Early on after my CRPS diagnosis, a girlfriend lent me her copy of Inside-Out Health: A Revolutionary Approach to Your Body by Dr Robert G. Silverman. It isn’t on Audible, so it took me a while to get through it. Reading a physical book hasn’t been easy since CRPS. But it ended up being one of the books that shaped how I think about food and pain, so here’s my Inside-Out Health review.
Who is Dr Robert Silverman?
Dr Rob is an American chiropractor with a Master of Science in human nutrition, and he works in functional nutrition. I’ve since learned that some chiros go well beyond the snap, crackle and pop on your spine.
His book was one of the first places I saw a real link between sports nutrition and chronic pain. Sport pours a mountain of money into recovery and inflammation research, and some of what comes out of it has interesting applications for spoonies.
What the book covers
Dr Rob covers a lot of ground, including:
- how gut bacteria affect the whole body, and how diet can change them
- his approach to “detoxing” for more energy and focus
- reducing inflammation, which he links to heart disease and cancer risk
- laser therapy for pain and range of motion
- bone and joint health
He’s a big advocate for whole foods and a low-GI, vegetable-forward way of eating.
What worked for me, and where I’m sceptical
The book focuses more on healing acute problems than on chronic conditions. But I found the way he explains nutrition, as food being part of your treatment and not just fuel, genuinely useful. I’ve applied some of his ideas to my own pain management.
Here’s my nerd-hat take on the rest:
- The gut and inflammation chapters are where the book is strongest, and they line up with where the research has gone since. I’ve written about what the evidence does and doesn’t show in the gut-brain axis.
- The detox material is where I get sceptical. Your liver and kidneys already do the clearing out. I haven’t seen good evidence that a special detox protocol improves on them.
- Heart disease and cancer. An anti-inflammatory, vegetable-forward diet is sensible for lots of reasons. But “reduces inflammation” isn’t the same as “prevents cancer”, and I’d treat any big disease-prevention claim with care.
- Laser therapy (photobiomodulation) has some promising research for certain types of pain, but the results are mixed. It’s worth a conversation with your treating team rather than a leap of faith.
He also talks a lot about supplements, and his recommendations are very American. I found it interesting to understand what he recommends and why, and I’ve sourced similar products here with varying degrees of success. Please check any new supplement with your GP or pharmacist first, especially if you’re on pain medications. Interactions are a real thing.
My Inside-Out Health review: is it worth reading?
If you’re curious about how food, gut health and inflammation connect to pain, yes. Read it as a doctor’s perspective, not a treatment plan. Take the food-first ideas, and keep your sceptic’s hat on for the bigger claims.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
You can get Inside-Out Health on Amazon (affiliate link) in paperback, hardcover and Kindle. It’s also been available on Kindle Unlimited. Dr Rob also shares regular content on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Struggling to read since CRPS, like me? I listen to most of my books now. Here’s my spoonie brain hack for getting through books that aren’t on Audible. And if you’re building your own reading list, my CRPS resources page has more.
