Here I hope to add books I have personally read and loved, or been recommended. All of these books are available to borrow from the Auckland City Library BUT in time I wish to build a library here and hold copies that Auto Immune New Zealand can lend out … love to hear your feedback.
Initially the focus was upon AI reads but really as I as I grew up :) I realised success is about honouring yourself with knowledge and a balanced lifestyle, the best food you can afford, understanding we need to move every single day, and find people to have in your life who ‘get’ your beauty .. so this list is growing and changing, as all good things (including bodies) should do.. Be prepared for some fabulous reading peeps.
Title: Rethink Food
Author: Shushana, C and Goodman, A-L
Publisher: Two Skirts Productions (2014)We have been led to believe that meat and dairy are the foundation of good health. This is a myth and the science can no longer be ignored. Rethink Food brings you 100+ doctors from around the world who substantiate why all animal based products are damaging to our health and should be completely removed from our plates.
From the Ivy Leagues of Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Cornell to the UK, India, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, and New Zealand, Rethink Food’s experts explain how we can reverse heart disease and diabetes, eliminate food allergens and autoimmune diseases, live pain- free from arthritis, prevent Alzheimer’s, and even bring cancer into remission. Challenging the status quo, these doctors substantiate how each and every chronic condition covered is DIET RELATED.
The science is clear. Rethink Food’s doctors conclusively prove that a diet based on whole, plant-based foods is most directly linked to excellent health, wellness, fitness, and longevity.
Title: A Modern Way to Cook
Author: Anna Jones (UK)
Publisher: The 4th Estate (Harper Collins UK, 2015)
This is another ‘gem’ by much acclaimed British foodie, Anna Jones. Its a beautiful book full of delicious recipes. The lovely thing is even if you aren’t vegetarian, you will resonate and probably want to make this real food…Check out the Nut Butter recipes on page 226 .. Coconut and Cardamon Almond Butter !!! seriously, ah yes.
Title: The Flavour Thesaurus
Author: Niki Segnit
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2010, USA)
OMGoodness .. this is my new favourite book of all time .. and with time that will change but at this precise moment, this is ‘it’. It is like a beautiful piece of poetry for a cook, foodie, lover of real. Awards, awards, high accolades, beautiful reviews for Niki Segnit.. these are some of the delights you will encounter when you find this absolute gem of a book. Buy copies now .. enjoy.
Title: The Wahls Protocol
Author: Terry Wahls, M.D.
Publisher: Avery, 2014.
Everyone in our community should read this book.. its relevant to everyone, and if you need a copy which I borrow from the AKL City Library .. just email me.
Doctor Wahl adopted a nutrient-rich paleo diet, gradually refining and integrating it into a regime of neuromuscular stimulation in an act of self recovery (from MS!!!). First she walked, then steadily she biked 18 miles in a single day. A MUST READ.
Title: A Modern Way to Eat
Author: Anna Jones
Publisher: Harper Collins, 2014
Absolutely delicious, easy recipes to up your take on green .. that fits perfectly with how we want to eat right now and into the future. Beautifully photographed, thoroughly and thoughtfully set out, its an absolute gem and I will be buying copies to give away as gifts in the coming months ..
Title: The Autoimmune Connection
Author: Baron-Faust, R & Buyon, J
Published: McGraw-Hill Publishing (USA), 2003
Rita Baron-Faust is an award winning medical journalist who serves on the board of directors on the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. Jill Buyon is the founder and director of the Lupus Clinic in New York City.
This book is filled with information designed to empower patients to make informed decisions about autoimmune disorders. Through ‘The Autoimmune Connection’, the reader will learn which tests might be needed and how to obtain a correct diagnosis, early signs and symptoms and how to sort out vague and unrelated symptoms, answers to frequently asked questions about fertility and pregnancy, how autoimmune disorders and their treatments can affect the woman at different stages of life, and expert advice on getting the latest treatments, finding a specialist and navigating the health care system. This book is available at the AKL City Library … I could withdraw and send it to you if you cant get a copy locally..
Title: The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book
Author: Cabot, Sandra Dr.
Published: WHAS (AUS), 1998
I have read this book and love it. It is jam packed with information, recipes, support links. Sandra Cabot is widely known in Australia and internationally in regard to Liver health.
Title: Anti Cancer … a new way of life
Author: Servan-Schreiber, David, Dr.
Published: Scribe (USA), 2008
I loved this book, part memior, part cutting-edge science, at age 31 this rising ‘neuro scientist and physician’ himself experienced cancer, it changed his approach to the delivery of medicine but more importantly it changed his approach about being ‘proactive’ about his health… making considerable life changes, Servan-Schreiber is an advocate for anti-inflammatory lifestyles that promote an ‘anticancer body’ and ‘anticancer mind’. A fabulous read.
Title: The End of Illness
Author: David. B Agus MD
Published: Freepress (now Simon & Schuster) USA, 2012
Fantastic read. Dr David B. Agus (MD) is one of the world’s leading cancer doctors, researchers and technology innovators. Synopsis from: Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. What if everything you thought about health was wrong? That bold question, posed by an oncologist-researcher, launches a discussion of why health cannot be defined simply as the absence of disease. A fresh concept is needed. Such a model would take into account the human body’s complexity, system of checks and balances, and ability to make repairs. Agus pushes proteomics (study of the body’s proteins), customized medicine, and prevention. Along the way, he debunks medical misinformation. Agus questions the fervor for vitamin D supplementation, and he finds no logic in the routine consumption of multivitamins (in fact, some studies link vitamins to a greater risk of cancer). His overall advice is down-to-earth: wear comfy shoes, move, and move often, maintain a regular schedule, take a breather from digital devices. Agus’ call for the end of illness maybe premature, but you can’t falter his enthusiasm. I must say that I also read negative reviews of this book… best to read and judge for yourself.
Title: The Autoimmune Epidemic
Author: Donna Jackson Nakazawa
Published: Touchstone/Simon Schuster, (USA), 2009
From the foreword by Dr. Douglas Kerr, Director, Johns Hopkins Transverse Myelitis Center “The Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson Nakazawa is an astounding book….It is the kind of book that will rivet you and scare you. It will make you angry. It will amaze you with the courage of some of the people described in the book… The Autoimmune Epidemic is every bit as compelling as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle …It is also every bit as necessary as An Inconvenient Truth…. You will leave this book with no reservations about the veracity of the conclusions: put simply, there is no doubt that autoimmune diseases are on the rise and increasing environmental exposures of toxins and chemicals is fueling this rise. The research is sound.The conclusions unassailable…. Reading The Autoimmune Epidemic is a necessary first step. Reading The Autoimmune Epidemic is a life-altering event. It needs to be.”
Title: Living Well with Autoimmune Disease
Author: Mary J. Shomon
Publisher: Harper Resource (imprint of Harper Collins), (USA),2002
I’m not sure where I heard or read about this book but on borrowing it from the AKL Library I loved it. Mary Shomon was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (Hypothyroidism), a diagnosis which she had to source herself (as her GP gave her a prescription and sent her on her way). Driven by the lack of sound information (sadly this is usual for anyone with an autoimmuune disease) fear of what was to come, Shomon set about reading, researching and learning, and finally producing this great book. She is not without critics though so as always judge for yourself … thank god for libraries..
Title: Thriving with Your Autoimmune Disorder
Author: Dr Simone Ravicz
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, (USA), 2000
A psychologist who specializes in treating stress in women and who herself suffers from two autoimmune syndromes helps women learn how to balance their lifestyles and manage their level of stress so that they can build stronger immune systems and cope with specific autoimmune disorders.
Title: The Immune System Recovery Plan
Author: Susan Blum, M.D. M.P.H
Publisher: Scribner (A division of Simon & Schuster), (USA), 2013
Arthritis, diabetes, psoriasis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism … these are just a few of the more than 100 different autoimmune diseases that affect 24 million Americans today. Autoimmune diseases, which occur when the immune system has gone awry and attacks its own tissues, now affect more women than heart disease and breast cancer combined.
While many doctors typically treat autoimmune disorders with powerful medications that shut off parts of the immune system, Integrative Nutrition guest speaker Dr. Susan Blum offers a different guide to self-healing in her new book The Immune System Recovery Plan. Dr. Blum is Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Mount Sinai AND cured herself of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis through a functional medicine approach.
Convinced that it is possible to reverse a chronic illness with the proper time and effort, Dr. Blum shares her four-step program in The Immune System Recovery Plan: using food as medicine, understanding the stress connection, healing your gut, and supporting your liver. It’s the only book on the market that tells the average person how the immune system works and exactly what they should do to fix it when it goes awry…..
By addressing the root cause of an autoimmune disorder (microbes, environmental, toxins, allergens, stress, poor diet) rather than the symptoms, The Immune System Recovery offers real hope to people hoping to prevent or reverse chronic disease. Learn which foods to cut out, which to add back in, how to heal your gut and much more. There are also recipes for delicious, easy dishes that will jump-start the healing process.
Title: Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis – an evidence based guide to recovery
Author: Dr Geroge Jelinek
Publisher: Allen & Irwin, 2010 (AUST).
Wow, a fantastic book by another doctor who ended up with MS. I am up to page 22 and cant put it down, and just have to add it here, its that good. Hope you can order it from your library. A research-based approach to treating the devastating neurological condition Multiple Sclerosis, based on a combination of drug treatment and lifestyle modifications Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a serious, progressively disabling condition for which current medical treatment is not particularly effective and has many side effects, however, this guide provides a genuine alternative.
Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis offers real hope for people with multiple sclerosis. Professor Jelinek’s experience with his mother’s death from MS, and his own diagnosis in 1999, lend an urgency and compassion to this meticulous work. Professor Jelinek’s recommendations will change the lives of thousands of people with MS and support their loved ones.
Professor George Jelinek, an experienced medical clinician and researcher, provides a genuine alternative. Through an exhaustive, evidence-based analysis of medical research, Professor Jelinek reached the surprising conclusion that MS is a disease largely determined by lifestyle factors. Showing that people with MS who modify their diet, their exercise habits, and other aspects of their lifestyle can stabilize the illness and potentially recover, these recommendations will change the lives of thousands of people with MS and support their loved ones.
Title: Wheat Belly
Author: William Davis (MD)
Publisher: PENN, 2011.
Here is a very well written review of this book, and instead of re-writing it, I have decided to provide the link: http://thehealingproject.us/2012/09/22/book-summary-wheat-belly-by-william-davis-md/
Title: Why Isn’t My Brain Working
Author: Dr Datis Kharrazian
Publisher: Elephant Press, (2013)
I loved this book, and have extended it twice, from the AKL City library. From the first page Kharrazian clearly shows he has extensive knowledge in their area. Every chapter is layed out in an easy to read format and has a summary .. From the library’s review: ‘Losing your memory?, Cant seem to focus or concentrate? This isn’t old-age, this can be brain degeneration and can happen to children. The good news is that Dr Kharrazian will teach you strategies to take check of your cognitive health, and implement lifestyle and nutritional therapy which profoundly impacts your brain and can quickly turn around brain degeneration’… I book I can’t seem to put down.. Much thanks to Jennifer Garrett (ND), Naturopath, for recommending this one.
Title: The Paleo Dieters Missing Link
Author: Adam Farrah
Publisher: Paleo Media Group (2013)
OK, this is possibly the most interesting read in a long time. If you (like me) consider food to be integral to well-being you should really love this book.. Farrah talks about an optimum and individualised approach to the Paleo Lifestyle. His writing is intelligent, scientifically based and above all, realistic and manageable. He writes like hes talking with you and sentence after sentence he makes good sense. Well, well worth a read and for many, the impetus to change .. how exciting.
Title: Master Your Metabolism
Author: Jillian Michaels (with Mariska Van Aalst)
Publisher: Crown Publishers, of the Crown Publishing Group (and a division of Random House) NYork) (2009)
Review from AKL City Library website: I MUST SAY I ENJOYED THIS READ, and recommend it. Does it feel as if you’re fighting your body to lose even one pound—or just to maintain your current weight? Respected health and wellness expert and bestselling author Jillian Michaels has been there, too. So she consulted top experts in the field of metabolism and discovered that she’d inadvertently been abusing her endocrine system for years. After “fixing” her own metabolism, she decided to share what she learned by devising this simple, 3-phase plan that engages all the weight-loss hormones (including the friendly HGH, testosterone, DHEA; and the not-so-friendly: insulin, cortisol, and excess estrogen).
In Master Your Metabolism, discover how to:
•REMOVE “anti-nutrients” from your diet
•RESTORE foods that speak directly to fat-burning genes
•REBALANCE energy and your hormones for effortless weight loss
Michaels offers a wealth of information throughout, including: shopping lists and online shopping resources, hormone-trigger food charts, how to eat “power nutrient” foods on a budget, smart strategies for eating out, quick and easy recipes, as well as mini-programs for addressing PMS, andropause, metabolic syndrome, PCOS, and menopause.
Title: Power Foods for the Brain
Author: Neal D Barnard, MD
Publisher: Grand Central (Life and Style) 2013
Review copied from the Auckland City Libraries website: Could your breakfast or lunch be harming your memory? Are you missing out on the foods that could prevent Alzheimer’s disease? Everyone knows good nutrition supports your overall health, but few realize that certain foods-power foods-can protect your brain and optimize its function, and even dramatically reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Now, New York Times bestselling author, clinical researcher and health advocate Dr. Neal Barnard has gathered the most up-to-date research and created a groundbreaking program that can strengthen your memory and protect your brain’s health. In this effective 3-step plan Dr. Barnard reveals which foods to increase in your diet and which to avoid, and shows you specific exercises and supplements that can make a difference. It will not only help boost brain health, but it can also reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and other less serious malfunctions such as low energy, poor sleep patterns, irritability, and lack of focus. You’ll discover: The best foods to increase cognitive function, how dairy products and meats en-danger your memory, the surprising roles alcohol and caffeine play in Alzheimer’s risk . The latest research on toxic metals, like aluminum found in cookware, soda cans, and common antacids. Plus a detailed menu plan, recipes and time-saving kitchen tips.. I loved this easy to read, insightful book on nutrition..
Title: Broken Open
Author: Elizabeth Lesser
Publisher: Rider (Random House), UK, 2004
This review is copied from the Auckland City Libraries website: ‘And the time came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom’ Anaïs Nin Elizabeth Lesser shows how it is possible to deal with fearful change or a painful loss and be reborn, like the Phoenix, to a more vibrant and enlightened self. In Broken Open she shares penetrating tales from her own life, the lives of those she has taught and counseled and the lives of friends and family, tales that explore the big challenges of death, illness and divorce, as well as the daily roller coaster rides of relationships, parenting and work. Woven into these stories are quotations from great poets and philosophers.
Following them is a toolbox of valuable aids, including meditation, psychological enquiry and spiritual practice. The result is a book that runs the gamut of the human experience, and in a style that is genuine, funny, often heartbreaking, but always inspiring, she shows us how we, too, can allow the pain of adversity to break us open instead of breaking us down, making us bitter or closing our hearts.
Title: Eat the Yolks
Author: Liz Wolfe (NTP)
Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing Inc, USA, 2013
Worry about cholestrol, avoiding red meat, eat more whole grains .. we live in an era of health hype and nutritional misinformation. Decades of eating egg yolks (as opposed to eating the whole egg), choosing margarine over butter, and replacing real foods for convenient, ready made, dried foods have left us with an obesity epidemic, increasing levels of chronic disease and confusion about what to eat and why.
It turns out that almost everything we’ve been told about how to eat is wrong. Fat and cholesterol are critical to your health. Whole grains arent health foods (!!) Health cant ever come from a box, a bag, a capsule. Nutrients are what matter and for these you need real ‘nutrient dense’ foods. Wolfe make a compelling argument for a diet based on Paleo foods – foods that our ancestors ate for thousands of years before food processing took over. In ‘Eat the Yolks’ Wolfe uncovers the lies we’ve been told about fat, cholesterol, carbs, proteins and calories and brings us the truth about which foods are healthy and which arent… fantastic reading in which I’m now on my second time around (with a highlighter).. Available to loan from the AKL City Library.
Title: Optimal Prescription Health
Author: Martin Harris (Pharmacist)
Publisher: Lifestyle Practitioner Academy (AUS)
Abridged from the AKL City Library book review: You must read this book before you re-fill your next prescription. prescription medicines often provide only half of the the answer – you should read this book to discover the missing piece of your health puzzle. This book provides you with practical solutions about how the cycle of only taking prescription med’s may be robbing you of your energy and vitality and create more illness.
This book reveals facts about good health from research and working with tens of thousands of patients over more than 20 years. To illustrate how you can achieve greater health I have included in this book real life cases studies of patients with a variety of health conditions, that we have helped. This includes the story of my own personal health issue. Read this book and take control of your health.
AutoImmune New Zealand 