bring grief out of the shadows." Finally, she learned that in coming out of chronic illness, it was important to reclaim one's purpose and find and tell one's story.
She summarizes this journey in fifteen steps of "how to get off the couch." After the narrative, she includes a section with practical advice and websites for following the fifteen steps, practices she has now integrated into her own medical practice.
This work is a gentle but powerful critique of Western medical practice. She notes the pressure of fifteen minute patient visits, the shortcuts taken in listening to patient histories that may ignore childhood traumas and family histories that may be at the root of health problems, the over-reliance on lab panels that can come back normal even when there are real problems. She observes the neglect of the factors learned in medical school that contribute over time to disease and our definitions of "health," our neglect of the connections between mind and body, and the importance of seeing patients as whole people, and the importance of what our bodies are exposed to and what we put in them.
More importantly, Cynthia Li articulates a whole-life approach to health, nearly all of which happens outside doctors offices. It addresses how we eat, sleep, work, and play, and the environments within which we live, and our relationships with other human beings. Her book reminds us that before what we do, we are human be-ings. She explores how we "be" healthy, something no doctor may do for us, but can only do with us.
________________________________
Disclaimer: This review, like the book, is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, which if needed, should be sought from a trained professional.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher via LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
September 13, 2025
4 stars = Fantastic and easy to recommend.
“To feel seen was to feel wanted.”
Not that I have consumed a large number of them, but this is easily the best health memoir I have read. The author was a young medical doctor when she developed Hashimoto’s with debilitating symptoms that neither she nor any of her doctors could figure out. This starts her on a years long health journey to find relief, as she tries to identify the root cause instead of merely treating symptoms while the problems remain. Meanwhile she is also trying to balance her marriage, loss of her career/identity, and being a mother.
“Autoimmunity changes swiftly because life does.”
Highly recommended to those with an autoimmune disease, or anyone that has been dismissed with “everything looks good” based on their test results while being ignored about their existent symptoms. Others may enjoy it as well, but I think it will be most deeply appreciated by readers that can relate on some level.
“Hell wasn’t in the afterlife. It was here, now.”
-----
First Sentence: On the ground floor of a major medical center, I was in the bathroom, chanting out loud to myself.
Favorite Quote: If a grieving person didn’t have a witness - if he grieved privately - he risked depression. If he didn’t grieve enough, he risked suppression. Both of these were common in the West. Our primary “sins” were amnesia and anesthesia - we forgot, and we went numb.
“To feel seen was to feel wanted.”
Not that I have consumed a large number of them, but this is easily the best health memoir I have read. The author was a young medical doctor when she developed Hashimoto’s with debilitating symptoms that neither she nor any of her doctors could figure out. This starts her on a years long health journey to find relief, as she tries to identify the root cause instead of merely treating symptoms while the problems remain. Meanwhile she is also trying to balance her marriage, loss of her career/identity, and being a mother.
“Autoimmunity changes swiftly because life does.”
Highly recommended to those with an autoimmune disease, or anyone that has been dismissed with “everything looks good” based on their test results while being ignored about their existent symptoms. Others may enjoy it as well, but I think it will be most deeply appreciated by readers that can relate on some level.
“Hell wasn’t in the afterlife. It was here, now.”
-----
First Sentence: On the ground floor of a major medical center, I was in the bathroom, chanting out loud to myself.
Favorite Quote: If a grieving person didn’t have a witness - if he grieved privately - he risked depression. If he didn’t grieve enough, he risked suppression. Both of these were common in the West. Our primary “sins” were amnesia and anesthesia - we forgot, and we went numb.
October 13, 2020
I thought this would have more "how-to" and less memoir but that is not the case. It was informative in parts and lackluster in other parts. If you want to know what she did just read the last 25-40 pages of the book, otherwise you're in for a long slog. I understand that to grapple with autoimmune means going way back into our personal history, since autoimmune usually triggered by stress and trauma. Stress that can come in many different forms beginning in childhood. Heck, studies are finding that even ancestral trauma can affect us. Dr. Li had a lot of ground to cover, but all that did make for a tedious read. That said, it wasn't a waste. I gained more insight into autoimmune and treatments.
August 21, 2019
As someone who suffers from a chronic illness that seems to have no reasoning as to why it found me or how to control the symptoms, I found this book very interesting, especially seeing how it came from the perspective of a medical professional. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone with silent illnesses or someone interested in memoirs or the medical field. This book was inspirational and beautifully written.
August 21, 2019
I couldn't put this book down! And I don't even have an autoimmune illness. Reads like a good mystery.
August 6, 2019
As someone who was diagnosed with Lupus and Hashimoto's in the past five years, this book touched me. I found myself relating to this author's journey, as I too have struggled to find answers and found myself questioning so many different things. I felt everything that she felt and then some.
She made me think and gave me insight into how best to find the answers I need and how I might approach my own healing. I wasn't expecting to come away enjoying this book as much as I did. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is also trying to come to terms with their own autoimmune diagnosis.
I won a paperback of this book in a giveaway and I am very thankful because I might have pushed this book further down my TBR otherwise.
She made me think and gave me insight into how best to find the answers I need and how I might approach my own healing. I wasn't expecting to come away enjoying this book as much as I did. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is also trying to come to terms with their own autoimmune diagnosis.
I won a paperback of this book in a giveaway and I am very thankful because I might have pushed this book further down my TBR otherwise.
August 16, 2019
An interesting autobiographical look at Hashimotos autoimmune and thyroid disease coming from a dr who suffered as a patient and had a hard time getting "old" ways of treating those issues out of her way to see the newer research and approaches to overall health. As someone who does suffer from the same diseases and issues, it is interesting to see a dr's perspective as they try to get relief and not just be passed off as a "problem patient" as so many of us are. I think the overall message of the book is great that it is more than just taking the pill and you'll feel fine, which most of us know is total garbage, but that it takes diet changes, exercise, water intake, sleep and getting vitamin levels also optimal along with thyroid levels. This book leans towards the metaphysical or that the mind has a lot of control and being in touch with your intuition can lead you to a healthier lifestyle which isn't a bad perspective, but could have driven home that the medication is also vital to sustained life as well. I felt the book is a good support book to reinforce that patients are not crazy or hypochondriac's when it comes to their variety of symptoms, it reinforced that many lifestyle changes need to take place for healing and that advocating for your health by finding the right dr is important. I would recommend that someone suffering with these ailments read the book to find a kindred spirit, but that they should not rely on it as a concrete guidebook to wellness as there is much more to learn than what can be presented in one book.
August 16, 2019
An interesting autobiographical look at Hashimotos autoimmune and thyroid disease coming from a dr who suffered as a patient and had a hard time getting "old" ways of treating those issues out of her way to see the newer research and approaches to overall health. As someone who does suffer from the same diseases and issues, it is interesting to see a dr's perspective as they try to get relief and not just be passed off as a "problem patient" as so many of us are. I think the overall message of the book is great that it is more than just taking the pill and you'll feel fine, which most of us know is total garbage, but that it takes diet changes, exercise, water intake, sleep and getting vitamin levels also optimal along with thyroid levels. This book leans towards the metaphysical or that the mind has a lot of control and being in touch with your intuition can lead you to a healthier lifestyle which isn't a bad perspective, but could have driven home that the medication is also vital to sustained life as well. I felt the book is a good support book to reinforce that patients are not crazy or hypochondriac's when it comes to their variety of symptoms, it reinforced that many lifestyle changes need to take place for healing and that advocating for your health by finding the right dr is important. I would recommend that someone suffering with these ailments read the book to find a kindred spirit, but that they should not rely on it as a concrete guidebook to wellness as there is much more to learn than what can be presented in one book.
October 4, 2019
Highly recommended. After feeling disillusioned by overly proscriptive (and diet culture-proliferating) functional medicine reads, I feel reinvigorated by Dr. Li's heart-filled story and suggestions. She reminded me that healing can be gentle, accumulative, and community-building.
April 1, 2021
Thank you to New Harbinger Publications and Netgalley for the opportunity to review Brave New Medicine by Cynthia Li. All of the following thoughts are my own.
I initially was intrigued by this book, because I am a medical provider myself and find myself often facing patients who seem to have no obvious answer to their various ailments. In this case, a physician wrote the book, therefore, in my eyes would have more of an authority and knowledge base that I could reliably believe.
In this book we have Cynthia, an intelligent woman at the prime of her life working as a physician, newly married, and recently given birth to her first child. Inexplicably she develops postpartum thyroiditis that has no cure, but she simply wait out. She slowly develops symptoms that limited her ability to return to work, let alone care for her family like she would like.
Despite her reservations with Eastern Medicine, she slowly explores different ideas and methods at the encouragement of some family friends and at the simple desperation to be whole again.
Cynthia Li is a phenomenal writer and she was so transparent in her journey through her health with the struggles it gave - How her marriage started to crumble, her identity as a mother, wife, daughter, and friend were affected. I applaud not only her efforts, but also to her husband, who stood with her through it all.
I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t seem to have an answer to their health, every medical professional and anyone who would like to see how their environment and nutrition affects their lives.
An easy 5 stars!!!
I initially was intrigued by this book, because I am a medical provider myself and find myself often facing patients who seem to have no obvious answer to their various ailments. In this case, a physician wrote the book, therefore, in my eyes would have more of an authority and knowledge base that I could reliably believe.
In this book we have Cynthia, an intelligent woman at the prime of her life working as a physician, newly married, and recently given birth to her first child. Inexplicably she develops postpartum thyroiditis that has no cure, but she simply wait out. She slowly develops symptoms that limited her ability to return to work, let alone care for her family like she would like.
Despite her reservations with Eastern Medicine, she slowly explores different ideas and methods at the encouragement of some family friends and at the simple desperation to be whole again.
Cynthia Li is a phenomenal writer and she was so transparent in her journey through her health with the struggles it gave - How her marriage started to crumble, her identity as a mother, wife, daughter, and friend were affected. I applaud not only her efforts, but also to her husband, who stood with her through it all.
I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t seem to have an answer to their health, every medical professional and anyone who would like to see how their environment and nutrition affects their lives.
An easy 5 stars!!!
August 18, 2019
I appreciate the ARC from Net Galley and the publisher. As one who has autoimmune disease and has been dismissed and misdiagnosed by Kaiser doctors over and over again as well as disrespected as a patient and called "difficult" by multiple doctors (when I refuse to take harmful pills) I was interested to read this doctor's own journey through western medicine with her Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
I appreciate the utter honesty and candid journey she documents here . Anyone suffering from chronic disease can benefit from her experiences. She inspires me to continue to be my own fierce health advocate and stand up for my health against a broken system who trains doctors to just drug people with chronic disease and if we don't agree they label us as "difficult and noncooperation" to cover up their incompetence or dismissive attitudes.
Her courageous journey to healing inspires and calls into question conventional medicine . She takes the reader on her own journey through recovery, testing, health changes and how she was inspired to find her own healing practices. A very poignant and real look at the true suffering of a chronic pain patient in today's western medical system.. I appreciate very much receiving this book for a ARC as it came at the right time for me. Thank you to the author for this important body of work.
I appreciate the utter honesty and candid journey she documents here . Anyone suffering from chronic disease can benefit from her experiences. She inspires me to continue to be my own fierce health advocate and stand up for my health against a broken system who trains doctors to just drug people with chronic disease and if we don't agree they label us as "difficult and noncooperation" to cover up their incompetence or dismissive attitudes.
Her courageous journey to healing inspires and calls into question conventional medicine . She takes the reader on her own journey through recovery, testing, health changes and how she was inspired to find her own healing practices. A very poignant and real look at the true suffering of a chronic pain patient in today's western medical system.. I appreciate very much receiving this book for a ARC as it came at the right time for me. Thank you to the author for this important body of work.
September 5, 2019
As I put Brave New Medicine down, I feel both exhilarated and exhausted. Exhilarated because there is hope that I can be whole again, and exhausted because I felt Cynthia’s pain. I walked her journey with her, because her journey was my journey - she is just further along, guiding the way to health. Cynthia’s book is both gut wrenching and cleansing. To anyone who has ever walked the road of long term health problems, this book is a must read! Dr. Li combines traditional medicine with ancient healing practices, to point the way to total health, not merely masking symptoms with a drug. Mind, body and spirit all come in line in order to achieve wholeness. This may sound overwhelming, but Cynthia breaks the process down into bite sized pieces, making it easy to begin. This book has been life changing for me; it can be for you as well.
September 22, 2019
For all those who suffer with undiagnosed illness, this is the book for you. The long journey the author, a medical doctor, endures is quite shocking. It took her years to accept alternative medicine as the healing she so desperately needed. Beautifully written with a depth of information for all readers, I highly recommend this book.
March 6, 2021
This book is a refreshing take on the importance of taking a holistic approach in understanding illnesses, especially chronic conditions, as it documents a medical doctor’s personal health challenges that spanned over a decade, and the subsequent paradigm shift in the way she practises medicine. It is rare to hear doctors sharing their own unresolvable chronic health issues, as the author Dr Li said - she had always operated from a perspective of us (doctors) vs them (the sick). One of her grief experienced during her journey of illness was how could help others when she as a doctor could not even heal herself?
Her personal story: she was a sensitive and quiet child who decided an an early age to be “strong” because she was tired of being seen weak, and who stumbled upon medicine as a path. She went through years of grueling training, suffered the sudden loss of her fiance, buried that pain and just kept going. But all these, plus lack of awareness of other risks eg toxic emotional and physical exposure all added up and caused thyroid issues and chronic fatique. Yet all the medical tests came up ok and she became one of those classic “difficult patients”.
Her journey and lessons are in the 15 steps below, which is also roughly how she structures her book. I will higlight a few points that resonated with me.
Some are born naturally more sensitive – not just emotionally but via the sense organs. Dr Li contrasts herself with her husband David. She is sensitive to noise, takes time to transit between tasks esp when she is unwell, while her husband is full of energy, can transit quickly from one task to another, and is immune to a messy house. But she said “the more disordered I became on the inside, the more order I needed around me”. I feel the same way too. I am ruffled by sounds, the wind on my skin, and also to bright light. When work stress messes with my head and I feel fragmented mentally and emotionally, going through the process of tidying my environment is therapeutic and having a clean and ordered environment is less stressful than a messy one.
Her fatigue also makes her want to have distance from people because engaging them is exhausting so she pushes them away, yet she longs for connection. I can understand this paradox.
Another point that really resonated with me is the point about spaces. I have always believed that negative spaces are just as important, if not more important, that positive spaces. Eg a painting hung with sufficient wall space allows us to appreciate it more; in yogic practise of pranayama, paying attention to and lengthening the duration of kumbhaka, the space in between breath, is so important; and rest between activity is critical. Dr Li was referring to labour pain, and how her midwife taught her the importance of the spaces in between, so that the pain is not one continuous pain, but to harness the space and time between the pain so one can tolerate the pain better.
This is very similar to Buddhist teachings - we learn that there is always a rise and a fall. But we only notice the rise of our physical and emotional sensations, not the process when it is subsiding. So we think that our experience is one continuous rise (eg pain of an hour, a year or 10 years). Memory in particular, makes us think of the event that caused our emotional pain and triggers it again, even when the painful event is over. And then it subsides but we do not notice it subside, and then we think about the painful event again and we suffer the rise of the emotional pain again. I think that is why some people think their life is like a continuous emotional pain . The emotional pain actually comes in spurts, and if we can notice that it also subsides, that there is space in between the emotional pain and that it is possible to lengthen that space in between, then we can see the possibility moving towards healing.
Another very important point is about the neuroplasticity of the brain, of which she learned from reading a book called “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Michael Doidge (I am reading that now, fantastic book). The brain can change itself because it can develop new neuropathways. And I learn a very important point about the science of pleasure - certain practises can increase levels of dopamine, the key chemical involved in motivation and pleasure. And that the dopamine pathway works by priming, or conditioning responses, so that the release of dopamine triggers the release of yet more dopamine, which is why repetitive small acts of pleasure are also dopamine producing. Given enough repetition, then neural pathways of arousal become heartier – the principal of neuroplasticity – and give enough repetition, the genes for pleasure might also turn back on - the principle of epigenetics.
Other useful points to know include the mitochondria - which are powerhouses energy production in the cells. That their numbers can grow or shrink (eg aging or lack of exercise), and their health can also be robust or weak (toxicities, nutrient difficientcies and inflammation). Exercise can increase both the number AND function of mitochondria.
So all in all, I love this book. Encouraging for us to care for ourselves and live a life that is in sync with ourselves.
The 15 Steps:
1. Ask new questions
2. Reset your inner clock
3. Give yourself permission to receive
4. Get a daily dose of nature
5. Detoxify the house
6 Let your intuition tell your thinking mind where to look next
7. Change your thoughts, change your genes
8. Inhabit your body
9. Heal the gut
10. Break old habits that no longer serve you
11. Practise pleasure. It's serious work.
12. Investigate hidden root causes
13. Survive love and loss
14. Reclaim your purpose
15. Find your story, the real one
Her personal story: she was a sensitive and quiet child who decided an an early age to be “strong” because she was tired of being seen weak, and who stumbled upon medicine as a path. She went through years of grueling training, suffered the sudden loss of her fiance, buried that pain and just kept going. But all these, plus lack of awareness of other risks eg toxic emotional and physical exposure all added up and caused thyroid issues and chronic fatique. Yet all the medical tests came up ok and she became one of those classic “difficult patients”.
Her journey and lessons are in the 15 steps below, which is also roughly how she structures her book. I will higlight a few points that resonated with me.
Some are born naturally more sensitive – not just emotionally but via the sense organs. Dr Li contrasts herself with her husband David. She is sensitive to noise, takes time to transit between tasks esp when she is unwell, while her husband is full of energy, can transit quickly from one task to another, and is immune to a messy house. But she said “the more disordered I became on the inside, the more order I needed around me”. I feel the same way too. I am ruffled by sounds, the wind on my skin, and also to bright light. When work stress messes with my head and I feel fragmented mentally and emotionally, going through the process of tidying my environment is therapeutic and having a clean and ordered environment is less stressful than a messy one.
Her fatigue also makes her want to have distance from people because engaging them is exhausting so she pushes them away, yet she longs for connection. I can understand this paradox.
Another point that really resonated with me is the point about spaces. I have always believed that negative spaces are just as important, if not more important, that positive spaces. Eg a painting hung with sufficient wall space allows us to appreciate it more; in yogic practise of pranayama, paying attention to and lengthening the duration of kumbhaka, the space in between breath, is so important; and rest between activity is critical. Dr Li was referring to labour pain, and how her midwife taught her the importance of the spaces in between, so that the pain is not one continuous pain, but to harness the space and time between the pain so one can tolerate the pain better.
This is very similar to Buddhist teachings - we learn that there is always a rise and a fall. But we only notice the rise of our physical and emotional sensations, not the process when it is subsiding. So we think that our experience is one continuous rise (eg pain of an hour, a year or 10 years). Memory in particular, makes us think of the event that caused our emotional pain and triggers it again, even when the painful event is over. And then it subsides but we do not notice it subside, and then we think about the painful event again and we suffer the rise of the emotional pain again. I think that is why some people think their life is like a continuous emotional pain . The emotional pain actually comes in spurts, and if we can notice that it also subsides, that there is space in between the emotional pain and that it is possible to lengthen that space in between, then we can see the possibility moving towards healing.
Another very important point is about the neuroplasticity of the brain, of which she learned from reading a book called “The Brain that Changes Itself” by Michael Doidge (I am reading that now, fantastic book). The brain can change itself because it can develop new neuropathways. And I learn a very important point about the science of pleasure - certain practises can increase levels of dopamine, the key chemical involved in motivation and pleasure. And that the dopamine pathway works by priming, or conditioning responses, so that the release of dopamine triggers the release of yet more dopamine, which is why repetitive small acts of pleasure are also dopamine producing. Given enough repetition, then neural pathways of arousal become heartier – the principal of neuroplasticity – and give enough repetition, the genes for pleasure might also turn back on - the principle of epigenetics.
Other useful points to know include the mitochondria - which are powerhouses energy production in the cells. That their numbers can grow or shrink (eg aging or lack of exercise), and their health can also be robust or weak (toxicities, nutrient difficientcies and inflammation). Exercise can increase both the number AND function of mitochondria.
So all in all, I love this book. Encouraging for us to care for ourselves and live a life that is in sync with ourselves.
The 15 Steps:
1. Ask new questions
2. Reset your inner clock
3. Give yourself permission to receive
4. Get a daily dose of nature
5. Detoxify the house
6 Let your intuition tell your thinking mind where to look next
7. Change your thoughts, change your genes
8. Inhabit your body
9. Heal the gut
10. Break old habits that no longer serve you
11. Practise pleasure. It's serious work.
12. Investigate hidden root causes
13. Survive love and loss
14. Reclaim your purpose
15. Find your story, the real one
November 3, 2019
Very useful and compelling book. Have gone back many times already to reread bits. I appreciate this author's story and her thoughts on the body and medical system. I'm so very depressed about the state of modern medicine when it comes to dealing with chronic illness, and this book made me feel less bad about the whole thing. I read this a while back and forgot to put it in Goodreads.
March 11, 2020
Thank you to New Harbinger Publications and Netgalley for the opportunity to review Brave New Medicine by Cynthia Li. All of the following thoughts are my own.
I initially was intrigued by this book, because I am a medical provider myself and find myself often facing patients who seem to have no obvious answer to their various ailments. In this case, a physician wrote the book, therefore, in my eyes would have more of an authority and knowledge base that I could reliably believe.
In this book we have Cynthia, an intelligent woman at the prime of her life working as a physician, newly married, and recently given birth to her first child. Inexplicably she develops postpartum thyroiditis that has no cure, but she simply wait out. She slowly develops symptoms that limited her ability to return to work, let alone care for her family like she would like.
Despite her reservations with Eastern Medicine, she slowly explores different ideas and methods at the encouragement of some family friends and at the simple desperation to be whole again.
Cynthia Li is a phenomenal writer and she was so transparent in her journey through her health with the struggles it gave - How her marriage started to crumble, her identity as a mother, wife, daughter, and friend were affected. I applaud not only her efforts, but also to her husband, who stood with her through it all.
I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t seem to have an answer to their health, every medical professional and anyone who would like to see how their environment and nutrition affects their lives.
An easy 5 stars!!!
I initially was intrigued by this book, because I am a medical provider myself and find myself often facing patients who seem to have no obvious answer to their various ailments. In this case, a physician wrote the book, therefore, in my eyes would have more of an authority and knowledge base that I could reliably believe.
In this book we have Cynthia, an intelligent woman at the prime of her life working as a physician, newly married, and recently given birth to her first child. Inexplicably she develops postpartum thyroiditis that has no cure, but she simply wait out. She slowly develops symptoms that limited her ability to return to work, let alone care for her family like she would like.
Despite her reservations with Eastern Medicine, she slowly explores different ideas and methods at the encouragement of some family friends and at the simple desperation to be whole again.
Cynthia Li is a phenomenal writer and she was so transparent in her journey through her health with the struggles it gave - How her marriage started to crumble, her identity as a mother, wife, daughter, and friend were affected. I applaud not only her efforts, but also to her husband, who stood with her through it all.
I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t seem to have an answer to their health, every medical professional and anyone who would like to see how their environment and nutrition affects their lives.
An easy 5 stars!!!
August 7, 2019
Thank you to New Harbinger Publications and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Back in a previous lifetime, I trained as a registered nurse, so was intrigued by the description - and this book did not disappoint. The author shares the journey of her "most difficult patient", herself, from being a diligent medical student, to becoming a stressed and active young doctor, to being housebound and with no energy to do anything more than lie in bed. All this with two young children and a husband whose career demanded long hours and lots of travel, and symptoms so diffuse that all testing came back negative.
Particularly for a health care professional, non-conventional medicine is at best questionable - but as the Germans say: "When in need, the devil will devour flies" (In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen), i..e. in desperate straits, the impossible becomes palatable. The author's decision to try unconventional methods and treatments, and learn to listen to her body in a completely new way, is fascinating, and illuminating for anyone seeking to live a life of wholeness.
Back in a previous lifetime, I trained as a registered nurse, so was intrigued by the description - and this book did not disappoint. The author shares the journey of her "most difficult patient", herself, from being a diligent medical student, to becoming a stressed and active young doctor, to being housebound and with no energy to do anything more than lie in bed. All this with two young children and a husband whose career demanded long hours and lots of travel, and symptoms so diffuse that all testing came back negative.
Particularly for a health care professional, non-conventional medicine is at best questionable - but as the Germans say: "When in need, the devil will devour flies" (In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen), i..e. in desperate straits, the impossible becomes palatable. The author's decision to try unconventional methods and treatments, and learn to listen to her body in a completely new way, is fascinating, and illuminating for anyone seeking to live a life of wholeness.
November 24, 2020
Didn’t learn much that was new to me about alternative medicine but it was interesting to read about the journey of a skeptic. I appreciated this sentence most of all: The body doesn’t discriminate between physical and emotional distresses. This is reinforced by neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett in her book “Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain” which I want to read.
March 6, 2021
I really enjoyed Dr. Li's personal narrative but there is nothing new nor brave about the medical takeaways that she learned.
June 30, 2021
I came across this book unexpectedly and I was so glad it did! Such gorgeous prose in this moving memoir. It’s so easy to fall into Dr Li’s story and feel right by her side in this journey, sparked by illness, one that will shut down nearly everything in her world. The gradual (and hard-earned) process of finding a way back to health, and all that is gleaned along the way, is triumphant.
Although some of what she describes is unlike anything I’ve ever been through, Brave New Medicine is written in such a relatable, accessible way. Even though some of the specifics are relatively unusual, Dr Li beautifully captures what is universal in humanity in how she tells it. There’s also a lovely wit and much appreciated light-heartedness that comes through in some of the reflections and dialogue. Overall incredibly inspirational. The third section is packed with advice and practices to promote health and well-being for any and all. Much gratitude for this book!
Although some of what she describes is unlike anything I’ve ever been through, Brave New Medicine is written in such a relatable, accessible way. Even though some of the specifics are relatively unusual, Dr Li beautifully captures what is universal in humanity in how she tells it. There’s also a lovely wit and much appreciated light-heartedness that comes through in some of the reflections and dialogue. Overall incredibly inspirational. The third section is packed with advice and practices to promote health and well-being for any and all. Much gratitude for this book!
January 28, 2021
This book is an interesting tale of a medical doctor, Cynthia Li, who gets terribly sick due to an auto immune disease. She describes her plight in a very detailed manner. The pain which she endured was incredible. However she figures her way out of it after enduring this for five years.
Oddly, a visit to the dentist helped reveal one reason she was so sick. Her daughter had 6 cavities. The doctor researched and found another doctor who studied teeth of various tribes in Africa. He found they had no cavities. Then he figured out that gluten was the cause. Dr Li immediately eliminated gluten from her family’s diet. Her daughter teeth got better and Dr. Li also improved her health surprisingly.
Dr Li, heard about bone broth and attended a class about it. There she met someone who told her about integrative medicine. She was intrigued and searched for a class to attend on it. Integrative medicine believes that disease happens in the whole body and searches to cure the root cause. At this conference she learned that there are five causes of disease which are Infections, Allergens, Toxins, Stress and Poor diet. There are also seven essential Ingredients to Optimal Health which are Real Food, Hormonal balance, a healthy environment, adequate sleep, exercise or movement and community, love and purpose.
In Part Three of her book she lays out a way to live your life.
Oddly, a visit to the dentist helped reveal one reason she was so sick. Her daughter had 6 cavities. The doctor researched and found another doctor who studied teeth of various tribes in Africa. He found they had no cavities. Then he figured out that gluten was the cause. Dr Li immediately eliminated gluten from her family’s diet. Her daughter teeth got better and Dr. Li also improved her health surprisingly.
Dr Li, heard about bone broth and attended a class about it. There she met someone who told her about integrative medicine. She was intrigued and searched for a class to attend on it. Integrative medicine believes that disease happens in the whole body and searches to cure the root cause. At this conference she learned that there are five causes of disease which are Infections, Allergens, Toxins, Stress and Poor diet. There are also seven essential Ingredients to Optimal Health which are Real Food, Hormonal balance, a healthy environment, adequate sleep, exercise or movement and community, love and purpose.
In Part Three of her book she lays out a way to live your life.
May 20, 2021
This was extremely easy to read and understand. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
At one point I was literally in tears bc I completely understand where she was coming from. As a trained research scientist and working in public health, I was so embarrassed that something was wrong with me and I didn't know what or how to fix it. She goes through her mindset at the time and how her thinking and attitudes changed to explain why she chose whatever avenue she chose to help her. It was fascinating.
The end is basically a summary of what she did and how you can implement it in your own life, along with reading materials and resources. I really appreciated that she reiterated all of the main points and her references to delve deeper into the material.
At one point I was literally in tears bc I completely understand where she was coming from. As a trained research scientist and working in public health, I was so embarrassed that something was wrong with me and I didn't know what or how to fix it. She goes through her mindset at the time and how her thinking and attitudes changed to explain why she chose whatever avenue she chose to help her. It was fascinating.
The end is basically a summary of what she did and how you can implement it in your own life, along with reading materials and resources. I really appreciated that she reiterated all of the main points and her references to delve deeper into the material.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2019
What an amazing and magical read. I absolutely loved it and did not want it to end.
This is the gripping story of a woman that discovers her true power through darkness, and learns to master it to heal herself and others.
The book takes you deep into the Cynthia’s life, as changes sweep her into a new world - one of hardship and turmoil. Through tumultuous decades, Cynthia must find her inner strength, connect with the wisdom of her body, and surrender to her destiny as an unconventional healer, shaping the beginning of a brave new medicine.
Highly recommended.
This is the gripping story of a woman that discovers her true power through darkness, and learns to master it to heal herself and others.
The book takes you deep into the Cynthia’s life, as changes sweep her into a new world - one of hardship and turmoil. Through tumultuous decades, Cynthia must find her inner strength, connect with the wisdom of her body, and surrender to her destiny as an unconventional healer, shaping the beginning of a brave new medicine.
Highly recommended.
August 21, 2023
Guzel bir ani kitabi, konu guzel degil ama cok gercekci. Anlatilanlar ise daha ince duymadigimiz seyler degil yine de tiroid sorunu olanlar icin ilginc olabilir. Gluten ve sut toleransinin az olmasi cok fazla gorunuyor. Eliminasyon diyetini denemeli.
December 11, 2024
informative and relatable book
November 28, 2019
This is a wonderful, plainly written book on how sicknesses changes your life and how taking your healing into your own hands is what is best! Medical doctors, Western medicine or big Pharma don’t have all the answers. You know your body- don’t stop until you get well!! Thank you Cynthia Li
July 9, 2019
Brave New Medicine is a interesting memoir that is well written. Her long journey and struggle is a brave one and informative.
July 31, 2019
Brave, yes. New, yes. Medicine....and answers!
Cynthia Li's path to healing--as she shares it in "Brave New Medicine"--is 5★s and a wow!
Study this book, take one or all of Li's solutions and bravely heal autoimmune dis-eases. Then, grab one for your doctors, specialists, nurses, and chronically ill loved ones. Priceless. #NetGalley #JozefBookandBrew
Cynthia Li's path to healing--as she shares it in "Brave New Medicine"--is 5★s and a wow!
Study this book, take one or all of Li's solutions and bravely heal autoimmune dis-eases. Then, grab one for your doctors, specialists, nurses, and chronically ill loved ones. Priceless. #NetGalley #JozefBookandBrew
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