The Keystone Approach: Healing Arthritis and Psoriasis by Restoring the Microbiome

by Rebecca Fett

An evidence-based guide to how gut microbes impact autoimmune disease and how we can harness this power to stop inflammation at the source.By translating cutting-edge science into practical advice on dietary changes, probiotics, and other anti-inflammatory supplements, this book offers an effective and evidence-based approach to naturally heal psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and other autoimmune diseases.You'll to tackle harmful gut bacteria (and SIBO) while supporting beneficial speciesWhy some aspects of the AIP or Paleo diet can be counterproductiveHow coconut oil and other so-called healthy foods can actually worsen inflammationWhich probiotics can help to calm the immune system. Complete with a chapter of easy recipes, you will be able to follow the exact approach the author took to get out of pain, clear psoriasis, and reclaim her health. Get the book now to learn how.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Science

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 13, 2017

Reviews

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! As someone who's struggled with arthritis and lupus/fibromyalgia-like symptoms since I was six years old, I've done my fair share of searching for answers and clues on ways to naturally reverse the condition, yet I've never even heard most of the research findings cited in this book- what an eye opener! For me, it really points out the areas where I've gone wrong, and answers a lot of questions like why I still get flareups despite eliminating all processed foods over the years. I feel like now I have a more solid grasp of what to look out for, and changes I can start making right away to hopefully make a significant difference!

In the book, the author covers a lot of potential triggers including food sensitivities, intolerances, and allergies, as well as OTC drugs and more, that can all have a profound impact on arthritis and pain symptoms. Based on the latest scientific findings regarding the gut microbiome and autoimmunity, she pieces together a fascinating puzzle of where and how these health issues begin in the body, and the most effective (and natural) ways to reverse the symptoms and restore gut health through diet change.

Far from basing the book on general assumptions, she draws from a multitude of published research and trials (all sources cited), molding the science into an action plan, teaching readers the major causes of intestinal permeability, how to restore "keystone" species of probiotics in the gut, how to foster a healthy diversity of beneficial bacteria (including the best and worst strains of probiotics to take), as well as exploring the effects of diet on arthritis and psoriasis symptoms, covering the best and worst foods to consume and their effects on the gut (with some really surprising info!).

As the heart and soul of the book, she includes a really solid diet plan based around the findings, with a multitude of recipes in the back. My only wish is that there had been more dietary advice for vegetarians like myself, since the diet is primarily based on vegetables paired with healthy meats and fish. However, I understand the food choices were based on the best ways to remediate symptoms, and I've still come away with a lot of great ideas on ways to improve my diet.

Bottom line, this is a fantastic book that I will be revisiting over and over again, and I'm very grateful to the author for sharing this vast wealth of information that she has learned over the years! Highly recommended!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.

[Jake Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing must-read book for anyone with a diagnosed auto immune disease or recurring stomach problems/joint pains, with detailed information on the gut-microbiome and suggested recipes for the various stages of the keystone diet.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book in its category, essential for someone wondering in greater detail how various foods-- even specific vegetables compared with others--, supplements and probiotics affect allergies, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and arthritis. I do not have an autoimmune disease but was profoundly curious to read about autoimmune diseases and their connection with the microbiome.

The thing about intestinal health is, it is complicated. Even more so if someone is specifically trying to address their health through diet and supplementation. Things are not so simply on any front. For example, we may think probiotics are "good," or maybe useless based on experience. But many people are not realizing that there are distinctions among different species and families which are important to their effective use. Even strains of probiotics that are great for some people may be terrible for others. For example, some probiotics can increase histamine levels. For a person without allergies, that is not important to know about. For a person with allergies, that is very important to know about. Conversely, some probiotics actually lower histamine and could be very helpful for someone suffering from an allergy.

There are probiotic strains that are aggressive about fighting infections, but not good about relaxing the immune system. For someone with issues of inflammation this may cause a problem. Some probiotics are highly anti-inflammatory and get the human body to naturally be less responsive to bacteria. This is good for a lot of people but maybe not good for someone with a certain bacterial or fungi overgrowth.

Additionally there are foods that are excellent to eat for some people but for certain conditions are not so great. Among the vegetables there are important differences. Asparagus and garlic have a unique type of fiber which helps bacteria flourish. That's great unless... There's a lot of harmful bacteria that flourish, too. For some conditions, it's better to avoid these vegetables entirely. This is just one example of several in the book which goes into great detail on the different foods.

The author does a great job organizing various highly detailed instructions with different diet plans for varying conditions. It's truly an excellent order and makes the book easy to navigate. She also provides tips for making easy meals on a specialized diet for the microbiome, and even includes a bunch of recipes at the end of the book.

There are a lot of reference pages in this book. That's because the author is very well read in the clinical literature and makes sure to cite the clinical research when discussing various foods, supplements, and probiotics. There is no conjecture in this book. Nothing seems like pseudoscience. She lays out what the research says and is clear on the limitations of the research itself as well as the findings. She is critical of the information she shares and careful in her wording. She is careful not to overstate some thing's value or to make unfounded claims.

I loved reading this book and came away with excellent insights.

[Sandi Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say I was really impressed with the info inside this book. I have read quite a few books on my different audio immune ailments and the diets I can use to for healing them. The author gave me a book to read and try out the recipes. This is my honest review...based on my own opinions.

The information inside this book was so easy for me to understand, and I am dyslexic. That means so much when everyone can understand. The recipes are both tasty and easy to follow. Even though there are some ingredients I can not use because of food allergies, I know the subs I can use and they still work.
I highly recommend this book for those with Arthritis and Psoriasis

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, be warned, it is very detailed and you can become lost in the "ins and outs" of the book. That said, there is some very, very eye opening information in the book. I tried to highlight things that I found quite pertinent -- probably the most I've ever done in any book ever. I found her discussion about probiotics to be very interesting.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I've been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, I've been terrified at the thought of having to go gluten- or nightshade-free, so I was reluctant to pick up this book, but I'm glad I did. The author (a scientist) has sifted through a mountain of scientific studies to outline things you might try to alleviate symptoms: probiotics, meal spacing, supplements, and restricted diet. She offers specific advice based on diagnosis, and tests you can buy and administer that can guide your choices (there are a lot of choices). These are alternatives to the heavy-duty medications we're prescribed that come with serious side effects. The full diet is admittedly, really restrictive - not only gluten-free, but STARCH-free, but it has clear benefits - like, no more symptoms, at all - for people with severe symptoms. The author makes it clear that each person needs to experiment and the very restrictive diet may not be necessary for everyone, particularly once your gut microbiome is in better shape.

[Holli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the straightforward writing style and the plethora of resources. There were a few things that went against the conventional wisdom I have read and some very different approaches. I appreciated that it was specific to psoriasis and arthritis instead of a broad general autoimmine approach. I also like how practical and straightforward the advice is. I haven't fully implemented anything yet but the evidence is compelling and I am eager to see how it works with my own body. I think this was an easier read for me because of my knowledge of autoimmune disease and other theories. I wonder if it would be more difficult for those who don't have the same background. Overall I think it's a solid read with unique information compared to other autoimmune info that is out there.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deeply scientific read, laying out the reasons autoimmune diseases may be aided or sustained by the bad bacteria that can live inside of the body. In that sense, it's an informative read rather than a pleasurable one. Thankfully, the author organizes the more unwieldy sections of information into small segments. She also sets the latter half of the book up as a plan - including recipes - that the reader can implement in a variety of ways (including pairing it with the keto diet). The ideas presented were sound, well-researched, and feel like steps that most people can take without major difficulties. I look forward to trying them!

[Carina Herrmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It helped me understand a lot of things that were missing for me in "Healing Psoriasis" when it came to the biochemical explanations. (Warning: extremly nerdy and medical/microbiological at times)
So the first part were definitely 5-star-material for me, the second part mostly frustrating the more strict the recommendations got and in the end a bit dissapointing seeing that she left completely out, that animal products in it self are inflammatory and kept them in the dietary recommendations. Also a slight neglect regarding choosing plantsourced (algae) DHA & EPA over fishoil, but I think she didn't see the necessity for that anyway.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fett has the credentials to be credible and backs up much of what is said with citations. She's also careful to point out where the evidence is backed up by research or clinical trials or if it's just anecdotal, which I appreciated.

Don't expect to find a silver bullet here as there's a lot of variance between individual cases, but Fett covers a lot of ground and there's a lot here to work with.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed, well written, extensive research to back up suggestions. Diet can be more effective than pharmaceuticals in treating and healing immune system disorders. Each person needs to figure out the best diet for herself by trial - starting with a restrictive diet for healing and as a baseline and then adding one food at a time to catch any reactions.

[Kathy Gossen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely helped me understand the correlation between psoriasis and arthritis and food. It helped me understand why I might have so many aversions to food without actually being “allergic”. It wasn’t as clear in to-dos as I’d like but it gave me a good springboard for further research.

[Faythe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published six years ago, so nothing new or novel here. However, it gives a very balanced approach to managing inflammation with diet and I appreciate the research provided by the author.

[N Pavlov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, the nutrition advice, supplementation advice and theory all sound great. Only part I was questioning was the part about coconut oil and ghee usage, but the author even gave reasonable arguments for those.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well researched with new information that I’d not read before on the microbiome and certain probiotics that actually can make psoriatic arthritis worse.

[Ruben Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have psoriatic arthritis, this is the book for you!

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great research on gut microbiome, skimmed the second half as it was less relevant for me personally.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very understanding book about autoimmune disease. Good Value and Good Help.

[ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good information I like it

I like it it is a nice book thanks to author and contributors. I like it especially for detail information about arthritis with a scientific supports that helping me to apply it to my research.

The only concern is that some parts of book was going very slow and some unrelated details to me.

But it is a very nice book... thanks

[Talha Rahman]

Informative

This book is short and informative. Contains important information on gut-psoriasis link and how to deal with that. If you are looking for books on the subject, I would recommend that you read this one too.

[David Hairston]

One of the best-researched books on the Microbiome by an author - who has PsA and the right kind of scientific and law background to do professional research and analysis. Highly recommend to anybody with Psoriatic Arthritis.

[Christine Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well researched and very informative

Lots of explanations and puts the pieces together nicely with a “what to try first” prioritization. I wish I found this years ago to tackle my psoriasis!

[Zaira Sibaja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful

Very helpful information about psoriasis treatment, I now know better what I am dealing with, and I have started fighting it the proper way

[Jessica Kirkpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have an autoimmune disease this is a must read!