Healing from Our History - by Mubin Syed MD & Feras Deek & Azim Shaikh MD (Paperback)

About the Book

Healing From Our History presents a clear, often shocking case of how man-made famines and systemic depopulation of South Asia during the British colonial era led to a modern health crisis among South Asians today. How with knowledge of this hidden history, South Asians can be proactive about living healthier lives.
Dr. Mubin Syed, a practicing physician with six board certifications and a published health historian, details how South Asians, who make up 25% of the world population, have alarmingly high rates of heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. This is partly due to lifestyle choices like poor diet and lack of exercise, but there's also a growing body of evidence, some previously hidden or whitewashed, that it was the numerous and tragic colonial-era famines all over South Asia that led to modern genetic predispositions for disease.
Over the 190 years that the British controlled South Asia, there were more than 25 famines that led to the death of an estimated 165 million people. South Asia was seen as an abundant territory to exploit, the population considered an obstacle to remove or disregard. Studies of children and grandchildren of famine-surviving populations show that genetic differences make them more susceptible to disease and early death.
Healing From Our History shares details of the man-made famines and systematic and destructive policies and practices. It presents commentary from contemporaries who implemented the policies that taxed, subjugated, starved, imprisoned millions of people. There were people who tried to help by shedding light on the tragedies like Florence Nightingale, and Willoughby Wallace Hooper, a British photographer who took pictures of South Asians famine victims hours before they died. It was a vital attempt to document the tragedies being ignored or hidden under the British colonial-era zeal for wealth.
This book is a reckoning with the past to help people and leaders deal with the current crisis.

Book Synopsis

Healing From Our History presents a clear, often shocking case of how man-made famines and systemic depopulation of South Asia during the British colonial era led to a modern health crisis among South Asians today. How with knowledge of this hidden history, South Asians can be proactive about living healthier lives.

Dr. Mubin Syed, a practicing physician with six board certifications and a published health historian, details how South Asians, who make up 25% of the world population, have alarmingly high rates of heart disease, diabetes, and other life-threatening illnesses. This is partly due to lifestyle choices like poor diet and lack of exercise, but there's also a growing body of evidence, some previously hidden or whitewashed, that it was the numerous and tragic colonial-era famines all over South Asia that led to modern genetic predispositions for disease.

Over the 190 years that the British controlled South Asia, there were more than 25 famines that led to the death of an estimated 165 million people. South Asia was seen as an abundant territory to exploit, the population considered an obstacle to remove or disregard. Studies of children and grandchildren of famine-surviving populations show that genetic differences make them more susceptible to disease and early death.

Healing From Our History shares details of the man-made famines and systematic and destructive policies and practices. It presents commentary from contemporaries who implemented the policies that taxed, subjugated, starved, imprisoned millions of people. There were people who tried to help by shedding light on the tragedies like Florence Nightingale, and Willoughby Wallace Hooper, a British photographer who took pictures of South Asians famine victims hours before they died. It was a small but vital attempt to document the tragedies being ignored or hidden under the British colonial-era zeal for wealth at all costs.

This book is a reckoning with the past to help people and leaders acknowledge these historical truths that affect South Asian health today. It is for individuals, doctors, and leaders to help current generations pay closer attention to the unique healthcare needs of South Asians, and pave a healthier path for future generations.

About the Author

Mubin Syed, MD, is a nationally recognized expert in endovascular therapy. He is a practicing physician with more than 25 years experience, an award-winning medical products inventor holding 26 patents, and a health historian. He is the co-author of Contributions of Islamic Civilization to Medicine, and author of a medical guide on pain treatment and a current work focusing on the modern South Asian health crisis. He is a TEDx speaker and has been featured in the "Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies" documentary and in the HuffPostUK and AJ+.
In 2017, after having health issues, he began examining the causes behind the high rate, prematurity, and severity of cardiovascular disease that affects South Asians and the diaspora. Two months into that project, he was a victim of the crisis, suffering his own heart attack at the age of 52, despite being considered "on paper" a low risk by standard Western coronary risk calculators.
This event and other South Asian community incidences of cardiovascular trauma spurred him to devote himself to uncovering historic and scientific truths on why this was occurring. What he found was a confluence of factors underlying the South Asian health crisis. He discovered that South Asians often display the worst outcomes, and that this was partly based on predisposition based on historical influences. It was a clarion call for him to write this book and help South Asians make informed decisions to prolong and enhance their lives.
In October 2022, he published his research "The Susceptibility of South Asians to Cardiometabolic Disease as a Result of Starvation Adaptation Exacerbated During the Colonial Famines" in the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Journal. In May 2023, at TEDx Bangalore, he presented his research and a call for a "New Normal" for South Asian Health.
Dr. Syed is a board-certified Vascular & Interventional Radiologist and Neuroradiologist with more than 25 years of practice experience. He is also board-certified in Vascular Medicine and Obesity Medicine. In response to problems seen in his practice, he pioneered a minimally invasive treatment for morbid obesity.
His career in science began at age 7, when one of his discoveries was published in a letter to the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. He received his radiology, interventional radiology, and neuroradiology residency training at Indiana University Purdue University in Indianapolis. Dr. Syed specializes in minimally invasive treatments as well as interventional pain management, vascular medicine, vascular and interventional medicine, and obesity medicine.
He started the first freestanding outpatient-based interventional lab in Ohio in 2006, with a specialization in spine and vascular procedures. He was recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Radiology and Society of Interventional Radiology for his teaching and research contributions to the respective fields.
He wrote the book, Radiology of Non-Spinal Pain Procedures: A Guide for the Interventionalist.
Dr Syed was featured in a PBS documentary called "Healthy Body Healthy Minds - Healing Compression Fractures" to demonstrate the benefits and efficacy of performing spine procedures.
In 2016, based on his pioneering work on bariatric embolization for morbid obesity, his article "Gastric Artery Embolization Trial for the Lessening of Appetite Nonsurgically (GET LEAN): Six-Month Preliminary Data," was recognized for distinguished clinical study.
He is the founder and CEO Of RAM Medical Innovations and has raised $4.5 million for a new patented arterial sheath technology to facilitate treatments to reverse strokes and prevent amputations. He received FDA clearance for a device to prevent amputations and his company received a prestigious NIH grant for $1.7M to obtain FDA clearance for a device to reverse strokes. Dr. Syed is also a serial inventor and has 26 granted patents in the United States, Europe, and China.

Feras J. Deek has more than 10 years of experience in academic and clinical research with a commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and improving healthcare outcomes. As the Director of Operations of RAM Medical Innovation, Inc., Feras Deek helps lead a dynamic team at the forefront of medical research, showcasing his ability to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical implementation. His expertise extends beyond the laboratory, encompassing a comprehensive understanding of clinical regulatory policy, international relations theory and behavioral neurobiology. Feras Deek has played a pivotal role in navigating the complex landscape of human subjects research, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and optimized project timelines. His multidisciplinary approach combined with an unwavering dedication to scientific rigor, has led to numerous publications and regulatory approvals.
Azim Shaikh, MD, MBA, is an Internal and Obesity Medicine specialist, and CEO of a surgical hospital. With over 20 years of collaboration, he and Dr. Mubin Syed have achieved remarkable success, including numerous publications, patents, and medical device innovations. Of South Asian heritage, Dr. Shaikh's own experience with a cardiac event at 51 deepened his commitment to exploring why South Asians are more susceptible to early-onset cardiometabolic diseases, driving his desire to research this critical health concern.