Drawing on the latest medical research, the book begins with a full explanation of inflammation. It then looks at its many causes, from food allergies to environmental factors to psychological stress. Next, it focuses on the various health disorders that afflict modern society-- obesity, addiction, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, bowel disorders, and so many more--and explains the role that inflammation plays in each of these diseases. The book then provides a number of fresh non-drug treatments aimed not at controlling the problem, but at removing its cause.

Twenty years ago, Dr. Nancy Appleton’s groundbreaking bestseller Lick the Sugar Habit exposed the dangers of ingesting excessive amounts of sugar. In her newest work, Stopping Inflammation, Dr. Appleton examines the larger picture of twenty-first-century disease, and finds the underlying cause. Just as important, she offers safe and credible solutions.

Nancy Appleton, PhD, earned her BS in clinical nutrition from UCLA and her PhD in health services from Walden University. She maintains a private practice in Santa Monica, California. An avid researcher, Dr. Appleton lecturers extensively throughout the world, and has appeared on numerous television and radio talk shows. She is the best-selling author of Lick the Sugar Habit and Healthy Bones.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part One: Understanding Inflammation
1. Inflammation and Its Causes
2. Body Chemistry and Homeostasis
3. Allergies and Inflammation
4. Other Causes of Inflammation

Part Two: Inflammation and Disease
5. Health Conditions Caused By or Associated With Inflammation
Alzheimer’s Disease
Blood Sugar Problems
Cancer
Candida Albicans
Canker Sores and Mouth Ulcers
Cystic Fibrosis
Epilepsy
Food Addictions and Eating Disorders
Headaches
Heartburn
Heart Disease
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Kidney Disease
Obesity
Parkinson’s Disease
Periodontal Disease
Pregnancy, Infancy and Childhood Problems
Respiratory Diseases
Rheumatic Diseases
Surgery Problems

Part Thre:e Guidelines for Preventing and Reversing Inflammation
6. Testing for Inflammation and Other Risk Factors
7. Food Plans and Lifestyle Considerations
8. Detoxification for Health

Conclusion

Glossary
References
About the Author
Index
Order Forms

Introduction

Degenerative diseases appear to be caused or complicated by a process few medical researchers suspected until quite recently: inflammation. Scientists have long linked edema, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease to inflammation, but have only recently implicated the process to diabetes, certain cancers, and other unsolvable degenerative conditions. The latest research links heart disease more to various inflammatory conditions with (those ending with ’itis’) than to high cholesterol.

Inflammation has always played a role in infections. Catch a cold or fever and the nose runs, coughing sets in, temperature rises, and all the other great symptoms that children pray for as an excuse to ditch school appear. All of these symptoms are expressions of the inflammatory process. Another form of inflammation has to do with insults to the body, such as parasites, fungi, bruises, broken bones, and smoking. Healthy immune systems use inflammation to right an unbalanced body; when the job is done, inflammation and other symptoms go away.

Blood tests often show chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body. All of the known related problems have been studied and inflammation can’t be linked to any specific cause. Maybe investigators aren’t looking in the right direction for answers. Where does this inflammation with no known cause come from? Is there a way that we can stop this process before it even gets started? Can we prevent diseases? Are you tired of taking anti-inflammatory pills? Are you inflicted with an acute, chronic, or degenerative disease and still searching for an answer? This book will give you a fresh look at your health and how to heal yourself.

Research has shown me that many of the serious, unsolved diseases of modern civilization are expressions of chronic inflammatory processes. Medical therapy is often directed at controlling symptoms rather than removing their cause. My intent is to show you how your own lifestyle can cause inflammation, resulting in disease. I will then provide you with techniques you can use techniques to effectively respond to an out-of-control immune system and prevent or naturally abort the inflammation process.

Throughout this book, my objective is four-fold:
1. To present the latest research that supports the link between inflammation and disease.
2. To outline alternative causes for conditions that are presently listed in the mainstream literature as having "unknown cause."
3. To reiterate the importance of finding the sources of your health problems.
4. To show you how to change your lifestyle to remove the problem.

At the beginning of each condition listed in Chapter 5, I have given other names, or other diseases with similar problems, for the first disease on the list. Many times these diseases are not mentioned in the chapter, but the information applies to all the diseases. Pass with me now through to the other side of the looking glass, taking the first steps on your journey to good health. We begin with an understanding of inflammation itself, which will be covered in the next chapter.

Reviews

"Particularly important."

--Taste for Life, March 2005

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