Needs Evidence

The author puts forth major claims about treating severe mental health conditions and challenges the current understanding of disease, and I found myself craving data, evidence, clinical trials to back up these incredible claims. He tells select patient success stories of reversing the most serious mental disorders, but provides no steps of exactly what the patient consumed (it must have been monitored) nor does he include negative outcomes - when did it not work and why? If you want to have a healthcare revolution, you need more data than "the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell" or "the cell is like a car" - I got really weary of listening to car and highway analogies. i found it very frustrating. The author asks us to believe that his one simple solution is available to reverse the most severe of conditions - one metabolic pathway for all disease and cures where everyone else has failed - but then withholds data and actionable protocols. All of which are usually a sign of snake oil. I plan to read his academic works to see if he has any data at all - and the challenges to his theory from other researchers - but this book really should have summarized that body of work for us instead it reads as a list of unsubstantiated claims, car analogies, and very select vague success stories.

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4 people found this helpful

Nothing new

It was an OK book. Nothing new really. To summarise we need good sleep, exercise, sunlights, keto diet, good relationships and a purpose in life.

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2 people found this helpful

Not wrong - neither honest, does no useful predictions

This is not a bad book, but there’s plenty of Bad Science in it along with other bs and a lot of projected confidence, omitted evidence, vapro-medicine that doesn’t actually suggest anything much new.

- Does it sound remotely similar to how scientists that research mitochondria sound? No it does not, just search online videos and see how confident they are, how much they’d say things like “it’s largely a speculation” - that’s way closer to home, that’s how scientists talk. This author has a tone of a preacher.

- Does it address psychiatrists that receive people with first psychosis episodes in the hospitals and tells them, what they should be doing different? Of course not. While being a book on mental illness it keeps a huge distance between itself and psychiatry, trying to push through own territory of “metabolic medicine”, ohh my.

- Does it give you at least a tiniest hint on what you should be doing if you hear voices, have anxiety or depression? Not either. Do some pilates, change your diet, don’t be overweight, veery helpful, keep throwing therapies that sound good to you on the wall and wait for one to stick - almost a literal take from this.

- Does it tell what we should be teaching med students any different than we already do? Nope. Does it really tell an MD anything they don’t know? Na-ah. Does it help do any predictions at all, suggest causal scenarios, treatment plans?

No!

It just tries to explain things, using organelle present in every cell, obviously very important and obviously involved in all and every deregulation and every condition whatsoever, very important part of us. Talks about fish affected by the quality of water. What is useful about this explanation, what’s the practical side of all this? There is no practical side. If you had any interest in being healthy at all you will find zero practical recommendations, just an indulgence - someone to tell you it’s not your fault.

Anecdotal evidence dressed as success stories marketing this particular author and attempting to create a “movement” out of thin air. Those observations aren’t wrong in general, but there is no theory here yet, there is no medical protocol, treatment suggested, no therapeutic model to apply, no changes to make in medical practice and definitely no merit to put someone’s “revolutionary” marketing name on it just to sell their book.

Last two minutes of the last chapter are open kimono and show the nature of material fully and completely, if you are doing all this good work - just publish a peer reviewed study in a good journal, don’t sell it on the street, convince your peers you came up with something worthwhile first?

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1 person found this helpful

Too much “revolutionary/groundbreaking” PR

I wish it was a bit more nuanced, at least about the side effects of keto diet, why it’s not suitable for everyone. How about presenting at least some cases where it didn’t work… I don’t like “one size fits all” approach.
Nice try to gather together info about metabolic health and mental health, but again it’s very one sided…I wish it was done in a more scientifically rigorous way, by at least acknowledging limitations.
Overall quite disappointed by too much “revolutionary” narrative around this still “theory”.

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Eye opening and life changing

One of the best books I’ve read recently. For anyone who has suffered from any mental symptoms, be it anxiety, fatigue, sadness or more serious disorders, anyone who knows someone struggle with those or anyone trying to understand how to stay healthy mentally or physically, this is a ground breaking theory putting all recent research together and explaining why treatments work or don’t work.

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1 person found this helpful

Amazing

So simple to understand and so good. Life changing book. I would highly recommend it.

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Excellent read

Kudos to Chris Palmer for writing this book and treating mental disorders with a human-friendly diet. I cured my severe eating disorder, depression, anxiety, and panic attacks with a ketogenic diet, and can now happily live normal life without any medication. I appreciate that Mr. Palmer read this audio book himself, it made it much more personal and you can clearly hear his enthusiasm about the topic.

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Love it

Great breakdown as to why metabolic health is the root cause to mental health issues. I love the way it’s broken down logically and supported by examples. From a high level perspective it’s common sense - exercise, eat healthy, reduce stress etc but when the quick and easy option is to have a pill this book teaches you why it’s so important to go back to basics - you are what you eat.

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Great book; infuriating voice!

I loved the contents of the book, but it was awful to listen to. The narrator’s voice is very sing-songy and so annoying! I kept having to stop. I’d recommend the book but maybe buy a copy and read it!

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Need to knowMore…

As a lay person but also one who has had MH issues and feels like I’ve been overly medicated by the NHS providers I feel this book and it’s ideas could be a realistic alternative

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