I recently read the book, “Super Genes” by Rudi Tanzi and Deepak Chopra, which deals with the role that epigenetics and the microbiome play in our health. Blogging For Books provided the book to me for free, in exchange for my review. I was curious about what the authors would have to say, especially since I am a fan of Deepak Chopra. I’m a former behavioral neuroscientist, and someone who tries to keep at least toe still in the scientific world. I am also an acupuncturist and help people heal in mind, body, and spirit. This book is a blend of those worlds, so it sounded right up my alley!
After reading it, I think having my background experience actually worked against me. I was already aware of a lot of research discussed (I used to do Alzheimer’s research, like Dr. Tanzi). This book is written more for people who do not have much prior knowledge of these areas. I appreciated the epilogue section where more detailed research was presented. That being said, this book does present good information about how epigenetics and the microbiome can influence our health. In Section 2, the authors present some ways to help bring yourself into a better state of balance. Many of the suggestions may be things you are already doing, but I found even as an acupuncturist, I certainly also have room for improvement (not that I thought I was perfect!!).
I think Section 3 is the most interesting of the book. They try their best to integrate mind/body medicine and everything they had previously discussed about epigenetics and the microbiome. I think there was still quite a bit more that could have been delved into.
Final thoughts
In general, I think the book is “ok.” I love Deepak Chopra’s work that he does in the world, but this book is not as exciting as it could be. I would have preferred to read a scientific paper that summarized the key points of what they said. Much of the book is repetitive and not necessarily innovative. This information could have basically been presented in a 20 page paper, or at least a shorter book. It is a ground breaking concept- that of epigenetics and the microbiome- and I’m very excited to see where the field will go. I hope more people pay attention to this important topic, and so I’m glad they wrote the book and introduce the concepts.
If you’d like to check out the book for yourself, then visit your local library or you can find it at booksellers like Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Super-Genes-Astonishing-Optimum-Well-Being/dp/0804140138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484107107&sr=8-1&keywords=super+genes).
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