The Inflammation Syndrome: Your Nutrition Plan for Great Health, Weight Loss, and Pain-Free Living

This book described exactly the major problems I had been having regarding my health particularly relating to arthitic pain and asthma. I am in my late fifties and, no doubt, many of my aches and pains related to a vigorous lifestyle when I was younger (sports, etc.). I have generally enjoyed a history of basic good health and a moderately active lifestyle but have a sensitivity to many anti-inflamatory medications. I needed to look at other solutions. I started following a number of Dr. Challem's recommended lifestyle changes and dietary adjustments. Within 5 days of eating as he recommends, the swelling, heat and pain in my right foot was gone! Within a couple of weeks, many of my complaints were gone. I started to lose weight - basically a side effect of the lifestyle changes - and lost 60 pounds. Over a year later, the weight has stayed off and my general health has improved beyond anything I would have expected. Many of my friends have asked about my "regimen" and have either bought the book or are considering doing so. This book changed my life and I would recommend it for anyone who is experiencing inflammation-related health problems.

Jack Challem writes articles on health for both the general public and scientific publications. He is also co-author of the book Syndrome X.The Inflammation Syndrome is divided into four parts: an explanation of the connection between inflammation and disease, including causes of inflammation; a 15-step diet plan to prevent and heal inflammation; supplements recommended to combat inflammation; and inflammation and specific diseases. There are multiple quizzes throughout the book on different causes of inflammation to allow you to see all the various ways your lifestyle may be currently promoting, or preventing, inflammation in your body. The book is written in a lively, easy-to-understand style, and the author helpfully provides a detailed table of contents, an index, extensive references, and appendices listing medical tests for inflammation and sources for anti-inflammatory products.I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about inflammation. Its straightforward, practical suggestions are not horrendously difficult to implement, and the author includes menu plans and recipes to get you started on his eating plan. I find his quizzes especially useful as a kind of lifestyle self-diagnosis. If you'd like to do additional reading on this subject, another excellent book is The Inflammation Cure: How to Combat the Hidden Factor Behind Heart Disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Diabetes, & Other Diseases, by William Joel Meggs. An outstanding related work is The Body Restoration Plan: Eliminate Chemical Calories and Restore Your Body's Natural Slimming System, by Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton. Dr. Baillie-Hamilton doesn't specifically write about inflammation, but provides very valuable insights on the damage done by environmental toxins to the body, which both Meggs and Challem indicate are strongly implicated in causing inflammation.