Customer Reviews

The Inflammation Syndrome: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies, and Asthma

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I don't review books here very often, because I usually feel that other people have already said it better than I could, but as I read the reviews of this book, I got the feeling that the author called up everybody he knew and asked them to write a review for him here.

But I'm not a friend of his, just a real person, so I thought I'd tell you what I think of his book.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes about 2 weeks ago. I've known it was coming for many years because there's a lot of it in my family. So anyway, I immediately went to my local bookstore and started looking for books to inform me about diabetes, and as I was browsing, I ran across this book.

I bought it and read it, and I believe what he says. Since I read his book I've been thinking, "If only I'd had his book 15 years ago, or ten years ago, or even one year ago." The book says that it can help prevent or reverse(among others):
heart disease - my brother is taking drugs for high cholesterol.
arthritis - I've got that. I had to start walking with crutches in the past year.
Diabetes - I've got that.
Allergies - everybody in my family has plenty of these, including food allergies of various types.
Crohn's disease - my other brother and niece have that.
Gastritis and ulcers - my mother, myself, and my son all have problems with this.
Inflammatory bowel syndrome - yep, I've got that too and so does my son.
Obesity - I weigh 365 pounds in spite of (??because of??) 30 years of dieting. And both my brothers are pretty big too.

So it was interesting to find out that there is a single underlying cause to all these seemingly disparate problems. He explains (and backs up his explanations with plenty of scientific studies) that our modern diet is so extremely different from what our ancestors were eating even 100 years ago, that we are in effect poisoning ourselves. The answer is to eat differently - more like our ancestors ate.

This means cutting out the doughnuts and the french fries. His diet plan probably isn't going to be easy in the long run. I've only been doing it for about a week, and I'm okay with it so far. But I know from experience that in a few weeks someone is going to offer me a brownie or a doughnut and I'm going to want it a lot. However, I really don't want to spend the rest of my life as physically miserable as I am right now, and I certainly don't want to go blind and lose my legs like some of my relatives have done, so I'm determined to follow his advice. Everything he says in his book makes sense to me.

I've read plenty of reviews of diet books of one flavor or another where some person writes in and says "!!!This book has changed my life. I've been on it 3 days and I know this is the diet I'll be one for the rest of my life!!!" Well, I find that a little ridiculous. But I can say that once I got past the withdrawal symptoms from not eating sugar, I've felt much better. The last 2 days I've even been able to walk short distances without my crutch for the first time in 9 months. I'm going to give his plan the old college try! 8-) More than that, I'm sending copies of his book to both my brothers.

If you've got health problems of the type described above or a family history of such problems, I think you should read this book.

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.

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.

As physicians, we have always known that inflammation has played a role in multiple disease processes; however, what is especially surprising is that the message that is emerging from the literature is that inflammation plays an even larger role than anyone expected. From heart disease to asthma to arthritis, deranged inflammation and immune response appears to play pivotal roles in the disease process. Even more important, and Jack Challem so eloquently describes, by reducing this abnormal inflammatory cascade we can help fight and prevent many of these devastating illnesses. As a physician and writer, I strongly recommend this book as essential reading to anyone who wants take control of their health and lead a long, healthy, and active life free of disease.

Jonathan M. Berkowitz, M.D.

This book was an eye opener for me. Not only did I gain a good understanding of inflammation and the many ramifications, but there were REAL recommendations given to help "put out the flames" of inflammation, without having to go down the pharmaceutical path.

I would encourage anyone with severe joint pain or other inflammatory conditions to become proactive in their own care, read this book, and try some of the recommendations included. The book is clear and concise. You don't need a medical degree to understand the message. I have a small library about inflammation and arthritis; this book is the most user friendly I have read to date.

I developed an inflammatory condition after a severe joint trauma. Tests followed, and medical recommendation that I go on a prolonged course of steroids, which I was not willing to do. After reading this book and putting their recommendations into my dietary and supplemental routine, I have had encouraging success and have improved my quality of life.

I bought this book in desperation as my chronic inflammatatory pain and the crippling exhaustion from chronic Epstein Barr have had me so dependent upon Tylenol and aspirin I feared for my liver and stomach. The first thing I did ( with my docs ok ) was drop my statin drug and start taking 6 gms of flax seed oil and 1 gm of evening primrose oil daily, along with changing my diet. I have to tell you it was the best thing I've done. My muscle and joint pain - previously so bad I worked part time for a bit - is 85% gone!! My knees, my biggest problems, are so good I can walk in the evenings with my husband, where before I was in physical therapy to get through the grocery store. I couldnt even take care of my grandson for a whole evening alone, and now Gramma can get on the floor and play !
In the past 2 months I've added vit c, balanced b, coenzyme Q10 ( this one gave me the sweats at only 30 mg, not so crazy about it ), and vit E. I eat as few omega-6 foods as possible without going nuts and when I just have to have something "bad" I take more flax to balance it. My blood sugar has leveled out ( I combined this book and his "Syndrome X" to find the diet that works for me..even though I'm not much for fish ).
I bought this for my niece as well, as she also has the family curse of an inflammatory disease litany.

The author does a first-class job of covering not only the
causes of most of our physical ailments, but also of how to
give yourself relief from them.
His theory is that so many of our physical problems come from
what we eat and drink, that we should be able to avoid those
problems by eating right. Not a new theory, but he outlines
all the problems affected by our poor diet, and he documents
scientific and medical studies showing the cause-and-effect,
and then, to cap it all off, he explains how we can specifically
change our diets to start improving our physical health.
He gives details for anyone truly interested in those questions,
and he has a direct and rather plain-speaking way of showing
us what items we need to eliminate from our diets, and then
he happily presents the better, more healthful substitutes.
The author covers everything in the field, and he not only outlines the problems, he shows us the way to a more healthful
life, and he does that in a way we can understand and follow.
For anyone suffering from any health problem, or who is worried
about their future health, this is a must.
Don't miss it.

Jack Chellam's "Inflammation Syndrome" is one of the best books on diet I've read. The author focuses on the discovery that most diseases start with an inflammatory process and emphasizes how certain foods cause inflammation in your body. Mr. Chellam discusses many diseases such as cancer, allergies, diabetes, obesity, sports injuries and depression to name a few. "The Inflammation Syndrome" helps the reader rediscover the way humans ate prior to the agricultural boom and mass production of so called "food items" that have led to many diseases we have today. Each chapter is filled with helpful information that can help direct oneself to a better life diet.

The anti-inflammatory diet outlined in the "Inflammation Syndrome" has reversed a chronic digestive problem I've suffered with all my life. I was first attracted to Jack Chellam's book because he discusses that most vegetable oils (corn, soybean, safflower etc) can cause inflammation and the frying of them is a double-wammy. The author discusses proper diet, anti-inflammatory supplements, and the side effects of some anti-inflammatory medications. For example, aspirin is known to cause permanent cartilage deterioration in the joints.

The "Inflammation Syndrome" is filled with useful information and is a must read.

Inflammation today is the hot topic in medical research--and for good reason. Chronic inflammation underlies many of our most serious health ailments. Jack Challem lays out the evidence for this in the lucid and accessible manner for which he is known. He then goes a step further and shows how individuals unwittingly contribute to the problem through everyday diet and other habits. Lastly, he gives concrete advice as to what is known about reducing inflammation. His suggested options are much more significant and a lot safer than the notion that you routinely should take a baby aspirin. Highly recommended.

Very detailed book on the issues of inflammation in the body, and the supplements to counteract it. It does not go into detail on how to change your life eating habits, but provides information on what foods, and supplements, you should eat and use. Really helped me to lose weight, and clear up my skin issues. Very easy to read. Not a lot of medical jargon that you may see in books by Barry Sears.