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The Immunotype Breakthrough: Your Personalized Plan to Balance Your Immune System, Optimize Health, and Build Lifelong Resilience
A respected immunologist, allergist, and functional medicine doctor breaks down the latest science on immunity, offering “the most important guide available” (Mark Hyman, MD) to balancing your system for optimal health and longevity.
To most of us, the immune system is seemingly unknowable—it's an invisible, complex network of cells, receptors, and messengers, and there's no standard way to see if it's functioning as it should. Yet in spite of this, it affects every aspect of our health, influencing (and sometimes even causing) nearly every disease known to humanity. Much has been made about “boosting” immunity, but what exactly does that mean, and what if boosting isn't really what your unique system needs?
In The Immunotype Breakthrough, Dr. Heather Moday explains that for most, immune system balance is key. Drawing on a wealth of cutting edge research and fascinating case studies, Dr. Moday explains that the immune system is fluid and significantly influenced by our behaviors, diet, habits, and environment. She identifies four primary Immunotypes—Smoldering, Weak, Hyperactive, and Misguided—that underlie the immune imbalances that commonly lead to disease, chronic inflammation, infection, allergies, and autoimmunity. By identifying your personal immunotype—where you fall on this immunity spectrum—you can intervene by making focused, individualized, natural lifestyle changes to ensure it functions optimally
Featuring engaging and accessible science, practical and customizable takeaways, and interactive quizzes to help you zero in on your specific needs, The Immunotype Breakthrough is a revolutionary program for creating an individualized lifestyle and diet that will lead to immune resilience, vitality, and longevity.
To most of us, the immune system is seemingly unknowable—it's an invisible, complex network of cells, receptors, and messengers, and there's no standard way to see if it's functioning as it should. Yet in spite of this, it affects every aspect of our health, influencing (and sometimes even causing) nearly every disease known to humanity. Much has been made about “boosting” immunity, but what exactly does that mean, and what if boosting isn't really what your unique system needs?
In The Immunotype Breakthrough, Dr. Heather Moday explains that for most, immune system balance is key. Drawing on a wealth of cutting edge research and fascinating case studies, Dr. Moday explains that the immune system is fluid and significantly influenced by our behaviors, diet, habits, and environment. She identifies four primary Immunotypes—Smoldering, Weak, Hyperactive, and Misguided—that underlie the immune imbalances that commonly lead to disease, chronic inflammation, infection, allergies, and autoimmunity. By identifying your personal immunotype—where you fall on this immunity spectrum—you can intervene by making focused, individualized, natural lifestyle changes to ensure it functions optimally
Featuring engaging and accessible science, practical and customizable takeaways, and interactive quizzes to help you zero in on your specific needs, The Immunotype Breakthrough is a revolutionary program for creating an individualized lifestyle and diet that will lead to immune resilience, vitality, and longevity.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 4, 2021
This is such a brilliant way to look at immune issues and I really enjoyed this book. The author is a immunologist, allergist and functional medicine doctor and she describes the four types of immune issues -- weak, overactive, smoldering and misguided. She provides a very detailed look at all of the parts of the immune system and then describes the four types (with a quiz to help) and what causes them. Then she talks about what specific steps can help correct each type. Some things help all types, like getting enough sleep (crucial) and the right foods. Other things are especially helpful for each type. She discusses supplements, foods, lifestyle changes and much more that help correct each type of imbalance. It's heavy on science but also gives you easy takeaways anyone can understand. She's also encouraging and optimistic, talking about patients she's treated who have reversed their issues and reminding the reader that our bodies are designed to do this and can. A great read.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
I read a digital ARC of this book for review. All opinions are my own.
March 12, 2022
This is Nonficiton/Health/Science. I think the author did the narration for the forward...and then someone else narrated the whole book after that. I wish the one who narrated the forward could have done the whole book. Her voice was conversational and alive. I could also hear passion in her voice for this topic.
This wasn't quite 4 stars for me but I rounded up for the overall message. While I would recommend this for people who want to know more about this topic for gaining optimal health, on the other hand, (at times) this felt like studying for freshman midterms in science...which was my least favorite class. Now with that said, I did like the way she broke things down into manageable bites. It was all so organized and tidy. (I loved that.)
This author is pro supplements. She spent a fair amount of time talking them up.
This wasn't quite 4 stars for me but I rounded up for the overall message. While I would recommend this for people who want to know more about this topic for gaining optimal health, on the other hand, (at times) this felt like studying for freshman midterms in science...which was my least favorite class. Now with that said, I did like the way she broke things down into manageable bites. It was all so organized and tidy. (I loved that.)
This author is pro supplements. She spent a fair amount of time talking them up.
January 16, 2022
This book is my first introduction to Heather Moday, but I really like her and this book! Moday is an immunologist who also has training in functional medicine, thus, she doesn't just push prescription medicine down her clients' throats but looks for the root cause. The book brings up covid a lot since more people have become interested in the immune system and try to "boost" their immune system. When I hear the later, I typically chuckle to myself, because you only want to boost your immune system if it is depressed, but there are so many other issues that could be negatively affecting the immune system, besides being low. That is the core focus of Moday's book and she separates these states into immunotypes: Smoldering, Misguided, Hyperactive, and Weak. She has quizzes to help the reader identify which type they may be, but also lists blood tests you can get, if desired, to help identify the correct immunotype. A person can have more than one, but one is typically more dominant, and getting blood tests is not necessary with how detailed each category is. There is a lot of overlap on specific healthy lifestyles habits balancing all of the immunotypes, as it really is about balance, not necessarily boosting. She mainly promotes lifestyle habits that improve overall immune health, though she does list specific supplements for the different immunotypes if the reader would like a little extra targeted immune help.
I love that Moday gave a nice background on immunology before ever diving into the immunotypes. She discusses the innate and adaptive immune system and helps the reader understand how much control the typical person has over those through their daily choices. By giving the background, she is able to discuss what goes wrong with each immunotype on a biological level and why specific activities or supplements help balance the immune system and get things back in optimal order. It was very much like a nostalgic trip in time back to my favorite college microbiology textbook. Very readable and enjoyable (to me!). So those who love the subject will likely especially enjoy this book, but those without background in the field, who just like to balance their immune system, should also find this book informative.
I love that Moday gave a nice background on immunology before ever diving into the immunotypes. She discusses the innate and adaptive immune system and helps the reader understand how much control the typical person has over those through their daily choices. By giving the background, she is able to discuss what goes wrong with each immunotype on a biological level and why specific activities or supplements help balance the immune system and get things back in optimal order. It was very much like a nostalgic trip in time back to my favorite college microbiology textbook. Very readable and enjoyable (to me!). So those who love the subject will likely especially enjoy this book, but those without background in the field, who just like to balance their immune system, should also find this book informative.
September 23, 2022
Overall, I thought this book and the author were very insightful! My biggest critique is that I don’t think it was as digestible to the average person as she seemed to be preaching that it was. That being said, I did still learn a lot from what I could understand. I wouldn’t recommend audiobook for this because it seems like a book you would want to be able to flip through to reference certain chapters or lists. All that being said, I am finding myself making small changes already based on her recommendations for my immunotype.
August 25, 2021
The Immunotype Breakthrough is an informative, readable book chockfull of up-to-date information about the immune system and actionable items that seem very doable. I’m impressed and eager to start my own journey to better health based on the author’s recommendations.
April 6, 2022
Not even worth a review.
August 26, 2021
This was a decent introduction to the human immune system and various ‘immunotypes,’ but I have to say that I didn’t find the breakthrough I was expecting from the title. Everything was information I’ve read before, and I feel it oversimplifies many conditions and reasons for immune dysfunction or chronic inflammation. It’s a good starter for someone living a fairly toxic lifestyle who doesn’t know where to begin with changing aspects of their diet, household products, and routines.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.
April 13, 2022
I guess I would fall into the "Misguided" immunotype, yet I have managed to be in remission from Crohn's disease for almost 17 years, and I don't take the supplements recommended in the book. I only take Visbiome and high-potency vitamins. I do have a special diet though. I figured out my dietary triggers long ago.
So I'm going to be frank here.
The author has a lot of unrecognized privilege. She is queer, so doesn't have heteronormative privilege. But otherwise, she's white, wealthy, seems to be abled and neurotypical too. In this day and age, I was disappointed to see that there was not really any acknowledgement in this book of the healthcare inequities that can contribute to medical conditions. The section on stress, for example, could have included at least some recognition of the stresses of discrimination on marginalized groups, especially people of color. As a psychophysiologist, I think this was an unfortunate omission.
Then there were issues with some of the author's assertions. In the 60s and 70s, air quality was worse. People were using leaded gas. The EPA wasn't even started till the early 70s, and kids like myself (Gen X) were drinking water out of lead pipes. So, it could be argued that we had even more toxins in our environment 40 or 50 years ago than we do now, especially as kids. The assertion that toxins can lead to or contribute to the hyperactive immunotype seems to need more backing.
Then there was this line:
"This is our reality: Kids are being diagnosed with asthma, food allergies, diabetes, hypertension, autism, and ADHD at rates unlike anything we've ever seen before."
Yikes! Did she really lump autism in with everything else and imply that autism is an autoimmune condition? I almost stopped reading after that line. It was, quite frankly, ableist.
Now that I've voiced my criticisms, I will say that some of the recommendations in the book, like getting better sleep and managing stress, are sound. Some of the herbs and supplements recommended have rather thin scientific backing. And some of them can interact with medicines and should be taken with caution. Does she have randomized controlled trials on her approach? No, though, to her credit, that is hard to come by without a university affiliation and she's more a clinician than a researcher these days. But overall, the "immunotype" model is interesting, at least, and the author has come up with a novel framework, which maybe could eventually inform researchers too.
So I'm going to be frank here.
The author has a lot of unrecognized privilege. She is queer, so doesn't have heteronormative privilege. But otherwise, she's white, wealthy, seems to be abled and neurotypical too. In this day and age, I was disappointed to see that there was not really any acknowledgement in this book of the healthcare inequities that can contribute to medical conditions. The section on stress, for example, could have included at least some recognition of the stresses of discrimination on marginalized groups, especially people of color. As a psychophysiologist, I think this was an unfortunate omission.
Then there were issues with some of the author's assertions. In the 60s and 70s, air quality was worse. People were using leaded gas. The EPA wasn't even started till the early 70s, and kids like myself (Gen X) were drinking water out of lead pipes. So, it could be argued that we had even more toxins in our environment 40 or 50 years ago than we do now, especially as kids. The assertion that toxins can lead to or contribute to the hyperactive immunotype seems to need more backing.
Then there was this line:
"This is our reality: Kids are being diagnosed with asthma, food allergies, diabetes, hypertension, autism, and ADHD at rates unlike anything we've ever seen before."
Yikes! Did she really lump autism in with everything else and imply that autism is an autoimmune condition? I almost stopped reading after that line. It was, quite frankly, ableist.
Now that I've voiced my criticisms, I will say that some of the recommendations in the book, like getting better sleep and managing stress, are sound. Some of the herbs and supplements recommended have rather thin scientific backing. And some of them can interact with medicines and should be taken with caution. Does she have randomized controlled trials on her approach? No, though, to her credit, that is hard to come by without a university affiliation and she's more a clinician than a researcher these days. But overall, the "immunotype" model is interesting, at least, and the author has come up with a novel framework, which maybe could eventually inform researchers too.
December 11, 2023
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Spark for the digital galley of this book.
I don’t have a “Ten before the end” book list for the remainder of December, but I am trying to catch up on the backlog of things I’ve been meaning to read for a good while. Moday is a respected immunologist, and in this book, she shares the latest research on keeping ourselves well and our bodies functioning optimally based on our Immunotypes. Our immune system performance is based on so many things, including behaviors, diet, habits, and environment, and by learning your type and making some lifestyle changes based on that type, you can help your system to perform optimally.
I love learning new things, and this book provided some interesting insight on our immune systems. I didn’t know there were types, and even though I don’t always implement helpful tips for my health, I still enjoy learning about them and the science behind the reasoning. Definitely recommend if you have an interest in your immune system.
I don’t have a “Ten before the end” book list for the remainder of December, but I am trying to catch up on the backlog of things I’ve been meaning to read for a good while. Moday is a respected immunologist, and in this book, she shares the latest research on keeping ourselves well and our bodies functioning optimally based on our Immunotypes. Our immune system performance is based on so many things, including behaviors, diet, habits, and environment, and by learning your type and making some lifestyle changes based on that type, you can help your system to perform optimally.
I love learning new things, and this book provided some interesting insight on our immune systems. I didn’t know there were types, and even though I don’t always implement helpful tips for my health, I still enjoy learning about them and the science behind the reasoning. Definitely recommend if you have an interest in your immune system.
February 11, 2022
This is an exceptionally amazing book with much relevant information regarding our immune system. How it works and how it fails, and how to support it, everything has been covered by the author. We are generally given multiple recommendations and suggestions to improve our health, but without reason and proper explanation. The author explains and elaborates and breaks down each and every aspect on minute parts which are easy to understand to general readers. Even though the language is easy to understand and information broken down, the details are properly explained. The biggest flex of this book is that it not only explains the problems but provides us with solutions as well. The solutions are also very easy to understand and practice in daily routine as well. Inwill highly recommend this book to everyone.
April 21, 2022
This was a very interesting book. I really liked the quiz that talks about what "type" of immune system you might have. It then goes through different stressors that can affect your immune system and what to do to strengthen the immune system. It covers getting enough sleep, exercising and nutrition to name just a few.
One problem with the book is the terminology used by the author, who by the way, is an immunologist. I am a retired science person and even I had to reread some of the sections. I can see where this would turn some readers off.
I do like the fact that she advises doing one change at a time and not quitting too soon as it could take 30 to 60 days to notice a change.
Read this book and skip the parts that are too difficult to absorb and you'll do fine.
One problem with the book is the terminology used by the author, who by the way, is an immunologist. I am a retired science person and even I had to reread some of the sections. I can see where this would turn some readers off.
I do like the fact that she advises doing one change at a time and not quitting too soon as it could take 30 to 60 days to notice a change.
Read this book and skip the parts that are too difficult to absorb and you'll do fine.
July 7, 2022
The author treats facts, beliefs, and speculations similarly as if all are evidence based science.
She misuses her professional training and expertise to add credibility to baseless claims she introduces or repeats from the 'common sense!' pool to convince her audience.
The degree of certainly is often ignored for her claims.
Many people primed to believe in often repeated health-related fallacies, especially those without a scientific background, may enjoy the book, the book is a prime example of "eat it; it's good for you" attitude.
What a waste of time.
She misuses her professional training and expertise to add credibility to baseless claims she introduces or repeats from the 'common sense!' pool to convince her audience.
The degree of certainly is often ignored for her claims.
Many people primed to believe in often repeated health-related fallacies, especially those without a scientific background, may enjoy the book, the book is a prime example of "eat it; it's good for you" attitude.
What a waste of time.
December 30, 2022
Summary: Work on sleep, stress, and gut health. Add some supplements according to your "type."
Overall: Good content, although the in-depth look at each part of the immune system is academic and not for casual reading. (It's well done, just deep.) The pro-vaccine (especially pro-gene therapy mrna product) will turn off some people as well as the push to view climate as a health concern at the end of the book.
Goodreads rating: 2 stars "it was ok."
Overall: Good content, although the in-depth look at each part of the immune system is academic and not for casual reading. (It's well done, just deep.) The pro-vaccine (especially pro-gene therapy mrna product) will turn off some people as well as the push to view climate as a health concern at the end of the book.
Goodreads rating: 2 stars "it was ok."
December 24, 2021
This book is a MUST for anyone who wants to understand the why and how of their bodies and chronic disease. As a fellow Integrative Medicine doctor, I’m impressed with Dr. Moday’s philosophy of the four immunotypes and how she explains the complex immune system in such an approachable way. One of my favorite books this year as a doctor and as a patient.
April 29, 2022
Well written with simple easy to follow guidelines. The only piece I found frustrating had to do with my expectations/hope- many of the recommendations are ones I have already incorporated into my life. If you have not yet made lifestyle changes/are uncertain about any or where to start this is a great book to read!
February 12, 2024
Vela veci som uz vedela, clovek, ktory sa o to trochu zaujima, sa uz s tymito vsetkymi vecami stretol, ale vzdy oddelene. V tejto knihe je to vsetko pekne spolu systematicky prepojene, vysvetlene z hladiska imunity a je super, ze vlastne toho ani netreba vela menit. ked clovek uz zdravo zije, len kde tu daco doladit.
January 15, 2022
Excellent book that explains the immune system and how one can make changes in your daily life to lead a healthier lifestyle.
February 2, 2022
The author is able to clearly differentiate between researched facts and simple common beliefs, and it's relieving that the author stands firmly by the former. On the other hand, as someone who isn't in the medical field, I don't think I learned anything new from this books.
September 11, 2022
Went over my head. I got lost in much of it. Needed to be more broken down for us "common folk".
September 8, 2022
A life changing book. I read it because I had an autoimmune disease and was desperately trying to understand the cause of it. The book explains why there is no one single cure for all, and gave so much peace to my mind because during my health journey many people got cured by methods that didn't have any effect on me and I didn't understand why.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews