The Immune Mind

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.

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.

The fields of neuroimmunology and immunopsychiatry have opened up new frontiers in medicine. Could inflammation cause depression, and arthritis drugs cure it? Can gut microbes shape your behavior 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?

For the first time, we have a new approach to understanding ourselves that does not just medicate the body or mind, but treats the whole human being.