Friday, August 27, 2021

Book Review - The Inflammation Spectrum; Dr. Will Cole

The Inflammation Spectrum; Dr. Will Cole

Avery Books - 2019 - (borrowed from library)

Inflammation, seems to be a hot topic these days when people talk about health issues.  How we feel, especially as we age,  seems to be a product of not only our stress levels and getting enough sleep but also how our bodies and our immune systems react to the different foods and drinks we consume. Different foods can be a friend to one individual but a foe to other people.

The book discusses symptoms of food intolerance such as: bloating, runny nose, joint and muscle pain, fatigue and IBS.

There is a quiz that asks you to answer questions and depending on how you answer and what your point values are in the following categories: 1) brain & nervous system assessment, digestive system assessment, detox system, blood sugar, hormonal system, musculoskeletal system and autoimmune inflammation.  Depending on how you answer the questions you will get an idea as to which are your trigger areas. (For me it was digestive, musculoskeletal and autoimmune inflation). 

The next part was the cleanse, either 4-weeks or 8-weeks depending on your assessment. This was the part that was quite overwhelming for me.  The Elim-4 has you eliminating: all grains, all forms of dairy, all sweeteners and sugars and all inflammatory oils such as: corn, vegetable, canola and sunflower. While the Elim. 8 includes the 4 just mentioned as well as: legumes, nuts and seeds, eggs, and nightshades: tomatoes, white and yellow potatoes, eggplant and all peppers.  

There is of course a focus list of acceptable foods and beverages during this period as well as some recipes which sound quite decent.

For me, I can't imagine doing the complete 8 - program  (just too extreme) but, this book did give me a better idea of what my areas of concern are, especially when I combine this information with what gathered from another book: Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo which I read and reviewed in 2020.

Have you tried any similar programs to determine your food triggers?  I do know too much dairy, nuts  and the nightshades family are not my friends. I'm okay with a little of each though. 

Rating - 4/5 stars


19 comments:

  1. I am going to see if the library has these two books, they sound useful. I had lunch at a restaurant yesterday with a friend who was diagnosed with celiac disease this month, so she was very careful in choosing foods. Inflammation is something I want to investigate; thanks for the tips.

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    1. Terra, both books were good. I really liked the Eat Right for Type book as well.

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  2. That sounds pretty interesting, we could read it while eating some golden raisins!

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    1. Oh BTW - we tossed the gin-soaked raisins after 2 weeks. I don't think they did a thing and they weren't very tasty.

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  3. I need to look into something like this as I certainly have digestive problems and need to watch that I eat plenty of fruit and veg. I wonder too if my arthritus is triggered by something I eat.

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    1. Cath, more likely than not our arthritis is worse when we eat too much of something that triggers causing inflammation.

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  4. I'm wondering what is left? So much of my diet would be eliminated!

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  5. Figuring out your triggers is a big deal, so it's great that you already know.

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    1. Stacy, I'm too nervous to even try to find out about gluten as I am a carboholic.

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  6. I know that I do better without nuts (I am allergic) and dairy (but I love cheese!).

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    1. Yes, I don't even want to find out about gluten as carbs are my life LOL

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  7. I had the same thought as Jenclair! That elimination diet leaves pretty much nothing, but I understand the science behind it. Keep us posted on how you do. Sorry the raisins were a bust!

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    1. I might give up the dairy and nuts and see how that goes but grains/carbs would be too hard for me.

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  8. In January I eliminated processed foods, seed oils and sugar. My inflammation seems almost non-existent at this point. Pain, swelling have disappeared. And I've lost a LOT of weight without feeling like I'm deprived. Sounds too good to be true at my age (64), right? I'm amazed and haven't felt this good since my 20s. Gary Taub has some very accessible books that I recommend. My library carries them

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    1. Wow, Mary Congratulations of feeling better and losing pounds in the process. Is there one book by Gary Taub that you recommend? My library does have them as well so I'll request a couple. How long before you noticed a change with inflammation?

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  9. Diane, I also want to add that Keto was recommended by my rheumatologist who I see for Lupus. I didn't know much about it until he suggested it. I'm so grateful.

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    1. This is so good to know, I've heard Keto, but don't know much about it. I'd like to read and know more. Thank you for sharing.

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  10. This is really interesting but I know I'm not dedicated enough to follow a meal plan that is so restrictive. Having said that though we do try to follow meal plans that are healthy. We really enjoy recipes from the magazine Fork Over Knives for example.

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