Radical Resilience

In the annals of ancient teachings there were secrets ensuring robust health, emotional harmony, enduring vitality and a lifespan of 100 years and beyond. Yet, in our frenzied, polluted modern world, these aspirations seem impossible. But what if they weren't? In Radical Resilience, an anesthesiologist/pediatrician turned acupuncture practitioner and researcher explores these age-old promises. Drawing on recent discoveries in immunology, neuroscience, longevity research and complexity science, K. Sparrow, MD takes acupuncture and other practices from the realm of placebo to scientifically grounded, plausible and useful, with potentially profound implications for health and medicine. Radical Resilience includes insights from major researchers and prominent thought leaders from medical and non-medical worlds, intertwined with compelling stories of acupuncture patients and real-life examples from the headlines. With her many years of experience in major medical institutions, Dr. Sparrow offers readers an understanding of modern medicine's shortcomings, perverse incentives and biases which can lead to unfortunate outcomes. To learn how to avoid them, readers will explore concepts such as hormesis, vagal improvement and harm avoidance, which are vital to achieving resilience. Armed with new mental models, readers will understand the central roles of stress, autonomic balance and inflammation in countless conditions, from migraine and irritable bowel disease to cancer and Alzheimer's, reinforcing the ancient teaching that all systems are connected. By the end, they will see that even "well-being," a previously elusive state, is quantifiable-and that through the lens of modern science, the invisible has become visible. Consider this your handbook for vigorous health, improved mood and longer life, and prepare to expand your mental models and grasp the extraordinary possibility of "radical resilience."