Book Review: Foods that Fight Pain

I have suffered from chronic pain since I was nine years old from a variety of conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, stomach ulcers, and recently (within the past 5 yrs) fibromylagia, and stage III endometriosis. With that being said, I have easily swallowed my weight in oxycodone ten times over… My Mother gave me this book, Foods that Fight Pain, hoping to offer me some knowledge on natural pain relief.

I really liked this book, and the concept of using food to fight pain. I can’t imagine a life without frequent Doctor visits, medication, and chronic pain. This is what I gathered from the book in regards to me:
1.) No meat
2.) No meat by-products (milk, dairy, cheese, butter, eggs, etc.)
3.) No corn (in any form including corn starch)
4.) No wheat
5.) No white bread/pasta
6.) No chocolate
7.) No tomatoes

Basically, I would need to follow a strict vegan diet of beans, legumes, fruits, and vegetables ONLY.

A bit overwhelming to someone who lives off fast food, pasta, casseroles, desserts, etc. -But isn’t that interesting that my own diet may be poisoning me because of some defect in my immune system?

So my plan is to wean myself off these foods slowly, and that way I can learn what foods may or may not be triggering me.

Anyone else with a chronic pain condition can apply these same principles to themselves. The book includes a lot of conditions including but not limited to; Diabetes, Migraines, Osteoarthritis, Kidney Stones, Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Cancer Pain, and Shingles. Overall it’s a very interesting, thought provoking self-help book.