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Candace Pert : genius, greed, and madness in the world of science  Cover Image Book Book

Candace Pert : genius, greed, and madness in the world of science / Pamela Ryckman.

Ryckman, Pamela, (author.).

Summary:

"Candace Pert stood at the dawn of three revolutions: the women's movement, integrative health, and psychopharmacology. A scientific prodigy, she was 30 years ahead of her time, preaching a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to healthcare and medicine long before yoga hit the mainstream and "wellness" took root in our vernacular. Her bestselling book Molecules of Emotion made her the mother of the Mind/Body Revolution, launching a paradigm shift in medicine. Deepak Chopra credits her with creating his career, and he said as much in his eulogy at her funeral. Candace began her career as an unbridled maverick. In 1972, as a 26-year-old graduate student at Johns Hopkins, she discovered the opiate receptor, revolutionizing her field and enabling pharmacologists to design new classifications of drugs from Prozac to Viagra to Percocet and OxyContin. The tragic irony of her breakthrough, touted as the first step to end heroin addiction, is that it helped spawn a virulent epidemic of drug dependence. Facing the largest public health crisis of the 21st century, Candace was incensed that the Hippocratic oath-"first, do no harm"--would succumb to greed, and as witness to this abuse of power, she was one of few scientists courageous enough to protest. Later, as Chief of Brain Biochemistry at the National Institutes of Health, Candace created Peptide T, the non-toxic treatment for HIV featured in Dallas Buyers Club. As the AIDS pandemic raged, triggering panic across Reagan-era America, the U.S. government poured massive amounts of money into finding a cure, sparking a battle among scientists for funding and power. Bested by rivals with competing drugs yet desperate to help, Candace went rogue, becoming a lynchpin in the black market for Peptide T. After a scandalous departure from her tenured position at the NIH, Candace launched a series of private companies with Michael Ruff, her second husband and collaborator. Naïve to the world of business, she was manipulated by investors keen to wrest control of her discoveries. But Candace too became tainted, believing that her noble ends would justify devious means. Like a mythic hero, she succumbed to a fatal flaw, and her greatest strengths--singularity of purpose and blind faith in her own virtuosity--would prove to be her undoing"-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780306831461 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: viii, 296 pages ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Hachette Books, 2023.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.
Subject: Pert, Candace B., 1946-2013.
Feminists > United States > Biography.
Integrative medicine > United States > Biography.
Psychopharmacologists > United States > Biography.
Genre: Biographies.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Tsuga Consortium.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Stroud Branch 616.8918092 Pert-R 31681010348225 NONFIC Available -

  • Baker & Taylor
    This biography of the maverick scientist Candace Pert who discovered the opiate receptor, the cellular binding site for endorphins in the brain, also examines her years as an advocate of alternative medicine. 35,000 first printing.
  • Baker & Taylor
    "Candace Pert stood at the dawn of three revolutions: the women's movement, integrative health, and psychopharmacology. A scientific prodigy, she was 30 years ahead of her time, preaching a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to healthcare and medicine long before yoga hit the mainstream and "wellness" took root in our vernacular. Her bestselling book Molecules of Emotion made her the mother of the Mind/Body Revolution, launching a paradigm shift in medicine. Deepak Chopra credits her with creating his career, and he said as much in his eulogy at her funeral. Candace began her career as an unbridled maverick. In 1972, as a 26-year-old graduate student at Johns Hopkins, she discovered the opiate receptor, revolutionizing her field and enabling pharmacologists to design new classifications of drugs from Prozac to Viagra to Percocet and OxyContin. The tragic irony of her breakthrough, touted as the first step to end heroin addiction, is that it helped spawn a virulent epidemic of drug dependence. Facing the largest public health crisis of the 21st century, Candace was incensed that the Hippocratic oath--"first, do no harm"--would succumb to greed, and as witness to this abuse of power, she was one of few scientists courageous enough to protest. Later, as Chief of Brain Biochemistry at the National Institutes of Health, Candace created Peptide T, the non-toxic treatment for HIV featured in Dallas Buyers Club. As the AIDS pandemic raged, triggering panic across Reagan-era America, the U.S. government poured massive amounts of money into finding a cure, sparking a battle among scientists for funding and power. Bested by rivals with competing drugs yet desperate to help, Candace went rogue, becoming a lynchpin in the black market for Peptide T. After a scandalous departure from her tenured position at the NIH, Candace launched a series of private companies with Michael Ruff, her second husband and collaborator. Naèive to the world of business, she was manipulated by investors keen to wrest control of her discoveries. But Candace too became tainted, believing that her noble ends would justify devious means. Like a mythic hero, she succumbed to a fatal flaw, and her greatest strengths-singularity of purpose and blind faith in her own virtuosity-would prove to beher undoing"--
  • Grand Central Pub

    Candace Pert stood at the dawn of three revolutions: the opioid crisis, the AIDS crisis, and the mind-body movement. Indeed, her visionary work shaped history – for good and, inadvertently, for evil. 

     

    Before there was Bessel van der Kolk, there was Candace Pert, the Mother of the Mind-Body Revolution. Her story forms a launchpad to discuss the most pressing issues plaguing science and healthcare today. 

    Pert played pivotal roles in major movements in both science and politics. Namely, she:

    • Discovered the opiate receptor (the mechanism by which opioids function in the brain), launching the opioid crisis.

    • Proved the mind-body link, launching the field of integrative or functional medicine.

    • Created Peptide T, the underground AIDS drug featured in the film Dallas Buyers Club, and then went rogue, becoming a linchpin in the black market for her drug.

    Pert was sabotaged by mentors and colleagues keen to profit from her brilliance. But she too became tainted, believing that her noble ends would justify devious means. Like a mythic hero, she succumbed to a fatal flaw, and her greatest strengths—singularity of purpose and blind faith in her own virtuosity—would prove to be her undoing.

    CANDACE PERT is a great read for anyone interested in integrative health, mind-body awareness, medical ethics, the bureaucracy of a toxic healthcare system, and a flawed genius whose scandals and breakthroughs shaped history. 

    “Exemplary research, balanced accounts and deeply evocative prose... a truly insightful narrative on what it can mean to be a woman at the cutting edge of science.” – The Wall Street Journal

    “Riveting biography… nuanced portrait…Readers will be engrossed.” – Publisher's Weekly

    “There is a revolution taking form that is significantly influencing how the Western medical community views health and disease. Candace Pert’s contribution to this revolution is undeniable.” – Deepak Chopra

    “Ryckman’s writing is life-like, suspenseful, and creates a roller coaster ride of stakes and unexpected discovery” – Dr. Lisa Miller, New York Times bestselling author of The Spiritual Child and The Awakened Brain


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