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The Wahls Protocol : How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine
An integrative approach to healing chronic autoimmune conditions by a doctor, researcher, and sufferer of progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) whose TEDx talk is already a web sensation
Like many physicians, Dr. Terry Wahls focused on treating her patients’ ailments with drugs or surgical procedures—until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2000. Within three years, her back and stomach muscles had weakened to the point where she needed a tilt-recline wheelchair. Conventional medical treatments were failing her, and she feared that she would be bedridden for the rest of her life.
Dr. Wahls began studying the latest research on autoimmune disease and brain biology, and decided to get her vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids from the food she ate rather than pills and supplements. Dr. Wahl’s adopted the nutrient-rich paleo diet, gradually refining and integrating it into a regimen of neuromuscular stimulation. First, she walked slowly, then steadily, and then she biked eighteen miles in a single day. In November 2011, Dr. Wahls shared her remarkable recovery in a TEDx talk that immediately went viral. Now, in The Wahls Protocol, she shares the details of the protocol that allowed her to reverse many of her symptoms, get back to her life, and embark on a new mission: to share the Wahls Protocol with others suffering from the ravages of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions.
Like many physicians, Dr. Terry Wahls focused on treating her patients’ ailments with drugs or surgical procedures—until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2000. Within three years, her back and stomach muscles had weakened to the point where she needed a tilt-recline wheelchair. Conventional medical treatments were failing her, and she feared that she would be bedridden for the rest of her life.
Dr. Wahls began studying the latest research on autoimmune disease and brain biology, and decided to get her vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids from the food she ate rather than pills and supplements. Dr. Wahl’s adopted the nutrient-rich paleo diet, gradually refining and integrating it into a regimen of neuromuscular stimulation. First, she walked slowly, then steadily, and then she biked eighteen miles in a single day. In November 2011, Dr. Wahls shared her remarkable recovery in a TEDx talk that immediately went viral. Now, in The Wahls Protocol, she shares the details of the protocol that allowed her to reverse many of her symptoms, get back to her life, and embark on a new mission: to share the Wahls Protocol with others suffering from the ravages of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published March 13, 2014
1927 people are currently reading
3539 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
September 18, 2016
Terry Wahls, a physician stricken with multiple sclerosis, has an incredible story to tell. Wheelchair-bound by her disease (the same one my wife, Donna, struggles with daily) she began experimenting with her diet, eventually hitting on an eating plan that enabled her to lead a relatively normal, physical life. Incredible, right? I wish that was what this book was about.
Instead, it is a well-intentioned how-to manual aimed at MS victims. A lot of it makes great sense: eliminating gluten because of its links with autoimmune issues, eating according to paleo principles that avoid the chemical onslaught of processed foods and better match the fuel human beings run on, and others. But the diet, separated into phases, gets really specific and limiting in its later phases. It is what worked for Wahls and apparently caused her amazing recovery. The problem is, that's the only basis for the diet. There are no hard scientific studies - just "it worked for me, it'll work for you!" That may be true. Part of me hopes it's true. But if Ms has taught me anything, it's that all bodies, all people, all MS cases, are different. THey react differently to the same stimuli. I am certain that Wahls is on to something important in MS research, but she's not there yet. And if my wife is going to have to give up Reese's Cups, she needs a sturdier base than that.
Instead, it is a well-intentioned how-to manual aimed at MS victims. A lot of it makes great sense: eliminating gluten because of its links with autoimmune issues, eating according to paleo principles that avoid the chemical onslaught of processed foods and better match the fuel human beings run on, and others. But the diet, separated into phases, gets really specific and limiting in its later phases. It is what worked for Wahls and apparently caused her amazing recovery. The problem is, that's the only basis for the diet. There are no hard scientific studies - just "it worked for me, it'll work for you!" That may be true. Part of me hopes it's true. But if Ms has taught me anything, it's that all bodies, all people, all MS cases, are different. THey react differently to the same stimuli. I am certain that Wahls is on to something important in MS research, but she's not there yet. And if my wife is going to have to give up Reese's Cups, she needs a sturdier base than that.
August 23, 2014
I have finished reading this book some weeks ago, but neglected to update here.
This is a book that will be reread again and again, and referred to frequently. It is a very valuable in addition to my health and nutritional resources bookshelf.
I am following the diet – – she has three levels of dietary regimens – – I have adopted the middle level – – Wahls Paleo
I had read her first self-published book, "Minding My Mitochondria" in early 2012, and had been following her nutritional guidelines for the most part since that time. However, I have not been 100% strict about it, But I had been strict enough about it to know that the things that she found helpful in her own healing process and also with her study patients, definitely was beneficial for me.
Reading this new book, which is much more professional, much more comprehensive, and much easier to read, has given me the impetus to stick to the strict regimen that has served her and her study patients well.
Granted, my kind of MS is much more severe and (probably) has a slightly different ideology than relapsing remitting/secondary progressive. However, since there is absolutely no allopathic treatments for my type of MS, I have always felt that my only options lie in the complementary and alternative realm, and changing my dietary regimen is definitely part of this.
In addition, she recommends using e-stim as part of the physical therapy/rehabilitation/retraining regimen. I have found it to be extraordinarily helpful. My neurologist was impressed with the improvements that he noted after I had been using the device on various muscle groups for only a couple of months. I continued to work with a personal unit at home, as well as working with my occupational and physical therapists who also utilize this device.
This is not a rigid nutritional plan that is hard to adapt! It makes complete sense, and healthy for anyone and everyone – – indeed, it means eating "clean".
Dr. Terry Wahls findings dovetail neatly with those of Dr. David Perlmutter, noted neurologist, and Dr. William Davis, cardiologist.
If you have a health problem of any kind, from autoimmune diseases right on down through the list, or have a child with ADHD, autism, it would be in your best interest to read not only this book, but the books by the other doctors I have noted above – – Dr. Perlmutter has written "Grain Brain" and Dr. Davis has written "Wheat Belly".
This is a book that will be reread again and again, and referred to frequently. It is a very valuable in addition to my health and nutritional resources bookshelf.
I am following the diet – – she has three levels of dietary regimens – – I have adopted the middle level – – Wahls Paleo
I had read her first self-published book, "Minding My Mitochondria" in early 2012, and had been following her nutritional guidelines for the most part since that time. However, I have not been 100% strict about it, But I had been strict enough about it to know that the things that she found helpful in her own healing process and also with her study patients, definitely was beneficial for me.
Reading this new book, which is much more professional, much more comprehensive, and much easier to read, has given me the impetus to stick to the strict regimen that has served her and her study patients well.
Granted, my kind of MS is much more severe and (probably) has a slightly different ideology than relapsing remitting/secondary progressive. However, since there is absolutely no allopathic treatments for my type of MS, I have always felt that my only options lie in the complementary and alternative realm, and changing my dietary regimen is definitely part of this.
In addition, she recommends using e-stim as part of the physical therapy/rehabilitation/retraining regimen. I have found it to be extraordinarily helpful. My neurologist was impressed with the improvements that he noted after I had been using the device on various muscle groups for only a couple of months. I continued to work with a personal unit at home, as well as working with my occupational and physical therapists who also utilize this device.
This is not a rigid nutritional plan that is hard to adapt! It makes complete sense, and healthy for anyone and everyone – – indeed, it means eating "clean".
Dr. Terry Wahls findings dovetail neatly with those of Dr. David Perlmutter, noted neurologist, and Dr. William Davis, cardiologist.
If you have a health problem of any kind, from autoimmune diseases right on down through the list, or have a child with ADHD, autism, it would be in your best interest to read not only this book, but the books by the other doctors I have noted above – – Dr. Perlmutter has written "Grain Brain" and Dr. Davis has written "Wheat Belly".
April 23, 2014
This is the BEST book on the power of nutrition to heal our chronic illnesses. It is thorough, inviting, thoughtful and a fascinating read. I agree whole-heartedly with Dr. Wahls' approach and protocol. So, very, very interesting. I think this is a tour de force book that anyone interesed in nutrition must read. Powerful, powerful concepts are taught in this book.
June 18, 2014
I'm getting a little tired of health books for people with auto-immune disease that have such positive spins and promise so much from just eating more vegetables. I realize that Dr Wahls isn't presenting her case for healing in such simplistic terms, but dealing with auto-immune disease is so multi-faceted and a lot more work than this book would lead one to believe. On the other hand, diet is huge to healing and for anyone dealing with illness or wanting to lead a healthier life. I definitely would recommend this book to family and friends who are well and would encourage anyone healthy or sick to adopt an eating regime close to what is relayed in this book, but I don't know if I would recommend to someone dealing with auto-immune. It left me feeling a little frustrated that I haven't seen the results I would like from diet and supplements alone...
September 25, 2014
As a historian, I'm offended; as the spouse of someone with MS, I'm willing to give it a try.
All the surrounding theoretical babble is questionable: from the very notion of "a" paleo diet, to the idea that only functional medicine gets at root causes of disease, to a "paleo" lifestyle incuding electrical-stimulation (!). The book, without seeming to know it, stands in the long tradition of alternative medicine cures that have been put out since the late nineteenth century, all of them bemoaning the poor state of America's health and the sorry state of its food. Heck, Sylvester Graham invented the Graham cracker in 1829. Nor is there any sense that MS has been particularly open to these kinds of interpretations: it was only characterized in the nineteenth century, itself, and has attracted alternative crusaders like Swank--whose theories are never mentioned here.
The explanation for the cause of MS is too broad: bad eating plus genes, although at other points the author is quick to downplay the importance of genes. Which again takes it back into late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century thought: you are completely in control, which means if you are not healthy it is your fault. You just need to be like those cavemen in humanity's Golden Age, eating exactly correct, exercising perfectly, and apparently living life without disease. The whole idea skips over all of human history, ignores the diversity of human cultures across the globe.
Having said all that. there's some common sense here. It's good that Wahls says to stay on your meds while you refine your diet. Toward the end of the book, she is more open to the possibility that the diet will not work for everyone, that her theories may, indeed, prove wrong.
At the end of the day, though, the ideas she suggests--and in much more detail than her first book, which we also tried to follow, with mixed success--eat your veggies. Avoid processed foods. Get more exercise. There are a lot of specifics, and they probably help, so we'll play around with those for a while, too.
Hopeful but not expectant.
All the surrounding theoretical babble is questionable: from the very notion of "a" paleo diet, to the idea that only functional medicine gets at root causes of disease, to a "paleo" lifestyle incuding electrical-stimulation (!). The book, without seeming to know it, stands in the long tradition of alternative medicine cures that have been put out since the late nineteenth century, all of them bemoaning the poor state of America's health and the sorry state of its food. Heck, Sylvester Graham invented the Graham cracker in 1829. Nor is there any sense that MS has been particularly open to these kinds of interpretations: it was only characterized in the nineteenth century, itself, and has attracted alternative crusaders like Swank--whose theories are never mentioned here.
The explanation for the cause of MS is too broad: bad eating plus genes, although at other points the author is quick to downplay the importance of genes. Which again takes it back into late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century thought: you are completely in control, which means if you are not healthy it is your fault. You just need to be like those cavemen in humanity's Golden Age, eating exactly correct, exercising perfectly, and apparently living life without disease. The whole idea skips over all of human history, ignores the diversity of human cultures across the globe.
Having said all that. there's some common sense here. It's good that Wahls says to stay on your meds while you refine your diet. Toward the end of the book, she is more open to the possibility that the diet will not work for everyone, that her theories may, indeed, prove wrong.
At the end of the day, though, the ideas she suggests--and in much more detail than her first book, which we also tried to follow, with mixed success--eat your veggies. Avoid processed foods. Get more exercise. There are a lot of specifics, and they probably help, so we'll play around with those for a while, too.
Hopeful but not expectant.
September 17, 2014
This book is pretty great. The entirety of the first few chapters where Dr Terry Wahls tells her own story of illness and then enormous recovery from illness through her own research and where she explains that the body is a self healing system so long as it is given the raw materials it needs to do so are all so quotable. I would like to quote whole pages of it and send it to people!
It's so well done. The content is great and it's been so finely edited that it reads very well too and gets right to the point with no waffling. A lot of information is condensed into a very short space. It's an enlightening and inspiring read with just the right amount of facts and personal information about the author.
There are three levels of the Wahls protocol. The Wahls Protocol, Wahls Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus which is the most strict and is for those that are the most ill. I'm only really a supporter and recommender of the third level of the protocol, Wahls Paleo Plus.
The other two protocols contain things like soy milk and yogurt and cheese (ugh!), soy flour, potato flour, packaged gluten-free foods such as crackers. Many allowed foods are extremely high in carbohydrate and anti-nutrients and very low in nutrients. This seems to be because the author is trying to make the programs easy to adjust to for those coming off a very junk-filled diet, which makes a lot of sense from that perspective and from the point of view of getting subjects in a study to adhere to the diet properly which is more likely if it contains a more of the foods they are used to.
But from a purely nutritional standpoint it's really not ideal. I and many ill people I know would be a lot sicker, fatter and have blood sugar all over the place if we ate the estimated 244 grams of carbohydrate on the Wahls Protocol, or even the estimated 178 grams of carbohydrate on Wahls Paleo. I doubt I was even eating anywhere near so much carbohydrate even before I went on a lower carb diet to treat diet-related insulin resistance issues and weight gain from same. One listed breakfast contains two whole cups of sweet fruit in it, a massive amount to eat at one sitting. The book also (bizarrely) claims that all three Wahls Protocols will improve blood sugar numbers. In my opinion for some of us at least this is only true for the ketogenic (or near ketogenic) Wahls Paleo Plus program.
Wahls Paleo Plus includes nutrient dense foods such as 6-12 ounces (180 - 360 g) of meat daily (some as organ meat and some as wild caught fish), coconut oil and milk in abundance for high ketones, 6-9 cups of vegetables daily depending on your size (and less than this if you're a very petite woman) mixed between greens, high sulfur veggies and colourful veggies, seaweed or algae eaten daily, cultured foods eaten daily such as homemade coconut yogurt or sauerkraut, up to 4 ounces (120 g) of soaked and sprouted or dried nuts and needs daily, up to 1 cup of fruit daily with berries and other low carbohydrate fruits preferred (as part of your 6-9 cups), plus olive oil, ghee and animal fats as desired.
The high amount of ketones produced from MCTs in coconut oil mean you can eat more vegetables and still stay in a ketogenic state. Roughly just over a third of daily calories are to come from coconut oil: 4-6 tablespoons of pure oil or the equivalent in coconut milk. The diet is roughly 65% fat by calories.
Wahls explains that Paleo Plus is a modified MCT ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diets have been shown to be beneficial for many types of neurological and other diseases and are very safe. Switching over form a sugar burning metabolism to a fat burning metabolism can take 3-6 weeks however, and can make you feel awful at first. Some recommend making this change gradually, while other find it easer to just get it over with and jump right into it (as I did). Once you're keto adapted the mental clarity and extra energy it brings you is pretty amazing, as is the loss of the need to eat quite so often. Fat is a slow burning fuel, while sugar burns fast like kindling, as nutrition expert Nora Gedgaudas has explained.
Wahls recommends doing urine ketone strips to measure your ketosis but adds that blood ketone tests are far more accurate. Some blood sugar monitors can also take ketone test strips and will give you a ketone measurement using just a drop of blood. To be in ketosis numbers should be between 0.5 and 3. It's so great to see an extremely specific and detailed food plan for serious disease so we can make sure to get every benefit out of our diet that we possibly can. The information was so helpful, even though I was doing most of the recommendations already.
Wahls also supports ideas such as:
* Supplements can in some cases be helpful, but they can never replace a nutrient dense and healthy diet. A proper diet must always come first. Foods contain many beneficial cofactors and other compounds not included in supplements and many that we have not yet even discovered or named.
* Getting evaluated for potential food allergies, toxic load issues and more personalised nutritional needs by a practitioner of functional medicine is a very good idea. The Institute for Functional Medicine can help you find a provider in your area.
* Drugs are not the answer. Let food, good wholesome food be thy medicine.
* "Between the unexpected, unpleasant events in our lives and our response to those events is a space, and in that space we have a choice in deciding what our response will be. We can either give up or get up each day and do our best."
* "Epigenetics is how your environment talks to your genes. Our cells are capable of reading the state of our environment and activating or deactivating genes. This means that, based on the choices we make, we can turn on genes for health or turn off those health-promoting genes. In other words, it is your health behaviours such as diet and activities, that determine whether the health-promoting or the health-robbing genes are active. For some conditions, such as cystic fibrosis or hemophilia, our genes are an important factor, often the cause of the disease. But for the obesity, heart disease, mental health and autoimmune epidemics that are driving up the cost of health care in the U.S. and around the world, there are no single genes that are the culprit. Instead, for each of these problems, multiple genes are involved, and they interact in a complex way with the environment."
* We need to stop blaming our genes for our illnesses and work on making the best of the 70% that is under our control.
* "Yes, it does cost more to eat vegetables. But you will pay the price either way--for food that restores your health and vitality or for doctor visits, drugs, surgery and loss of work due to health problems."
* "Functional medicine is really looking at health of the cell. And what can we do to help the individual make the environment for their cells, an environment for doing the biochemistry life more ideal. So that comes down to the fruit you eat or do not eat, the quality of the air you breathe, the water you drink, the toxic load that is in your body is a result of the exposure you had over a lifetime because if you couldn't get the toxins out the day you were exposed to them, they get parked in your fat and did you know that your brain is 70% fat? So if you can't get the toxins out you had today with your whatever your exposure was, you're parking it in your fat and your brain which is going to create havoc over time."
Hard to argue with any of that! I agree with all of it. Most of the above are quotes from Dr Wahls, from her many websites. Functional or holistic medicine just makes so much sense. It treats the actual cause of diseases, rather than just blindly drugging everything and focusing on endlessly chasing and minimising symptoms.
There are 3 basic principles of the type of medicine discussed by Wahls and others in this same field:
A. Get the good stuff in. Give your body the fuel and tools it needs to work at an optimum level. Good food, nutrients and all the proper vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Make sure you aren't deficient in any of the major nutrients as the different nutrients all work together.
B. Get the bad stuff out. Make sure your body can detoxify out all the toxic substances and toxic by-products of bodily processes properly. Stop as many toxins from getting in in the first place, and do things which aid detoxification to get rid of the ones you have.
C. Reduce your body's total load. The total load concept is that lessening the body's overall burden/work and stress level in one area, will improve health generally and improve the body's ability to heal because the body's total load (or burden) is lessened. Fixing one problem frees up bodily resources that can be then be used to help other parts of the body function getter or to heal. In other words, you need to look at the body as a whole in order to heal, and not just the one part of the body that is generating the most symptoms.
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A special note to M.E. patients on the Wahls protocol:
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is a neurological disease similar in some ways to MS, which also causes demyelination and mitochondrial dysfunction as well as significant vascular and cardiac issues.
For those with my particular neurological disease, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, it is important that activity levels be kept always within very strict limits, or else relapse will occur. (Death is also a risk in M.E. if overexertion is severe. This is not about symptoms or feeling fatigued, but a problem of cardiac insufficiency, reduced circulating blood volume and POTS and so on which is serious and non-negotiable. Overexertion always causes a worsening of the disease.) But of course activity levels can and should be raised slowly to keep in line with health improvements in M.E. - this is something that happens naturally anyway.
For those unfamiliar with the disease, many M.E. patients are housebound and almost entirely bedbound (and far too ill to use wheelchairs for even small periods of time in a day or week) and limited with even basic communication and reading; which is also part of why I am trying hard to summarise the work of Wahls for them as much as possible. Daily stretching, balance work and cardiovascular exercise is probably a great recommendation for almost everyone but should be omitted by M.E. patients unless they can do this without becoming more ill or symptomatic. The advice on pushing through symptoms is also not relevant to M.E. patient as many are severely ill due to doing exactly this for many years.
Also, Wahls says: 'It is common to have some level of detoxification (more fatigue, headache) in the first week which resolves and then improves markedly by week two.' I would say that for M.E. patients this statement is not quite right and is an enormous understatement. M.E. patients will often have quite severe healing reactions to supplementation and changes in diet. These can be severe enough to make a patient no longer able to feed themselves or do other tasks of daily living, as well as leave them in agony. They can also last FAR longer than just a week!
It is important for anyone ill to make the dietary changes gradually, and for patients with M.E. this caution should be taken very seriously. Jumping in with both feet too fast could leave you very very ill for months afterward. Healing reactions are a good sign that healing is occurring, but need to be controlled so they don't become overwhelming. Switch to the full Wahls Paleo Plus diet over a few months at least. Slowly but surely is the way to go! Improvements will almost certainly be slow too, so patience is necessary there as well, especially when the illness has been severe for many years or even several decades or more.
M.E. patients will also often do far better eating cooked veggies rather than raw, which can be too difficult and painful for us to digest and may not cope at all well with prolonged fasting. (For more M.E. patient-specific tips and cautions see the HHH and HFME websites.)
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This diet is described as an MS diet, but really this diet is the diet we have all evolved to be best suited to. All of us need such a nutrient-dense and low-toxicity diet, and so I hope people with all sorts of diseases look into the Wahls diet and not just those with neurological diseases. The diet can also help where there is not yet a correct diagnosis. We all need the right amounts of the nutrients that enable healing, no matter what disease we have.
For some people following this diet plan will be enough, but for others a higher level of intervention will be required in addition to the diet. The first step toward healing has to be an excellent diet and good gut health, combined with minimising toxin exposures. If more help is needed then, as Wahls explains, it is best to see a Functional medicine expert so that it can be determined what extra supplements or other supports you may need. The key is learning about your own 'biochemical individuality.' There are so many tests now which can be done to determine where your detoxification pathways are failing, which nutrients you need more of or have problems utilising or why your gut is still not functioning right.
For those that can't find or can't afford to see a Functional medicine expert, or cannot see any medical expert due to being housebound etc., an excellent companion to Wahls book are the books by Functional medicine experts such as Dr Sherry Rogers. Dr Rogers tells you exactly which tests may help you, how to treat more complex gut problems and how to go about following a more intensive detoxification regime involving a detox cocktail and FIR sauna use. Dr Rogers books are to some extent `do-it-yourself' health books but ideally Dr Rogers recommends that you get well with the help of a qualified practitioner that will be able to order the appropriate tests for you, and also help you interpret them.
Dr Sherry Rogers writes in `Detoxify or Die',
`I have to laugh when people ask me if I do alternative, herbal, acupuncture or holistic medicine. 'No,' I reply. 'We do state-of-the-art medicine. In other words, we find the biochemical, nutritional and environmental causes and cures rather than blindly drugging everything. Sure, herbs are gentler, safer and more physiologic than drugs and holistic medicine attempts to incorporate many diverse modalities, etc. But there is no substitute for finding the underlying biochemical causes and cures. This is real medicine. This is where medicine should and would have been decades ago, if it had not been abducted by the pharmaceutical industry.'
Following a super-high-quality diet is also the foundation of Dr Rogers' treatment plan and so starting with the Wahls diet (which is the best there is, along with Primal Body-Primal Mind) and then moving on (if necessary) to follow Dr Rogers' advice on advanced detoxification techniques just makes so much sense. The best book of hers to start with is Detoxify or Die. It is just brilliant and very easy to read as well. It has so much good information and support for sauna use and so much more. Her book 'The Safe, Effective Way to Prevent and Heal Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders' is also excellent.
In addition to books by Dr Sherry Rogers I'd also recommend books and articles by Dr Lawrence Wilson (particularly his book on sauna use), Dr Klenner, Dr Abram Hoffer, Andrew Saul, Sally Fallon and Mary Enig and any and all of the vitamin C and orthomolecular experts such as Linus Pauling and Dr Thomas Levy. Other excellent books on diet and nutrition (with huge amounts in common with the Wahls diet) include the BRILLIANT Primal Body-Primal Mind by the also brilliant Nora Gedgaudas as well as books on the GAPS diet for the treatment of dysbiosis and a diet-based plan to heal the gut.
Gut health is so important and if gut health is poor, then your body can't properly use all the wonderful nutritious food you are eating. Many of us need to heal the gut first of all, and this may at first involve supplements such as Betaine HCL, enzymes and probiotics, as well as dietary changes, as these books explain. All of these books, along with Wahls book, are far more than just standard Paleo diet books.
Combining the excellent Wahls diet with the advice on detoxification by Dr Rogers (including the use of an FIR sauna and a daily detox cocktail and 'oil change' nutrients and digestive supports) has seen me finally start to slowly improve my health since 2009. I'm slowly improving month by month from a very severe neurological disease - thanks in part to the work of Nora Gedgaudas, Dr Wahls and Dr Rogers, and others like them - that has left me housebound and almost entirely bedbound for many years. I have been housebound and almost entirely bedbound (and far too ill to even use a wheelchair, or even the phone) for over 10 years and I got ill when I was just 19. Getting slowly worse and worse year after year was terrifying, especially when I was so ill and disabled already.
I wish so much I had had this information early on in my disease, rather than coming to it more than 10 years in. Healing is so much easier the earlier you start it.
I wont know how much of my damage is irreversible until I improve a lot more (a LOT more I hope!) and find out where I plateau. But for those that have been ill 'only' 5 or 7 years or less, or that are not severely ill, I do think these approaches could be curative or very close to it. At the very least they will undo as much damage as can be undone which is what this book very sensibly promises.
My big dream is to get to a 30% function level, where I can live independently.... I'm still so far away from that currently, but I am at least making slow but sure progress now! Being able to cook a little this last few years after 8 years or more not being able to even make myself a cup of tea has been just so wonderful. Cooking myself an egg is a joyful experience! It is so wonderful to now each month be getting small UNsymptoms and UNdisabilities!
I have learned so much about health that I would never have known if I had not become so ill and been forced to learn it!
Dr Wahls is the real deal and is clearly motivated by a genuine desire to help ill people improve their health. I wish her and her Foundation all the best and thank them for all their wonderful work. This is real cutting edge medicine.
Wahls explains it takes 1 year to replace all your skin cells, 1-3 years to replace the cells in the liver and kidneys, 15 years to replace heart muscle cells, and 7-10 years to replace myelin. No drug will ever be able to do this for you and only you can do it for yourself. So why not get started rebuilding yourself today!
Best wishes for future health to anyone nutrition-nerdy enough to read this far!
Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Health Healing & Hummingbirds
It's so well done. The content is great and it's been so finely edited that it reads very well too and gets right to the point with no waffling. A lot of information is condensed into a very short space. It's an enlightening and inspiring read with just the right amount of facts and personal information about the author.
There are three levels of the Wahls protocol. The Wahls Protocol, Wahls Paleo and Wahls Paleo Plus which is the most strict and is for those that are the most ill. I'm only really a supporter and recommender of the third level of the protocol, Wahls Paleo Plus.
The other two protocols contain things like soy milk and yogurt and cheese (ugh!), soy flour, potato flour, packaged gluten-free foods such as crackers. Many allowed foods are extremely high in carbohydrate and anti-nutrients and very low in nutrients. This seems to be because the author is trying to make the programs easy to adjust to for those coming off a very junk-filled diet, which makes a lot of sense from that perspective and from the point of view of getting subjects in a study to adhere to the diet properly which is more likely if it contains a more of the foods they are used to.
But from a purely nutritional standpoint it's really not ideal. I and many ill people I know would be a lot sicker, fatter and have blood sugar all over the place if we ate the estimated 244 grams of carbohydrate on the Wahls Protocol, or even the estimated 178 grams of carbohydrate on Wahls Paleo. I doubt I was even eating anywhere near so much carbohydrate even before I went on a lower carb diet to treat diet-related insulin resistance issues and weight gain from same. One listed breakfast contains two whole cups of sweet fruit in it, a massive amount to eat at one sitting. The book also (bizarrely) claims that all three Wahls Protocols will improve blood sugar numbers. In my opinion for some of us at least this is only true for the ketogenic (or near ketogenic) Wahls Paleo Plus program.
Wahls Paleo Plus includes nutrient dense foods such as 6-12 ounces (180 - 360 g) of meat daily (some as organ meat and some as wild caught fish), coconut oil and milk in abundance for high ketones, 6-9 cups of vegetables daily depending on your size (and less than this if you're a very petite woman) mixed between greens, high sulfur veggies and colourful veggies, seaweed or algae eaten daily, cultured foods eaten daily such as homemade coconut yogurt or sauerkraut, up to 4 ounces (120 g) of soaked and sprouted or dried nuts and needs daily, up to 1 cup of fruit daily with berries and other low carbohydrate fruits preferred (as part of your 6-9 cups), plus olive oil, ghee and animal fats as desired.
The high amount of ketones produced from MCTs in coconut oil mean you can eat more vegetables and still stay in a ketogenic state. Roughly just over a third of daily calories are to come from coconut oil: 4-6 tablespoons of pure oil or the equivalent in coconut milk. The diet is roughly 65% fat by calories.
Wahls explains that Paleo Plus is a modified MCT ketogenic diet. Ketogenic diets have been shown to be beneficial for many types of neurological and other diseases and are very safe. Switching over form a sugar burning metabolism to a fat burning metabolism can take 3-6 weeks however, and can make you feel awful at first. Some recommend making this change gradually, while other find it easer to just get it over with and jump right into it (as I did). Once you're keto adapted the mental clarity and extra energy it brings you is pretty amazing, as is the loss of the need to eat quite so often. Fat is a slow burning fuel, while sugar burns fast like kindling, as nutrition expert Nora Gedgaudas has explained.
Wahls recommends doing urine ketone strips to measure your ketosis but adds that blood ketone tests are far more accurate. Some blood sugar monitors can also take ketone test strips and will give you a ketone measurement using just a drop of blood. To be in ketosis numbers should be between 0.5 and 3. It's so great to see an extremely specific and detailed food plan for serious disease so we can make sure to get every benefit out of our diet that we possibly can. The information was so helpful, even though I was doing most of the recommendations already.
Wahls also supports ideas such as:
* Supplements can in some cases be helpful, but they can never replace a nutrient dense and healthy diet. A proper diet must always come first. Foods contain many beneficial cofactors and other compounds not included in supplements and many that we have not yet even discovered or named.
* Getting evaluated for potential food allergies, toxic load issues and more personalised nutritional needs by a practitioner of functional medicine is a very good idea. The Institute for Functional Medicine can help you find a provider in your area.
* Drugs are not the answer. Let food, good wholesome food be thy medicine.
* "Between the unexpected, unpleasant events in our lives and our response to those events is a space, and in that space we have a choice in deciding what our response will be. We can either give up or get up each day and do our best."
* "Epigenetics is how your environment talks to your genes. Our cells are capable of reading the state of our environment and activating or deactivating genes. This means that, based on the choices we make, we can turn on genes for health or turn off those health-promoting genes. In other words, it is your health behaviours such as diet and activities, that determine whether the health-promoting or the health-robbing genes are active. For some conditions, such as cystic fibrosis or hemophilia, our genes are an important factor, often the cause of the disease. But for the obesity, heart disease, mental health and autoimmune epidemics that are driving up the cost of health care in the U.S. and around the world, there are no single genes that are the culprit. Instead, for each of these problems, multiple genes are involved, and they interact in a complex way with the environment."
* We need to stop blaming our genes for our illnesses and work on making the best of the 70% that is under our control.
* "Yes, it does cost more to eat vegetables. But you will pay the price either way--for food that restores your health and vitality or for doctor visits, drugs, surgery and loss of work due to health problems."
* "Functional medicine is really looking at health of the cell. And what can we do to help the individual make the environment for their cells, an environment for doing the biochemistry life more ideal. So that comes down to the fruit you eat or do not eat, the quality of the air you breathe, the water you drink, the toxic load that is in your body is a result of the exposure you had over a lifetime because if you couldn't get the toxins out the day you were exposed to them, they get parked in your fat and did you know that your brain is 70% fat? So if you can't get the toxins out you had today with your whatever your exposure was, you're parking it in your fat and your brain which is going to create havoc over time."
Hard to argue with any of that! I agree with all of it. Most of the above are quotes from Dr Wahls, from her many websites. Functional or holistic medicine just makes so much sense. It treats the actual cause of diseases, rather than just blindly drugging everything and focusing on endlessly chasing and minimising symptoms.
There are 3 basic principles of the type of medicine discussed by Wahls and others in this same field:
A. Get the good stuff in. Give your body the fuel and tools it needs to work at an optimum level. Good food, nutrients and all the proper vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Make sure you aren't deficient in any of the major nutrients as the different nutrients all work together.
B. Get the bad stuff out. Make sure your body can detoxify out all the toxic substances and toxic by-products of bodily processes properly. Stop as many toxins from getting in in the first place, and do things which aid detoxification to get rid of the ones you have.
C. Reduce your body's total load. The total load concept is that lessening the body's overall burden/work and stress level in one area, will improve health generally and improve the body's ability to heal because the body's total load (or burden) is lessened. Fixing one problem frees up bodily resources that can be then be used to help other parts of the body function getter or to heal. In other words, you need to look at the body as a whole in order to heal, and not just the one part of the body that is generating the most symptoms.
------
A special note to M.E. patients on the Wahls protocol:
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is a neurological disease similar in some ways to MS, which also causes demyelination and mitochondrial dysfunction as well as significant vascular and cardiac issues.
For those with my particular neurological disease, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, it is important that activity levels be kept always within very strict limits, or else relapse will occur. (Death is also a risk in M.E. if overexertion is severe. This is not about symptoms or feeling fatigued, but a problem of cardiac insufficiency, reduced circulating blood volume and POTS and so on which is serious and non-negotiable. Overexertion always causes a worsening of the disease.) But of course activity levels can and should be raised slowly to keep in line with health improvements in M.E. - this is something that happens naturally anyway.
For those unfamiliar with the disease, many M.E. patients are housebound and almost entirely bedbound (and far too ill to use wheelchairs for even small periods of time in a day or week) and limited with even basic communication and reading; which is also part of why I am trying hard to summarise the work of Wahls for them as much as possible. Daily stretching, balance work and cardiovascular exercise is probably a great recommendation for almost everyone but should be omitted by M.E. patients unless they can do this without becoming more ill or symptomatic. The advice on pushing through symptoms is also not relevant to M.E. patient as many are severely ill due to doing exactly this for many years.
Also, Wahls says: 'It is common to have some level of detoxification (more fatigue, headache) in the first week which resolves and then improves markedly by week two.' I would say that for M.E. patients this statement is not quite right and is an enormous understatement. M.E. patients will often have quite severe healing reactions to supplementation and changes in diet. These can be severe enough to make a patient no longer able to feed themselves or do other tasks of daily living, as well as leave them in agony. They can also last FAR longer than just a week!
It is important for anyone ill to make the dietary changes gradually, and for patients with M.E. this caution should be taken very seriously. Jumping in with both feet too fast could leave you very very ill for months afterward. Healing reactions are a good sign that healing is occurring, but need to be controlled so they don't become overwhelming. Switch to the full Wahls Paleo Plus diet over a few months at least. Slowly but surely is the way to go! Improvements will almost certainly be slow too, so patience is necessary there as well, especially when the illness has been severe for many years or even several decades or more.
M.E. patients will also often do far better eating cooked veggies rather than raw, which can be too difficult and painful for us to digest and may not cope at all well with prolonged fasting. (For more M.E. patient-specific tips and cautions see the HHH and HFME websites.)
-------
This diet is described as an MS diet, but really this diet is the diet we have all evolved to be best suited to. All of us need such a nutrient-dense and low-toxicity diet, and so I hope people with all sorts of diseases look into the Wahls diet and not just those with neurological diseases. The diet can also help where there is not yet a correct diagnosis. We all need the right amounts of the nutrients that enable healing, no matter what disease we have.
For some people following this diet plan will be enough, but for others a higher level of intervention will be required in addition to the diet. The first step toward healing has to be an excellent diet and good gut health, combined with minimising toxin exposures. If more help is needed then, as Wahls explains, it is best to see a Functional medicine expert so that it can be determined what extra supplements or other supports you may need. The key is learning about your own 'biochemical individuality.' There are so many tests now which can be done to determine where your detoxification pathways are failing, which nutrients you need more of or have problems utilising or why your gut is still not functioning right.
For those that can't find or can't afford to see a Functional medicine expert, or cannot see any medical expert due to being housebound etc., an excellent companion to Wahls book are the books by Functional medicine experts such as Dr Sherry Rogers. Dr Rogers tells you exactly which tests may help you, how to treat more complex gut problems and how to go about following a more intensive detoxification regime involving a detox cocktail and FIR sauna use. Dr Rogers books are to some extent `do-it-yourself' health books but ideally Dr Rogers recommends that you get well with the help of a qualified practitioner that will be able to order the appropriate tests for you, and also help you interpret them.
Dr Sherry Rogers writes in `Detoxify or Die',
`I have to laugh when people ask me if I do alternative, herbal, acupuncture or holistic medicine. 'No,' I reply. 'We do state-of-the-art medicine. In other words, we find the biochemical, nutritional and environmental causes and cures rather than blindly drugging everything. Sure, herbs are gentler, safer and more physiologic than drugs and holistic medicine attempts to incorporate many diverse modalities, etc. But there is no substitute for finding the underlying biochemical causes and cures. This is real medicine. This is where medicine should and would have been decades ago, if it had not been abducted by the pharmaceutical industry.'
Following a super-high-quality diet is also the foundation of Dr Rogers' treatment plan and so starting with the Wahls diet (which is the best there is, along with Primal Body-Primal Mind) and then moving on (if necessary) to follow Dr Rogers' advice on advanced detoxification techniques just makes so much sense. The best book of hers to start with is Detoxify or Die. It is just brilliant and very easy to read as well. It has so much good information and support for sauna use and so much more. Her book 'The Safe, Effective Way to Prevent and Heal Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders' is also excellent.
In addition to books by Dr Sherry Rogers I'd also recommend books and articles by Dr Lawrence Wilson (particularly his book on sauna use), Dr Klenner, Dr Abram Hoffer, Andrew Saul, Sally Fallon and Mary Enig and any and all of the vitamin C and orthomolecular experts such as Linus Pauling and Dr Thomas Levy. Other excellent books on diet and nutrition (with huge amounts in common with the Wahls diet) include the BRILLIANT Primal Body-Primal Mind by the also brilliant Nora Gedgaudas as well as books on the GAPS diet for the treatment of dysbiosis and a diet-based plan to heal the gut.
Gut health is so important and if gut health is poor, then your body can't properly use all the wonderful nutritious food you are eating. Many of us need to heal the gut first of all, and this may at first involve supplements such as Betaine HCL, enzymes and probiotics, as well as dietary changes, as these books explain. All of these books, along with Wahls book, are far more than just standard Paleo diet books.
Combining the excellent Wahls diet with the advice on detoxification by Dr Rogers (including the use of an FIR sauna and a daily detox cocktail and 'oil change' nutrients and digestive supports) has seen me finally start to slowly improve my health since 2009. I'm slowly improving month by month from a very severe neurological disease - thanks in part to the work of Nora Gedgaudas, Dr Wahls and Dr Rogers, and others like them - that has left me housebound and almost entirely bedbound for many years. I have been housebound and almost entirely bedbound (and far too ill to even use a wheelchair, or even the phone) for over 10 years and I got ill when I was just 19. Getting slowly worse and worse year after year was terrifying, especially when I was so ill and disabled already.
I wish so much I had had this information early on in my disease, rather than coming to it more than 10 years in. Healing is so much easier the earlier you start it.
I wont know how much of my damage is irreversible until I improve a lot more (a LOT more I hope!) and find out where I plateau. But for those that have been ill 'only' 5 or 7 years or less, or that are not severely ill, I do think these approaches could be curative or very close to it. At the very least they will undo as much damage as can be undone which is what this book very sensibly promises.
My big dream is to get to a 30% function level, where I can live independently.... I'm still so far away from that currently, but I am at least making slow but sure progress now! Being able to cook a little this last few years after 8 years or more not being able to even make myself a cup of tea has been just so wonderful. Cooking myself an egg is a joyful experience! It is so wonderful to now each month be getting small UNsymptoms and UNdisabilities!
I have learned so much about health that I would never have known if I had not become so ill and been forced to learn it!
Dr Wahls is the real deal and is clearly motivated by a genuine desire to help ill people improve their health. I wish her and her Foundation all the best and thank them for all their wonderful work. This is real cutting edge medicine.
Wahls explains it takes 1 year to replace all your skin cells, 1-3 years to replace the cells in the liver and kidneys, 15 years to replace heart muscle cells, and 7-10 years to replace myelin. No drug will ever be able to do this for you and only you can do it for yourself. So why not get started rebuilding yourself today!
Best wishes for future health to anyone nutrition-nerdy enough to read this far!
Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Health Healing & Hummingbirds
October 17, 2017
I am very glad that I read the Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life book first. This book is like most other introduction to a food plan books. Person is sick, person changed their diet and got better. As someone with RA I completely agree with this and am looking to include ideas from the Whals Protocol. However, it gets tedious reading the same format over and over. If this is the first book of that format that you have read it is good and has a number of interesting medical points. For the most part though I would recommend just reading Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life.
July 17, 2023
I was diagnosed with MS in the summer of 2015 and this is the first book I read on MS, which my neurologist leant to me after I told her I wanted to approach a holistic way of dealing with my symtoms rather then medication (which I ended up on anyways). This book taught me many lessons about the Paleo diet, which I've mostly switched too. Cut dairy, gluten and sugar after reading this book and am please with the way it's transformed my body in many healthy ways. By removing these items from my diet (for over a year now) I have loads of energy and virtually no brain fog. Only symtom I still casually get is tingles in the right arm.
I think the idea around eating 9 cups of vegetables a day for every individual is a bit intense, and each individual should eat slowly, chew well and not over eat in general. Fasting is a healthy practice that the Western world should look further into, and a good place to start is Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. I give it 3 stars and recommend it to anyone dealing with an auto-immune disease.
I think the idea around eating 9 cups of vegetables a day for every individual is a bit intense, and each individual should eat slowly, chew well and not over eat in general. Fasting is a healthy practice that the Western world should look further into, and a good place to start is Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford. I give it 3 stars and recommend it to anyone dealing with an auto-immune disease.
December 7, 2022
Rating: 1.5 stars,
Recommed: don't recommend for anyone, gave it 2 stars as there are slivers of good info
Overall: One size fits all approach, relies on anecdotal evidence, very classist and ableist.
Warning: uses strong diet language and may be triggering for those with eating disorders
This book reminded me why I avoid diet books. Most of the claims are inflated and misleading; some are blatantly wrong.
Things I disliked (stopped marking them halfway through the book):
- The author is careful not to promise a "cure," but uses almost every synonym for cure and STRONGLY implies that going on her diet will cure almost any disease.
- Oversimplifies medicine - claims that since inflammation is present in most diseases, simply reducing inflammation will cure all disease (hint: it's much more complex and nuanced than that)
- Implies that all western medicine is bad and medications only cause harm while making us think they help. Explicitly implies that psyciatric meds are harmful without any benefits (usually it is agreed that someone unaliving themself is worse for their health than medication side effects...)
- Gives description of Paleolithic diet that supports her choices. Some okay info there. However, there was way more variation in Paleolithic diets including types of foods, ratios of plant to animal foods, and macronutrient ratios.
- Adds a weak disclaimer to follow to primary care provider on meds, dosing, and timing, while following it up with language to discredit conventional family medicine doctors. Tries to discredit conventional medicine by raising doubts about it (some legit criticisms, some bogus) without encouraging critical thinking needed to make good medical decisions.
- Claims to have figured out on her own a breakthrough in science that ALL the specialists in that field somehow missed (this does happen, but very rarely)
- Uses language that implies if someone doesn't change their diet and symtoms get worse, it's their own fault (both wrong and potentially very harmful)
- Completely downplays mental illness, neurodivergence, & most disabilities ("just do it" "I did it, so can you")
- Completely downplays financial struggles. Gives some helpful tips to make changes fit a budget...but they're the kind of advice that are helpful with a middle class income. Most of her recommendations are laughably impossible on a middle lower class or working class income.
- Ignores that some people live in food deserts and DO NOT have access to good quality, reasonably priced whole foods.
- Downplays that many have inadequate transportation (again common for working class individuals & families)
- Conveniently uses quotes from "Wahls Warriors" that shower praise on Dr. Wahls herself, not just the diet.
- Mentions a number of other therapies and treatments she was receiving throughout her dietary changes (both conventional medicine & alternative therapies) but fails to give them equal credit for her symptom improvement
- Claims at the beginning that she will lay out the strong research to support her claims, but only talks about 2 very early studies with minimal description of the methods and outcomes. Also, both were directed by her, which introduces a significant concern for bias and conflict of interest.
- Explicitly says eggs are not part of the Wahls diet because of HER OWN allergy to them. Obviously, I don't expect her to experiment with eggs, but telling others to cut them out without any reason to suspect a sensitivity is not good medical advice.
- Also makes some choices about the Wahls diet protocol based on foods eaten by HER parents and grandparents. Considering her strict guidelines for the diet and implication that everyone shohld follow it, she ifnores her own CULTURAL food bias.
- Claims her diet ALONE is the answer, not the characteristics of the diet - like lots of fresh fruits and veggies, high quality meat & seafood, and cutting back on processed foods (which nutrition experts already know and frequently recommend)
- Shames people for choosing to be vegetarian or vegan (1. NOT backed by science 2. Downplays choices made for ethical, moral, cultural, or religious reasons, and 3. shaming people's diet choices is not okay!)
- Claims vegetarian diet is dangerous and deficient in nutrients (blatantly incorrect, VEGAN diets can be deficient in a couple nutrients and should be carefully planned, but both can be nutritionally adequate or even superior diets)
- Generally correct about carb content of food with a couple exceptions:
- 1. suggests brown rice doesn't induce an insulin response (It will. Brown rice will digest and absorb slower due to fiber and other nutrient content, but it is still a good source of carbs like white rice)
- 2. Instructs reader to eat only "low carb" fruits which according to her are berries. While there is sugar/carb variation, berries are very similar to most other fruit in how much they have.
- Does okay acknowledging allergies while outlining specifics of the the diet. Gives some alternatives and guidelines. The big exception was calling shellfish allergies "seafood intolerances," which is especially strange as shellfish allergies are both one of the 8 most common food allergies and one of the more common food allergies that lead to severe reactions including anyphylaxis.
- Uses sensationalistic & fear inducing diet culture language like "toxins" "detoxing" "reversing disease" "maximizing health" "become younger" and many more. Encourages intermittent fasting (play for some, NOT okay for everyone)? and barely comes short of guaranteeing weight loss.
- Suggests starting slowly and acknowledging slip ups, then turns around and says to try for 100 days without "cheating," which is not an insignificant amount of time for a strict diet.
- Suggests not following the diet WILL lead to autoimmune disease.
- Ignores genetic variation.
- Suggests only functional medicine looks at the whole patient and encourages diet and lifestyle change. While conventional medicine is by no means perfect at this, the whole patient approach & lifestyle change recommendations are still very common in most family medicine.
- Focuses on how much SHE has helped others. Book feels incredibly self-aggrandizing rather than passion or excitement for medical advancements. Paints self as a benevolent, heroic genius for sharing her "perfect" diet.
- Brings up, then doesn't address, taste preferences and how some people may dislike the specific veggies she instructs the reader to choose.
- Claims carbs are awful and not natural (Again, carb intake varied significantly in Paleolithic diets. There was no one perfect diet then OR now)
Overall negatives
- Sensationalistic language
- Oversimplification & Overpromising
- Using fear to motivate change
- Completely ignores privilege - financial, social, geographical, etc
- Jumping ahead of science
A few Positives
- Some benefits shown in early research (likely due to diet characteristics, not the specific diet itself)
- Some anecdotal evidence that a portion of MS patients do benefit (SOME, not all or even a majority)
- Is likely nutritionally adequate for most people
- Encourages buying local meat & local & seasonal produce
Recommed: don't recommend for anyone, gave it 2 stars as there are slivers of good info
Overall: One size fits all approach, relies on anecdotal evidence, very classist and ableist.
Warning: uses strong diet language and may be triggering for those with eating disorders
This book reminded me why I avoid diet books. Most of the claims are inflated and misleading; some are blatantly wrong.
Things I disliked (stopped marking them halfway through the book):
- The author is careful not to promise a "cure," but uses almost every synonym for cure and STRONGLY implies that going on her diet will cure almost any disease.
- Oversimplifies medicine - claims that since inflammation is present in most diseases, simply reducing inflammation will cure all disease (hint: it's much more complex and nuanced than that)
- Implies that all western medicine is bad and medications only cause harm while making us think they help. Explicitly implies that psyciatric meds are harmful without any benefits (usually it is agreed that someone unaliving themself is worse for their health than medication side effects...)
- Gives description of Paleolithic diet that supports her choices. Some okay info there. However, there was way more variation in Paleolithic diets including types of foods, ratios of plant to animal foods, and macronutrient ratios.
- Adds a weak disclaimer to follow to primary care provider on meds, dosing, and timing, while following it up with language to discredit conventional family medicine doctors. Tries to discredit conventional medicine by raising doubts about it (some legit criticisms, some bogus) without encouraging critical thinking needed to make good medical decisions.
- Claims to have figured out on her own a breakthrough in science that ALL the specialists in that field somehow missed (this does happen, but very rarely)
- Uses language that implies if someone doesn't change their diet and symtoms get worse, it's their own fault (both wrong and potentially very harmful)
- Completely downplays mental illness, neurodivergence, & most disabilities ("just do it" "I did it, so can you")
- Completely downplays financial struggles. Gives some helpful tips to make changes fit a budget...but they're the kind of advice that are helpful with a middle class income. Most of her recommendations are laughably impossible on a middle lower class or working class income.
- Ignores that some people live in food deserts and DO NOT have access to good quality, reasonably priced whole foods.
- Downplays that many have inadequate transportation (again common for working class individuals & families)
- Conveniently uses quotes from "Wahls Warriors" that shower praise on Dr. Wahls herself, not just the diet.
- Mentions a number of other therapies and treatments she was receiving throughout her dietary changes (both conventional medicine & alternative therapies) but fails to give them equal credit for her symptom improvement
- Claims at the beginning that she will lay out the strong research to support her claims, but only talks about 2 very early studies with minimal description of the methods and outcomes. Also, both were directed by her, which introduces a significant concern for bias and conflict of interest.
- Explicitly says eggs are not part of the Wahls diet because of HER OWN allergy to them. Obviously, I don't expect her to experiment with eggs, but telling others to cut them out without any reason to suspect a sensitivity is not good medical advice.
- Also makes some choices about the Wahls diet protocol based on foods eaten by HER parents and grandparents. Considering her strict guidelines for the diet and implication that everyone shohld follow it, she ifnores her own CULTURAL food bias.
- Claims her diet ALONE is the answer, not the characteristics of the diet - like lots of fresh fruits and veggies, high quality meat & seafood, and cutting back on processed foods (which nutrition experts already know and frequently recommend)
- Shames people for choosing to be vegetarian or vegan (1. NOT backed by science 2. Downplays choices made for ethical, moral, cultural, or religious reasons, and 3. shaming people's diet choices is not okay!)
- Claims vegetarian diet is dangerous and deficient in nutrients (blatantly incorrect, VEGAN diets can be deficient in a couple nutrients and should be carefully planned, but both can be nutritionally adequate or even superior diets)
- Generally correct about carb content of food with a couple exceptions:
- 1. suggests brown rice doesn't induce an insulin response (It will. Brown rice will digest and absorb slower due to fiber and other nutrient content, but it is still a good source of carbs like white rice)
- 2. Instructs reader to eat only "low carb" fruits which according to her are berries. While there is sugar/carb variation, berries are very similar to most other fruit in how much they have.
- Does okay acknowledging allergies while outlining specifics of the the diet. Gives some alternatives and guidelines. The big exception was calling shellfish allergies "seafood intolerances," which is especially strange as shellfish allergies are both one of the 8 most common food allergies and one of the more common food allergies that lead to severe reactions including anyphylaxis.
- Uses sensationalistic & fear inducing diet culture language like "toxins" "detoxing" "reversing disease" "maximizing health" "become younger" and many more. Encourages intermittent fasting (play for some, NOT okay for everyone)? and barely comes short of guaranteeing weight loss.
- Suggests starting slowly and acknowledging slip ups, then turns around and says to try for 100 days without "cheating," which is not an insignificant amount of time for a strict diet.
- Suggests not following the diet WILL lead to autoimmune disease.
- Ignores genetic variation.
- Suggests only functional medicine looks at the whole patient and encourages diet and lifestyle change. While conventional medicine is by no means perfect at this, the whole patient approach & lifestyle change recommendations are still very common in most family medicine.
- Focuses on how much SHE has helped others. Book feels incredibly self-aggrandizing rather than passion or excitement for medical advancements. Paints self as a benevolent, heroic genius for sharing her "perfect" diet.
- Brings up, then doesn't address, taste preferences and how some people may dislike the specific veggies she instructs the reader to choose.
- Claims carbs are awful and not natural (Again, carb intake varied significantly in Paleolithic diets. There was no one perfect diet then OR now)
Overall negatives
- Sensationalistic language
- Oversimplification & Overpromising
- Using fear to motivate change
- Completely ignores privilege - financial, social, geographical, etc
- Jumping ahead of science
A few Positives
- Some benefits shown in early research (likely due to diet characteristics, not the specific diet itself)
- Some anecdotal evidence that a portion of MS patients do benefit (SOME, not all or even a majority)
- Is likely nutritionally adequate for most people
- Encourages buying local meat & local & seasonal produce
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2014
I read this book as a follow up to reading Primal Body, Primal Mind and I am so glad that I did! What sets this book above and beyond Primal Body, Primal Mind, is: (1) the first few chapters are very important and interesting; (2) Dr. Wahls explains the rationale for each of her recommendations with more facts and less personal opinion and conclusions; (3) Dr. Wahls' level of specificity in detailing each of the three diets, daily menus and micronutrient content is much higher; (4) Dr. Wahls explains complex body functions using plain and easy to understand English and (5) Dr Wahls is running clinical trials of her diets to provide evidence/proof of the effectiveness of her protocol. There is also a large number of recipes and reference charts for each diet in the back of the book. What I really appreciate are the cautions and work arounds to issues such as fish allergies and vegetarianism that Dr. Wahls takes the time to provide along the way. While the list of conditions Dr. Wahls addresses that may require a deviation from the rules of her diet plans isn't all inclusive it is substantial and shows that the diets can be modified to meet the dietary requirements of conditions other than MS. I can see a lot of opportunity for nutrition specialists in other disease processes to customize the Wahls protocol for their patients. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in better health to read!
October 27, 2017
Well, this is a dietary regimen that is way too complicated for me. I do have a diagnosis of MS, so I was listening. But this protocol was so technical that it was daunting. The author, a physician, got so scientific that Data took a very prominent place, drowning out practically every other voice in the room.
There was one friendly voice that was down-to-earth and not so entirely technical as to be off-putting. It was the author’s delightful comparing a human cell to an automobile, picturing each cell as a car (with a chassis on the outside and an engine within). She pointed out what we all know: that a car won’t run without a working engine. So also, as we should be able to infer, neither can a human cell: no fuel, and the cell won’t run; wrong fuel, and its engine gets all gummed up.
So, I decided to persevere and simply take what I liked from this book and leave the rest. I truly LIKED that word picture about the car and the fuel, and I do agree that stewardship of this vessel I inhabit is my responsibility. I agree that it’s my job, not only to keep all those little tiny tanks filled, but to pump into them the fuel that optimizes the performance of their itty-bitty engines.
I get that, and I accept my responsibility. However, I don’t want my life to be all about food -- or all about me. Neither do I want to spend my entire day at the gas station (to stay aligned with her comparison). Just eating the quantities of vegetables and fruits this diet recommends would take me all day long -- not to mention the shopping and chopping, not to mention the expense.
Increase my vegetable portions? Happy to do so! Also happy to correct some things I’ve unwittingly been doing wrong. For instance, all these years I’ve thought I was snacking healthy by choosing berries and nuts, but it turns out I was only right on the berries part. Who knew that the 35 peanuts I’ve been snacking on at tea time are not nuts! Indeed, they are found in the NUTS section at the supermarket, but what they really are is legumes, and legumes (big surprise to me) are frowned upon by the Wahls Protocol establishment.
If you ask me, this book was too difficult for a layperson to readily translate into action. It would have helped if the author provided a few distillations: perhaps some samples of what an “eating right day” might look like -- including when to shop and what to buy and how one might tackle actually eating so many fruits and vegetables daily. This MS patient felt ignored by the author. She forgot about brain fog; she forgot about fatigue in translating so much Data into Meaningful Information (and at least some form of implementation).
I wish she would publish a more user-friendly version of this book (or add an appendix section into it). I would have given it a higher rating if the author had not written it backwards. Her subtitle had implied it was written for people with MS, but what she wrote seemed more for an audience of grant-makers needing copious amounts of Data to justify funding her continued research. As a member of her supposedly primary audience, I felt frustrated and more than a little annoyed. She could have given at least a clue for incorporating so many technical and time-consuming suggestions into one’s MS kind of life.
Nevertheless, this book had value for me. It led me to make some of the changes it suggested. For instance, I am replacing peanuts with walnuts; ditto peanut butter with almond butter instead. Reluctantly, I am now using Sugar in the Raw despite the caloric increase over Stevia, and I am exuberantly overloading my plate with huge portions of vegetables and fruits to meet the author’s recommended daily amounts. Last but not least, I did go out and buy some coconut oil for cooking (not to mention the expense)!
I know: I’m worth it. But that’s IT for the changes I am making. Oh, except this: I will eat an apple only if I’ve eaten all my vegetables!
There was one friendly voice that was down-to-earth and not so entirely technical as to be off-putting. It was the author’s delightful comparing a human cell to an automobile, picturing each cell as a car (with a chassis on the outside and an engine within). She pointed out what we all know: that a car won’t run without a working engine. So also, as we should be able to infer, neither can a human cell: no fuel, and the cell won’t run; wrong fuel, and its engine gets all gummed up.
So, I decided to persevere and simply take what I liked from this book and leave the rest. I truly LIKED that word picture about the car and the fuel, and I do agree that stewardship of this vessel I inhabit is my responsibility. I agree that it’s my job, not only to keep all those little tiny tanks filled, but to pump into them the fuel that optimizes the performance of their itty-bitty engines.
I get that, and I accept my responsibility. However, I don’t want my life to be all about food -- or all about me. Neither do I want to spend my entire day at the gas station (to stay aligned with her comparison). Just eating the quantities of vegetables and fruits this diet recommends would take me all day long -- not to mention the shopping and chopping, not to mention the expense.
Increase my vegetable portions? Happy to do so! Also happy to correct some things I’ve unwittingly been doing wrong. For instance, all these years I’ve thought I was snacking healthy by choosing berries and nuts, but it turns out I was only right on the berries part. Who knew that the 35 peanuts I’ve been snacking on at tea time are not nuts! Indeed, they are found in the NUTS section at the supermarket, but what they really are is legumes, and legumes (big surprise to me) are frowned upon by the Wahls Protocol establishment.
If you ask me, this book was too difficult for a layperson to readily translate into action. It would have helped if the author provided a few distillations: perhaps some samples of what an “eating right day” might look like -- including when to shop and what to buy and how one might tackle actually eating so many fruits and vegetables daily. This MS patient felt ignored by the author. She forgot about brain fog; she forgot about fatigue in translating so much Data into Meaningful Information (and at least some form of implementation).
I wish she would publish a more user-friendly version of this book (or add an appendix section into it). I would have given it a higher rating if the author had not written it backwards. Her subtitle had implied it was written for people with MS, but what she wrote seemed more for an audience of grant-makers needing copious amounts of Data to justify funding her continued research. As a member of her supposedly primary audience, I felt frustrated and more than a little annoyed. She could have given at least a clue for incorporating so many technical and time-consuming suggestions into one’s MS kind of life.
Nevertheless, this book had value for me. It led me to make some of the changes it suggested. For instance, I am replacing peanuts with walnuts; ditto peanut butter with almond butter instead. Reluctantly, I am now using Sugar in the Raw despite the caloric increase over Stevia, and I am exuberantly overloading my plate with huge portions of vegetables and fruits to meet the author’s recommended daily amounts. Last but not least, I did go out and buy some coconut oil for cooking (not to mention the expense)!
I know: I’m worth it. But that’s IT for the changes I am making. Oh, except this: I will eat an apple only if I’ve eaten all my vegetables!
October 16, 2016
Fascinating information about food as medicine! I read this book because I was interested in trying the protocol with my son, who is autistic. Max is 15 now and we tried a lot of different diets when he was in elementary school. He did best on SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) though it seemed like there was still something missing: some days he would be very calm and "present" and other days he was very agitated. I think that Dr. Wahls approach might be our "missing" piece. Her protocol has some similarities to the high ketogenic diets used to control epilepsy and she mentions the HBO special I saw in the 90's where Jim Abrahams documented how his son's seizures were stopped completely by a high ketogenic diet. Over the years I have read that some doctors feel that autism, multiple sclerosis (what Dr. Wahls has) and schizophrenia are all aspects of what begins as a disorder of the mitochondria. That Dr. Wahls went from being in a wheelchair to bike riding by changing her diet is (to me) remarkable! In this book Dr. Wahls presented her findings in a way that I found easy to absorb. The diet phases are organized well and the information is also presented in a matrix and in lists again at the back of the book. I like to understand the "why" behind something then you can decide for yourself how much (or little) something applies to your situation. I also liked reading about how her health changed as she made these lifestyle changes. Dr. Wahls also presents scientific findings that support why she got her results. I appreciate how she cautions that "your mileage may vary" as everyone has such different genetic strengths and weaknesses. It may be that we (Max and I) have more genetic weaknesses and it will take more time or heavier supports to achieve results. Anyhow, I did decide to try her protocol. We just started 7 days ago, phasing in what she calls the Wahls Paleo Plus diet. Our family has been gluten-free and dairy-free for years but we had things to get rid of (all grains, eggs, starchy vegetables, commercial juices) and things to add (offal, seaweed, more fats, sulfurous veggies). I already notice an improvement in my energy levels, sleep and moods! Since Max is picky about food texture I'm still experimenting with ways to prepare some of the foods (liver! hearts! kombu! broccoli!!) in a way that Max will eat them. A really good blender is a "must" with this diet. I could probably live on just the smoothies. An excellent read and very dense with incredibly useful information.
November 8, 2014
Well written, comprehensive guide to adopting a nutrient dense diet within the broad outlines of the 'Paleo' diet.
I've incorporated many of the concepts in my own Paleo diet pursuits. Intending to eat more organ meat but it hasn't happened, yet.
Haven't tried many of the recipes.
I believe this approach could work for many people that have health issues (diabetes, auto-immune disorders etc).
Personally, my digestive system is MUCH happier without carbohydrates and simple sugars. Eat bacon every day, mostly in egg-bake type dishes and saute'd vegetable/mushroom dishes.
I've lowered carbohydrate level enough to enter nutritional ketosis. Interesting feeling.
When eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) meal, I will invariably feel impaired or gut discomfort. My interpretation is that most people may feel this discomfort and that is their baseline. Can't tell what discomfort you have unless you eliminate the processed foods for 30 days and see what this new baseline feels like.
Bottom line: book is a valuable resource for diet-based approach to addressing metabolic or auto-immune disorders.
I've incorporated many of the concepts in my own Paleo diet pursuits. Intending to eat more organ meat but it hasn't happened, yet.
Haven't tried many of the recipes.
I believe this approach could work for many people that have health issues (diabetes, auto-immune disorders etc).
Personally, my digestive system is MUCH happier without carbohydrates and simple sugars. Eat bacon every day, mostly in egg-bake type dishes and saute'd vegetable/mushroom dishes.
I've lowered carbohydrate level enough to enter nutritional ketosis. Interesting feeling.
When eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) meal, I will invariably feel impaired or gut discomfort. My interpretation is that most people may feel this discomfort and that is their baseline. Can't tell what discomfort you have unless you eliminate the processed foods for 30 days and see what this new baseline feels like.
Bottom line: book is a valuable resource for diet-based approach to addressing metabolic or auto-immune disorders.
December 31, 2016
Inspiring how Dr Terry Wahls healed herself of multiple sclerosis through a paleo diet. Same as the book Grain Brain high (good) fat and low carb is the way to go with lots of fresh greens, fruits, no wheat and gluten.
Top it off with exercise, yoga, staying from toxins and other basic commonsense like sleeping well and stress management, we can all have better health.
An encouraging read.
update: I read this again in Dec 2016. Gleaned a lot more information from the book the second time round. Like how important nutrients are to healthy mitochondria and cell function ("Cellular nutrition is everything"). How that is related to ATP and cellular energy production. And how under-nourished and overstretched mitochondrial can lead to a host of problems including sending signal to the cell nucleus to hasten cell death. A lot of useful science and tips for daily living. No space to elaborate here but this book is certainly worth a second read.
Top it off with exercise, yoga, staying from toxins and other basic commonsense like sleeping well and stress management, we can all have better health.
An encouraging read.
update: I read this again in Dec 2016. Gleaned a lot more information from the book the second time round. Like how important nutrients are to healthy mitochondria and cell function ("Cellular nutrition is everything"). How that is related to ATP and cellular energy production. And how under-nourished and overstretched mitochondrial can lead to a host of problems including sending signal to the cell nucleus to hasten cell death. A lot of useful science and tips for daily living. No space to elaborate here but this book is certainly worth a second read.
April 16, 2014
I do not have MS, but was intrigued when a friend showed me Dr. Wahls TEDx talk. Since then I have read her book and am gradually learning to follow paleo principles with encouraging results. I recommend this book to others like myself who believe the old adage, "You are what you eat" and who are looking at achieving long-term health through a nutrient-dense regime. I do not recommend this program if you are looking for a "magic weight loss diet" or if you are not prepared to give up the pre-packaged "foods" so common in our Standard American Diet (SAD).
July 27, 2014
Lots of science and technology behind this diet. This diet looks VERY hard to adhere to. Forget going to someone's house for dinner. Best wishes getting food on the go when travelling. Food would definitely become my obsession if I delved into this nutrient-rich world. At this point in my life and health, I do not think I need to go full-board on my healthy eating. However the book will remain on my bookshelf should I need to focus more deliberately at my health and make that committed stance to save my body's slow demise from regular foods.
November 2, 2021
I generally found her suggestions and protocol to be in line with my functional medicine health coaching training but it is clear right off the bat she has money. A lot of what she suggests, not just food but resources like endless pools, vibration machines, etc are for people with money. So right off the bat that eliminates a large percentage of people struggling with autoimmune issues as poverty is directly linked. I wish functional medicine would stop catering to the well off. Even just taking insurance would make them more accessible. So three stars. Helpful but out of reach for most.
November 20, 2016
I was truthfully amazed at this book and the author's story. What she did to change her lifestyle helped her MS immensely. These changes can help all autoimmune diseases, not just MS. It's.for.real!
October 31, 2020
Loved the science-based background with a more open and alternative mindset toward healing. Eager to get started!
February 5, 2024
I went into this thinking I’d mainly be learning about specific foods and their nutritional value for healing, but this book is that and SO much more. Incredible read for anyone dealing with a health problem of any kind, chronic illness, specifically MS, Hashimoto’s/autoimmune disease, crohn’s, depression, Alzheimer’s, dementia- the list goes on. Even if someone in your life is going through this, I recommend so that you can share your knowledge and cheer them on along the way. Even recommend reading this as a preventative measure. I was captivated start to finish and especially appreciate the explanation of this all starting at the mitochondria, at the cellular level in the gut. Super in depth and highly recommended by multiple functional medicine individuals who I know/follow. It is even one of the six listed on the official website for the Institute of Functional Medicine as recommended readings for education. What really sets this apart from other books around nutrition is that Terry Wahls included clinical trials to show evidence/proof of the effectiveness of the protocol.
March 15, 2024
If you have been around me the past few days, you have heard about this book. If you are interested in functional medicine or nutrition I would highly recommend this book!
Wahls details the approach she and many others have taken to improve their quality of life and even regain parts that were lost due to autoimmune diseases. Her life itself is a testimony of the power that food and the quality of that have on the body, as she goes from a zero gravity wheelchair back to biking regularly.
Wahls details the approach she and many others have taken to improve their quality of life and even regain parts that were lost due to autoimmune diseases. Her life itself is a testimony of the power that food and the quality of that have on the body, as she goes from a zero gravity wheelchair back to biking regularly.
January 29, 2023
Not for me.
October 18, 2019
After reading so many books on diet, toxins, and lifestyle, seeing evidence in friends, and starting to experience significant changes in myself, I KNOW this as truth. I have read multiple sources, not just Wahls, and they all share similar experiences with themselves, and with their patients. It will be the wave of the medicine future- Functional Medicine. Society is starting to see that very slowly.
Scientifically based, tested on herself as a person with progressive MS, this book is an amazing resource for anyone with any chronic condition, not just MS. It all makes sense. It's sound. It's proven. Just be open to it.
I believe I can, even as someone with multiple major health issues because of genetic mitochondrial disease, drastically improve my health by following this protocol. I've seen it in friends. I'm experiencing it in myself after only a short time on it. I've studied it so thoroughly.
So many stories by Wahls warriors on how the Wahls Protocol has given them a life back. I am a Wahls Warrior and I am doing whatever it takes to take my life back too! Conventional medicine has it's place. She doesn't deny that. But, it can also be contributing in many ways as well...something I know and have experienced, bit didn't think anything could be done about it. I thought I needed all these meds for life, knowing they were also killing me, but there's an excellent chance I can eventually come off of most of them.
Please, if you have chronic conditions, or even if you don't (for preventative measures) check out this book. you don't have anything to lose, and a lot to gain!
Scientifically based, tested on herself as a person with progressive MS, this book is an amazing resource for anyone with any chronic condition, not just MS. It all makes sense. It's sound. It's proven. Just be open to it.
I believe I can, even as someone with multiple major health issues because of genetic mitochondrial disease, drastically improve my health by following this protocol. I've seen it in friends. I'm experiencing it in myself after only a short time on it. I've studied it so thoroughly.
So many stories by Wahls warriors on how the Wahls Protocol has given them a life back. I am a Wahls Warrior and I am doing whatever it takes to take my life back too! Conventional medicine has it's place. She doesn't deny that. But, it can also be contributing in many ways as well...something I know and have experienced, bit didn't think anything could be done about it. I thought I needed all these meds for life, knowing they were also killing me, but there's an excellent chance I can eventually come off of most of them.
Please, if you have chronic conditions, or even if you don't (for preventative measures) check out this book. you don't have anything to lose, and a lot to gain!
March 3, 2017
I started reading this book desperately wanting to love it. Don't get me wrong, I took a lot out of it, but when it comes to vegans, she downright lies to convince people to start eating meat. She lost most of her credibility with me for that.
1) She talks about the dangers of not soaking nuts, seeds, legumes or grains. Current research shows the phytates actually help reduce osteonecrosis
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phyta...
2) She's stuck on the old protein-combining myth
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-p...
3) She states that beans and lentils spike insulin, whereas they blunt if for that meal and the next
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans...
4) She recommends coconut oil as being a healthy oil
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-...
I did like her advice on vegetables though and her exercises looked good.
1) She talks about the dangers of not soaking nuts, seeds, legumes or grains. Current research shows the phytates actually help reduce osteonecrosis
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/phyta...
2) She's stuck on the old protein-combining myth
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-p...
3) She states that beans and lentils spike insulin, whereas they blunt if for that meal and the next
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/beans...
4) She recommends coconut oil as being a healthy oil
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/does-...
I did like her advice on vegetables though and her exercises looked good.
March 2, 2019
This book was a salvation for us at the time of our greatest need. It is a wealth of useful information, full of compassion, provides reasonable scientific explanations for its theories, and serves as a handy reference guide for anyone suffering from this indiscriminate disease. Our beautiful vibrant 34-year old daughter was diagnosed with PPMS (primary progressive multiple sclerosis) in September of 2018 and found great solace, comfort and inspiration in this book. As the mother of two young children living in a rural area, it is difficult to implement everything suggested but she is slowly getting there. We don't know if any of it really works - no one does - but it gives you something you can control yourself, food for the spirit as well as the body.
May 12, 2020
کتاب پروتکل والس، نوشته شده توسط دکتر تری والس، که خود به سطح پیشرفته بیماری ام اس مبتلا بوده است، با مطالعه و تحقیق دقیق، پروتکلی مرکب از روش های تغذیه ای، تمرین های حرکتی و کنترل استرس های جسمی و روانی تهیه کرده و به مقابله با بیماری خود می رود که البته نتایج فوق العاده ای را بدست می اورد. مباحث تغذیه ای و روان شناختی مطرح شده در کتاب از نظر نحوه درک، مواجهه و مقابله با بیماریها، خصوصا بیماری های کرونیک سیستم ایمنی بسیار تاثیرگذار است. مباحث مختلف به طور مناسبی دسته بندی و به همراه مبنای علمی، ارائه شده است. نثر روان کتاب به مطالعه سریع مطالب کمک نموده و فهم آنها را آسان نموده است. به شخصه مطالعه کتاب را نه تنها به افراد مبتلا به بیماری های کرونیک و سیستم ایمنی، که به تمامی افرادی که به دنبال تغذیه سالم تر و بهبود سطح سلامت خویش هستند توصیه می کنم.
November 12, 2015
As an individual who has been plagued by an autoimmune disorder for some time AND who lives a respectively clean lifestyle...'The Wahls Protocol' will certainly bring me to that next level of healing and wellness. I really appreciated the way she not only listed her protocol but explained medically/nutritionally why it works.
October 16, 2017
Well written, well documented and extremely interesting - a must read for everyone with chronic health issues. Or everyone who works with conventional medicine and thinks diet and lifestyle is just a cute add on in treatment.
April 24, 2019
Life-changing for everyone, but especially those trying to heal.
It’s well laid out. Most people would have difficulty staying compliant. I’m three months in and still compliant. I miss pizza, but I’d rather be able to walk.
It’s a wonderful guide.
It’s well laid out. Most people would have difficulty staying compliant. I’m three months in and still compliant. I miss pizza, but I’d rather be able to walk.
It’s a wonderful guide.
March 13, 2022
I listened to the audiobook and tomorrow I’ll pick it up from my local library. The audio offers a link to pick up all of the ‘extras’ but since the book is available that’s what I’ll use. Then - I’ll probably buy it too.
In early 2017 a friend with Parkinson’s shared that his neurologist asked him to try the ketogenic diet. I’d been diagnosed with MS in 2006 so I thought “why not give that a try”. After 30 years following the government’s low fat guidelines I began to eat fat, eliminate processed foods and sugar - and I’ve never felt better or looked back. I’m off the side effect producing drugs.
Dr Terry Wahls has made a remarkable recovery from her own MS, has helps thousands of others improve their lives, and has now proven even to the old fashioned Drs that her diet (Wahls Protocol) helps rebuild the myelin sheath and that reversing MS is possible.
My keto diet is SO CLOSE to her Wahls Paleo Plus diet that I’m now going to tweak my way of eating to be in line with her plan. I have not had a relapse since beginning to eat a diet high in good fats and plenty of nutrients. With this book I’m hoping for many more good years. ☺️👍🏼
In early 2017 a friend with Parkinson’s shared that his neurologist asked him to try the ketogenic diet. I’d been diagnosed with MS in 2006 so I thought “why not give that a try”. After 30 years following the government’s low fat guidelines I began to eat fat, eliminate processed foods and sugar - and I’ve never felt better or looked back. I’m off the side effect producing drugs.
Dr Terry Wahls has made a remarkable recovery from her own MS, has helps thousands of others improve their lives, and has now proven even to the old fashioned Drs that her diet (Wahls Protocol) helps rebuild the myelin sheath and that reversing MS is possible.
My keto diet is SO CLOSE to her Wahls Paleo Plus diet that I’m now going to tweak my way of eating to be in line with her plan. I have not had a relapse since beginning to eat a diet high in good fats and plenty of nutrients. With this book I’m hoping for many more good years. ☺️👍🏼
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