2The Simple AIP Handbook is the most comprehensive beginner's guide to AIP. It's a 4-stage autoimmune protocol that focuses on resting your body, mind, and spirit, while giving your metabolism and immune system a chance to recover and return to balance. This process known as downregulation is essential in actively and consistently lowering the inflammatory status of your whole body and brain. As your immune system becomes less aggressive and inflammatory, your metabolism will also normalize, reducing stress hormones, insulin levels, triglycerides, and oxidized cholesterol in your bloodstream. Restoring your metabolism, immune system, and blood chemistry to normal is the fastest and surest way to manage or even reverse the two chronic illness epidemics of our modern health crisis- metabolic syndrome and autoimmune disease.