Welcome to the Pain Elimination™ Handbook. Here, we have established a clear-cut path beyond pain to more vital health. Developed over two decades of clinically supervising thousands of patients suffering from unrelenting pain related to everything from arthritis and muscle pain to irritable bowel syndrome, inflammation, obesity, brain fog and reflux, this system invites you to take charge of your pain and learn to modulate it without pharmaceuticals. Here, you will learn how to control your pain, rather than having it control you.
After years of treating chronic pain, I came to see that it wasn’t a narcotic or cortisone deficiency, but that is was very frequently associated with poor nutrition and lifestyle habits. I chose to help people find alternative ways to control their pain without the use of strong prescription medications, which can have many serious side effects. This eventually led to what you will find here: an elimination diet, the use of dietary supplements, stress management, sleep coaching, exercise prescription and a directive to surround yourself with people who will help you embrace lasting lifestyle change.
Now let’s look at how to proceed with eliminating your pain in 5 steps over 35 days, and then continue for life!

In Good Health,
Frederick T. Sutter, MD

Let’s review the 5 steps of the program.
1. Clear, 2. Discover, 3. Personalize, 4. Balance, and 5. Communitize

This program should only take you 35 days to complete. During the first 10 days you will eat only food from the Clear Food List. Then on days 11-35 you continue to eat from the Clear Food List, however on certain days you will eat a specific food not on the Clear list. This will reintroduce foods to your diet that you have not been eating during the 10 days of the Clear phase. Follow the Reintroduction Schedule carefully. For instance on day 15 you will eat your favorite cheese, then monitor for possible reactions and write down any that occur. This is how you conduct the reintroduction and at the end have a Personalized Master Food List containing the list of foods your body can tolerate. You will learn out a lot about your body during this program.

1.  Clear Phase – Clear your body days 1-10 by meticulously eating foods only from the Clear Food List. You may substitute a protein shake for a meal on occasion, for the sake of convenience. However, it is important that you do not skip meals! Throughout this program you will be logging everything that you eat and drink, as well as exercise, sleep quality and duration, water intake, stress management and, most importantly, your pain symptoms and severity. Clear Phase – Clear your body days 1-10 by meticulously eating foods only from the Clear Food List. You may substitute a protein shake for a meal on occasion, for the sake of convenience. However, it is important that you do not skip meals! Throughout this program you will be logging everything that you eat and drink, as well as exercise, sleep quality and duration, water intake, stress management and, most importantly, your pain symptoms and severity. The handbook will provide you with guidance for grocery shopping, meal preparation and also the use of appropriate nutritional supplements

2. Discover Phase – During days 11-35 you will be systematically reintroducing potentially problematic foods according to a carefully constructed Reintroduction Schedule. You will watch for any new symptoms to develop, and will continue to keep careful logs.

3. Personalize Phase – Now, using the “Clear Food List” as a base, you will start your “Personalized Master Food List”. This is a list of foods that you did not have a negative reaction to during the reintroduction phase, as well as new foods that you find you are able to tolerate. You will continue to expand your food choices, to include whole grains, as well as additional fruits and vegetables. Keep a positive attitude! Visualize success and eat a large variety of foods. Networking and sharing recipes with health-minded friends is a wonderful way to keep things interesting and fun!

4. Balance Phase – Maintain a balance between rest, stress and exercise. Restorative sleep – 8 to 9 hours per night – is essential for continued good health. Have a strategy in place for stress management. Exercise daily, within your target heart rate zone, ideally with a fitness tracker such as the Polar Loop. Obtain an accurate body composition analysis, preferably using bioelectrical impedance, at least every 2 months. Continue to log how you feel!

5. “Communitize for Life!” Surround yourself with like-minded people who will be supportive of your efforts. Take advantage of social situations, which often center around food, to share your newfound knowledge with others. Give back through helping others, or volunteering for an organization you believe in. Be sure to reward yourself periodically in ways that do not involve food – for example, new clothes, kitchen items, a facial or massage, or new workout gear. Stay positive and stay active!