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Past the Pain: An evidence-based, holistic lifestyle guide to calm inflammation, ease arthritis, and reclaim your life.
Paperback
ISBN13: 9789083609928
Publisher: Plants for Health
Published: Oct 6 2026
Pages: 278
Weight: 1.44
Height: 0.76 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
If you live with arthritis and have been told there's nothing more you can do, this book is the answer to that frustration. I recommend it wholeheartedly. - Michael Greger, MD, FACLM, author of the New York Times bestseller How Not to Die
Stiff hands in the morning. Joints that flare up. Fatigue that just won't go away. If you are living with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or another chronic inflammatory condition, you know this feeling. And you may be wondering: is there anything I can do myself, beyond my medication?
This book shows what is possible.
What's in the book
Past the Pain is a practical handbook in two parts. The first half is a step-by-step lifestyle guide built around four pillars, each starting with insight into your own situation before moving to concrete, actionable steps:
- Food: what a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet looks like, why it works, and how to apply it in daily life
- Movement: how to move in a way that supports your joints, including three strength programs for every level
- Relaxation: what chronic stress does to inflammation, and specific techniques to bring your nervous system back into balance
- Sleep: how sleep affects inflammation, and how to optimize yours step by step
A fifth chapter, Balance, covers sustainable behavior change: how to turn individual steps into a lifestyle that works for the long term, not just for two weeks.
Together, these four pillars address the chronic low-grade inflammation that underlies rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Everything is evidence-based, grounded in the authors' own clinical research. No wellness hype, just science.
Recipes and meal plans
The second half of the book contains more than 60 plant-based recipes with fully worked-out weekly meal plans, so you can get started immediately.
What readers say
It is my bible. It feels so safe. Now I have proof that I am on the right track. - Heleen
Since I changed how I eat, my joint pain in my knees and hip has reduced significantly. I am so happy about this. - Naomi
Clear, no complicated medical language. And for everyone there is a ready-made weekly menu. - Winny
Individual results may vary. This program is designed to complement, not replace, your medical treatment.
About the authors
Dr. Carlijn Wagenaar (MD, PhD) is a physician and researcher specializing in the microbiome and the role of lifestyle in preventing and managing chronic disease.
Dr. Wendy Walrabenstein (PhD) is a registered dietitian in the Netherlands and researcher who left a career in economics to specialize in plant-based nutrition, becoming one of the first dietitians in the Netherlands to focus in this area. She brings more than ten years of clinical experience to this book.
Together, they completed their PhDs on the Plants for Joints studies at Amsterdam University Medical Center, one of the leading academic medical centers in Europe and one of the first institutions to publish clinical trials on a plant-based lifestyle program for people with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Their findings were published in peer-reviewed international journals and form the scientific foundation of this book.
Past the Pain is their translation of that research into daily practice: an accessible, scientifically grounded lifestyle approach for people living with joint pain and other inflammation-related conditions.
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