Library Book Review: STOP Inflammation Now!

Stop Inflammation Now! A Step-by-Step Plan to Prevent, Treat, and Reverse Inflammation - the Leading Cause of Heart Disease and Related Conditions

By Richard M. Fleming, M.D. with Tom Monte

As far as health books go, I enjoyed this one. Dr. Fleming took technically complex medical information  and simplified it into easily understood terms. If my biology class textbook was like this, I probably would have earned a better grade. The book really takes the time to explain how inflammation of your circulatory system leads to heart disease, what causes inflammation, and how to cure it.

     "The word 'inflammation' originated with the Greeks and was used to indicate a fire within the body. That is still a highly accurate description..." (Page 13) This fire caused by your immune system is triggered by various factors from your environment, diet, and lifestyle. Most of the book is spent on explaining the 12 links of what Dr. Fleming calls an inflammation chain reaction.

1. Cholesterol. The Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL), otherwise known as "bad" cholesterol, is the primary villain. High amounts of LDL start the inflammation chain reaction. A typical Western diet contribute to high levels of LDL.

2. Triglycerides. These are basically tiny bits of fat in your bloodstream. This goes up when you eat too much, especially too much fat and sugar. If your triglycerides become too high, your blood becomes too thick. It doesn't take a medical degree to know how that thick blood is not a good thing.

3. Excess Weight. Carrying around excess weight means your heart has to work harder. Additionally, the things that lead to weight gain are also associated with inflammation within your artery walls.

4. Homocysteine. This is an amino acid, also commonly referred to as protein. When you consume excessive amounts of red meat, the numbers of homocysteine in your blood rise. Elevated amounts act like corrosive acid causing minor injuries against the artery walls, which your immune system reacts to by causing inflammation.

5. Antioxidants. These combat the oxidation process. Oxidation seems like a fancy way of saying decay. Fat, alcohol, smoking, and processed foods are big culprits of oxidants. The cure to oxidation is antioxidants, which is primarily found in plant based food.

6. Exercise. "Exercise is an essential part of ant health program." (Page 10) Considering just taking a leisurely walk helps combat inflammation triggers and strengthen your body, you can see why Dr. Fleming's diet includes moderate exercise.

7. Fibrinogen. This other type of protein in your blood increases your body's ability to clot. While it is important to have some of this protein in your body (otherwise you could accidentally bleed to death), too much of it in your blood could be deadly. Elevated amounts increase your chances of a heart attack or stroke. Diets high in fat and meat increase fibrinogen production.

8. Growth Factors. As the name implies, these promote growth, but it does so much more. It focuses on cellular growth and regulates the arteries' behavior. Diets high in animal products (i.e. meat, dairy) elevate growth factor numbers to unhealthy levels. What's wrong with having a lot of growth factors? "[T]hey stimulate cells to multiply even when the cells are not needed. That's when growth factors give rise to immune and inflammatory reactions, which can lead to several kinds of illnesses, including heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer." (Page 101) I think the doctor summarizes it up nicely.

9. Cytokines and Leukotrienes. These chemicals are communication tools your immune system to coordinate attacks. Additionally, they can trigger reactions in your body, like inflammation, and artery constriction. Needless to say, having elevated levels of these chemicals is not a good thing for your blood pressure or heart.

10. Complement. Another type of protein in your blood, it is used by your immune system to seek and destroy germs. Complements destroy the invading organism by punching holes in its membranes; however, complements become a little zealous and accidentally poke holes in healthy tissue (like your arteries). This triggers inflammation and attracts more hole punching complements. You can begin to see how a vicious cycle starts.

11. Bacteria. We all know that are immune system is on the constant hunt for bacteria. Did you know the cholesterol plaque in your arteries make great homes for freeloading bacteria? It's true! and wreaking havoc on your system by triggering your immune system into an inflammatory state.

12. Protect Your Arteries. The good doctor also advises against unnecessary intrusive procedures, since these could injure your circulatory system. Dr. Fleming devotes a whole chapter on providing medical guidance on appropriate medical procedures.

The recommended cure is a dietary and lifestyle change using the Fleming Diet. The premises of the diet breaks down into two phases.

       - Phase I. You cut out all meat, dairy, eggs, processed food, and grains. You only eat fruits, vegetables (to include white potatoes), beans and nuts. During this phase, you are forcing your body to use up the extra cholesterol in your system. This will force your blood work to return to normal healthy ranges. Additionally, you start exercising. Leisure walks count as exercise. The whole point is to be less sedentary.

       - Phase II. The book says you can move onto Phase II after you reach your intended goals, which should occur after being on the diet for a few months. Slowly you reintroduce in limited quantities whole grain, healthy types of meat, low-fat dairy, and oil. During this phase, your exercise program should progress from leisure to moderate workouts multiple times a week. The Phase II goals are to maintain what you achieved.

While the book focuses on how inflammation leads to heart disease, it does mention other diseases that have inflammation as a cause, such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. The good doctor also spends part of a chapter explaining how high protein low carb diets are ultimately bad for your health in the long run. As I mentioned earlier, I liked this easy to read health book and it makes me think twice about the foods I eat. I am giving serious thought to trying out the Fleming diet, or a modified version.  While the book was published 10 years ago, the information is still good today. Less processed typical Western diet, and more plant based food.