Richard Diana, MD is a board-certified surgeon, clinical instructor at Yale School of Medicine and attending surgeon at Yale-New Haven Hospital. After years playing football with the Miami Dolphins he retired after Super Bowl XVII to attend Yale School of Medicine and has been an orthopedic consultant to several athletic programs. In his book “Healthy Joints for Life: An Orthopedic Surgeon’s Proven Plan to Reduce Pain and Inflammation, Avoid Surgery and Get Moving Again” he applies his experiences and training to write about ways to reduce joint pain.

“Healthy Joints for Life” is a ground breaking book by an orthopedic surgeon and former NFL player. It involves no surgery, no medication and no drastic measures and is based on cutting edge research that has identified the role that the molecule known as NFkB plays in the regulation of inflammation. His plan for reducing joint pain includes an eight week program that teaches readers to take advantage of this research to reduce inflammation, relieve pain and rejuvenate their joints. It includes information about which foods to eat to reduce inflammation, simple exercises based on mobility and the right supplements to take to increase overall mobility. In the introduction, the author introduces himself and describes how his past experiences shaped his life. The book is divided into two parts: in part one he explains how joint pain works, including what joints are, how they work and how food affects them; in part two he introduces his plan and how to tailor it to meet an individual’s need. He also includes personal anecdotes and experiences.

The main theme of “Healthy Joints for Life” is that “to control joint pain, you need to control the information.” Richard Diana does his best to keep the science behind this information at a level that can be easily understood. For those wanting an in-depth explanation he includes a longer explanation in an Appendix. Other than that, everything else is within easy grasp of most readers and includes diet and exercise information that anyone can use to lessen their joint pain. It is an excellent reference guide for anyone interested in learning more about how the body works and how external factors affect it.

*A copy of this book was given for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are solely the author’s.