Reflections from Our TMS Book Club Discussion of ImmuneBy Isabelle CharlotEarlier this week, I had the opportunity to host another TMS Book Club lunch session, this time discussing Immune: A Journey Into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive by Philipp Dettmer.One thing became clear very quickly: we loved this book.Our conversation kept coming back to just how fascinating the immune system is. Immune takes an incredibly complex subject and makes it easier to understand, which gave us a great starting point for talking about what is happening inside our bodies every day.Naturally, mast cells became an important part of our discussion. We talked about their role within the immune system and connected what we learned in the book to experiences that are especially relevant to the mast cell disease community. We also discussed how the body and immune system respond to stress and why sleep and rest are so important. It was interesting to think about these everyday parts of our lives through the lens of what we had just learned about the immune system.What I enjoyed most was how curious everyone was. There was a real sense of learning together, with participants asking questions, sharing what stood out to them, and connecting different parts of the book to their own understanding of the body.We ended our session by choosing what we will read next: All About Allergies: Everything You Need to Know About Asthma, Food Allergies, Hay Fever, and More by Dr. Zachary Rubin.After such an engaging conversation about the immune system, I am looking forward to continuing our Book Club with another topic that has many connections to our community.Thank you to everyone who joined us and made the discussion so enjoyable. I hope to see many of you at our next TMS Book Club in December!Register for our December session here!
