Title: Cured: The Power of Our Immune System and the Mind-Body Connection
Author: Dr. Jeff Rediger
Year: July, 2021
Publisher: Penguin Books
Review:
As an Oncology Nurse, I’ve seen death and loss many times, and on a regular basis. There have been a few instances, however, where I have witnessed cases that improved against all odds.
Often, these patients took a different approach to treatment; including lifestyle modifications or mindfulness in their treatment plan. In turn, I was thrilled to learn about Dr. Rediger’s book, “Cured”, and his personal experience with spontaneous healing. If you want to expand your perspective on Western medicine and to embrace a more holistic perspective of chronic disease, this book fulfils that gap perfectly.
Incredible Immunity
In the first half of his book, Dr. Rediger discusses the body’s immune system and its ability to perform miracles. In particular, he addresses the importance of diet, the body’s natural-born killer cells, and the activation of our body’s natural healing processes.
So, what type of diet boosts the immune system and is associated with spontaneous healing? From Dr. Rediger’s analysis and experience, each patient / disease process requires different diets.
In his chapter, “Eat to Heal,” Dr. Rediger discusses how a low-carb diet helped put cancer into remission, the keto diet shrunk a terminal brain tumour, and a nutrient-dense focused diet reversed diabetes.
He claims that the Western diet in particular, is a breeding ground for all types of chronic disease.
It’s clear that diet is closely related to wellness, but I was surprised to see the vast evidence that it can reverse even the deadliest of diseases.
An important concept Dr. Rediger also discussed was the microbiome. In the COVID era, I’ve personally found that microbiome consciousness has been put on the backburner – but, in fact, it’s one of our body’s biggest weapons against both acute and chronic disease.
Dr. Rediger creates a visual comparison by likening our gut’s microbiome to the soil of a garden, with the many bacteria of our gut compared to soil. Just as the quality of the soil determines the health of the garden, so the quality of our microbiome determines our body’s health.
Despite all of this, Dr. Rediger found cases where patients made absolutely no changes to their diet, but did have a shift of mindset – could that alone be attributed to their disease regression? The second section of the book addresses exactly that!
The Miraculous Mind
In the second half of his book, Dr. Rediger discusses the power of the mind to heal disease. He does that by breaking down mental constructs like faith, the placebo effect, and identity.
Faith healing is a concept we’ve come to know most, perhaps, from the media’s point of view. Snakes, healing oils, and hands on foreheads come to mind. But, as Dr. Rediger lays out, it’s hard to ignore the evidence that faith healings do sometimes result in better outcomes.
He sought to define the connection between what the mind believes and how the body responds. In diving into the mind-body connection, he found that research supports forgiveness’ abilities to heal. Physiologically, forgiveness decreases stress hormones, and lessens anxiety. In turn, this results in lower blood pressure as well as decreased risk of heart attack.
Ultimately, Dr. Rediger admits that it’s hard to distinguish whether prayer itself heals or, if it’s the act of praying, accompanied by all its positive energy and love along the way, that heals. To answer this, he looks into the all-important placebo effect. You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect – the curious thing that happens when the sugar pill (or control) of a study causes a positive result.
Many doctors chalk it up to be just “mind games.” But, Dr. Rediger poses the important question – is placebo just an illusion, or can it cause actual change in the body? After detailing several fascinating cases, he concludes that placebo extends far beyond the box we put it in. There are undeniable physiological effects of our belief on our bodies.
Lastly, identity is addressed as an important mental construct having a strong hand in spontaneous healing. It turns out that our sense of self has dramatic effects on our bodies. For example, if we have a negative self-image, we can experience increased stress – negative beliefs can also result in altered brain chemistry.
Dr. Rediger alludes to the concept of negative thoughts keeping us from healing, and even making us sick. So, how do we solve this dilemma? Shift our identity! Ask yourself: who do you think you are?
To change your identity, Dr. Rediger recommends starting by getting out of your comfort zone (what he describes as the Default Mode Network).
While it’s true that day-to-day patterns and rituals can be beneficial, it’s important to make radical changes at certain times. “Radical change — and perhaps, radical healing — can only come when we’re able to see and understand ourselves in a completely new light.”
Some people get out of their DMN through yoga, through travel, Dr. Rediger finds his escape using critical thinking, new experiences, and education.
The book concludes by highlighting the importance of not making disease your identity. Dr. Rediger wisely puts it like this: “if you see yourself as sick, can you see yourself as anything but?” Many people who find themselves ill find that they are accompanied with the mindset baggage of being undeserving of healing and also defective. But, if they see themselves as they really are, rather than a victim of their illness, there is hope!
Dr. Rediger says there’s power in perspective – you truly are what you believe. As he notes, and as we’ve all probably found through COVID, perception affects our senses. How we see ourselves and our illnesses determines whether we are setting hard limits on our potential for recovery, or opening ourselves to unexpected ways of healing.
Summary
This book “Cured”, has been an amazing read for me personally, and has expanded my perspective on hope, healing and the mind-body connection. Dr. Rediger has done a fabulous job of marrying personal experiences, patient stories, and scientific findings in an easy-to-read, understandable, even riveting fashion.
I am in awe of the proof provided in “Cured” that our bodies, along with our complex and powerful minds, are more than capable to fight illnesses and even cure themselves, when the right environment and mindset is cultivated in earnestness, with optimism, hope, and a deliberately positive approach. It appears that health is a decision, and that decision is yours.
Book rating: 9/10
Cured – by Dr Jeff Rediger
You can order Dr Jeff Rediger’s book: “Cured: The Power of Our Immune System and the Mind-Body Connection”, from Amazon and follow him via social media on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Don’t miss our exclusive, extended, deep-dive interview with Dr Jeff Rediger, coming soon…!
If you’re interested in health, and wellness, get yourself a copy of How Squats Can Change Your Life (which incidentally has a foreword by WWE and World Champion wrestler, Rob Van Dam) in time for Christmas!
Have you experienced or witnessed any spontaneous healing or miracles yourself? Most of us know at least one person with an incredible story. Please share it as well as your health and wellness transformation story in the comments below, and join in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. You can also register for our FREE, 7-day energy-boosting technique!
