The Great Nerve - by Kevin J Tracey (Hardcover)

About the Book

"New science reveals the groundbreaking potential of the vagus nerve to regulate your body's vital systems and heal a wide variety of medical conditions without drugs"--

Book Synopsis

New science reveals the groundbreaking potential of the vagus nerve to regulate your body's vital systems and heal a wide variety of medical conditions without drugs

The vagus nerve is fundamental to our health and vitality, coordinating critical functions from the precise heartbeat we need to exercise or rest to the balance of appetite and digestion. Made up of 200,000 fibers, the vagus nerve sends thousands of electrical signals every second between your brain and your most important organs. Yet despite its essential role in life, important vagus nerve functions have eluded centuries of scientific investigation. Now neurosurgeon and researcher Kevin Tracey has discovered the previously unknown power of the vagus nerve to reverse inflammation, balance the immune system, treat chronic illness, and keep our organs humming together in harmony.

In The Great Nerve, Dr. Tracey shows us how stimulating the vagus nerve with a tiny electrical implant has the potential to reverse life-altering diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, MS, diabetes, obesity, stroke, depression, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. If this sounds too good to believe, Dr. Tracey shares stories of patients who have gone from being nearly bedridden to running and dancing, along with the science that makes possible these recoveries. He also explains the evidence for lifestyle strategies like ice baths, meditation, exercise, and breathwork that can maintain and improve vagus nerve function.

By opening the door to the new field of neuroimmunology, The Great Nerve not only revolutionizes how we understand and treat disease, it gives us unprecedented hope for our health. This is the story of your body's ability to heal itself.

Review Quotes

"Dr Tracey explains the workings of the vagus nerve like a painter, light and dark, perspectives and colorful anecdotes, both through the scientific lens and a humanistic lens. The Great Nerve is altogether a masterpiece and a timeless document for those who want to see what science is all about: faith, focus, patience, and hard work." --Wim Hof, author of The Wim Hof Method

"The Great Nerve is a game changer. Dr. Tracey connects cutting-edge science to real world health, showing how the vagus nerve can harmonize our gut microbes, optimize our immune system, and reduce inflammation. Grab this book today and learn how the connection between your brain, gut, and immune system can transform your health." --Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI, New York Times bestselling author of Fiber Fueled

"The Great Nerve is an extraordinary journey into how modern medicine is innovating the way we treat chronic illness and autoimmune disorders. This a groundbreaking, hopeful look at how vagus nerve stimulation will reshape medical treatments in the future." --Terry Wahls, MD, author of The Wahls Protocol

"Dr. Tracey's The Great Nerve is so fascinating that no reader will ever forget it, and for many the book will be lifesaving. The book is an easily understood operator's manual for the very core of our being, the vagus nerve, full of examples from transformed patients' lives and how-to guidance for the reader. After reading, I have no doubt that my body and my vagus nerve are synchronistic, and I know just what to do to help each help the other." --Martine Rothblatt, PhD, inventor, creator of SiriusXM, and CEO of United Therapeutics Corporation

"Did you know that your brain can control your immune system? Neither did most doctors and scientists, until recently. In The Great Nerve, Kevin Tracey describes the science and medicine of the vagus nerve through a kaleidoscope of medical history, patient stories, accidental discoveries, and careful investigation. Readable, personal, and enthusiastic, this book brings Tracey's passion and style to a broad audience." --Cori Bargmann PhD, neurobiologist

"The Great Nerve, a remarkable book, reveals the untapped potential of the vagus nerve to change the way we approach health and disease. Through vivid case studies, Dr. Tracey, a pioneer in this field, demonstrates how vagus nerve stimulation has the power to treat inflammation and dramatically change lives by unlocking a patient's innate ability to heal. He even shows how this is true in rheumatoid arthritis patients resistant to drugs, introducing an exciting future for medical treatment." --Sir Marc Feldmann, FRS, immunologist and Lasker Award winner

"Tracey has a knack for explaining the complicated biological phenomena in an approachable style, and his measured outlook on vagus nerve therapies highlights their noteworthy potential without overselling them." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Kevin Tracey, MD, is a neurosurgeon, scientist, entrepreneur, and leader in the fields of vagus nerve stimulation and inflammation. He and his colleagues in his lab at the Feinstein Institutes discovered the molecular and neural mechanism for the reflexive control of inflammation, now termed the inflammatory reflex. He is a prolific inventor, with more than 120 United States patents. As measured by and reported in the scientific journal PLOS One, Dr. Tracey is one of the most highly cited living scientists in the world.