It’s been nearly 40 years since Jeff Goldblum appeared on “Annie Hall” as a nameless party guest who can’t remember his mantra. Since then, Mr. Goldblum has done very well. Sadly, mantras have been treated much more roughly. But perhaps it is time to ask, should this mantra be rejected forever?
This is one of the many questions British science writer Joe Merchant tackles in Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body. She is tired of the old Cartesian dualism, like a married couple who put their hearts on one end of the table and their bodies on the other, never speaking to each other.
“Stacked on one side are the proponents of conventional Western medicine,” she writes in the introduction. “According to their paradigm, the body is like a machine. In most cases, thoughts, beliefs, and emotions are not incorporated into the treatment of medical conditions.”
And on the other side? “Everyone else,” she concluded frankly. They include past-life regression therapists, energy healers, homeopathic doctors, and the Lucy-goose-gooey-hooey peddlers that made Woody Allen run for the hills.
Merchant’s purpose in “Cure” is to expose the absurdity of this dichotomy. (As the book progresses, however, it starts to feel a bit artificial; many academics who reject it work at Harvard, which is hardly a scientific backwater.) We are careful to emphasize that we do not tolerate She has her Ph.D. Genetics and Medical Microbiology. The scientific method is her friend.
But Ms. Merchant, author of “Decoding the Heavens” and “The Shadow King,” wants to recognize alternative treatments that have withstood the scrutiny of Western peer review. More broadly, she wants to acknowledge the important and influential role of the mind in our overall health.
Following her introduction is Horizon, a 12-chapter series in which the author travels around the world to create a detailed three-dimensional map of the latest mind-body research. Virtual reality therapy in Seattle! Hypnosis in the North of England! Placebo research in Italy and Germany!
This jetpack journalism is a familiar form, and much of Mr. Merchant’s content is also familiar, especially in the second half of the book. (You mean about the health benefits of friendships and social connections? You’ve read about them. About those gentle Buddhist monks who spent tens of thousands of hours meditating? You’ve read about them too. ) Neuroplasticity and positive psychology are well aware of the general contours of this area.
There are two things that differentiate Cure from other books of this type.
First, Merchant is a good writer, but that’s not guaranteed in this genre. We often have to choose between authors who understand science but can’t write it and authors who can write it but don’t understand science.
Second, Ms. Merchant chooses very moving characters to show us the importance of the research she discusses – people who turn to alternative medicine are often people in extreme conditions. We forget that – and she has the same talent for finding people who inspire. If a book mentions a 102-year-old Costa Rican woman who can recite Pablo Neruda’s poems by heart for six minutes, I’m going to like it at least a little bit.
My favorite chapter in “Cure” is mostly at the beginning, where Ms. Merchant discusses the placebo effect. Again, this is a topic that may seem old-fashioned to some readers, but the research is fascinating and the variety is almost endless.
For example, did you know that there are placebo trials that involve sham surgery? Surgery! (Not with a general anesthetic, but still.) Or is a large pill of a placebo more effective than a small pill? (Which is interesting to think about, given that they are similarly inert.) Alternatively, it could be that placebos sometimes work. even when we know Are they placebos? (Correspondingly, a niche market for placebos exists online.)
And that’s just a kid thing. There is also evidence to suggest that placebos affect not only the subjective experience of pain, but also the immune system.
“It’s not a ruse, wishful thinking, or a whim,” Merchant writes when explaining the biology of the placebo effect. “It’s a physical mechanism, and it’s as tangible as the effects of any other drug.” What we’re swallowing with a pill is essentially the idea of ”feeling better.” Often, this belief alone is enough to trigger the release of our bodies’ natural endorphins and dopamine, or other chemicals that our bodies were expected to produce or consume if we actually took the drug. .
After placebos, Merchant looks at how researchers are harnessing the power of the mind to combat chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, and intractable physical pain. The biological origin of each symptom may be different. But what most of the treatments she considers have in common, whether it’s hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy, or virtual reality, is that they distract our attention from the disease.
This seemingly simple idea is one of the most powerful in the book. Sometimes the difference between feeling good and feeling terrible is simply a matter of where we focus our attention.
But as the book progresses, Ms. Merchant begins to outline how we can rewire our brains to improve our well-being, and in doing so, we’ll likely find ways to improve our well-being, perhaps lightly roasted and seasoned to suit our taste buds. We offer traditional chestnuts. Chestnuts anyway. What about mindfulness again? Are you still on biofeedback? Do you have to read over and over again about the beneficial effects of faith?
I’m also getting a little tired of reading about the dangers of flushing the brain with cortisol. Like most New Yorkers with anxiety, I would like to dedicate half of my life savings to reducing the amount of time my amygdala is active. But when you read so much research on the toxicity of stress, there comes a time when it feels more punitive than beneficial.
But by the end of the book, Ms. Marchand charmed me again with her chapter on the Pilgrims of Lourdes. She speaks to a woman named Anne. She is a depressed patient with a terrible life story. Why does Anne like Lourdes? “Love oozes from the walls.”
Merchant, a scientist at heart, realizes this, too. “Random acts of kindness are normal,” she writes. “Volunteers are tying pilgrims’ shoelaces at the bathhouse.”
If there’s one lesson to be learned from “Cure,” it’s this: For people who are sick, there is no substitute for face-to-face time with someone who cares about their fate. Does Western medicine encourage such radical intimacy? No, doctors are forever rushing, rushing, and busy. But given that kindness costs nothing, it may be the simplest solution we have.
