VRx: How Virtual Therapeutics Will Revolutionize Medicine

by Brennan Spiegel

A leading doctor unveils the groundbreaking potential of virtual medicine.
Brennan Spiegel has spent years studying the medical power of the mind, and in VRx he reveals a revolutionary new kind of virtual medicine. It offers the possibility of treating illnesses without solely relying on intrusive surgeries or addictive opioids.
Virtual medicine works by convincing your body that it's somewhere, or something, it isn't. It's affordable, widely available, and has already proved effective against everything from burn injuries to stroke to PTSD. Spiegel shows how a simple VR headset lets a patient with schizophrenia confront the demon in his head, how dementia patients regain function in a life-size virtual town, and how vivid simulations of patients' experiences are making doctors more empathic.
VRx is a revelatory account of the connection between our bodies and ourselves. In an age of overmedication and depersonalized care, it offers no less than a new way to heal.

Genres: Health Care, Science

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2020

Reviews

[Yifan Li · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here is a paragraph from the book:

ERIN MARTUCCI HAS JUST BEEN HANDED A VR HEADSET. A FORTY-YEAR-OLD mother of a young child, Erin is now in the midst of delivering her second baby at Orange Regional Medical Center in New Jersey, and the contractions are starting to get intense. “Give this a try,” says her obstetrician, Ralph Anderson, who notices that Erin is beginning to struggle. Dr. Anderson knows that Erin wants to avoid a spinal injection to dull the pain. She previously used an epidural during the birth of her first child but regretted how long it took for her infant to bond and breastfeed after the delivery because of side effects from the pain medicine. In her pre-labor planning this time around, Erin explained that she wanted a natural birth. Still, virtual reality may not have been what Erin had in mind. She regards the headset quizzically. “I feel terrible saying this, Dr. Anderson, but I don’t think this is gonna help. I’m teetering on the edge.” “Why not give it a shot?” asks her husband. “If you don’t like it, then you can always take it off.” “Okay, I’ve got nothing to lose,” she says. Erin rides out a contraction, catches her breath, and slides on the headset. She is now seated by a campfire in the middle of a pastel-hued, sparkling forest. Erin is immersed in ethereal, rhythmic music that aligns with her breathing, as if she is conducting a techno-symphony with her own diaphragm. As Erin breathes in, and out, in, and out, concentric circles expand and contract around the campfire in synchrony. When she exhales, a stream of effervescent sparks flow out of her mouth and into the campfire. Fireflies flit about the scene. Clouds of lavender and blue vapor seep out from behind nearby stones, lending an otherworldly, almost psychedelic quality to the pulsating landscape. She is completely immersed in the scene. The birthing room has been replaced by a wondrous and colorful world; her mind is fully occupied. Erin’s sense of self, which moments before was girding against waves of pain, is now spread about the digital equivalent of a Monet watercolor. A woman with a British accent begins to speak. With a calm and steady demeanor, the voice coaches Erin through Lamaze breathing. Two hours have passed when Dr. Anderson interrupts: “Okay, Erin, you’re ready to push.” “What?” “It’s time to have your baby. Her head is coming out.” Erin has lost her sense of time; she is stunned by the stark interruption. Dr. Anderson removes the headset, reintroducing her to the sights and sounds of childbirth. Her baby girl is crowning. Erin delivers within less than a minute. Her newborn daughter, Elizabeth, awakens to her own abrupt shift in reality. She locks eyes with her mom and then begins to breastfeed. And with that, Elizabeth becomes the first baby documented to enter real reality with the help of virtual reality.1

Hope you now understand my two-star rating.

[Joanne Manaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting enough read. Convinced me that if a doctor at a hospital offered me VR as a distraction to pain, I'd accept, but probably wouldn't seek it out for what ails me.

[Ties · Rating 3 out of 5]

The core of the book is solid: there are many (scientifically proven) opportunities for the application of VR in health care.

But I was underwhelmed with the scope/depth of the actual applications. In my mind, much more is possible, which is something the author actually addresses with a story of a 20 something digital native who was unimpressed by his program. I was not that impressed as well.

He ends with a vision of the future which seems so plausible to me that I was wondering why it wasn't a reality yet.

So all in all it was a fine book. But its probably better suited to people that are much less aware of the developments and innovations in the digital field.

[mowensmd · Rating 1 out of 5]

One might think: Gastroenterologist writes visionary book about VR in medicine and you might think this would top my list.

This is a terrible book. A horrible book.

My colleagues are acquaintances of the author, and I'm not surprised to say I found this to be a lot of him just blabbing away.

Science and medicine do not work like this. His explanation of the outcomes of myriad studies are worse than local TV news takes. His proposition of the meaning of studies is wild conjecture, poorly controlled, unrandomized and include specious claims of causation.

He treats the readers with disrespect, can't say what he means without 7 paragraphs and I bet would be happy to listen to someone read him his own book out loud. The elitist tone is what so many patients hate.

VR is just another distraction, no better than others. It's why the kids who try it in his reporting are unimpressed. I think the pandemic really showed us how NOT interested the public is in VR, even with all the time in the world.

If we really want to change health care, we'd stop all of this malarkey and kick out the 50% of unnecessary administrators and academicians looking for a career. Instead, let doctors be doctors.

The last time we let this type of hyperbole into medicine, Purdue pharmacy wrote the book that JCAHO used to force physicians to over-prescribe narcotics for a decade, despite our sound protest.

[A.P.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a little confused by the previous review made 7months ago...this book was only released this month (October 2020). I’m not sure if that reviewer was simply confusing this book with another book because I absolutely did not have the same experience. VRx is not just for doctors or scientists! Clear explanations of the future of healthcare are contained within its pages and the reader can imagine a world of possibilities. A truly fascinating read.

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd work, but raises some interesting questions; what can be treated with VRx? The examples, in the book, are not too convincing. However, I do wonder for PTSD, type situations, whether depending on which stimuli, may have affected you --this is not quite restricted to two senses, but TBH haptics + smell are not really compelling atm-- whether, these conditions could be improved, similar to phobia treatments.

[Anne Wolfe · Rating 2 out of 5]

How do you rate a book that made you feel stupid and gave you a headache? that you could not finish and barely started? Beats me. I somehow feel that this book is a very good one but not meant for a non-tech-savvy grandmother who could barely wrap her mind around the illustrations. Must be intended for a younger, better educated reader.

[Armen Shirvanian]

My interview with Dr. Spiegel about "VRx" on The Armen Show Podcast:

http://www.armenshirvanian.com/podcas...