Book Review: 4/5 Impact On Me (Book By Philipp Dettmer)
Read more about the book here
I used to think immunity was only about WBCs recognizing pathogens, fighting them off, and remembering them for the next time. I believed paracetamol and ibuprofen slowed down my immune system. I thought vitamin C and herbal teas could boost my immunity. None of those beliefs are 100% correct. After reading this book, I greatly appreciate the human body's complexities, including the immune system. This book connects well with "We Contain Multitudes" book. It explains the complex immunity processes within our body, involving a push-pull, aggression-calming down of the immune system against bacteria, viruses, and sometimes our cells. Initially, I found the book's analogies and simplifications of the immune system irritating. But as I read further, I appreciated its efforts to simplify a really complex subject.
On the one hand, I understand now that many checks and balances and interlocks make the immune system work. I appreciate learning about HIV/AIDS, the discovery of the cowpox vaccine against smallpox, the coronavirus, and more. I don't know if this changes my behavior in any way, so it didn't impact me much. On the other hand, I'm always looking to learn more about the human body and fitness. This book taught me in that regard. My rating is 4 out of 5 for the novelty of the information presented and the simplification it achieved. But it's not a 5 out of 5 because none of the information was actionable for me. Books like "We Contain Multitudes," "The Gut," "Outlive," "The Case Against Sugar," "Ultra-Processed People," and "How Not to Die" were all actionable.