Over the years, I’ve built a comprehensive library of integrative and functional medicine resources that have helped me, my family and many others take a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Some of these books have a long-standing reputation in natural health circles and others provide groundbreaking functional medicine approaches to reversing serious health conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. While still others address the “big” questions such as how to achieve fulfillment/happiness or live to be 100 years old.
Below are some of my favorite Health and Wellness books grouped by subject matter. I hope you have your own trusted resources on hand to help ensure you maintain optimal health and well-being.
(Note: This is only a fraction of my “collection,” so please don’t take offense if you don’t see your favorite health expert represented.)
General Health and Wellness:
Prescription for Nutritional Healing is an A-Z guide to health conditions and natural approaches to resolving them. Now in its fifth edition, this book has been a trusted resource in my family for over 20 years.
Another comprehensive guide to the healing powers of natural medicine is The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by world-renowned naturopathic doctors, Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno.
Healthy Eating:
The best diet for you will be based on your unique circumstances including genetics and current health conditions. It is best to work with an integrative or functional medicine practitioner to guide you in choosing a diet that is best for YOU. The books listed below offer basic knowledge of foods and nutrients and what a baseline “healthy diet” looks like based on current research.
What the Heck Should I Eat? Functional Medicine physician, Dr. Mark Hyman takes a look at each food group and dispels myths and misinformation to reveal which foods support our health and which may not. He also explains food’s role as medicine capable of reversing chronic disease and how our food system and policies impact our health, environment, economy and so much more.
Physical Fitness:
The American College of Sports Medicine, the largest and most respected organization of its kind has created a comprehensive resource to help people of all ages stay fit and healthy. Their Complete Guide to Fitness and Health lays out the types of movement (flexibility, strength and aerobic activity) needed to create a well rounded fitness routine. It also contains fitness assessments, information for people with specific health conditions and illustrations to ensure proper exercise form.
Gut Health
Hippocrates said, “All disease begins in the gut.” Centuries later, medical research supports his wise words. Many of the most common diseases may be rooted in gut dysfunction yet many of us shy away from talking about our “tummy troubles” or just shrug them off as part of life. The fact is, indigestion, gas, loose or hard stools should not be ignored as they can be tell-tale signs of potentially serious problems. The following books not only help you understand how gut health is the cornerstone of overall health, they also help you optimize your gut health.
Happy Gut Functional Medicine physician Dr. Vincent Pedre explains how health begins in the gut. You’ll learn how symptoms and disorders like allergies, asthma, brain fog and fatigue may be rooted in gut dysfunction. He also explains his gut C.A.R.E. Program (Cleanse, Activate, Restore, and Enhance) to eliminate food triggers, clear the gut of unfriendly pathogens, and replace them with gut-friendly probiotics and nutrients that repair and restore gut function.
Brain Health and Mood:
Some authors are synonymous with holistic brain health. Below are a few of them…
David Perlmutter, MD is a board-certified neurologist and a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He authored several groundbreaking books on brain health, each focused on a different aspect of improving brain health: diet, microbiome and our environment. In his New York Times #1 bestseller Grain Brain he described how wheat, carbs and sugar harm our brains and proposed healthy foods that support optimal brain function -- healthy fats. (An updated 2018 edition of Grain Brain includes the latest scientific research and recommendations to boost brain health. )
His second book, Brain Maker explores the powerful role gut bacteria have in determining brain health throughout life. He connects the dots between our microbiome (bacteria and other organisms in our gut) and how imbalances in the microbiome affects our brain resulting in mood disorders including depression, anxiety, autism and ADHD. He also touches on the host of other health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, frequent infections and yes, even atherosclerosis is linked to microbiome health. He provides tips and strategies to maximize the microbiome/gut health in order to enhance brain function and prevent disease.
His latest book, Brain Wash, (coauthored with his son Dr. Austin Perlmutter) explores how modern life and culture affects our brains--how we think, feel and behave. These influences threaten to rewire our brains and damage our health. The authors explain how to “detox” our minds and curb the sometimes harmful effects of modern living on our brains to enjoy clearer thinking, deeper relationships and lasting happiness.
The Mind Gut Connection, by Dr. Emeran Mayer also focuses on the connection between your gut and your brain. His fascinating book reveals how your gut microbiome and mind communicate back and forth and how this affects your memories, emotions and decisions. He also explains how to optimize gut-brain health through diet and other lifestyle interventions to improve both physical and psychological symptoms of an unhealthy microbiome.
A Mind of Your Own (New York Times Best Seller) offers a holistic approach to depression that addresses to root cause of the symptoms. Using the latest research and her clinical experience, author and psychiatrist Dr. Kelly Brogan lays out a path to help you heal your mind by healing your body of inflammation and imbalances that cause depressive symptoms. Her book explains the research and mind-body connections that result in depression and gives you a 30 day action plan consisting of dietary interventions, targeted nutrient support, detoxification, sleep and reframing techniques so you can feel like yourself again.
The End of Alzheimer’s – This groundbreaking book details the protocols Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD used to reverse Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline. Of the first ten patients on the protocol, nine displayed significant improvement with 3-6 months. Since then, the protocol has yielded similar results with hundreds more. (Alzheimer’s drugs currently available have only been able to slow the progression of the disease.) The book provides an explanation of the science behind his mythology and step-by-step plans for treating cognitive decline. The End of Alzheimer’s is a must read for anyone with a family history of Alzheimer’s and those who have done genetic testing and are concerned about their APOE status.
Autoimmune Conditions:
With the dramatic increase in autoimmune conditions over the last 40 years, they are now the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer. Over 50 million Americans have an autoimmune disease and many of those have more than one. (Once you have one autoimmune disease, you’re at a greater risk of developing another one—or two!) Autoimmune conditions can have multiple triggers including gut permeability, toxins, and infections that create inflammation and cause the immune system to launch an attack on its own tissues.
Before the autoimmune disease develops there can be years of debilitating symptoms such as weight gain, gut issues, brain fog, achy joints and general malaise. Because the symptoms are often attributed to other causes, autoimmune diseases are often missed and can take years to get a diagnosis. While pharmaceutical drugs are available to treat the disease, they don’t always address the root cause of what triggered the condition in the first place.
This is where the functional medicine to autoimmunity really shines—by identifying and resolving triggers and inflammation to stop the autoimmune attack.
The New York Times bestselling book, The Paleo Approach was one of the first guides to address autoimmune diseases and other chronic illness using diet and lifestyle. The author, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne gives an overview of autoimmunity—what causes it, early symptoms, treatment options, and how your diet and other lifestyle factors you can control affect your ability to reverse your condition. She also walks you through useful medical tests to help you work with your physician to address possible triggers. Dr Ballantyne is also author of the popular blog, The Paleo Mom.
In The Autoimmune Solution Functional Medicine physician, Dr. Amy Meyers presents her plan called “The Meyer’s Way” to prevent and reverse inflammatory symptoms and diseases. Her comprehensive plan addresses: healing your gut, removing inflammatory foods via the Autoimmune Paleo diet (AIP) removing toxins from your environment, healing infections and reducing stress. The Meyer’s Way is designed to tame inflammation that can cause allergies, obesity, asthma, cardiovascular disease, fibromyalgia, lupus, IBS, chronic headaches, Hashimoto’s and a host of other conditions.
Dr. Tom O’Bryan’s Autoimmune Fix, takes a broad look at the spectrum of autoimmune conditions and identifies triggers that many of them have in common. He lays out a step-by-step plan to address your symptoms and triggers to get back on a path to wellness.
Dr. O’Bryan is one of the foremost experts on gluten and its impact on your health.
The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahl describes how she treated her progressive Multiple Sclerosis using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine. Dr. Wahls is a clinical professor and researcher, studying the use of diet and lifestyle interventions in autoimmune and other chronic disease states. Her clinical trial featuring the Wahls Paleo Diet received the support of the National Mutliple Sclerosis Society. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Wahls describes her leading edge dietary and lifestyle protocol that suggests that diet may truly be the most powerful medicine.
With respect to Hashimotos, an autoimmune thyroid disorder, there are many great books that have personally benefited my and a host of others who have (or suspect they have) Hashimotos. Among the best books on the subject—especially for those newly diagnosed—is , Hashimotos Thyroiditis: Lifestyle-Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause by Pharmacist Izabella Wentz. In her book she describes her own journey from profound illness, to diagnosis and eventual remission of Hashimotos. Her painstaking research and detailed protocols have helped many find the road back to health.
Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s Why do I Still Have Thryoid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests are Normal is a “must read” for anyone who is still struggling with often debilitating symptoms despite “normal” lab results—even while taking thyroid medication. Dr. Kharrazian is a Harvard Medical School trained and award-winning clinical research scientist, academic professor, and world-renowned functional medicine health care provider. He specializes in treatments for autoimmune, neurological, and unidentified chronic diseases using non-pharmaceutical applications.
Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) Diet Cookbooks:
Many functional medicine approaches to resolving autoimmune diseases involve following some version of the Autoimmune Paleo diet (AIP diet) for several weeks. The AIP diet is a nutrient dense elimination diet that removes inflammatory foods and common food sensitivities (grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, dairy and nightshades) for a period of time and then reintroduces them one at a time to determine if they are problem foods for you. During the elimination phase, your gut has a chance to heal while the reintroduction phase helps you identify possible food sensitivities which may be an autoimmune trigger. Once the gut is healthy and food sensitivities are identified/removed, some version of a Paleo diet is often recommended for maintenance.
Some of the best AIP diet cook books are written by Mickey Trescott (The Nutrient Dense Kitchen and The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook) and Dr. Sarah Ballantyne (The Healing Kitchen)
Longevity
What does it take to live to 100? In 2004, National Geographic explorer and author Dan Buettner and his team of researchers set out to answer this question. After locating and studying five communities around the world with high percentages of centenarians (dubbed Blue Zones), they discovered that these communities had certain lifestyle characteristics in common that might help all of us live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives. They described their findings in the book, Blue Zones.
In The Blue Zones Solution Buettner takes the longevity lifestyle practices from the Blue Zones book and adapts them for U.S./Western populations. The Blue Zones Solution helps you understand the importance of community, social interaction, movement and other healthy habits that lead to a long, active and fulfilling life. It also provides advice on how to incorporate lifestyle recommendations, super food lists and recipes adapted for western tastes and markets.
Stress Management
By now you’ve probably heard that stress contributes to the development and progression of a host of diseases and disorders, but why is this? And, more importantly, what can you do about it?
Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers was written for the chronically stressed —especially those who view stress as a badge of honor, not a health risk. Highly acclaimed author and researcher, Robert Sapolsky describes how the stress response is beneficial in small doses, but can lead to a host of debilitating symptoms (irritability, weight gain, sleeplessness, headaches) and disease states (high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers) when chronically activated.
Happiness and Fulfillment
The How of Happiness – This comprehensive guide to understanding the elements of happiness and how to get more happiness in your life is based on years of groundbreaking research by Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., a professor of psychology and positive psychology expert. The How of Happiness includes a workbook with exercises, quizzes, tips and strategies to understand your unique potential for happiness and how to sustain joy throughout life.
Dr. Lyubomirsky’s follow-up book, The Myths of Happiness, exposes the false promises that lifelong happiness is ours if we only achieve certain “milestones.” Instead, the author illustrates that life’s ups and downs—the journey (not the destination) is an opportunity for personal growth and joy in itself. Ultimately cultivating a positive mindset—seeing the good in everyday life—is the key to increasing happiness.
Avoiding Toxins and Detoxification
The Toxin Solution – The rapid rise in chronic disease is believed to be due in part to the explosive growth of chemicals used in every aspect of our society – from agricultural pesticides and herbicides, to chemicals in our homes and personal care products. Dr. Joe Pizzorno—the author, and founder of Bastyr University, the country’s first and largest university of natural medicine—explains how to minimize your exposure to toxins, detoxify your body and heal toxic overload.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases of items on this page. (Amazon is where I purchased many of the above resources myself.)