Dr. Robynne Chutkan M. D.

nonfiction/health. I have to applaud any doctor who is willing to step away from the doctrines of traditional Western medicine (which isn't working for so many of us with those mysterious, hard-to-diagnose and harder-to-treat autoimmune-related conditions), but I would have preferred she provide a more balanced perspective of the various theories, rather than taking the tone of the Know-all-the-Answers Total Authority. I did like the selection of recipes at the end, which sound delicious and pretty much exactly the foods I need to be eating, so for that at least, this book is totally worth checking out from your library.

I can't agree with her "antibiotics-are-always-the-trigger" epiphany since I was symptomatic well before any infections requiring such a prescription, but I can agree with the overall theory that modern aseptic practices are partly responsible for the growing number of autoimmune conditions today (among other things).

I was not super-impressed with the section she wrote on nutrition, but I am not a nutritionist, so what do I know? She does say that everyone will have to find the diet that works best for them (whether that is vegan, Paleo, "veleo" or "Pegan," or none of the above), and that they should work with their doctor accordingly (if that is an option--I have not tried to find a functional/integrative/holistic nutritionist on my health plan, but I'm thinking it could be difficult for most of us).

I also didn't agree with the "take showers only every other day" advice, esp. when you combine it with the "get sweaty" advice, though limiting the overuse of soap and esp. antibacterial products certainly makes sense. Her hygiene advice for the most part isn't all that practical, but if you are looking to start using apple cider vinegar/baking soda in place of shampoo (or other homemade edible products instead of manufactured chemical products), you can find tips and recipes here.… (meer)

Nothing new here. This is a rewrite of the author's previous books, same recommendations as before, only now with the hot new word "microbiome" added to everything. There are no references, no examples where microbiome testing changes anything clinically, just lots of buzzwords.

On the other hand, it is succinctly written, so If you suffer from gut issues you may find her style easy-to-read without being repetitious, a common fault with many similar diet books.

If you want to know about microbiome solutions, you're much better off reading Sonnenberg's book, which is written by an actual practicing scientist.… (meer)