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Cure
Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body | Jo Marchant
ANew York TimesBestsellerA rigorous, skeptical, deeply reported look at the new science behind the mind's surprising ability to heal the bodyHave you ever felt a surge of adrenaline after narrowly avoiding an accident? Salivated at the sight (or thought) of a sour lemon? Felt turned on just from hearing your partner's voice? If so, then you've experienced how dramatically the workings of your mind can affect your body. Yet while we accept that stress or anxiety can damage our health, the idea of "healing thoughts" was long ago hijacked by New Age gurus and spiritual healers. Recently, however, serious scientists from a range of fields have been uncovering evidence that our thoughts, emotions and beliefs can ease pain, heal wounds, fend off infection and heart disease and even slow the progression of AIDS and some cancers. In Cure, award-winning science writer Jo Marchant travels the world to meet the physicians, patients and researchers on the cutting edge of this new world of medicine. We learn how meditation protects against depression and dementia, how social connections increase life expectancy and how patients who feel cared for recover from surgery faster. We meet Iraq war veterans who are using a virtual arctic world to treat their burns and children whose ADHD is kept under control with half the normal dose of medication. We watch as a transplant patient uses the smell of lavender to calm his hostile immune system and an Olympic runner shaves vital seconds off his time through mind-power alone. Drawing on the very latest research, Marchant explores the vast potential of the mind's ability to heal, lays out its limitations and explains how we can make use of the findings in our own lives. With clarity and compassion, Cure points the way towards a system of medicine that treats us not simply as bodies but as human beings.From the Hardcover edition.
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hike.read.repeat
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Mehso-so

Not a bad place to finish a book. This book wasn‘t bad for something that was assigned for class. I‘m into the idea of #alternativemedicine especially herbal remedies. I️ feel there‘s room for both alternative and conventional healing in the world and that there‘s validity and drawbacks to both. #unexpectedtexas

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hike.read.repeat
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Five day holiday starts today.

Too bad I️ have four papers to write. Also finishing up this book. Not the worst thing I‘ve been assigned to read.

Reading outside in this cooler weather.
#bestseller #mindbody #assignedreads #assignedreading #readingoutside #outdoorreading #science #medicine

14 likes1 stack add
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hike.read.repeat

“You don‘t have to believe what you are feeling and you don‘t have to believe what your brain is saying. However bad you feel, you can carry on and you can still do better.”

More great advice for endurance athletes. However, I‘d also add that overuse injuries are very real and it‘s important to ease into pushing your limits.

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hike.read.repeat
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“We feel sluggish in hot weather not because our muscles are worn out but because the central governor limits our physical activity in case we overheat.”

I️ need to remember this when I‘m walking 700 miles through the desert next year. 🏜

Book for class. Pretty interesting chapter about how our body tells us it‘s tired way before it‘s reached its actual limits which is how you can explain the feats of endurance athletes.

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Lindy
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Our thoughts, beliefs, stress levels and world view all influence how ill or well we feel.

34 likes1 stack add
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Lindy
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Pickpick

Interesting and worthwhile. A study of the way our minds can construct and control our physical experiences.
Reservations:
a) Sometimes not enough journalistic distance ie in describing an accidental pour of boiling water onto a "precious grandchild."
b) Audiobook narrator Genevieve Swallow switches annoyingly to a different accent for every person quoted.

35 likes2 stack adds
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Lindy
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Drug companies have no incentive to fund trials that will reduce dependence on pain medication, and neither have medical insurers, because if costs come down, so do profits. Video game companies may take the forefront in pain relief studies, harnessing mind power in virtual reality, but first they have to sort out squabbles over Oculus technology.

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Lindy
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Current #audiobook. I saw it on the longlist for the Wellcome prize and I love science writing.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jan/30/wellcome-book-prize-reveals-longli...

28 likes2 stack adds
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rockpools
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The Wellcome Longlist has been announced. If you asked if I was interested in medical books the answer would be a resounding no. But I've followed this prize for a couple of years, and find it *fascinating*. And any list with Sarah Moss is worth a look... https://wellcomebookprize.org/

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Well-ReadNeck
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#24in48 #readathon

First up! I expect to do a little skipping around on this one, so will likely pick up something else to read alongside.

tricours It was super interesting (but horrible as audio) and I bet it's a really quick read! 7y
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tricours
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Pickpick

Very interesting, but author and audio book narrator ruin the book, the author by ridiculous descriptions of the people she uses to make a point (all "delicate features", "beautiful brown eyes" etc. -- WHO CARES!?) and the narrator by imitating the accent/dialect of EVERY SINGLE PERSON QUOTED.

What happened to scientific books? Why are they all so full of fluff? Because they could really have been summed up in a 25 page article? Probably.

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tricours
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This book is so interesting, it actually got me interested in trying meditation/mindfulness for the effect it can have on the brain to counter anxiety and stress (since I get nervous about everything). Too bad both the author and the narrator do their best to ruin the reading experience.

Sarah83 Maybe you have I try with the book series 'How to'. There you get information how to meditate and how to get the stress overwhelmed. 😘 7y
CoffeeAndABook That's a beautiful picture - I love walking in the woods with an audiobook as well!!! Mindfulness is a great way/practice to reduce stress & anxiety! I've taken a class in MBSR two winters ago & it really helped me. I'm also a worrier 😣 but way less now. On a different note - When does your new puppy arrive?? 🐶 🤗 7y
tricours @Sarah83 oh, perfect! That looks like an easy enough introduction! 7y
See All 7 Comments
tricours @CoffeeAndABook it's scary to read about what happens to your brain when you're often stressed, and I always see worst case scenarios everywhere - except for big things that other people worry about, those I handle with more ease 🙄 We're picking up the puppy on Friday! 7y
JoeStalksBeck Beautiful 7y
CoffeeAndABook @tricours I know, I think it's scary too. Worrying and stressing doesn't affect the brain only but the entire body. So it's worth looking for ways to change. I'm going to check out that series that @sarah83 suggested as well. Thx 🌺 Wow and as for your puppy - that's mega-exciting!! I hope you'll keep us updated on the news, I'd love to get to know the puppy from afar 😍🐶and hear about the cat's reaction😺🙀!! 7y
Sarah83 @CoffeeAndABook You should have a try there are several books concerning this subject. But these books aren't overfilled with information so they are easy to deal with. 7y
30 likes7 comments
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tricours
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This is one of those audiobooks where the narrator thinks it's a good idea to imitate the accent of the person whose line she's saying. Just so we don't miss the fact that Italians don't speak perfect English. Or that all the scientists are American. Can someone please take Genevieve Swallow's audiobook narrator license away?

Elisa This Italian speaks perfect English. No Super Mario accent over here 😁 7y
24 likes1 comment
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Pickpick

I had a unique and complex reason for reading this book, and I found the research presented to be helpful in drawing conclusions for myself. It's clear, unbiased, and enlightening. The patient stories add a much-needed element of humanity. Much longer GR review at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1466703604

BarbaraTheBibliophage @ahenke Thank you for the heads up about this book. It was definitely worth my time! 8y
LauraBrook Great review! Makes me think I should go and find a copy soon. 8y
[DELETED] 3216391035 I think I need to read this one... 8y
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annahenke Glad you liked it!! I am still thinking about some of the things I learned in this book. 8y
Dolly This is on my TBR. Glad to see your review as there hasn't been much written about this book. 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @ahenke I think I'll be digesting it for a while as well. 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Dolly Glad my review helped. Look for the one from @ahenke also! 8y
annahenke Thanks for the tag! 😊 @Dolly I also recommend this highly. 8y
Dolly @BarbaraTheBibliophage I love digesting! A really good book doesn't end when you close it for the last time! 8y
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Whaaaa what? That sounds like a horror novel not a serious medical book! 🤓

readinginthedark All the best medical books do, right? 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @readinginthedark Come to think of it, yes they do! This term made me laugh too. 😛 8y
49 likes2 comments
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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Reading a section about using virtual reality games to help people with chronic pain and other conditions. When I got to this sentence I thought, "why, yes we have that already with books!" ❤️?

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Starting up a new set of books - my usual pattern. One fiction (OMG can't wait for this one). One audio (Ditto. So excited.) One nonfiction (definitely interested).

Well-ReadNeck Sounds so interesting. Can't wait to see what you think. 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Well-ReadNeck I will definitely post - so far it's very interesting! 8y
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annahenke
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Pickpick

Wow, this made me think! Cure is a well-written pop science book about the way our minds and bodies interact during illness. Author takes a skeptical approach. The research is fascinating and the personal interviews are heartbreaking and uplifting. See full review at https://loveonlit.wordpress.com

BarbaraTheBibliophage Thanks for your review here and on your blog. Just put it on hold at my library I've read Mind Over Medicine by Dr. Lissa Rankin and am curious how this compares. 8y
annahenke @BarbaraTheBibliophage Hope you enjoy it - let me know! I've not read Mind Over Medicine but may have to check it out next. 8y
BarbaraTheBibliophage I will definitely let you know! 8y
abhisynthe Ended up spotting this at my library (after seeing it here). Randomly perused. It's really interesting how physiology has taken so much incentive that we forget the role of mental well being in medical treatment. Always good to have a doc. who carefully listens. 8y
annahenke @abhisynthe Yes, absolutely! The care we receive from person-to-person interaction can't be overstated. It's so important to our mental health to feel heard and understood. 8y
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Ecstan90
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Friday is the PERFECT day to start this. Time to get CURED🙏🏻😏
#tgif

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annahenke
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Today, I'm consulting a trusted handbook and a new find: Cure. This topic is very personal for me, and I've been very impressed with the sensitivity, research, and conclusions so far. The mind's effect on our health is not woo-woo nonsense. It's a fact. And it can be vital to medical treatment.

BarbaraTheBibliophage I'll be very interested to hear what you think of Cure. It's on my TBR as well. 8y
MyBookLife In my experience I don't know if mind goes OVER body, but they sure go hand in hand! 8y
annahenke @MyBookLife Yes, hand in hand most of the time! As someone who has experienced a conversion disorder, however, I'm very conscious of just how much power our minds truly have - more than you think. This book is more broad than that though and quite convincing. @BarbaraTheBibliophage 8y
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EvilCat
Pickpick

Interesting look at alternative health options by a skeptic.

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Brona
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The brain can do remarkable things but it also limits you.