DR. MANDELL'S LIFETIME ARTHRITIS RELIEF SYSTEM

The title apart, a reasonable presentation of one of the newer possibilities in arthritis relief. Mandell is an adherent of clinical ecology, the medical view according to which some common diseases--arthritis and asthma, among them--are allergic responses to substances in the environment. His relief program is based on work with sufferers whose cases are set forth in Section I to explain the types of arthritis, and how they may be allergies to specific foods or chemicals. Section II then provides complete instructions to help readers discover if allergies to any substances in their surroundings are causing or exacerbating their disease. (Some common allergies are to wheat and petroleum products.) Such a self-investigation entails a fast, followed by gradual reintroduction of various foods, with careful recording of reactions; it also means keeping detailed notes of activities, which can show a pattern of reactions to (for instance) cleaning products or other materials in the home. A lot of effort is involved; but the possibility of help (allergies, researchers have found, may indeed underlie some cases of arthritis), along with the absence of any danger in the program, will make it attractive to sufferers.