Book review: 'Inside-Out Health' by Robert Silverman, DC

Author: Robert Silverman, DC, DACBN

Summary: In this concise text, Robert Silverman, DC, shares what he has learned about nutrition in a manner that’s readily accessible to the layperson and professional alike. He is eminently qualified to address this subject, given his extensive experience with clinical nutrition and his numerous certifications and diplomates that underpin his advanced studies in this area. He was also named ACA’s Sports Chiropractor of the Year in 2015, and when he was interviewed by Chiropractic Economics about this award, he said, “When I incorporate nutrition, I’m ensuring complete healing from the inside out.” This book is a detailed explanation of his philosophy and lessons derived from his practice.

Each chapter of Inside-Out Health tackles a health issue that Silverman has found to be among the most common he sees. By extension, then, most readers should find his strategies to be directly applicable in their own practices. Unlike some books written by health professionals that tend to explore an unknown or novel approach to treatment, the emphasis here is on practicality and easy-to-employ techniques.

The approach taken hews closely to functional medicine (FM) principles, which stress viewing a patient’s health (or lack thereof) as the interplay between multiple physical systems. While much has been written about FM, far less walks the reader through general real-life applications.

A general tenet of FM is that although addressing the symptoms of illness is generally necessary to relieve a patient’s discomfort and presenting problem, the source of the problem may be a lifestyle issue or “upstream issue” that needs to be addressed to truly effect a resolution and restoration of health.

Inside-Out Health opens with a discussion of the gut, which we now know is responsible for much of the body’s immune system and factors into any approach at self-healing. Chiropractic has long championed probiotics for this reason. Silverman’s approach targets the standard American diet, too, and looks to replace it with a more natural, healthy eating pattern and supplementation.

Next Silverman looks at the musculoskeletal system, inflammation, and arthritis, explaining how they are interconnected and how healing can be promoted with proper nutrition, movement, and exercise.

There’s a chapter on the subject of toxins, an important topic for most DCs, who understand that environmental stressors are a health risk. Strategies presented include exposure reduction and detoxification. He offers an alkalizing diet to keep patients on the right track.

We know that when it comes to chronic illness, almost every road leads to inflammation, so it’s natural that Silverman devotes a section to this critical subject. Obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and similar heath concerns are explored here, and dietary approaches to counteracting them fit into an FM approach.

The section on weight loss and proper weight maintenance doesn’t present a dieting strategy, because as Silverman notes, weight-loss diets are notoriously ineffective. The metabolic syndrome is understood to be a metabolic and endocrine disorder, and Silverman takes this angle in addressing obesity. Treating the patient from the inside-out in this respect means focusing on retraining the patient to eat quality foods in a healthy way. And you can see how this section ties into the previous ones, as proper diet and nutrition are intertwined with so many other health issues.

Core-strengthening, soft-tissue solutions, and concussion treatment and considerations round out the text. Interwoven throughout are thoughtful adages called “Dr. Robisms,” and illustrative anecdotes and case studies from his own practice, so the reader can see how the concepts presented play out in the real world.

This book is for doctors who want a detailed look at how chiropractic can align with FM, and for patients who want to take control over their health and well-being.