Brave New Medicine

A Doctor's Unconventional Path to Healing Her Autoimmune Illness

By: Cynthia Li MD, Arlie Russell Hochschild PhD - foreword

Narrated by: Kimberly Austin

Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

In this revelatory memoir, Doctor Cynthia Li shares the truth about her disabling autoimmune illness, the limitations of Western medicine, and her hard-won lessons on healing - mind, body, and spirit.

Li had it all: a successful career in medicine, a loving marriage, children on the horizon. But it all came crashing down when, after developing an autoimmune thyroid condition, mysterious symptoms began consuming her body. Test after test came back "within normal limits", baffling her doctors - and baffling herself. Housebound with two young children, Li began a solo odyssey from her living room couch to find a way to heal.

Brave New Medicine details the physical and existential crisis that forces a young doctor to question her own medical training. She dives into the root causes of her illness, learning to unlock her body's innate intelligence and wholeness. Li relates her story with the insight of a scientist, and the humility and candor of a patient, exploring the emotional and spiritual shifts beyond the physical body.

Millions of people worldwide are affected by autoimmune disease. While complex conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are gaining attention, patients struggling with these mysterious ailments remain largely dismissed by their doctors, families, and friends. This is the harsh reality that doctor-turned-"difficult patient" Li faced firsthand.

Drawing on cutting-edge science, ancient healing arts, and the power of intuition, this memoir offers support, validation, and a new perspective for doctors and patients alike. Through her story, you can find the wisdom and heart to start your own healing journey, too.

©2019 Cynthia Li (P)2020 Reveal Press

Ok but not in depth

I was hoping for something more in depth and advanced for functional medicine. instead of giving us more detailed technical advice on how to do functional medicine, it gives us a lot of spiritual, meditation and other such practices. And for me, that's not what I'm looking for.
Also in the nutrition department it looks like the author lacks knowledge, I say this because she only touches a bit on the subject when talking about ancestral foods and bone broth. For somebody who had problems with the gut and toxins I'm surprised she didn't insist more on the subject.
In conclusion this is more of a life story than a guide to functional medicine and know in depth knowledge. You can learn stuff but don't expect it to be life-changing.

Relatable and Full of Hope

Dr. Li’s description of the complexities and winding road of chronic illness is spot on, and I found her stories about the relationships impacted and interactions with medical professionals along the way to be incredibly relatable. I highly recommend this book to anyone on a healing journey or who loves someone navigating the ups and down of illness that seemingly has no answers.

Amazing Memoir

I wasn't initially thrilled that this was a memoir in the beginning but I went through a medical crisis of my own during the middle of this book and it hit home when I had to visit 3 different doctors just to diagnose ovarian cysts. The end of the book is the "how to" part of how she healed her Autoimmune disorder through diet, mindset, lifestyle, environment, etc. Thank you, Cynthia Li, for your vulnerability in this memoir.

Wonderdul Book

Loved the book! Narrator was good.
Taken from a doctors perspective on something becoming so common now. Wonderful book.

Very good story and advices

The book is really good. I've read many medical and self help books during the past few years but I have never read a book where the author shares his/her personal story with so many details.
The book is unique in it's kind. I will recommend it to anyone who wants to improve her/his life with simple tools. Just listen patiantly. The advices are in the last chapters of the book.

Being Seen

If you’ve traveled a road of chronic illness, the story telling about the effects it had on her life and relationships will get you right in the feels. I felt beautifully seen.

Awesome

Great details, examples and solutions in the world of New medicine. I highly recommend this book.

Beautiful book

Beautiful book. Interesting insight and helpful for holistic healing. I bought it for my dad for his birthday and will share my copy with my sister

Inspiring

an inspiring story from someone who faces the same things so many of us do. Thank you Dr Li.

Delivers as expected

Given my expectations of this book I was not disappointed and have recommended this book to others. I saw Dr. Li in an interview once briefly and feel that the narrator they chose to deliver the story was perfect . I can't remember exactly what Dr. Li sounded like, so when I heard the narrators voice I had to do a double take to see if it was Dr. Li or someone else doing the reading.

As some reviews have stated, there isn't a lot of practical "how to" type info until the very end and that's correct. If you look at the title it reads as if it will be a story about Dr. Li, something to listen to and enjoy, and maybe learn from, and that's exactly what it is. It's not a text book or a manual on how "you" can heal, yet there is still some of that in there... bonus!. Toward the end of her book she does talk briefly about a few special cases which perhaps you can identify with. She also does give what I would consider a "cheat sheet" for health based on her experience at the very end that may be worth tracking down the physical book for. I would certainly love to have seen a pdf to go along with the book. Then again, if you don't know what she went through to arrive at that list, it may not make sense. Plus, each person is unique.

It's a very personal story and I could appreciate how much Dr. Li was willing to share about her experience. The story goes by really fast and it's a good introduction to the concept of functional medicine from the side of a skeptic doctor no less, providing hope for those like myself who can relate to her experience. I only wish she were on the east coast.