The Book Shelf .. knowledge is king

Here I hope to add books I have personally read and loved, or been recommended.  Most of these books are available to borrow from the libraries across NZ, 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 evolved, 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: The Flavour Thesaurus
Author: Niki Segnit
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2010, USA)

OMGoodness .. this is my new favourite book of all time .. 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 food.   An absolute gem. 

Title: The Wahls Protocol
Author: Terry Wahls, M.D.
Publisher: Avery, 2014.
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.

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's 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: 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
Author: Prof. George Jelinek
Publisher: Allen & Urwin (2016)

Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis is an established and successful program of treatment. Once a diagnosis of MS meant inevitable decline and disability. Now thousands of people around the world are living healthy, active lives on the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis recovery program.

Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis explains the nature of MS and outlines an evidence-based 7 step program for recovery. Professor George Jelinek devised the program from an exhaustive analysis of medical research when he was first diagnosed with MS in 1999. It has been refined through major ongoing international clinical studies under Professor Jelinek's leadership, examining the lifestyles of several thousand people with MS world-wide and their health outcomes.

Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis is invaluable for anyone recently diagnosed with MS, living with MS for years, or with a family member with MS. It makes an ideal resource for doctors treating people with MS.

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: 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, to a more vibrant and enlightened self. In Broken Open she shares 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 inquiry 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 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 can’t 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 a pretty compelling view about which foods are healthy and which aren’t... fantastic reading in which I'm now on my second time around (with a highlighter).. Available to loan from libraries.



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