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The Wahl's Protocal - anyone doing it?

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    The Wahl's Protocal - anyone doing it?

    I have been reading the book, The Wahls Protocol-How I beat Progressive MS using Paleo Principals and Functional Medicine, by Dr. Terry Wahls, at the encouragement of my husband. He has been following the diet and since he does much of the cooking in our house these days, so have I. That means I am trying to follow a gluten free, dairy free (although I love cheese!)diet, among other things.

    He has become a believer that I can improve my health and specifically my M.S. by adhering to Dr. Wahls' regime. While I want to get on the bandwagon too, I have to tell you that I have had M.S. for thirty-one years. I have tried to stay current on all things M.S. and have changed many things in my life to try to do that.

    But I now have secondary progressive, and I am not sure that the things that have been damaged in my body by the "ravages" can be fixed by the Wahls Protocol. These are things that I will consult with my neuro about specifically.

    My question for you is this - has anyone followed the Wahls Protocol and what are the changes that you have seen? I know everyone of us reacts differently and that each individual does not have a consistent reaction over time. But I am looking for a "gut reaction".

    I am going to go through with this, believing that it can only help. Since the book is on MSWorld's book list to be reviewed, it may help in completing our review of the book. So any anonymous opinions would be appreciated.
    Thanks, from me and my husband!!!

    ** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **

    #2
    My mother got me the book, and since she's here, I am sort of following the diet. I am doing it half butt like a lot of other things these days. My downfall is that all the vegan substitutes in coffee just don't cut it. Gotta be real, thick, organic 1/2 and 1/2.

    At this point, I am totally gluten free. I am eating a lot more vegetables, but I don't measure them out. Eating bacon and drinking pure coconut, as part of a diet no less, has been awesome. Less PMS symptoms are all I've noticed so far for my meager efforts. I make a lot of smoothies. My grocery bill has gone up about 30%.

    I came across a Reddit AMA chat that she participated in. I was impressed that she took on a lot of the hard questions asked (even one about what oil to use in your car, albeit facetiously). Her largest detractors cited her small sample sizes (N-1 [her] and N-10), but you know which other intervention had identical sample sizes, even including N-1 being the physician? Tecfidera. I find it far more concerning that she published her small cohort study in an alternative journal dripping with woo.

    I also find the claim on the cover of her book, "How I Beat Multiple Sclerosis" to be a bit sensational, considering on page 36:

    "Food can't do everything. I want you to understand that up front. I still have multiple sclerosis and I still have lesions in my cervical spinal cord. Some scarring and degeneration is permanent."

    You'll notice in the book she also states that you can eventually go off your meds with your doctor's blessing. Not sure if these are the functional medical practitioners of which she is fond, but I would be surprised for any neurologist to give the blessing for abandoning DMDs absent a longitudinal study with a large sample size.

    TL;DR: Results meager but so is adherence, I remain skeptical of this diet but think that she truly believes what she is promoting.

    Comment


      #3
      I believe she is selling snake oil praying on people who want to be cured.

      BUT, diet has improved the life for MANY people, and not just people with MS.

      Swank has had a very popular diet for many years now.
      I personally led my own journey with food as my medication.

      Removing crap, from your diet will help you no matter what affliction you are suffering from.

      Do whatever you can live with, as this is not a diet it is a lifestyle.

      I can say I feel a lot worse when i have gluten (leg cramps and hip weakness and mood), and meat is not even appealing to me any more so I cannot say how I feel after a meat binge.
      1995-symptoms with no cause
      2000-diagnosed with Probable MS.
      2000/1-started Avonex
      2002-Rebif b/c increasing brain plaques
      Nov-13-Tecfidera b/c needle fatigue&sympt

      Comment


        #4
        After reading the book, I totally agree with her conclusions that the functional medicine of a whole foods diet is valuable for all humans.

        That said, I've eaten fairly healthy all my life, with long periods of vegetarianism, and have avoided dairy for a good many years now, and it hasn't seemed to make that much of a dent in my MS. What's frustrating is: who knows if I would be worse without having done that!

        I'm finding her protocol fairly challenging -- nine cups of vegetables a day! I will continue to drink whole food smoothies packed with vegetables and fruits, try to up my protein, and avoid carbs, which I have finally realized are my real enemy and very likely implicated the health issues that I face.

        I crave all white foods! And I crave bread, and sugar. It is a daily struggle, but I'm committed to trying to follow the more moderate protocol plan, despite how many times I fall off the wagon.

        Comment


          #5
          Paleo/aip

          I have been following strictly this protocol for 10 1/2 weeks.

          I am PPMS ,dx 2008, homebound, disability level seven.
          100% disabled.

          So far I do not feel major improvement, however, I do not have the feeling that I am getting worse. I do notice small improvements. I journal food as well as how I feel daily.

          The hardest part of this lifestyle for me is patience. Every person is different and will require different amounts of time to heal. My progress is not linear.
          This lifestyle is a Challenge! I want to feel better and improve. I do not look at food this same Any longer. In my mind food is my medication.
          If this lifestyle works as I hope, or not, the food I am nourishing my body with has improved 100%..... I don't think I could lose regardless.
          [FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Dawn[/FONT]

          Comment


            #6
            Trying Wahls Paleo Diet

            I have been on the Wahls Paleo Diet for a couple of weeks. Having a problem getting in 9 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. I am waiting for a miracle to occur. While waiting, I am also following the suggestions on using a vibration machine and e-stim. I think I am little more mobile and I do have more energy. Or maybe I want to think I am more mobile and think I have more energy. My life has been complicated by having a husband with a diagnosis of Lewy Body Disease. We are trying the diet on him. He is responding well. He seems to be have a longer cognitive window.

            If nothing else, I feel like I am eating well. I lost a couple of pounds. I feel like I am taking charge of my body. We can say I have MS but MS does not have me until we are blue in the face, but unless I fight it, I am a victim

            Comment

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