Latest news with #WahlsProtocol
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Wheelchair bound woman gets back on her feet; says THIS diet helped her
Credit: Facebook/Mark Hyman, MD Imagine being told you have a disease that will slowly take away your ability to walk, sit, and even feed yourself. When the thought itself is difficult and disturbing for some, this is the harsh reality for many too. Dr. Terry Wahls comes in the latter group who, in 2000, was diagnosed with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a stage where symptoms steadily worsen, and disability increases. For many, this diagnosis feels like a life sentence with very little hope. But Dr. Wahls' story is not the regular one; rather, it's a story of hope, determination, and converting a 'maybe, never again' to 'someday soon.' What is SPMS? Secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is a stage of multiple sclerosis where symptoms gradually worsen over time without clear signs of further improvement. In SPMS, disability tends to increase, affecting body flexibility and daily activities. The exact cause of this change is not fully understood yet, but it usually means the disease has progressed to a more serious form. What actually happened? Terry Lynn Wahls is an American physician and paleo diet advocate, but for many, she has another identity:yes, the one who snoozed the 'Wheelchair-fate' using all her years of learning and knowledge. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Were So Beautiful Before; Now Look At Them; Number 10 Will Shock You Reportingly Undo She came up with a method some may call a 'magic trick' to slow the progression of her own MS. After being diagnosed with the condition in 2000, the situation was supposed to get 'worse' with time, and with no wonder, by 2003, Dr. Wahls was restricted to a tilt-recline wheelchair. She couldn't sit upright for more than a few minutes and struggled to even feed herself. Despite trying all the conventional treatments available, none were able to stop her from getting worse. Many patients with progressive MS face the same situation, as medicines often slow the disease but the chance of reversing the damage is very less. In a situation like this, based on her medical background, she immersed herself in scientific research, focusing on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction-the failure of the energy-producing parts of cells known as mitochondria-in neurodegenerative diseases. Inspired by what she found, she developed a nutrient-dense diet and lifestyle approach aimed to change her condition. What started as her personal experiment for personal betterment became a 'miracle', earning the name of Wahl's Protocol. Is the Paleo Diet actually the 'Magic diet'? With a consistent amount of research, Wahls developed the Wahls Protocol, a program based on Paleo principles and functional medicine to manage symptoms of MS and other autoimmune the question is: What is that magic shift that helped a patient to change her life? A paleo/Wahls-style diet is a nutrient-rich eating plan inspired by the Paleolithic diet, which focuses on foods humans likely ate during the Stone Age. It emphasizes plenty of colorful vegetables, fruits, high-quality animal proteins like fish and organ meats, and healthy fats, while excluding processed foods, grains, dairy, eggs, and added sugars. Credit:CANVA The Diet simply follows: To understand these complicated terms in the simplest way possible, she basically focused on improving mitochondrial function and reducing inflammation through nutrition and lifestyle changes. It talks about consuming a high intake of colorful vegetables-specifically nine or more cups daily-divided among leafy greens, sulfur-rich vegetables like cabbage and onions, and deeply colored vegetables such as carrots and beets. The diet also includes high-quality protein sources like fish and organ meats while excluding processed foods, gluten, dairy, eggs, and nightshade vegetables in its elimination version to reduce potential immune triggers. Her commitment paid off. Within a few years, Dr. Wahls dramatically reversed her symptoms and changed her life from accepting fate to actually writing her own fate. Clinical studies have reported that many MS patients following the Wahls Protocol experience a better quality of life. Experts caution, however, that while promising, the diet is not a cure-all, and further research is still going on. Dr. Wahls' story is a real-life example of 'if life knocks you down, find your own way to stand again.' Within a few months, her fatigue disappeared, and within six months, she was walking without a cane-an image that most people believed they would never get to see again. By nine months, she was cycling around the block, and a year later, she completed more than a 15-mile bike ride. Her comeback from severe disability to active cycling is well documented, showing how lifestyle changes made a significant impact on her health beyond conventional treatments. Credit:CANVA
WebMD
02-06-2025
- General
- WebMD
The Myth of the Perfect Patient
Nearly three years after my multiple sclerosis diagnosis, I've gone through more lifestyle changes than most people experience in a decade. I've been the health fanatic, the carefree spirit, and everything in between. Leading up to my diagnosis, I had already cut out gluten and dairy and was working with a nutritionist. But once I was hospitalized for my MS, I took things to an extreme. I fueled all my despair and anxiety into an obsessive focus on my health. I dove headfirst into the highest level of the Wahl's protocol with some additions: no carbs, no legumes, no nightshade vegetables, no cruciferous vegetables, no garlic, no onion, no sugar, no alcohol, low glycemic index fruits only, no vegetable oils, no coffee, no added sugars, no eggs, and only grass-fed and antibiotic-free proteins. My daily nutrition consisted of 9 cups of vegetables with high-quality protein and healthy fats at each meal. My only "treats" were berries, herbal tea, and kombucha. I lived like this for over a year while doing 18-hour fasts daily. The lifestyle changes were just as stark. I was in bed by 8 p.m. every day. I stopped going out, avoided restaurants, and stayed away from crowds out of fear of my new immunosuppressed status. I did acupuncture weekly, breath work, meditation, yoga, and consistently met with a nutritionist, health coach, and therapist. I was also on an elaborate vitamin regimen, taking multiple supplements with each meal: omega-3, selenium, zinc, vitamin D, turmeric, ashwagandha, vitamin B, probiotics, sea moss, iron, magnesium, and many more. Living like this was a full-time job. The only way I could really pull it off was short-term disability and working remotely. I worked with multiple functional medicine providers and spent an obscene amount of money on this lifestyle. Looking back, I don't even want to calculate how much it all cost. I genuinely thought that would be my life forever. It felt like my old life had ended with this diagnosis, and I'd spend my remaining days isolated from society, eating mostly vegetables, and spending all my money on organic foods. But about a year and a half later, after all my repeat MRIs came back clear, I started to loosen up. I began to travel again, which forced me to accept that I was going to eat foods that didn't adhere to my strict guidelines. I moved to a new city and realized creating a social life wouldn't be possible if I refused to go out. I started to feel safe in my disease's stability. Slowly, I began to live more like an average 25-year-old would. I went out on weekends, took trips, stayed up too late to hang out with friends, ordered food without checking if the meat was grass-fed, and most importantly, started enjoying the simple things again. People noticed the change. When I once needed 20 minutes to approve a menu before we went to a restaurant, I was now easy-going and spontaneous. I was having fun and so grateful to have a sense of normalcy back. Comparing my diet and lifestyle now to when I was first diagnosed, it would be safe to say I've completely "gone off the rails." But looking back, I was too hard on myself. I was scared and tried to control every aspect of my diet and lifestyle to prevent more flares. Once I was able to trust the medicines, adjust to immunosuppression, and feel better, I realized how lucky I was for this second chance at life. The pendulum had swung from one extreme to another. From hyper-vigilance to something resembling freedom. And neither extreme felt quite right for long. What I've learned is that there's no perfect way to manage MS. I have to find an approach that balances health with actually living a life worth the effort of staying healthy. Some days, that has to mean green smoothies and resting. On other days, it can mean staying out late with friends to drink all the sugary drinks we can find. In truth, I'm still figuring out where the middle ground is. But I know one thing for certain: The perfect patient doesn't exist. And pretending otherwise just adds unnecessary suffering to an already challenging journey. Having MS does come with its responsibilities, but expecting myself to be the perfect patient all the time has led to burnout. Instead of focusing on being the perfect patient, I've decided to focus on getting my spark and spirit back after a hard diagnosis and journey to stability. And lately, it truly does feel like I've found a part of myself again that I had lost in my journey.
