THE IMMUNE SYSTEM RECOVERY PLAN

Still Life 2, With Grocery Store Veggies                 Photo ©by Ruth Zachary

Auto Immune Diseases – New Approach Promises Recovery Part 3 of a book review.

Dr. Susan Blum outlines four steps in her program; 1 Using food as medicine, 2 Understanding the stress connection, 3 Healing your gut, and 4 Supporting your liver.

Chapter one explains how the immune system works on a physiological level, and on a cellular level. This is complicated by the many uniquely individual hereditary factors we each have been born with. The first step is identifying exactly what triggers in each person’s diet, life or environment must be accommodated, and probably avoided. Many triggers may not produce immediate or direct symptoms, but weakens a healthy immune system for years before an individual succumbs to disease.

Dr. Susan Blum M.D., M.P.H. is described by Dr. Mark Hymen M.D, as a visionary who has improved the lives of thousands of people, and as being at the cutting edge of a new approach, Functional medicine, which is helping tens of thousands of patients world wide.

Dr. Blum advocates a dietary approach, offering a three-week plan that has removed the most common trigger foods entirely for that period of time. One might get a jump up on her plan by also removing all other trigger foods if known – anything one is allergic to, or that the person has previously reacted to in some way… including gas, constipation or diarrhea, rashes, or other symptoms, such as dizziness, headaches or more.

Eating foods that reduce, and do not produce inflammation are emphasized, because inflammation and auto immune diseases so often occur together. The diet is high on vegetables containing phytonutrients and fruits with antioxidants. It also advocates the best essential fatty acids. Vitamins and certain minerals are encouraged as supplements.

Once a person has followed the diet for three weeks, they are then instructed to add one food at a time back into their diet. If the food causes no reaction, it is thought to be safe, and if not, it is probably  a trigger. If there is a reaction, the person may stop eating that food forever, or reintroduce it much later in small quantities after the immune system is thought to have healed and the whole metabolism seems healthy again.

After one has followed the program for five or six months, blood tests and other tests for various parts of the physical system would be taken to see if aspects of damage still exist in the body. From this point on, there are more steps for reversing those ill effects, to bring the person closer to a complete state of good health.

Some people may have only to settle upon a diet that does not offend their own immune system, to find their way out of chronic disease. Personally, I have been following the first steps in the plan for almost two months with a great improvement in symptoms of RA at present. (R.Z)

Others may want and need to take extra steps to further improve healthy functioning. Those people may need to find a Functional Medicine Practitioner to achieve that.

Book Review © by Ruth Zachary