Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief (Paperback)

~ Neal Barnard (Author) "Of all the symptoms that are related to foods, perhaps the most surprising is back pain..." (more)
Key Phrases: cups plain rice milk, vanilla rice milk, common multivitamin, Always Great Brown Rice, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Foods have special effects on pain, and research studies substantiate this, says Neal Barnard, M.D., in Foods That Fight Pain, a book endorsed by fellow doctors Dean Ornish and Andrew Weil. You can use foods to fight pain in these ways:

1. Choose pain-safe foods. Reduce inflammation by avoiding foods that may be causing or aggravating your pain.

2. Add soothing foods that ease pain. Different foods may improve blood flow, relieve inflammation, or balance hormones.

3. Use supplements if needed. Herbs, extracts, and vitamins can relieve pain.

Barnard explores a variety of medical conditions, such as migraines, arthritis, digestive problems, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetes, herpes, sickle-cell anemia, kidney stones, urinary infections, and back, chest, breast, menstrual, and cancer pain. For each, Barnard explains the causes of the pain and what dietary changes are likely to alleviate it, with exercise and lifestyle recommendations. Barnard backs up his points with 30 pages of research citations.

Most of the recipes are quick to prepare, and include an elimination diet to avoid trigger foods. A nutritional breakdown (calories, fat, protein, carbohydrate, and sodium) accompanies each recipe. Following the advice in this book will not only relieve your pain, but increase your overall health. Highly recommended. --Joan Price --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Although the strategies laid out by Barnard have, despite the subtitle's claim, been presented in other health books, they've seldom been explained this succinctly. According to Barnard (Food for Life), certain foods and nutritional supplements can alleviate pain as well as or better than prescription drugs. From backaches to bowel problems, cancer to canker sores, Barnard offers clear explanations of the physical processes involved as well as practical dietary and nutritional advice. No matter what the problem, for starters he recommends a low-fat, high-fiber, strictly vegetarian diet, the same as the one prescribed for heart patients by Dr. Dean Ornish, whom he quotes extensively. Citing scientific studies as well as anecdotal evidence, Barnard tells how powdered ginger, for example, can prevent motion sickness, alleviate migraines and the pain and swelling caused by osteoarthritis. Vitamin B6 can be used to treat carpal tunnel syndrome as well as menstrual pain. Lists of "trigger" foods to avoid for various health conditions are valuable, if sometimes daunting: for example, the trigger foods for arthritis include all dairy products, all meat (including fish), wheat, citrus fruit, potatoes, tomatoes, nuts and coffee. A hefty section of menus and recipes by Jennifer Raymond makes it easier to practice what Barnard preachesAa technical sermon whose main message is: eat your veggies. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press; 1 edition (April 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609804367
• ISBN-13: 978-0609804360
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Relative Pain, February 28, 2000

By	Jack Thomas (Bali. Indonesia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief (Hardcover)

I just wanted to post a quickie review of Foods that Fight Pain. One of my relatives recently read the book and has since found tremendous relief for her arthritis. She has suffered for many years, always wondering if food could be part of her problem. As often seems to be the case, her doctors discounted her suspicions, telling her that food could not be to blame. However, she got a copy of Dr. Barnard's book, followed the elimination diet in it, and discovered which her trigger foods are--dairy, coffee, and citrus. Since changing her eating habits, she's had substantially less pain and she credits the book with her turnaround.

I think the book is a wonderful addition to the growing library of information about how foods affect our health.

Top recommendations from this Amazon customer!

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, timely litany on whats wrong with a Western diet, June 24, 1998

By	Jerry W. Vlasak, MD, FACS ([e-mail]) (Santa Monica, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief (Hardcover)

Dr. Barnard comes through again with an common sensical explanation of how the typical American diet is destroyning the lives of so many people. He notes with simple clarity that eating foods that humans have never eaten during their 3 million years of evolution results in illness and disability. By eliminating these foods like dairy products, animal flesh and certain other items, it becomes possible to restore our bodies to health and become free of chronic pain.

I have prescribed a similar diet for my patients for many years, and like Dr. Barnard, the most frequent response I get, after often dramatic results, is "Why? Why didn't any doctor ever give me this information before?"

I know why; its because too much money is being made by the pharmaceutical companies, the meat and dairy industries, and yes, the medical profession by keeping people dependent on their products. If you or someone you love suffers from arthritis, severe menstrual pain, migraines or any other chronic pain, you could do nothing better than to read this book and heed its advice.

Jerry Vlasak, M.D., F.A.C.S.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great Book, June 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Foods That Fight Pain: Revolutionary New Strategies for Maximum Pain Relief (Hardcover)

The last thing I expected to hear was that my back pain could be related to food. I understand how you can eat bad stuff and it can lead to heart attacks and cancer which you hear on the news alot. But I never heard of food causing back pain until I read Dr. Bernards book.

I have had back pain for several years and sometimes take a pain killer to help me sleep. My regular doctor sent me to another doctor who did lots of expensive tests, but the result was no relief in the pain except when I take pills. I decided to give Dr. Bernards plan a try to take out all the trigger foods and then add them back one at a time. You know what I found out? Corn! It was the corn that made my back hurt! The same day I started eating corn again my back went into spazm. I stopped the corn and the pain was gone again in a couple days. Just to be sure I ate corn again and the pain was back! I will tell you that it is a lot easier to make sure I do not eat corn or corn products than it is to have that pain come back. I would have paid a lot of money to get rid of that pain but I did it just by reading a book. Thank you Doctor Bernard. I recommend it to everyone.