Customer Reviews

Win the War Within: The Eating Plan That's Clinically Proven to Fight Inflammation - The Hidden Cause of Weight Gain and Chronic Disease

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was just talking to a friend about this book today, and she was quite surprised to hear that chicken, (and turkey even more so) are among the least healthful foods you can eat. We've been hearing how much better it is than beef. We've been hearing that eating fish is fabulous. But it's actually DETRIMENTAL to your health if it is not the right kind of fish. Pregnant women have been making misinformed choices based on word from our own government, and our health crisis is worsening.

The science in War Within is solid already, but Chilton et al are continuing to vigorously study real world results where their science is applied, and it's become undeniable: the balance of fatty acids in our diet is a leading factor in the majority of our current disease cases (most cases of heart disease, athsma and allergies, diabetes, arthritis, and a growing host). If you get informed, you'll soon be paying more attention to the arachidonic acid (AA) in our modern diet than cholesterol. You'll realize that while developed countries eradicated deficiancy diseases such as scurvy in the last century, the same countries are the ones with the most threatening deficiencies in the world as we enter the 21st century.

The other key ingredient to this book is the characterization of the relationship between obesity and other diseases. Obesity and overweight affect some 60% of Americans. One problem is the common view that body fat content and heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases, are merely parallel factors. On the contrary, obesity actually CAUSES inflammatory conditions in the body and has been proven to play a role in worsening and causing other disease, so that it's not merely that diet and inactivity contribute to both obesity and heart disease (e.g.), but once overweight exists, it in turn increases blood triglycerides, C-reactive protien, interleukin-6, etc., and thus other disease.

The writing if fine, though not top notch (I found several omitted or extra words in the second half of the book). Most importantly, the book should be easy to understand for a layman, while at the same time including the information needed to validate the science for yourself. For the bioscience versed, a key research paper of Chilton's team is in the Appendix.

Well-documented, well-researched, well-authenticated,this clearly written book is knowledge accessible to layman and medical professional alike about the most recent and up-to-date research regarding what probably triggers many of our most debilitating deseases. With no wild claims, no put-downs of other researchers, this book advances beyond Atkins and South Beach.The diet is based on real food, not expensive or exotic, that is eaten by all of us.

60 yo female, diagnosed with heart disease(elevated CRP/blood pressure, etc., genetically predisposed) and compromised immune system. I've used the diet, primarily organic, and, especially, the recommended EPA,DHA,GLA for eight months. I'm using fish oil and borage oil softgels. My blood pressure is normal for the first time in years, averaging 110/70. I was averaging 140/85. More energy, less fatigue. Read the book. Thank you Dr. Chilton!

I have read this book in its entirety. I have a bookcase full of others that are similar but not nearly as complete, with a few exceptions mentioned below.

With several close and immediate family members suffering with inflammatory diseases such as lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Asthma, Crohn's Disease, Psoriasis, High Cholesterol with increasing Homocystine, c-reactive protein and Triglyceride levels (myself) and a paternal family history of fatal heart disease (my father, his 4 siblings and his mother) I have been motivated to take some responsibility for learning all that is available to the layman about such diseases and their causes.

Chilton's book is not about him, it is about what has been discovered to be the root cause of destructive internal inflammation; primarily arachidonic acid, particularly in it's pre-formed state, and found in most "good diets." Chilton makes no claims such as "reversing" damage already done, or "curing" a disease, but this book offers real hope of preventing the onset or escalation of inflammation, due to other causes than infection, to which so many grave illnesses owe their beginning.

Chilton presents the information in a format easily accessible by laymen, with practical guides to food purchases, a scale of possible inflammation which he terms "The Inflammatory Index" and includes dietary recommendations, two diet plans, a glycemic index to the recommended foods as well as an understandable food pyramid and many other useful resources and appendices.

Chilton never recommends anyone drop medical care or current drugs used to treat a disease. He has a prepared letter for one's medical professional which outlines the uses of the Chilton program as an adjunct to medical treatment. Chilton has not inserted pride into this book. He gives full credit to other researchers who's work inspired his or with whom he has worked on the causes of these diseases. The fact that a beloved member of his family suffers greatly from one of these diseases may have inspired him to greater efforts, the results of which he has been sharing with the public as new breakthroughs emerge. This book pulls that research together into real, applicable actions we can take to enhance our health.

I have spent the last ten years attempting to collect usable information, and tried a half-dozen programs/diets that promised results. Some made my own symptoms worse. Only one program and one food sensitivity blood test have made a real and positive impact on my own health and my husbands before I purchased WIN the War WITHIN: The McDougall Program (Dr. John McDougall, M.D.), the information in The False Fat Diet (Dr. Elson M. Haas, M.D). Now, this worthy book will, I believe, provide the biochemical proof of cause and effect that will assist us, the sufferers, in halting the progress of these diseases in our own bodies.

Research Dr. Chilton for yourself before mischaracterizing his work as insufficient or before assuming he is another snake oil salesman capitalizing on the suffering that folks are willing to pay good money to end. If you dismiss this book without actually having read it, you lose.

I have never met Dr. Chilton or anyone associated with him as far as I know, even given the theory of "six degrees of separation." I have written only four other reviews in 10 years of using the resources on Amazon.com. I have no hidden agenda or axe to grind. I do believe in self-empowerment and partnering with our medical caregivers. I personally went from a total cholesterol of 364 to 282 just by removing from my diet the foods to which I learned I was sensitive (the blood test mentioned above). But I still need medication to complete the journey to safe levels of the markers for heart and artery disease. I enthusiastically recommend WIN the War WITHIN.

Wishing you all progressively better health.

I was diagnosed with Still's Desease. Tried 3 different diets, nothing was helping. Inflamation was over the board. After reading this book, which I've borrowed, I improved in a first month probably 40%. I wasn't even following it very closely, and it still worked. Now, I am ordering my own copy. I recommend it for anyone, very well written, easy to follow, and most important -it worked for me!!!!

Win the War Within by Chilton is about a natural way to reduce inflammaiton. As I recently stopped taking an NSAID but still have joint pain, the diet & supplements Chilton recommends complement the other things I have been doing to increase my health. Well worth the money.

I have neurologic, arthritic + migraine pain issues. And, I've followed the guidelines from this book for 3 years. It works! Initially, I strictly adhered to the meal plans because I was wracked with pain... dull aches, sharp knife stabbing pain + radiating pain that felt like small pools of fire. Each brought on by different things.
As my pain decreased + was managed pretty well, I gradually re-introduced some of the food items listed with high levels of AA. Of course, I only eat these foods (chicken, turkey, eggs) occasionally NOW, vs. daily before I read this book. This works for me + I highly recommend!

Since this book is a slight update of Chilton's 2005 book INFLAMMATION NATION, it has the same deficiencies. One cause of imflammation is treated quite well, but other even greater causes are not even mentioned. To deal with chronic inflammation, you need to know the causes, which include toxins, homocysteine, drugs, stress, cooking oils, and others. You might try THE INFLAMMATION SYNDROME or HONEST NUTRITION.

LUPUS - The Chilton Diet

The American book that helped me rid myself of the symptoms of lupus (e.g. arthritis in fingers, ankle and wrist joint pains, dry eyes/mouth and eyelid spasms, thrombosis, gum deterioration, kidney disorder, etc) is Dr Floyd H. Chilton's "Win the War Within - the eating plan that's clinically proven to fight inflammation". Lupus is a dangerous auto-immune disease that's most commmon amongst women of Asian and African ancestry. It is rare and normally fatal in white caucasian men like myself.

The Chilton Diet essentially consists of a Solution Diet followed by a Prevention Diet.

The most important part of the Solution diet is 900 mg of GLA a day (3 primrose oil capsules x 3 times a day) plus 500 mg of EPA per day (1 fish oil capsule x 3 times a day). Take a course at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thereafter the Prevention diet is 600 mg of GLA a day (2 primrose oil capsules x 2 times a day) plus 300 mg of EPA per day (2 fish oil capsules x 2 times a day). Take a course at breakfast and dinner.

Do not take the recommended doses of GLA without having the EPA. The Solution Diet can be kept going until all symptoms subside after which the Prevention Diet should suffice, though in my own case I have maintained a Solution Diet since I don't want to risk a return of the symptoms that would force me on cortisones.

In addition the diet involves eating foods with less than a total value of 100 on the AA inflammatory index. This means avoiding food high in Arachidonic acid (AA) such as offal (chitterlings, liver, heart, brain, kidneys, giblets, cured meats), farmed fish (farmed barramundi and salmon) and eggs (especially yolk).

It also means eating foods with less than a total value of 70 on the glycemic index (GI) so as to keep a low sugar blood level. This means avoiding refined white bread, high carbohydrate cereals, crackers and pretzels, popcorn, corn chips, instant rice or oatmeal, cookies, cakes, ice cream, jams, potatoes (except yams and sweet potatoes), tropical sweet fruits, honey, sugar and syrup.

In practice I have found the primrose oil + fish oil capsules are what really count, though I also moderate my AA and sugar intake though not to the point of total abstinence except for offal and eggs which I completely avoid since they are extremely high in AA. I keep my sugar intake low though don't completely avoid small treats.

I would suggest anyone with lupus start the diet immediately and keep a diary of their daily lupus symptoms. I found relief within a week and complete eradication of symptoms within 3 weeks. I also found ankle and wrist massage increased blood flow to those joints and accelerated the anti-inflammatory healing powers of the Solution diet.

I contracted lupus in early 2007 during a consultancy in the Solomon Islands. After I put the Chilton diet to work I got relief from my symptoms within a fortnight. In 2000 I was that well I suspended treatment, but within a few weeks my symptoms came back with a vengeance. I resumed treatment and after three weeks my symptons disappeared again. I will now keep up the treatment for life as I don't dare go off it. Lupus is not cureable, but in my case the symptoms proved managemable without resorting to cortison prescriptions that have dengerous side effects.


Percy Allan AM
Sydney, Australia

This book was very helpful, easy to read and understand. From reading it, I received not only good nutritional information, but concrete things to do to reduce my inflammation immediately.