The autoimmune solution Prevent and reverse the full spectrum of inflammatory symptoms and diseases

Americans who suffer from psoriasis, type 1 diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases and want to treat them without conventional medicine will find many alternative ideas in this guide from medical doctor Myers. Having struggled with Graves' disease, she vividly describes how the harrowing symptoms of autoimmune conditions leave one feeling as if some alien presence has taken over your body. Myers' extensive suggestions for combating these chronic assaults include eliminating gluten (the protein in wheat), buying organic food and not storing it in plastic containers, letting go of sugar and caffeine, buying cotton or wool rugs, skipping nightcaps, and even getting rid of vinyl shower curtains. She can get too technical, trying to explain, for example, how the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene helps rid the body of heavy metals, and supplement skeptics may raise their eyebrows at her suggestion that people take a slew of products. But her recipes for dishes like a salmon avocado bowl seem healthy and tasty, and her bibliography is thorough, making this is a good addition to integrative medicine collections.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist

Functional medicine physician Myers, who once suffered from Graves' disease, claims that conventional medicine has failed the more than 50 million Americans with autoimmune diseases, which include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. The "Myers Way" relies on the "four pillars": healing the gut (80% of the immune system, she notes, is located there); cutting out gluten; detoxifying the body; and dealing with infections (e.g., Epstein-Barr) and stress. Gluten, says Myers, causes inflammation and encourages leaky gut syndrome: avoid it, she advises, "like the plague" (in its hybridized state this is not the gluten, she explains, of our ancestors). Myers includes a 30-day meal plan for readers with autoimmune problems, replacing "inflammatory" ingredients like sugar, legumes, eggs, grains, and dairy with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. In an appendix, she also includes a symptom tracker to help readers chart their progress. Though Myers's protocol requires discipline (particularly difficult for vegetarians), those with autoimmune issues should welcome this helpful and hopeful resource from a physician who walks her talk. Agent: Stephanie Tade, Stephanie Tade Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.