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The Immune Mind: The New Science of Health
Delving into the recent discovery of the brain's immune system, Dr Monty Lyman reveals the extraordinary implications for our physical and mental health.
Up until the last ten years, we have misunderstood a fundamental aspect of human health. Although the brain and the body have always been viewed as separate entities – treated in separate hospitals – science now shows that they are intimately linked. Startlingly, we now know that our immune system is in constant communication with our brain and can directly alter our mental health.
This has opened up a new frontier in medicine. Could inflammation cause depression, and arthritis drugs cure it? Can gut microbes shape your behaviour through the vagus nerve? Can something as simple as brushing your teeth properly reduce your risk of dementia? Could childhood infections lie behind neurological and psychiatric disorders such as tics and OCD?
In The Immune Mind, Dr Monty Lyman explores the fascinating connection between the mind, immune system and microbiome, offering practical advice on how to stay healthy. A specialist in the cutting-edge field of immunopsychiatry, Lyman argues that we need to change the way we treat disease and the way we see ourselves. For the first time, we have a new approach to medicine that treats the whole human being.
Praise for The Immune Mind
**Winner of the British Psychological Society Book Award**
"Rich, playful and illuminating... a breezy and delightful read... I highly recommend for its comprehensive, eye-opening overview of the interplay between the immune system, mind and gut microbiome."
- Grace Wade, New Scientist
"Fascinating... A thoroughly thought-provoking read"
- Dame Sarah Gilbert, author of Vaxxers
"Superbly written with excellent insights... One of the best non-fiction books I've read!"
- Dr Rupy Aujla, author of The Doctor's Kitchen
About the Author
Dr Monty Lyman is a medical doctor, researcher and author who specializes in the relationship between the mind and the immune system. He is an Academic Clinical Fellow at the University of Oxford.
His first book, The Remarkable Life of the Skin, was shortlisted for the Royal Society Science Book Prize, was one of the Sunday Times Best Books of 2019 and was a Radio 4 Book of the Week. An essay from his second book, The Painful Truth, won the 2020 Royal Society of Medicine’s Pain Medicine Prize.
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