1285: The Inflammatory Reset Diet - Reducing Inflammation, How & Why

The Inflammatory Reset: My Experience Following the Protocol

It’s been a while since we’ve done a book club episode, and I’m excited to dive into The Inflammatory Reset by Dr. Josh Redd. This book is all about reducing chronic inflammation through diet, lifestyle changes, and functional medicine approaches. I’ve been following the protocol for at least 30 days - in the episode I'll share more about why.

📚 Buy the book 📚

About The Book & Key Takeaways

Dr. Josh Redd is a chiropractic physician and functional medicine practitioner specializing in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, particularly thyroid disorders. His book explores:

• The impact of chronic inflammation on various health conditions, including autoimmune diseases.
• How diet and nutrition can help reset inflammation.
• The connection between gut health and inflammation.
• Functional medicine strategies to address root causes of inflammation.
• Lifestyle adjustments, including stress management and sleep optimization, to support healing.

What Is Inflammation?

Inflammation is a protective physiological response that alerts our immune system to threats, like viruses, environmental irritants, or cell damage. It’s designed to trigger pathways that combat harm. In the short term, this response is beneficial—think of a bee sting or a cut. However, when this pathway is repeatedly activated without an external threat (like an internal imbalance), it can lead to chronic inflammation, which is linked to nearly every chronic disease we know of.

Signs & Symptoms of Chronic Inflammation

If you’ve been experiencing any of these symptoms, chronic inflammation could be at play:

• Brain fog, fatigue, depression, low motivation, memory loss, irritability
• GI issues, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, skin conditions
• Poor gut health (increased permeability, leading to infections and food intolerances)
• Hormonal imbalances (hair loss, infertility, complications in pregnancy)
• Metabolic issues (weight gain, blood sugar instability, high cholesterol, heart disease)

Major Causes of Inflammation

Dr. Redd breaks inflammation down into five key categories:

1. Dietary: Processed foods, sugar, seed oils, gluten, and blood sugar imbalances are big culprits.
2. Lifestyle: Poor sleep, chronic stress, and lack of