Testimonial written by: Amanda K.
Hi There,
I have had such amazing results over the past 7 months since going Paleo that I just had to share them with you and your team.
First of all, I feel fantastic. Second of all I’ve busted through fitness and weight loss plateaus that I never thought possible (and probably weren’t possible with my former high carb low calorie diet.)
But the best thing that primal eating has done for me is to completely stop (and maybe even reverse) weakened connective tissue throughout my body.
Let me explain. Last year I had a spontaneous CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leak. I couldn’t stand or sit up because of unbelievable pain that would start in my head and work its way down my spine. It took the doctors 3 weeks to figure out what was wrong and to come up with a treatment plan, during which time I was hospitalized and heavily medicated with morphine to combat the pain.
Once they realized it was a CSF leak the doctors concluded that what I had previously experienced as recurring week long ”migraines” were actually smaller leaks that had been happening but because they were small they had been able to heal themselves over time.
During my time in the hospital the doctors did every test imaginable and incidentally found an aneurysm on my descending aorta.
The leak coupled with the aneurysm led the doctors to conclude that I had an underlying connective tissue disorder that was making these tissues weak throughout my body and more prone to continued leaks and a growing aneurysm that would probably require surgery down the road.
Enter Paleo….
In January I started eating totally primal, since then I have not had 1 ”migraine” style leak, and these used to happen 2-3 times per month.
Then when I went in this summer to check the growth of the aneurysm it was GONE! Not only had it not grown, it had disappeared and the doctors had no clue why. They even told me that connective tissue could not shrink back into its original form once it had been stretched.
It all clicked for me when I read in ”The Paleo Solution” that high cortisol levels can weaken the connective tissue throughout our bodies. It’s possible that my tissue was bathing in cortisol for so long that these problems were the result, and that by giving my body what it needed to reach hormonal equilibrium it was actually able to reverse the condition…and fast!
So, thank you. Thanks for writing a book that made sense and being willing to put yourself out there as a lightning rod to our main stream food culture.
And I went to Chico (Go Wildcats!) so you had me at NorCal Margarita.
Best,
Amanda
Great story! Congrats, stay on track.
Hi Amanda –
Thank you for sharing and I’m glad to hear you are feeling well! I’m curious to know if you are referring to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as the connective tissue disorder? My niece has this and she suffers from multiple and chronic dislocations and subluxations throughout her body. I’ve been wondering if a paleo diet could help her at all.
Thank you,
Jessica
I know that this is really old but I thought that I would let you know that I have Ehlers-Danlos and have found great improvement in my life using Paleo. I started with the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol and have done a lot of reading. i will tell you that Paleo is a lifestyle commitment and the Autoimmune Protocol and even greater one. One that I think is well worth it!
Fantastic!
That’s amazing that your aneurysm completely went away! I have never heard of that happening to anyone. I wonder if your connective tissue disorder is autoimmune related??
Aorta aneuvrysm is more linked with the Marfan Syndrom. It’s also a tissue disorder like Ehlers Danlos.
However, I think Marfan Syndrom can be identified with a genetic analysis.
If it so, that could mean that paleo diet “shutdown” the Marfan syndrome with epigenetic modulation.
This could be a massive discovery!
My dad just had a descending aortic dissection this weekend, so I am THRILLED to read that paleo helped reverse a descending aneurysm! I suspect his doctors will recommend a whole grain, low-fat diet (which I cringe at the thought of, and luckily, so will my dad), so I’m glad that’s not the only way. I take collagen daily, and am wondering if this would have any benefit for him by strengthening his aorta and connective tissue the way it helps strengthen skin/hair/nails, etc. I didn’t find much research online, but has anyone seen any studies or anecdotal evidence of this? It seems like a relatively harmless supplement to add to his routine if there’s any chance it will help.
I’ve read “Wired to Eat”, but this certainly lit a fire under my butt to purchase “The Paleo Solution”, and I will definitely be sharing it with my dad as well.
I’m just reading this and am very late to the conversation.
I find this very fascinating.
I myself have borderline hyper mobility. My joints get a little achy at times but always worse when I eat too many carbs.
My daughter has been diagnosed with a Connective Tissue Disorder – marginally dilated aortic root and microspharaspakia. She was tested for Marfans but doesn’t have. She actually doesn’t test positive for any know connective tissue disorder but they still feel she has one, even though she has no joint issues and is not particularly flexible!
I have researched the subject at length and did come across reasearch on a diagnosis of “late onset marfans”, which is crazy as this is a genetic connective tissue disorder. However the symptoms were very similar to b vitamin deficiencies.
I have cut wheet, gluten and sugar out of out diet or had but now she’s well into her teens I don’t have the same control over what she eats when not at home.
I will be purchasing the paleo slolution and asking her to read all about it.
With regards the colllagen supplementation – I do supplement but had recently found out that true connective tissue disorders can’t metabolise collagen so this is not helpful for them……..I still add it to my daughters green smoothies.