"Cured is a rare glimpse into the mysteries of human health and disease. Why do some people with incurable disease suddenly heal? This phenomenon has been ignored by medicine rather than investigated. Dr. Rediger finally asks what we can learn from these cases of spontaneous remission and how can we activate the power of the human body using the mind to harness our body’s own healing systems." —Mark Hyman, MD, Director of the Cleveland Clinic for Functional Medicine, Author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Blood Sugar Solution
"I believe Dr. Rediger is the perfect person to write this meaningful and timely book, which shows us a new paradigm of healing from physical illness. His unique documentation of the traits and strategies of individuals who have manifested their own medical recoveries, against all odds, will offer not only hope but also genuine insight to anyone facing a medical crisis." —Jill Bolte-Taylor, PhD, Neuroanatomist, Spokesperson for the Harvard Brain Bank, Author of the New York Times bestseller My Stroke of Insight
"Dr. Rediger's work adds enormously to the growing body of work willing to take on the medical establishment and show that we may have far more control over our health than most physicians, researchers, and the lay public realize." —Ellen Langer, PhD, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Author of Counterclockwise
"Cured is a book for everyone. This new pathway to healing is potentially life changing, both for those with a terminal diagnosis and those who simply want to live the healthiest life possible. In these illuminating pages, Dr. Rediger gives medicine a much-needed push towards a science of health and hope." —Daniel Friedland, MD, Former Chair of the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, Author of Leading Well from Within
"Packed with pearls of wisdom gleaned from Dr. Rediger’s intensive immersion in the field of remarkable recoveries and from his thoughtful reflections about his own personal journey, Cured will touch the hearts and souls of everyone who reads this book and will inspire them to take charge of their health – and their mindset. This exciting book is bound to be a page- turner for anyone who wants to die from old age – and not before then." —Martha Stark, MD, Faculty, Harvard Medical School
"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 even in the face of diagnoses conventional medical thinking habitually dismisses as hopeless." —Gabor Maté, MD, Author of When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection
"Have you ever wondered why some people 'miraculously' heal from disease, while others don’t? This question can seem so mysterious that we often think there’s simply no way to understand it. But there are answers, and Cured presents them in a beautifully written and deeply personal way. Dr. Rediger’s brilliance and wisdom are profound and eminently practical. But it’s his humility and humanity that make this book the masterpiece that it is." —John Robbins, Author, and President, Food Revolution Network
"Cured is packed with cutting-edge science and powerful, eye-opening real life case studies. Dr. Jeff Rediger offers groundbreaking and scientifically-backed evidence of how trauma can have long-lasting effects on our bodies. This is a hopeful tale of how through resilience and meaningful lifestyle adjustments even the most serious of cases can be redeemed. Timely and beautifully written...Everyone should read this book." —Bessel van der Kolk, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Body Keeps the Score
"Cured is one of the most important books I've ever read. Dr. Rediger presents dozens of case studies of people who defied the odds, many making complete recoveries even after being told to go home and get their affairs in order. In this book, he shows us why they recovered but he also gives us insights into how we, too, can tap into this amazing curative and regenerative power of the human body. This is a deeply inspiring book. I could hardly put it down." —David R. Hamilton, PhD, author of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body
"Fascinating bioscience on the phenomenon of spontaneous healing...[Cured] doubles as a pragmatic guide to improving general health...[and the author's] expert analysis drives much of this intriguing volume...Arrestingly written and chockablock with practical, empowering medical information, this thought-provoking and convincing chronicle of disease avoidance and 'remarkable recovery' will give even skeptics something to ponder." —Kirkus Reviews
"Rediger makes a compelling argument... [He] adds to spontaneous healing research by presenting case studies of terminal patients, and includes engaging lessons about pathophysiology and the history of medicine... As a leading voice challenging current healthcare systems and treatment models, Rediger makes a convincing case to study spontaneous remissions. By doing so, we may become closer to learning why some survive, despite their odds." —Library Journal
"An experienced physician who is also a skilled, driven and compassionate writer is a winning combination. This pioneering book by psychiatrist Jeffrey Rediger analyses unexplained spontaneous recoveries from potentially fatal medical conditions... Rediger concludes that each recovery was 'unique' and only partially explicable, but that all provide evidence of 'a powerful link' between our identities and our immune systems." —Nature
01/01/2020
Spontaneous remission, or what appears to be miraculous healing from terminal illness, is not studied as often or closely as it should be, according to Rediger (behavioral medicine, Harvard Med Sch.). Clinicians currently treat patients based on symptoms, the author maintains, and overlook overall health including diet, stress, and personal identity. Rediger makes a compelling argument by highlighting research on connSECTIONs between the mind and body, previously explored in Kelly Turner's Radical Remission. Here, Rediger adds to spontaneous healing research by presenting case studies of terminal patients, and includes engaging lessons about pathophysiology and the history of medicine. By using analogies that enhance understanding for non-clinicians, readers learn about more than just patients experiencing illness. As a leading voice challenging current healthcare systems and treatment models, Rediger makes a convincing case to study spontaneous remissions. By doing so, we may become closer to learning why some survive, despite their odds. VERDICT Readers with an interest in holistic medicine as well as open-minded health care providers who are willing to adopt new treatment models that focus on treating the root causes of illness will benefit most from Rediger's call to treat more than just symptoms.—Rich McIntyre Jr., UConn Health Sciences Lib.
2019-11-20
Fascinating bioscience on the phenomenon of spontaneous healing.
Board-certified psychiatrist Rediger, who is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, first began exploring the mystery of patients with incurable illnesses and their miraculous regenerations early in his medical career. Raised with traditional Amish principles, the author was astonished by what he learned and now shares in this book, which also doubles as a pragmatic guide to improving general health. Rediger spent nearly two decades interviewing and studying survivors of irremediable diseases and conditions, and his expert analysis drives much of this intriguing volume. He first examines immune system "prodding" and hyperactivation and how factors like diet, stress, and emotion directly affect it—though, as the author notes, these factors are "often passed over in routine medical care." He chronicles his visit to spiritual healing centers in Brazil, where the ill astonishingly recovered from dire diagnoses. He probes the complex and hotly debated mind-body connection and how one's sense of identity and healing capacity are interconnected. Rediger, who also has a seminarian background, acknowledges that these episodes are exceptional, and while his research suggests that their instances have "slowly increased in both number and frequency," they are relatively unexplainable by medical science. He stresses that since there are no clinical trials or double-blind studies to substantiate these incidences or ways of replicating their results, physicians "have to be anthropologists, detectives, and medical investigators." Science aside, ultimately, it's the dramatic survivors' profiles and their moving stories of miraculous second chances that have the most profound impact. These patients illuminate how medicine, identity, diet, the mind, and human biology intersect to possibly trigger curative spontaneous remission. Arrestingly written and chockablock with practical, empowering medical information, this thought-provoking and convincing chronicle of disease avoidance and "remarkable recovery" will give even skeptics something to ponder. Though the text offers no ready answers or explanations, Rediger instills a glimmer of hope and possibility for those who may believe they have none.
Though certainly not the last word, this is an engaging "investigative journey into the phenomenon of spontaneous remission."
