Cured: The Power of Our Immune System and the Mind-Body Connection

by Dr Jeff Rediger

'Ground-breaking. Everyone should read this book' Bessel van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps the Score

When it comes to understanding the connection between our mental and physical health, we should be looking at the exceptions, not the rules.

Dr Jeff Rediger, a world-leading Harvard psychiatrist, has spent the last fifteen years studying thousands of individuals from around the world, examining the stories behind extraordinary cases of recovery from terminal illness.

Observing the common denominators of people who have beaten the odds, Dr Rediger reveals the immense power of our immune system and unlocks the secrets of the mind-body connection. In Cured , he explains the vital role that nutrition plays in boosting our immunity and fighting off disease, and he also outlines how stress, trauma and identity affect our physical health.

In analysing the remarkable science of recovery, Dr Rediger reveals the power of our mind to heal our body and shows us the keys to good health.

'In an era of incurable chronic diseases causing 60% of all deaths worldwide, this book provides one potential way out ' Dr Mark Hyman, author of The Blood Sugar Solution

'Seasoned with the author's penetrating insights about healing, clearly articulated science and illuminating case histories, Cured opens genuine vistas of transforming illness into health' Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Psychology, Self Help, Science

386 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2021

Reviews

[Alison Bradbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this hoping to read about some of the miraculous recoveries that people have made in the face of seeming death sentences and I have to say I was disappointed. I felt that this book gives the reader a false impression. It takes a small number of people who have recovered from various illnesses or conditions that are usually fatal and examines what they did that changed their outcome. For many of the people this seems to have been as a result of life style changes - diet, stress, outlook on life etc.

The message that I took from the book was that to survive a fatal diagnosis you should change your diet (what you change it to is not really explained as it seems that all the people did something different, however, the overriding message was to eat Vegan as that will save you), live as stress free as possible (one person took up daily yoga sessions and has completely and utterly built her entire life around this, while another cut off her family completely on the advice of spiritual guru at a retreat), do the things that make you happy, and for some individuals praying or visiting faith healers.

I think that this is where I have the problem with this book because it leaves you feeling like if you or someone you know gets given a terminal diagnosis then you should do all these things and if they don't work then you clearly didn't do them well enough or want to be better badly enough and I think that that is quite a dangerous message to give. This is a point I felt that was hammered home by the inclusion of a pair of twins with the same diagnosis - one wants to recover and live a normal life so, low and behold, they just get better, while the other feels that the condition is too bad and that there is nothing they can do and they continue being constrained by their illness. I understand that state of mind is important in medicine as some patients can just surrender to their conditions, however, I felt uncomfortable that this book might make people feel that they just didn't want to get better enough and that they had somehow failed.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Michele Harrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook which I got from my library, and have loved every word. I have often had to stop it and go back to listen again to many parts of it. So much inspiration and critical information in this book and it is just wonderful to see a medical doctor step away from the paradigm that 'I understand medicine, so medicine must be the ONLY answer'. After spending 15 years studying hundreds of cases of spontaneous healing, from what have predominantly been seen as incurable illnesses, Rediger shares success stories and ideas of what we might explore, should we ever be confronted with such a challenge.

This doesn't provide any single golden bullet - as we are all different, and there are as many different combinations of things that can mess with our DNA as there are people on the planet - but what it does offer is hope, and WONDER. And it really is a wonderful thing to hear such positive stories and how with a mix of science, self-belief, and love, we really do have the power to confront death, and ultimately learn to truly live, because of it.

I loved this so much, I have brought the book itself on Kindle, as there are definitely sections in here I know I will want to come back to again and again. I'm now off to buy a hard copy for a gift.

[Ricardo Ribeiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a book, that leans toward a scientific topic, specially one that will not be consensual, is written with transparency, then you feel that someone wants to share in opposition to sell something. If luckily is engaging, then you have a good read.

I feel that the stories that the book shares related to me and, even though it does not offer concrete steps to impact diseases or our life, i felt it opening new neural pathways for me.

[Dan Windsor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tres interessant, mad that people have beaten cancer by changing their diet or lifestyle

[Foreversummer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son recovered from a terminal illness when he was ten from an extremely rare autoimmune disease. The prognosis was that the majority of children with the illness would not live to see their teens. Although I have a few ideas around how he got better, it is like a mystery I need to solve. I did a few unusual things instinctively, mainly around diet and lifestyle changes. Reading this book has confirmed that some of the ways I dealt with the illness were spot on. Medication was necessary and we followed most of the doctors' advice but there were some things I did that the doctors either said were pointless or advised against. I followed my instincts as a mother and all I know as provable fact is that my son got better and is a grumpy teen today. Thank goodness for grumpy teens :-).

This book is gold. There is no one solution for disease, each person and their disease needs to be dealt with differently. I would say follow your instincts.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I think I need to make it clear that I read this book because I find the subject matter interesting, not because I have been given a diagnosis of incurable breast cancer. I am post DIEP, have a new boob called Brenda constructed from my tummy fat (yes it is a long op and yes the recovery is tedious). I do not have to have radiotherapy am waiting for oncotype test results to find out about chemo and will be on aromatase inhibitors for five years.
However, when you get to a certain age you do finally accept that death is inevitable and quite apart from wanting to ensure that it doesn't arrive earlier than planned, one of the things that I have learned as I recover from surgery is that I don't want to go gentle into that dark night. Hobbling around, in pain and permanently exhausted is something I would like to avoid if at all possible.
The author is a physician and psychiatrist and comes to the subject with very healthy cynicism. He looks only at cases that have been unequivocally diagnosed (with biopsy etc) and where the diagnosis is old enough that the "remission" is not just the ebb and flow of disease. The remissions truly are inexplicable scientifically. There is a particularly interesting (and sad) case where a patient recovers from seemingly incurable lymph node cancer after requesting a new drug later proven to be a fraud. When he hears the drug is a fraud his tumour return. His surgeon offers him a "new" version of the same drug (infact he gives him IV water) and the patient's tumours vanish. Sadly the patient later reads a report that the drug is indeed useless, the tumour return and he died. The power of belief?
There is no grand reveal. No answer to the question "how do I cure my incurable disease" in fact you may not be able to do so. The actions that the case studies took were varied, some similarities, for example changes in diet (although diet changes were not necessarily the same). The one thing they ALL did was burn their boats. They took actions that could not be undone, there was no way back. Lifestyle changes are not just dietary, they can involve a change in attitude, an acceptance of what will be. They can include deep meditation and prayer or letting go of relationships that are clearly toxic.
I have read reviews of the book which criticised it for not giving any answers, for merely offering different case studies. I feel rather sorry for those readers who thought the book would give them a recipe for success. The whole point of this book is that these case studies are outliers and the medical profession has (perhaps until now) regarded outliers as statistical quirks rather than considering what is was that those outliers did to defy their prognosis. It is very hard to take a collection of statistical outliers and use their data as the basis for a rigorous scientific study. But perhaps the answer is to rethink the structure of such tests. Not remove the rigor, but change it.
Either way I thought it was an excellent book and will certainly go back and read it again.

[Jun Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Spontaneous) healing = nutrition + immune system booster + belief about self + universe that will trickle down to every single cell in your body

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book and left me thinking about a lot of things that are talked about in the book. I know I will read it again in the future and I've also picked up a physical version to add to my shelves so I can flick through it and read certain parts.

I have always heard fable stories about people being "healed" but I have never heard about people who could back up their claim with science like the people in this book. These were people who could prove that spontaneous healing is something that can actually happen and has happened. It's not something that is just a fantasy. Of course, there is no magic bullet. You could do eveything right and it not change a thing. But it's just hopeful and fascinating to know that spontaneous healing is a real thing that has happened. It's rare but it exists. State of mind is really important. Of course, it also opens the mentality that if you don't manage to fix yourself, you're doing something wrong. It's the same as the talk of fighting and battle that happens when someone has received a cancer diagnosis can be a double edged sword. It can help people mentally through it, but also suggest that you weren't strong if you die from cancer for example. Spontaneous healing is complicated. Maybe it's down to a quirk in the DNA. We don't know why this happens and we are nowhere close to understanding the how and why. Our minds are powerful. We know that. But there is so much that we don't know and what we'll never know. I have read and known older couples where one dies and the other soon joins them, despite being in excellent health before the first death. Or the person with a terminal diagnosis who is holding out for a certain person to arrive or a situation to happen (like a wedding.). Once the situation has happened, death happens soon after. Some people seem to have the ability to hold on to life through willpower. This is all examples of the power of the mind. I mean, just look up psychosomatic and see how your brain can make you physically ill. The range of symptoms it can create is utterly fascinating.

Obviously this book is never going to give you the magical miracle pill. There is no real answers. All the people do different things. There isn't one thing that everyone did that links them together. These people who managed it are outliers. They are not the norm. And like I said, you can do everything right and never achieve healing. It's a book about case studies with a lot of question marks around them. There is nothing definite. These book talks about what might have made them achieve spontaneous healing but can offer no facts. It's a lot guesses and "Maybe this helped". I mean, how can you actually get a definite "THIS is the reason." from something that has happened that should've been impossible?

I'd like to read another book about this subject as I find it really interesting to read and learn about. I also hope that more research is being done and different case studies are found. As someone who has a disability/chronic illness, I can easy understand how peoples illnesses become a huge part of their identity and something to obsess about. I don't want my illness to become my whole or huge part of my identity. And it is very easy to allow your illness to take over. It's a tiny part that is pretty boring to talk about to me. But I think we've all known those people who can talk of nothing else, especially when they see it as an competition. For some people, this focus can be very mentally unhealthy and I often see people go downhill the more they focus on the illness.

The brain is utterly fascinating and I don't think my hunger for knowledge about it will ever be enough. Psychosomatic illnesses are a particular interest and this was kind of the opposite of that.

[Henrietta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Potentially one of my highest ratings for a non fiction! I think this was a really interesting read, and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in improving their wellbeing and health. I know a lot of people don’t believe in the “woo woo” fixing things and this book doesn’t say that but it does encourage to not rule it out. Belief whether it’s religious or spiritual, love of family and friends, gratitude for the small and big things go a long way. Of course, changing our diets to have better foods, improving our physical activity have already been proven to be good for us. Hopefully soon the science can also back up what’s already helping some people alongside the traditional medical system. I think go into this with an open mind if reading, especially if you’re not a believer in the “woo woo”.

[M R B Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a paperback version from Amazon. I can't find it on Goodreads?
The Author takes us through his research into the reasons for Spontaneous Remission in medical patients, particularly those expected to only have a short time to live and having cancers of various sorts. Part 1 takes through how the immune system and the body as a whole protects each individual from mutations. It also points out that these bugs and bacteria that protect us from everyday issues are particular to the individual and antibiotics and medication have a habit of destroying them as well as any intervening mutation or disease.
Part 2 goes into more philosophical issues. The supposition is that changing fundamental beliefs has an impact on how the body works and mends itself.
Makes the reader think.

[Raha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read.
As someone with an autoimmune disease, who has decided to take control over the effects, this book feels like a supportive friend. Don't get me wrong, Dr Jeff Rediger does not mean to give false hope. He is merely showing us people who have had spontaneous remission and goes through the possibilities of why.
But this book is even more than these stories. I really enjoyed the science of it all and how easily he explains it. One minute I'm reading about the power of prayer (and it's not what you think!) and the next I read about how certain scientific discoveries were made. A fascinating book that I think everyone should read, no matter what your health status or beliefs.

[Sharon Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mixed thoughts about this book.at first but I learnt a lot about the body and it’s response to diseases.
Some really enlightening patient stories and spontaneous remission of terminal illnesses.
The writing is interesting but am not sure what the reader gets out of it as following all the suggestions does not guarantee you a positive outcome.
The book includes a lot of the writer’s life and experience which really drove him to investigate these remissions and his determination to get robust evidence to support the ‘miracles’..
The book certainly gives the reader pause for thought - particularly regarding the body’s immune system and the development of immunotherapy treatments.

[Zee Monodee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author goes into the how/why of these spontaneous remissions cases he presents and at least tries to find some cause and effect (though nothing can be proven 100%). That being said, on top of this topic, I read mainly for those things that 'seem' to have worked for these patients, and I did come away with some nuggets for improving health and immunity even if you can't really make it bulletproof. This was, however, a very long book that had a lot of studies data and such stuff which really went over my head, and it was a journey to extract these tips and tricks to help health and longevity throughout

[A-ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel the author tapped into some important parts of the psychological aspects of healing. The view for a possible alternative medical system (as in different, not woowoo) was interesting. This feels more like it is scratching the surface, than any definitive document, though given the thin amount of research on these topics, you can’t expect much more. In some ways, this is a call to arms for the scientific community to look into what it is about traditional, eastern and energy based models that does have benefit for the right people. Even if you don’t believe in alternative medicine, this provide enough questions to stimulate deeper research.

[Shelby Bollen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This covers the absolutely fascinating topic of people recovering following a terminal diagnosis.

It provides an insight into some medical terminology/physiology, e.g. explanations of the immune system and its role in cancer, and I thought that this was explained clearly for those who may be new to the topic.
However, it was terribly repetitive. The first few cases were interesting, but then I slowly realised that the whole book was just repeating the same thing over and over but with different cases. It's also very long which, paired with the repetitive nature, made this an absolute chore to read which I wasn't expecting as I usually binge these sorts of books.
As there are no explanations behind the miraculous recoveries, it felt like a lot of emphasis was put on things that these patients did that could be a complete coincidence and not actually "the cure". A trip to Brazil, changing your diet, or even just having the mindset of 'wanting to get better' - we are told that the people who were miraculously cured did these things and somehow got better. I worry that it could make a reader who has a terminal diagnosis (or even loved ones who have passed from a terminal condition) have feelings of guilt/negativity because they aren't doing good enough or haven't changed their diet.

I was excited to read this, but it turned out to be quite disappointing. The topic is incredibly interesting, but I feel that the whole book could have been executed better.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Anima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting and complex read. It was interesting to see the interaction of stress, diet, lifestyle, forgiveness, meditation, placebos etc on the body. I was particularly intrigued by the notion of our narrative about our health and the idea that illness can become part of our identity. I learnt many things I didn't know before and was introduced to ideas I want to research and try. Took me a long while to read as it's quite thought-provoking. So I would read one chapter every week or two weeks and let it soak in. Definitely recommend it.

[Imogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. The research and personal stories were so gripping and it was put together in such a cohesive way that made sense and allowed me to be able to apply principles to my life. I loved the approach and the final 2 chapters specifically on death and then bringing it all together of you can apply any of these principles but without the effort to forge new neural pathways and dedication to the journey then you may not achieve the same outcome. Will definitely look back at my highlights from this book.

[Margaret Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book every doctor should read

As an engineer with a robotics background who later went into the treatment of people suffering mind/body control system problems like panic attacks, anorexia and OCD, this book made immediate sense to me, introducing a range of additional evidence based concepts. All from a brave person of standing within the medical profession, who is brave enough to challenge the tunnel vision of so many within that profession.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting and thought provoking. I think I would prefer to listen to it in audio book format while driving etc as it’s not the sort of book you can sit and read for long spells. I didn’t finish but but got the gist. Especially interested in what he said about the gut microbiome in relation to whole body health. I would like to have it around a bit longer to dip into again but it was reserved from another library

[Ol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightfully awesome
Loved it but struggled to finish.
I must say I am just beginning to develop a reading habit though.
What stood out for me is how the book has helped give rationale reasons for a rationale mind to love and be loved. It has also answered a lot of questions regarding the variations of a good diet, our immune system and the/our relationship to stress particularly in this modern day.

[Mabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book discussing terminally ill people and how some appear to miraculously recover. There is obviously something going on in these circumstances, but some should be taken with a pinch of salt. Having worked as a nurse in the NHS I did come across some patients who having given up the will to live dictated their own demise.

[Elle Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really isn't my usual type of book but I have to say I really enjoyed this. It's quite a hard read, but the language is pretty accessible. I really enjoyed the science approach to things that are not usually science based, meditation etc. It's impossible to explain without doing the book an injustice, but it has changed my way of thinking in how I intend to look after my body and mind

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book investigating spontaneous remission in a variety of patients and diseases.

It does contain some helpful points to improve your immune function but it is a long book and quite repetitive.

[Bookwormbadger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin books UK for my copy. This was a fascinating, insightful and thought provoking book about spontaneous remission from terminal illness. Very well researched, clear and informative, this brilliant book deserves to be a huge success and should be read by everyone.

[Lara Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book showing the power of diet, connections and beliefs in our recovery and health. Anicidotes arre used to illustrate medical recoveries, but i think this book is best at exploring wellbeimg.

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found some very interesting information in this book but I also found the same information was repeated.

[Liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so interesting

[alvina arshad · Rating 2 out of 5]

probably would have enjoyed this more if reading out of choice and not to critique as part of uni .. but also could’ve been better

[Nataliya Tomenyuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. Recommended to anyone who is interesting in learning about the cause of sickness.

[Kathrin Ridder · Rating 5 out of 5]

omg sooo good. everyone needs to read this!!