Written by Sheila:
Dear Robb,
I want to thank you for your website, free quick start guide, & books. The Paleo diet has changed my life. I heard about your diet about a year ago and downloaded the quick start guide. I am on a tight budget (UK Govt pension), and when I looked at the shopping list baulked at the cost and put the whole thing away. About 7 months later I looked at it again and decided to give it a go with the lean animal proteins and veg I can afford. I am 68 and have had osteoarthritis for more than 30 years. I also have asthma, hiatus hernia, acid reflux, CFS, anxiety/depression, and sleeping problems for 30+ years.
On day 3 of paleo I got out of bed in one graceful movement. I was flexible and agile and had normal energy levels all day. By day 5 I no longer needed hayfever/allergy meds, and when visiting my daughter ran up her stairs to speak to her without realizing I was doing it. By day 10, chronic underlying anxiety was gone and cognitive skills were greatly improved. On day 10 I read all the reviews of your books and bought your Paleo Solution and Loren Cordains Paleo Diet and cookbook and have not looked back. Recently I bought your Paleo Budget e-book and found the tip about buying whole chicken instead of chicken breasts (Whole £2.40 per kilo, Breast £10 per kilo). Now 16 weeks paleo I have a waist of 32.5” down from 38.5”, lost 10lbs, have no CFS, bloating, abdominal pain, acid reflux; I walk upright without a limp and sleep has improved so much that 8-9 hours a night is the norm; anything less is simply a 1 or 2 day blip. I am very grateful for your website, books, & resources – thank you so much. I also want to encourage others who are on a low income to give it a go. I am getting all these benefits without grass fed meat and top up my protein with unsalted tinned fish. Life is happy, involved, and enjoyable now thanks to you and your colleagues.
Crunchy Pickle says
I think it is great to see how many benefits can come from paleo without spending crazy amounts of money! Good work!!
Bill Vick says
I’ve heard others talk about how Paleo can change your life, but in my case change is an understatement.
I became a ‘hard core’ Paleo convert’ last October after receiving a diagnoses in September that I had Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) an incurable lung disease that strikes 48,000 people a year and kills 40,000 per year, the same as Breast Cancer. There is no cure on the near or far horizon and most people have not heard of it even though 200,000 people suffer from it in North America alone.
I came to my diagnoses because I was training for my first short course Triathlon and was hitting the shortness of breath wall while swimming. I was an active age group runner as well (I’m 74). My Doc thought it was Asthma and only after a high resolution CT scan and a lung biopsy did my Pulmonary Doctor kind of matter of fact said, “Well you have IPF”. I asked what that meant and he said “you’re going to die in 3 to 5 years years”. Not the best way to spend an afternoon!
Since there is no cure outside of a lung transplant I poured my time into researching online for a way to slow it down or halt its progress in it’s tracks. That’s when I discovered Paleo and Rob Wolf and Mark Sisson. I bought the books and started following the diet in October including as much as the exercise as I could manage at the time. Thank you Rob Wolf!!!
In October I was taking NEXIUM for GERD or acid reflux, CRESTOR for high cholesterol and WELLBUTIN for depression. By January my cholesterol had dropped 30 points sans CRESTOR, I stopped NEXIUM as I no longer had acid reflux, and stopped the WELLBUTIN.
My IPF was pronounced stable by my Pulmonologist in March which for me is pretty close to a miracle cure, and I’m maintaining the Paleo diet and lifestyle. Last week I managed a 1,000 YD swim (nothing like the 3,000 training swims I did before but I can’t imagine being any prouder of any accomplishment) with a goal of a mile swim twice a week and I continue to do Burst training as extolled by Dr. Axe and lift heavy things per Mark Sisson.
So – has the Paleo diet/lifestyle has changed my life. I ask you has it given me a new lease on life? You bet it has!!!
I’m including a link to an interview conducted by our local CBS affiliate here in Dallas with my talking about IPF and the Paleo lifestyle.
It takes a few seconds for the video to load.
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/02/22/invisible-lung-disease-called-a-death-sentence-by-doctors/
Charles W. James says
Hi Bill,
First, congratulations with your progress and most of all with keeping a positive attitude. I really believe the emotional aspect of disease and the importance of thoughts and belief structure are too powerful to ignore.
Your story reminded me of Norman Cousins, and maybe you know about him or remember him. For those who don’t, in a nutshell…
In the 60s I believe, Cousins was diagnosed with a form of arthritis. I remember reading this many years ago. And his doctor told him to decide what position he wanted to be in for the rest of his life. Apparently, the condition he had would cause his body to become so stiff he would not be able to move freely.
In his autobiography, he talked about curing himself through daily doses of laughter. He watched old Marx Brothers films. And there’s much more to his overall approach.
I think there are many ways to develop a positive attitude that will change brain chemistry and affect the body’s ability to heal itself.
Best regards,
Charles
Max Ungar says
Sheila, what a story! Sounds like the diet really took astonishing affects on you in a short period of time. It’s interesting how some people get the “carb flu” and others just ease into the diet incredibly gracefully.
Heather Clark says
Fantastic Sheila! You prove that if people will just try this lifestyle they find the benefits life changing. All the best to you!
JayJay says
Nice stuff Sheila! and also Bill Vick I hope it can stay stable for you!
I haven’t read Robb’s Paleo Budget book yet, but will do
Just want to say to other readers YOU CAN MAKE CHANGES, even with LITTLE MONEY.
As Robb often has said, you do the best you can.
I’ve made dramatic improvements in my own health and disability issues. Cutting out the necessary offenders and buying the best one can afford/choose. For me at the moment that usually includes tinned fish, factory chickens, and occasionlay corn fed beef. Unorganic vegtables is basically the norm (but I usually try and avoid the veg that are often seen as having higher pesticide residues) . Its not ideal, and at first I was annoyed that I couldn’t “do it properly” right away…but its still miles away from the SAD rubbish. MILES AWAY!
And as I improve and can go to the shops myself and have money to spend I can slowly ramp to better quality.
I cant wait when I can get to the butchers myself and get good quality organ meats and bone marrow for broths etc. At the moment, my bone broths are the left over bones from my corn fed, hormone indused, spiritually abused chickens.
JayJay says
I should of added- this means I adapt certain things. For example I’ll scrap off the fat on my broth and avoid meat skins and often the fat due to the poor omega 6 numbers (compared say to if I was eating grass fed beef)
I’m also eating a lot of fish to help the omega 3’s- which with the mercury in them means I only eat the ones reported as having less mercury. Even then in the long term I’d ideally eat less to minimize this side of things
brnwshdbypsudoscienc says
Jayjay. Check out this article from Chris Kresser before you worry too much about the fishies: http://chriskresser.com/is-eating-fish-safe-a-lot-safer-than-not-eating-fish
Gabby says
Good on you, my dear! Stories like yours make me smile! Great beacon for others you are.
Maria says
It’s really heartening to read these stories of healing. We set up our website after years of research to find a cure for our daughter. Despite so many trips to specialists (and countless dollars spent) no one doctor was able to help her. By then she was a very sick girl. We literally stumbled on Paleo and within weeks of her going on the diet she began to get well. But apart from the physical changes, the emotional wellbeing that we saw was quite amazing.
I look forward to the day when the Paleo way of eating and living will be the norm and the diseases that plague us today are no more.