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 movement contribute to inflammation.
3. Physiological: Gut health, hormone imbalances, and poor detoxification impact inflammation.
4. Neurological: Head trauma, addiction, excessive screen time, and light exposure can all trigger inflammation.
5. Emotional: Trauma, abuse, neglect, and unresolved grief play a significant role in keeping the body in an inflammatory state.

The Three Horsemen of Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is often driven by imbalances in three key hormones:

• Cortisol: The body’s primary stress hormone, which is linked to adrenal fatigue and sleep deprivation.
• Estrogen: Too high, too low, or erratic fluctuations can create an inflammatory response.
• Insulin: Chronically high insulin from poor blood sugar regulation contributes to inflammation in both the body and brain.

Reducing Inflammation: My Personal Reset

Here’s what I’ve been focusing on:

• Prioritizing sleep and stress management (guitar, time outside, alone time).
• Addressing past trauma (I’ve gone back to counseling).
• Reducing environmental toxins (swapping personal care and household products for non-toxic options).
• Using movement, meditation, and infrared sauna for healing.

Diet is one of the biggest levers in reducing inflammation, so I’ve made major shifts in my eating habits.

The Inflammatory Reset Diet

Here’s what the protocol recommends avoiding:

🚫 Anything you're sensitive to 🚫 Dairy, eggs, gluten, oats, tomatoes, dehydrated fruit, rice, corn, potatoes 🚫 Alcohol, coffee, tea, soda, fruit juice, table salt, sugar, artificial sweeteners 🚫 Soy, peanuts, beef, pork, shellfish, processed meats

Instead, the diet focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods: ✅ Chicken, turkey, lamb, fish (not shellfish) ✅ Quinoa, buckwheat, sweet potatoes, peas, beans ✅ Raw cashews, almonds, macadamias, walnuts etc ✅ Fresh fruits & vegetables ✅ Herbal tea, decaf green tea, unsweetened coconut or cashew milk ✅ Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil

In this episode I'll discuss what I've been eating, non-dietary changes I've been making, what's hard and the mindset I'm bringing to the challenge as well as if I think you should consider it (or not). 

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