The Angel and the Assassin
The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine
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The Angel and the Assassin
Narrated by:
Melinda Wade
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Melinda Wade
About this listen
“The rarest of books: a combination of page-turning discovery and remarkably readable science journalism.”—Mark Hyman, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY WIRED
Until recently, microglia were thought to be helpful but rather boring: housekeeper cells in the brain. But a recent groundbreaking discovery has revealed that they connect our physical and mental health in surprising ways. When triggered—and anything that stirs up the immune system in the body can activate microglia, including chronic stressors, trauma, and viral infections—they can contribute to memory problems, anxiety, depression, and Alzheimer’s. Under the right circumstances, however, microglia can be coaxed back into being angelic healers, able to make brain repairs in ways that help alleviate symptoms and hold the promise to one day prevent disease.
With the compassion born of her own experience, award-winning journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa illuminates this newly understood science, following practitioners and patients on the front lines of treatments that help to “reboot” microglia. In at least one case, she witnesses a stunning recovery—and in others, significant relief from pressing symptoms, offering new hope to the tens of millions who suffer from mental, cognitive, and physical health issues.
Hailed as a “riveting,” “stunning,” and “visionary,” The Angel and the Assassin offers us a radically reconceived picture of human health and promises to change everything we thought we knew about how to heal ourselves.
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Critic reviews
“A fascinating deep dive into the unsung heroes (and villains) inside our skulls . . . Donna Jackson Nakazawa has a journalist’s eye for story, a scholar’s understanding of the research, and a patient’s appreciation for how high the stakes truly are.”—Susannah Cahalan, New York Times bestselling author of Brain on Fire
“An inspiring account that will provide a game-changing view of health for generations of researchers, clinicians, and citizens for years to come. Bravo!”—Dan Siegel, M.D., clinical professor, UCLA School of Medicine, and executive director of the Mindsight Institute
“Riveting, engaging, and visionary.”—Terry Wahls, M.D., author of The Wahls Protocol
“Colorful, page-turning, and accessible . . . I have great hopes for the practical application of what Jackson Nakazawa reveals.”—Amy Myers, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Autoimmune Solution
“Few nonfiction writers can tell the tale of scientific inquiry so vividly that the reader can feel the excitement of discovery with every word. Donna Jackson Nakazawa is one of those writers, and this book tells the tale of one of the most intriguing and groundbreaking discoveries in all of medicine.”—Shannon Brownlee, senior vice president, Lown Institute, and author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer
“The Angel and the Assassin is one of those astonishing medical yarns that you almost can’t believe: how the power of this tiny cell was so long overlooked, how integral it has become to our understanding of neuroscience and immunology, how it has transformed the most basic ideas of who we are as humans. The book is especially essential reading for women, who face depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and autoimmune disorders at higher rates than men.”—Peggy Orenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape
“Jackson Nakazawa puts forth a revolutionary new way of thinking about the brain’s immune system and its interactions with immune function in the rest of the body. Much of the information here was new to me and has made me more optimistic about the future of medicine.”—Andrew Weil, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Eight Weeks to Optimum Health and Healthy Aging
“An inspiring account that will provide a game-changing view of health for generations of researchers, clinicians, and citizens for years to come. Bravo!”—Dan Siegel, M.D., clinical professor, UCLA School of Medicine, and executive director of the Mindsight Institute
“Riveting, engaging, and visionary.”—Terry Wahls, M.D., author of The Wahls Protocol
“Colorful, page-turning, and accessible . . . I have great hopes for the practical application of what Jackson Nakazawa reveals.”—Amy Myers, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Autoimmune Solution
“Few nonfiction writers can tell the tale of scientific inquiry so vividly that the reader can feel the excitement of discovery with every word. Donna Jackson Nakazawa is one of those writers, and this book tells the tale of one of the most intriguing and groundbreaking discoveries in all of medicine.”—Shannon Brownlee, senior vice president, Lown Institute, and author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer
“The Angel and the Assassin is one of those astonishing medical yarns that you almost can’t believe: how the power of this tiny cell was so long overlooked, how integral it has become to our understanding of neuroscience and immunology, how it has transformed the most basic ideas of who we are as humans. The book is especially essential reading for women, who face depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and autoimmune disorders at higher rates than men.”—Peggy Orenstein, New York Times bestselling author of Girls & Sex: Navigating the Complicated New Landscape
“Jackson Nakazawa puts forth a revolutionary new way of thinking about the brain’s immune system and its interactions with immune function in the rest of the body. Much of the information here was new to me and has made me more optimistic about the future of medicine.”—Andrew Weil, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Eight Weeks to Optimum Health and Healthy Aging
engaging interesting enlightening book
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Microglia make up 10% of the cells of our brain. Originally dismissed as annoying little cells that contaminated neuronal cell cultures, over the last few years, it’s become recognised how extremely important these immune cells are.
Up until recently, the brain’s immune system was thought to be non-existent. Now we know “that the brain is a sensitive immune organ, constantly on the lookout for possible new threats—and that myriad immune triggers can slowly change the habits of microglial cells in the brain, so that they remodel our synapses in suboptimal ways, just as environmental triggers can alter the habits of immune cells in the body.”
Absolutely fascinating.
Fascinating
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Fascinating!
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