Some inconsistencies

This book is pretty good in its easy break-down of different ways to improve one’s immune system, although some of the information is common knowledge. I did learn some things from it. However, like many ‘self-help’ type books, it offers advice without the ‘how’. For example, ‘get more deep sleep by turning off artificial light from between one to two hours before bed. I’m not sure most families can sit around in the dark for a couple of hours before bedtime. He also says to engage in a relaxing activity like light reading before bed, but I would need some artificial light to do that, even if it was just the backlight from the kindle. Not practical. He espouses the Wimhof method of using cold as immune therapy, but also says we should take a warm bath before bed. The recommendations for probiotics and supplements don’t acknowledge that there is still not enough empirical, evidence-based research to prove their efficacy. The question of stomach acid was interesting to me personally, as someone who has constant reflux due to a hiatus hernia, because it means I am screwing up my system by taking proton pump inhibitors which reduce the stomach acid, which I apparently need to keep my immune system ticking along, but without which I am at a much higher risk of getting some form of gastric cancer! Despite this, there was some good basic information, and it did remind me to be less slack about my diet and exercise, but I do think some things are sometimes out of our control, and I would hate to veer down a path that suggests we only get terrible diseases such as cancer because we didn’t look after ourselves properly. I have seen super fit people succumb to this disease. Listen to this book, by all means, take on board what you need and remember it is not the holy grail for longevity.

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