ARTHRITIS - The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.: Healing The Pain Of Psoriatic And Rheumatoid Arthritis And How Autoimmunity Can Heal Your Body And Soul Paperback – July 18, 2018

Phil Escott subtitles this important book, ‘Healing the pain of psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis and how autoimmunity can heal your body and soul.’ In a Foreword by naturopath Gabi Heyes we get a glimpse of how the book is going to grow: ‘When Phil came to see me at my clinic he was an overweight hippy (ok, he's still a hippy) with really cool dreadlocks that were long enough to skip with. The second visit I walked right past him as he sat there with his son – a shaved head and half the man. The third visit he was a positively buff-looking 50-year-old! Phil has always strived for enlightenment in its true sense, but I believe that enlightenment can occur on any level, and for him it was a combination of discoveries that led him away from the medical field and into his own – listening to his needs. He understands the naturopathic principle that the body will heal itself given the right means – a true believer – but most of all an experimenter.’Phil opens his own door to this at times hilarious journey by stating, ‘I never wanted to be a health expert; it was thrust upon me. I always had an interest in health, but, not having had to put any of the more accepted theories on diet and lifestyle to the test, I trotted out the same as everyone else believes – the “party line” – and when it came to the crunch, those theories were clearly flawed. To heal myself I had to search for knowledge that is normally buried under the tide of nonsense that passes for sensible, balanced advice, but the body, when badly out of balance, needs something extreme to set it on the healing path again. Well, to many it might seem extreme, but when you get the hang of it, it’s just a way to return the body to a stress-free state so it can correct these imbalances, as it is designed to do, chemical-free. This book is the story of how I went from being a frightened bundle of pain and inflammation, confined to the couch, to the surprising place I find myself today, a place of ease and comfort I never thought I would see.’The offered synopsis outlines what is to follow: ‘This covers Phil’s story of the onset of symptoms, the despair and pain that followed, the frustrations with the doctors’ ineffective chemical approaches, and finally finding success through diet, lifestyle and emotional balancing. There are laughs and a wealth of practical advice on subjects seldom touched upon such as ketosis, cold thermogenesis, circadian rhythms and delving into the real root causes – our myriad ways of not loving ourselves or our circumstances, which eventually manifests in disease as the body follows suit. It’s a tale of discovery, failures, successes, awakenings and ultimate surrender.’ A good summary, but not enough – this book is one that should be read by all people who suffer from autoimmune diseases – no, make the ‘all diseases’, because the contents are healing as well as extraordinarily entertaining. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, July 16

Phil's book, just like the author, is a dynamic and multifaceted gem. This book is so incredibly heartfelt and well articulated.The depth of understanding of the issues that we face during a healing crisis combined with the heartfelt and humorous pen that Escott wields is incredibly helpful for anybody dealing with healing. I Absolutely recommend this book to anybody dealing with chronic illness. This book is written in a very accessible and entertaining manner, while at the same time being so personable and brutally honest. The essential truths about the nature of suffering, healing, and life that Phil presents are so genuine and powerfully portrayed.I cannot recommend this book strongly enough - if you are dealing with a crisis of healing you should absolutely read this book. FANTASTIC!

This book was about the Journey of a persons life in the hopes it might help others on a similar journey. There are some excellent tips on bone disease but it doesn’t seem to address arthritis head on nor rheumatoid arthritis which was the eye catching cover. But the message might be that it is more than just the disease itself. I appreciated how he bucked the medical profession and the trap it can get us into if we aren’t careful.

This is a very different and interesting book. I learned some important ideas about other books to help with the emotional part of rheumatoid arthritis which no one else talks about for some reason. There are some good sources to use and some good tips about food and natural pain relief that are very helpful to me.I absolutely did not like his almost constant use of acronyms, which I detest in any speech or written content. Words matter. Just say the words. Very very aggravating. I wished for much more information about diet in the first part and about how the open minded doctors worked with him in functional medicine.The last part of the book was a letdown. It did not make much sense as he went into talking about his meditation fears and other things having to do with mushroom trips. He lost me there.

I suffer from RA for over 10 years and has worsened in the last two. I found Phil on his you tube videos. Not only is he articulate in his videos but he's an excellent writer. I had a consultation with him and he gave me some ideas to help me with my pain and carn diet. His book also breaks down his journey to healing and is very relatable to those who also suffer autoimmune diseases. He is also a very genuine nice caring guy, too.

To be honest, before reading this book it seemed Phil simply chose a provocative title to catch the eye. Is Arthritis really the BEST thing that ever happened to you? As it turns out, not only is the title completely sincere but a clear case is made that deep healing and beyond can take place if we learn to listen to what our suffering is trying to tell us. Although this book is mainly targeted towards those who suffer from arthritis, I would say the simple guidelines and concepts of healing put forth are fundamental to most or perhaps all illnesses and even useful to those in good health who are looking for a boost. It is a relief that Phil doesn't overlook- but emphasizes- the emotional aspect of healing that is left out of 99.9% of health books. Ultimately, this book goes even deeper than self-healing and for me, Phil's account of his own spiritual awakening is the true beating-heart here and was revelatory enough for me to get on skype with Phil and leech some of his wisdom! With Phil's help, my issues with chronic fatigue and anxiety are improving and I recommend getting a hold of him while he's still accessible and on the cusp of book fame!