THE OTHER SIDE OF IMPOSSIBLE

Can eating the right food play a major role in healing medical problems?

Rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, ADHD, severe seizures, multiple sclerosis, and food allergies related to peanuts, gluten, dairy, soy, and a host of other allergens—these are just some of the medical issues explored by former Newsweek senior writer Meadows in her first book. Most of the author’s interviewees are parents of children with these serious, sometimes life-threatening illnesses who have tried every conventional medical method—most often, prescription drugs—to help their children lead healthy lives. But when those traditional methods have failed to produce long-term positive results, they have turned to alternative methods, often as a last resort, and been overwhelmed by the drastic, progressive changes. Highly attentive to important details, Meadows takes readers through the agonizing months and years of pain, suffering, anxiety, and fears that these parents and adults faced as they tried to find solutions to their medical issues. As the author discovered, food played a significant role in all of these situations. Once the diet was changed, the symptoms changed, and the children improved, primarily because the body’s gut bacteria, or microbiome, had changed. Other methods Meadows clearly discusses include fecal pills and enemas, identifying the mind-body connection between food and its allergic reaction in the body, and the importance of positive feedback and the drive to feel better. Although the author doesn’t outline a specific diet, she includes enough information about foods that helped others for readers to piece together their own menu and do their own experimentation to help overcome some of these debilitating diseases. The author’s helpful additions include further resources, websites, a sample menu, and bibliography, as well as references to the many doctors and practitioners interviewed in the text.

Encouraging, honest information and real-life cases that show the role food can play in healing the body.