The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook: A DIY Guide to Living Well with Chronic Illness Paperback – November 1, 2016

This book has made the transition to an AIP lifestyle so much easier for me. It’s chock full of information to help you figure out where you are on your health journey. I haven’t been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease yet, but fall into the category the authors refer to as “silent autoimmunity”, a period of mild, nondescript, seemingly unrelated but increasingly bothersome/disruptive symptoms. I’m on day 13 of the protocol and several of the worst symptoms have almost completely disappeared.The elimination diet guide is extremely helpful and empowering and the recipes are awesome. I’m kind of a cookbook snob and went to culinary school and the ones we’ve tried are delicious, even for my very non-AIP and picky husband. We especially love the Moroccan chicken with apricots and olives.I’ve finished reading the book and it’s a great guide to healthy living in general, not just for those with autoimmune issues. The book addresses the problem of leaky gut (a true health epidemic, in my opinion) and how it contributes to the development of autoimmunity. I also appreciate how it doesn’t overlook other key aspects of wellness like sleep, stress and exercise. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to improve their overall well-being. You won’t be disappointed!

Wow, what an amazing resource! I wish this had been available when I was struggling with autoimmune diagnosis 5 years ago. I am so grateful to have this resource now and to share this workbook with others. The authors know first-hand how overwhelming getting and living well can be. Mickey and Angie do such a wonderful job bringing clarity and simplicity to such an overwhelming topic. This really is a handbook with clear guides and an a supportive attitude to self-direct the reader on what will work best for them. I really appreciate that this workbook speaks to more than just diet. The chapter dedicated to becoming an informed patient who can self-advocate is unique. In addition, they provide information, evaluations and step-by step guides for working with your doctors, sleep, self-care, exercise diet and more. Even with all the content, the information is provided in such a way to minimize overwhelm and regain a sense of self-reliance and resilience. This guide truly is a resource to help us weather the storm and come out stronger.

I cannot say enough about how informative, enlightening, and helpful this book is and will be. I have several other AIP resources that were purchased and put aside because either the material was too technical, the recipes were overwhelming to prepare, or the book just wasn't much of a guide. This book was what I needed all along - so well organized and it helps you get to the root of your issues and provides guidance for healing as a whole. I've already purchased one for a close friend starting her path to autoimmune healing - it will be incredibly helpful to her. I'm just so thankful that these girls wrote this book. I feel more confident going forward with this guide, that I will be able to comprehensively assess my own health issues and tackle them proactively with the suggestions, informational resources, questionnaires, and recipes they've provided in this book. If you have autoimmune disease or think you do, get this book! It's going to help you figure things out and get on the path of healing!

I think this book is fantastic! and am only giving 4 stars because of these few, somewhat petty irks...As another reviewer wrote, The pumpkin and butternut squash are missing from the week 2 shopping list. I write a lot of notes in my cookbooks and the paper this is printed on isn't great for that. So if you take notes, expect a messy book or test an ink pen in the back first. Also, I wish this wasn't pigeonholed to "autoimmune" as these are the steps that anyone with chronic illness might want to follow, and are really just a strong solid foundation for anyone to have good health.Other than that, I am finding this to be an excellent step by step workbook. Perhaps because my brain puts information in as the order it was written by the authors, or they just made it accessible. I have the mothership book by Sarah Ballantyne, The Paleo Approach, that the authors of AWH referenced for their book. This book puts the textbook-like writing of Dr. Ballantyne's into an approachable step by step... at least I think so, I have some serious mental fog so keep that in mind, ha!I can tell that it is well thought out as I have to retrace things many times to process and this book is fluid for me, which I need right now. I get the why but stumbled putting together the how. I also love that it starts with sleep and meditation. So many well meaning people start with a big push on the movement, really not understanding that it can take all day to make a pot of soup when you are ill. Which brings up something else about this book I appreciated: the cooking wasn't overwhelming, but I couldn't have started without a hand that first week. My stamina has been improving since then (probably because of the "permission" to rest, be still and silent). When I add in the local market that has online ordering that can be picked up by anyone (which saves days when I consider all it takes to get there, shop, home, put away and then recover for a day or three) and I don't have to wait for the delivery window and delivery person in the house. {side note: I can't manage a butternut squash yet, some days carrots are a lot, so I do have bags of frozen on hand instead (it saves a lot of kitchen & recovery time). Seems like 2 10oz bags of frozen butternut equal one fresh and a bag of sliced carrots is usually what goes well in soups, stews, and the like. Also, I look for any kale, chard, etc. already washed and prepped. It's worth the extra pocket change to spare the kitchen time; I had to let go over my penny-pinching tendencies}The recipes are good and the portions are generous. We eased in the first week and just did the meal plan as written (which is for 1 person) With my husband eating leftovers from the week before and transitioning the last of our fresh produce, we had plenty of food for the 2 of us. I have a lot of nausea and I found the meals easy on my gut and I can always manage to eat at least 1/2 because they smell so tantalizing. Having leftovers planned in the meal plan is perfect! Thank you for not turning leftovers into something else and having to basically recook something. So many meal plans try to make things glamorous and I simply need fast, easy, clean, and tasty. That they freeze well and say how long they keep is great! I don't have to watch my husband play leftover roulette trying to remember when he made something (I don't participate in this bizarre game of his.) Also, I sort of blew up our oven like a Molotov cocktail and have been using an Instapot instead of baking the recipes. I find a similar recipe in an instapot cookbook and just adapt the time and pressure to the AWH recipes (then make a messy note of it in the book for next time). Any liquid gets simmered down into a sauce. I'm looking forward to trying these in an oven when it is back online.I'm honestly surprised that I was able to take a shower from start to finish, drying hair, the full gig, without feeling like I was going to pass out for the first time in over a year. I'm so skeptical and jaded after giving so many promises a go but it has only been a few weeks and that's a big shift. I'm also not feeling exhausted today after such a wild ride that most people don't give thought to every morning. I'm looking forward to making exciting progress, like a shower and checking the mail in the same day... maybe a walk around a park (to dream!). Snark aside, I am very appreciative to the authors for putting together the workbook that I needed and getting me started when I wasn't able to think and plan.