Breath from Salt
A Deadly Genetic Disease, a New Era in Science, and the Patients and Families Who Changed Medicine Forever
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Narrated by:
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Deepti Gupta
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By:
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Bijal P. Trivedi
About this listen
"Elaborating on the science as well as the business behind the fight against cystic fibrosis, Trivedi captures the emotions of the families, doctors, and scientists involved in the clinical trials and their 'weeping with joy' as new drugs are approved, and shows how cystic fibrosis, once a 'death sentence,' became, for many, a manageable condition. This is a rewarding and challenging work." --Publishers Weekly
Cystic fibrosis was once a mysterious disease that killed infants and children. Now it could be the key to healing millions with genetic diseases of every type - from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to diabetes and sickle cell anemia.
In 1974, Joey O'Donnell was born with strange symptoms. His insatiable appetite, incessant vomiting, and a relentless cough - which shook his tiny, fragile body and made it difficult to draw breath - confounded doctors and caused his parents agonizing, sleepless nights. After six sickly months, his salty skin provided the critical clue: he was one of thousands of Americans with cystic fibrosis, an inherited lung disorder that would most likely kill him before his first birthday.
The gene and mutation responsible for CF were found in 1989 - discoveries that promised to lead to a cure for kids like Joey. But treatments unexpectedly failed and CF was deemed incurable. It was only after the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a grassroots organization founded by parents, formed an unprecedented partnership with a fledgling biotech company that transformative leaps in drug development were harnessed to produce groundbreaking new treatments: pills that could fix the crippled protein at the root of this deadly disease.
From science writer Bijal P. Trivedi, Breath from Salt chronicles the riveting saga of cystic fibrosis, from its ancient origins to its identification in the dank autopsy room of a hospital basement, and from the CF gene's celebrated status as one of the first human disease genes ever discovered to the groundbreaking targeted genetic therapies that now promise to cure it.
Told from the perspectives of the patients, families, physicians, scientists, and philanthropists fighting on the front lines, Breath from Salt is a remarkable story of unlikely scientific and medical firsts, of setbacks and successes, and of people who refused to give up hope - and a fascinating peek into the future of genetics and medicine.
©2020 Bijal P. Trivedi (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
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p53: The Gene That Cracked the Cancer Code reveals the tale of the search for this gene, as well as the excitement of the hunt for new cures - the hype, the lost opportunities, the blind alleys, and the thrilling breakthroughs. As the long-anticipated revolution in cancer treatment tailored to each individual patient's symptoms starts to take off at last, p53 is still at the forefront of the game. This is a timely tale of scientific discovery and advances in our understanding of a disease that still affects more than one in three of us at some point in our lives.
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Excellent story! Unfortunate narration at start
- By Adriana on 12-25-14
By: Sue Armstrong
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Missing Microbes
- How the Overuse of Antibiotics Is Fueling Our Modern Plagues
- By: Martin J. Blaser
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In Missing Microbes, Dr. Martin J. Blaser invites us into the wilds of the human microbiome, where for hundreds of thousands of years bacterial and human cells have existed in a peaceful symbiosis that is responsible for the health and equilibrium of our body. Now this invisible eden is being irrevocably damaged by some of our most revered medical advances-antibiotics-threatening the extinction of our irreplaceable microbes with terrible health consequences.
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Very enlightening and information well supported
- By James on 05-03-15
By: Martin J. Blaser
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The Demon Under The Microscope
- By: Thomas Hager
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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The Nazis discovered it. The Allies won the war with it. It conquered diseases, changed laws, and single-handedly launched the era of antibiotics. This incredible discovery was sulfa, the first antibiotic medication. In The Demon Under the Microscope, Thomas Hager chronicles the dramatic history of the drug that shaped modern medicine.
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Great Book!!!!!
- By Amazon Customer on 05-21-08
By: Thomas Hager
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Plague of Corruption
- Restoring Faith in the Promise of Science
- By: Dr. Judy Mikovits, Kent Heckenlively, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Narrated by: Mariel Hemingway
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Judy Mikovits is a modern-day Rosalind Franklin, a brilliant researcher shaking up the old boys' club of science with her groundbreaking discoveries. And like many women who have trespassed into the world of men, she uncovered decades-old secrets that many would prefer to stay buried.
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If only most of the public knew these facts
- By David Getoff, CCN on 06-18-20
By: Dr. Judy Mikovits, and others
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Happy Accidents
- Serendipity in Major Medical Breakthroughs in the Twentieth Century
- By: Morton A. Meyers
- Narrated by: Richard Waterhouse
- Length: 12 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Happy Accidents is a fascinating, entertaining, and highly accessible look at the surprising role serendipity has played in some of the most important medical discoveries in the 20th century. What do penicillin, chemotherapy drugs, X-rays, Valium, the Pap smear, and Viagra have in common? They were each discovered accidentally, stumbled upon in the search for something else. In discussing medical breakthroughs, Dr. Morton Meyers makes a cogent, highly engaging argument for a more creative, rather than purely linear, approach to science. And it may just save our lives!
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Don't waste your money!
- By Amazon Customer on 03-20-16
By: Morton A. Meyers
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Influenza
- The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
- By: Dr. Jeremy Brown
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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On the 100th anniversary of the devastating pandemic of 1918, Jeremy Brown, a veteran ER doctor, explores the troubling, terrifying, and complex history of the flu virus, from the origins of the Great Flu that killed millions, to vexing questions such as: are we prepared for the next epidemic, should you get a flu shot, and how close are we to finding a cure?
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Important read
- By Kathryn C. on 12-21-18
By: Dr. Jeremy Brown
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The Language of Life
- DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine
- By: Francis S. Collins
- Narrated by: Greg Itzin
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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A scientific and medical revolution has crept up on us, based on study after study, from hundreds of laboratories around the world. It is no longer just a theoretical shift: every one of us will be touched by it, and many of us already have been. The meaning of disease, our understanding of the human body, and crucial decisions about what we all need to know and what choices we make about our health are at stake. Welcome to the new world of personalized medicine.
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The future of medicine
- By Ronald E on 04-12-10
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The Heart Healers
- The Misfits, Mavericks, and Rebels Who Created the Greatest Medical Breakthrough of Our Lives
- By: James Forrester MD
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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At one time heart disease was a death sentence. By the middle of the 20th century, it was killing millions, and, as with the Black Death centuries before, physicians stood helpless. Visionaries, though, had begun to make strides earlier. On September 7, 1895, Ludwig Rehn successfully sutured the heart of a living man with a knife wound to the chest for the first time.
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Great review of the landmark achievements in Cardiology.
- By Trauma NP on 12-14-15
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Beating Back the Devil
- By: Maryn McKenna
- Narrated by: Ellen Archer
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The universal instinct is to run from an outbreak of disease. These doctors run toward it. They always keep a bag packed. They seldom have more than 24 hours before they are dispatched. They are told only their country of destination and the epidemic they will tackle when they get there.
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Interesting Stuff - Only criticism is pacing
- By Tim on 07-23-05
By: Maryn McKenna
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The Secret History of the War on Cancer
- By: Devra Davis Ph.D.
- Narrated by: Pam Ward
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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The War on Cancer was run by leaders of industries that made cancer-causing products and sometimes also profited from drugs and technologies for finding and treating the disease. Filled with compelling personalities and never-before-revealed information, The Secret History of the War on Cancer shows how we began fighting the wrong war, with the wrong weapons, against the wrong enemies, a legacy that persists to this day.
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Silly Book
- By Adam Smith on 12-24-14
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The Cancer Chronicles
- Unlocking Medicine's Deepest Mystery
- By: George Johnson
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When the woman he loved was diagnosed with a metastatic cancer, science writer George Johnson embarked on a journey to learn everything he could about the disease and the people who dedicate their lives to understanding and combating it. What he discovered is a revolution under way - an explosion of new ideas about what cancer really is and where it comes from. In a provocative and intellectually vibrant exploration, he takes us on an adventure through the history and recent advances of cancer research that will challenge everything you thought you knew about the disease.
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A quick read - hard to put down
- By Digital Dilema on 09-06-13
By: George Johnson
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How Doctors Think
- By: Jerome Groopman M.D.
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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On average, a physician will interrupt a patient describing her symptoms within 12 seconds. In that short time, many doctors decide on the likely diagnosis and best treatment. Often, decisions made this way are correct, but at crucial moments they can also be wrong: with catastrophic consequences. In this myth-shattering book, Jerome Groopman pinpoints the forces and thought processes behind the decisions doctors make.
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Disappointing
- By Audiophile on 05-13-07
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The HPV Vaccine on Trial
- Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed
- By: Mary Holland, Kim Mack Rosenberg, Eileen Iorio
- Narrated by: Caroline Slaughter
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Cancer strikes fear in people’s hearts around globe. So the appearance of a vaccine to prevent cancer - as we are assured the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will - seemed like a game-changer. Since 2006, over 80 countries have approved the vaccine, with glowing endorsements from the world’s foremost medical authorities. Bringing in over $2.5 billion in annual sales, the HPV vaccine is a pharmaceutical juggernaut. Yet scandal now engulfs it worldwide. The HPV Vaccine on Trial is a shocking tale, chronicling the global efforts to sell and compel this alleged miracle.
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Outstanding Investigative Book!
- By Barbara Loeppke on 10-02-19
By: Mary Holland, and others
What listeners say about Breath from Salt
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- jkjlw
- 11-19-22
Readable and clear explanation of cystic fibrosis
This book was a rare find. I met the author while sitting on a train during a 45-minute unscheduled stop. As we talked, she mentioned this book. As soon as she left the train, I downloaded it and started listening, and listening, and listening. I had a hard time putting it down. Ms, Trivedi clearly explains the cause of Cystic Fibrosis and its effects on a child. She chronicles the history, research, treatment, and cure for CF in a way that made me want to keep reading.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-07-21
An amazing book on medical science breakthrough
What a terrific piece of work on the story of so many committed individuals who made a major medical breakthrough possible. I learned more on genetic medicine and drug discovery from this book than three years working in this area.
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- Suburban Homesteader
- 03-19-21
Loved it!
Part history, part personal interest, part science.
This book was recommended to me by my niece, who is pregnant with a baby who will be born with cystic fibrosis. We have no history of this disease in our family, nor does her husband. This diagnosis was a complete shock to both families.
When she told me about this book, I was so grateful it was on Audible!
I'm even more grateful now! The author is a brilliant storyteller and sleuth, but the narrator brings the book to life! She has a delightful hint of an accent, and perfect diction, pacing, inflection and pronunciation. I literally couldn't stop listening!
Finishing the book was important, so I am up to speed with the disease our newest family member will be living with. This author and narrator made enjoying the book easy to understand and finish!
If you are interested in medicine, genetic diseases, or medical history, listen to this book!!
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- Mary from the OC
- 09-29-23
Excellent research, chronology by Author Trivedi
Author Trivedi prepared excellent, chronological history and research and updates on CF and how CF impacted families. Her writings helped me know about CF, but also what is involved in the research for any disease and medications. The challenge was listening to the narrator, but I pushed through as I wanted to learn more. I would have preferred the author as the narrator.
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- Pamela J. Blaesing
- 02-19-21
Such a fantastic book!
I worked in a children’s hospital in the 1970’s so I was vaguely familiar with this disease. I am amazed at the author’s ability to interweave the personal stories with the scientific.., and that I was able to follow the course of research plus the financial issues. I was never lost in the science of the disease or advances nor in the vast cast of patients, parents, doctors, and researchers. Thank you for this well-told story.
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7 people found this helpful
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- RW
- 03-03-21
Fantastic highly detailed overview of the discovery of Kalydeco, Trikafta and the drive to cure Cystic Fibrosis
Incredibly captivating. Having been involved with the CFF and meeting many of the individuals highlighted in this book, it was amazing to hear more about their personal stories, the challenges along the way and the persistence by so many. Eternally grateful for the progress made by all.
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- Marjorie
- 07-12-23
Cystic Fibrosis from A to Z
At more than 20 hours, this was an incredibly comprehensive book. It documents the incremental progress of scientific research, the dreadful suffering of the patients and families, the persistence and cleverness of the physicians and researchers, and the stamina and drive that turned the practice of fund-raising into a juggernaut. It's a lot to absorb.... but so worth it!
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- Amanda
- 09-14-23
Sucks you in
Narration is clear and Breath from Salt brings you into the lives of children, parents, fundraisers, and researchers associated with the disease.
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- Stephanie Loomis
- 05-16-23
What it takes to get things done in medicine
My great-niece has Cystic Fibrosis. Her grandmother, my sister-in-law, lived to age 46 with it. In the short time since its discovery, CF has morphed from a sure death sentence to a manageable disease, and treatments improve every year. What this book does well is illustrate just how important speaking up is for any treatment to evolve for any disease. Research costs money. Pharmaceutical corporations are profit driven. If any progress is to be made in any disease, parents, donors, and volunteers need to be persistent and loud. Without the passion of a few scientists and a LOT of families, CF treatments would be decades behind where they are. There are other "orphan" diseases that will require the same tenacity to find better treatments and cures.
I was not a fan of this narrator, but the book was too compelling not to complete.
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1 person found this helpful
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- too good to be true
- 02-25-21
great account of what advocacy groups can achieve
I found this account fascinating, scientifically well researched, This is a hopeful example of how determined parent groups and relentless advocacy/fund raising moved science along to reach treatment of a very vile diseases. Very inspiring.
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