Testimonials: Asthma & The Paleo Diet

I am probably your biggest fan. About half of the new patients to my clinic know I am a strong proponent of the Paleo Diet before they get here and about one third have either read or have just purchased your book. It truly is the best tool I have to help my patients. Two quick stories if I may?

1. 42 y/o female RN, 192 lbs on 3 inhalers/day, has a handicapped sticker for her asthma and needed it, seen in Nov 2001. No changes in meds except to go on Paleo Diet per your lectures at Boulder. In Aug 2002, she knocked on my door one night and asked to come in to tell me “what had been happening to her.” “I weigh 138 lbs now and I’ve weighed that since April.” “I’m down to one inhaler once a day and to tell you the truth I really don’t think I need it I’m just afraid not to.” “I started riding my bike about 3 months ago and now I ride from 20 to 40 miles at a time, I not real fast but I can just keep going.” “I’m going on a 500-mile bike ride through Tennessee and Kentucky with some friends and I wondered if you had any advice.” I laughed and said, “Yes, drink a lot of water and wear reflective clothing.” She came in Nov for her annual exam and said she could not get anyone to go with her so she went by herself and rode 404 miles, but after riding in the rain for the last three days she checked the forecast and it looked like another week of it so she rented a car and drove to the airport and flew home. Great story!
2. Next is a 43 y/o 5’8″ 224# male pack-and-a-half-a-day smoker on blood pressure meds for three years brought in by his wife complaining of blurry vision. I noticed he had lost 9# since I last saw him and his blood pressure was 170/ 100. I also noticed his neck was smaller since I last saw him – more than you would expect with a 9# wt. loss, something I’ve seen with new onset diabetes. I asked him if he had been getting up a lot in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. He said “Yes, how did you know?” I checked a blood sugar on him and it was 611. I increased his blood pressure med and told him about diabetes. I started him on Avandia for diabetes and told him to read The Paleo Diet. Well, he didn’t read it but his wife did and she became the food Nazi. She took away his lunch money and brought him lunch. At the two week follow up visit he had lost about 3# more and was complaining about no salt and no potatoes but his bp was fine and his blood glucose was 254. I gave him some more samples and a script and told him to come back in 8 wks. At follow up he had lost about 4# and his blood glucose was 79 and bp was 112/72, so I praised them both for their good work. The wife then said almost apologetically, “Dr. Sebring, I’m sorry but we just couldn’t afford the prescription you gave us. He hasn’t taken any pills at all in three weeks.” He weighs 178# now and he is of course no longer diabetic or hypertensive and you couldn’t get him off the diet. I just wanted to let you know some of the good you have done.

Lane Sebring M.D.

I’m having a unique experience. I started slowly adjusting my diet closer to the lean meats, seafood, vegetables and fruits. I followed the diet even more closely when I came down to Florida. Perhaps it is a coincidence, or perhaps it is the change of climate from Wisconsin to Florida, but my exercise-induced asthma and chronic lung congestion has improved greatly. I haven’t taken my Advair inhaler in almost a week, and I’ve been taking it every day for three, maybe even four years, and my lungs are more clear than they have been in recent memory. I am almost normal in that I am no longer coughing up any phlegm like I have been doing for years. Here’s hoping it was diet related and it continues when I go back to La Crosse. If my change in diet is making the change in my lungs, you ought to get the Nobel Prize in medicine. I’m only sort of joking. That would be incredible. I will be patient as it may be all a coincidence. I have cut way back on the bagels, grains, cereal, rice, pasta and increased the fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish. I have also cut back on the bad fats and increased the good fats although I could do even better in this area. Keep your fingers crossed. It is kind of exciting and I’m hoping the change is permanent.

Anonymous

I have personally followed the Paleo Diet for the last two years, and many health problems disappeared after a few weeks to a few months…

I had often upper respiratory infections, and they slowly healed when on the Paleo and they never came back. Previously I used to have a cold every few months, and now this has improved so much that I only got a cold once in two years, and it disappeared in several days (before it took me over 3 weeks) on the Paleo and adding high doses of vitamin D3. I also noticed considerable fat loss, although I was not overweight to start with (15% body fat); it has decreased now to 7% at the age of 63! I did not lose any strength; the weights I am using are at least 20% heavier without extra effort.

Bernhard (Ben) van Meelen

I have to share a wonderful story with you regarding one of my clients.

I have a very overweight woman, Jenny, who recently started my bootcamp. She weighs 260 lbs at present. Until recently, she also suffered from exercise-induced asthma.

For the first week of bootcamp, she could not get through a class without her inhaler. Although I admired her dedication, it was painful and a bit scary to watch.

Then I put her on a Paleo Diet.

This week, after doing this for a little less than 2 weeks, she no longer needs her inhaler.

MIRACULOUS!!

You have changed my life and the lives of so many others. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Jenny’s also doing great on the diet – not hungry at all, so I know the weight will be coming off soon as well.

Shannon Franklin, CrossFit