Make Me Well. A Quest to Understand the Confusing World of Wellness

In a world of endless wellness advice, learn how to make smarter decisions about your health with the empowering new book from doctor and broadcaster Xand Van Tulleken.

Drawing on original reporting, expert insight and real-world case studies, he explores:

• The truth about supplements and vitamins ― what works and what doesn’t
• The rise of at-home blood testing and personalised health plans
• How wearable technology (fitness trackers, sleep trackers, smartwatches) shapes our behaviour
• The promises and pitfalls of consumer genomics and DNA testing
• Why the line between healthcare and the wellness industry has become blurred

There has never been a more confusing time to try to be healthy.

From supplements and blood testing to wearable technology and consumer genomics, the modern wellness industry promises better energy, performance and longevity. But how much of it is science, and how much is marketing?

In his groundbreaking book, Make Me Well, Xand van Tulleken investigates the new Wild West of the wellness industry, offering a clear, evidence-based guide to navigating today’s most popular health trends.

With practical advice and accessible science, Make Me Well will help you cut through misinformation, avoid unnecessary costs, and make informed decisions about your physical and mental wellbeing.

If you’ve ever wondered which health trends are worth your time and money, this is your essential guide to modern wellness.

Make Me Well was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 14/09/2026

Review

This book is actually useful. Timely and thorough, it tells us what’s what. -- Tim Key

A much-needed an injection of hard science into the booming global wellness industry. With the deep erudition of an actual doctor, the urgent prose of a proper public intellectual, and the story-telling nous of one of our greatest communicators, Xand van Tulleken's MAKE ME WELL has demolished several shoddy shibboleths and pointed the way to a better, happier, healthier life. I cannot think of a more valuable public service. And frankly I will never look at a vitamin supplement, longevity 'hack', or collagen dose the same way again. -- Amol Rajan

If anyone can drag the wellness industry into the light and make you laugh while doing it, it’s Xand van Tulleken. Beautifully researched, clear-eyed and very funny ― essential reading for anyone who’s ever scrolled past a wellness miracle wondering whether any of it actually works. A generous guide to an industry that depends on us not asking too many questions. -- Hannah Fry

Make Me Well made me laugh, made me angry -- and ultimately made me feel better informed about my health. A deeply researched tour of a multibillion dollar industry that's more nutritious than any supplement you've ever seen advertised on a podcast. And he's made it funny, too. Put down your multivitamins and read this at once. -- Helen Lewis

[A] revelatory and eminently accessible book. -- Caroline Sanderson ― Bookseller Non-Fiction pick

In this accessible, illuminating read, the doctor and broadcaster separates fact from fiction. ― iNews

Digs into everything from the supposed benefits of vitamin D supplements and turmeric tablets to wearable health technology, blood tests and so-called anti-ageing pills. [van Tulleken] finds that the claims made for the above mostly don't stand up to hard science ... This can't be documented too many times as we face an extraordinary surge in innovation, transforming drug design, genomics and diagnostics that yields ever more complexity and confusion. So how do we stay healthy, facing such an onslaught -- and naked corporate greed? Quite likely, we could do worse than start here. ― New Scientist

A thorough, entertaining investigation into the unintended consequences of the wellness industry. ― Economist

About the Author

Xand van Tulleken is a doctor, broadcaster and presenter who practised in acute medicine in the NHS for a decade. He trained at Oxford, Harvard and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and is now an Honorary Associate Professor at University College London. His academic work has focussed on humanitarian assistance and global health and has taken him to crises in Myanmar, Uganda and Sudan. As one of the BBC’s leading broadcasters for children and adults, his work has won two BAFTAs. He lives in East Sussex with his wife and two (occasionally three) children.