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What are some unusual, bizarre, and seemingly miraculous health benefits you've experienced after eating paleo?

For me, I had a dead toenail that stopped growing 15+ years ago after I had minor surgery to remove a chronically ingrown nail. The doctor actually filed the nail down to the bone so it would never grow back again. For years it would still grow 1/8" of this flaky white stuff and then fall off. The old nail bed was dry and wrinkled looking. It was so ugly so I'd never wear flip-flops or go barefoot around the house so no one would see it. I'd even wear socks to bed so my wife wouldn't have to look at it.

After 4 weeks of eating paleo, I noticed the white flaky stuff changed color to clear and the nail was starting to grow. Now, 4 months later I have a strong, clear, fully grown nail again. In fact, if you saw it, you'd never believe it was ever dead. How crazy-weird is that? I can't even explain or figure out how on earth a nail can regenerate after being filed to the bone so long ago.

Then again, my whole body has gone through a powerful transformation. I'm 32 but I look and feel 16 again. In fact, even when I was 16 I was fatter, sicker, and more tired looking than I am now. I guess the toenail is just a part of that equation? Who knows!

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"Then again, my whole body has gone through a powerful transformation. I'm 32 but I look and feel 16 again. In fact, even when I was 16 I was fatter, sicker, and more tired looking than I am now." Amen! – trjones Apr 20 2012 at 16:35

24 Answers

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Not so much bizarre but definitely miraculous (for me). For the first time in ages (or maybe ever?) I can go hours and hours without eating and not get jittery/grouchy. I still get headaches but that could be from eye-strain (note to self: get the hell off the computer and get thee outside).

Awesome about the regenerated toenail (sounds like a punk rock band name) and the end of panic attacks!

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Agreed. All these hacks, and alot of them probably caused by sitting around too long staring at Paleohacks. – Knarf Apr 19 2012 at 22:40
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yes!! being hungry used to make me angry and irritable. now i function like a normal human being!! – mzrdnan Apr 19 2012 at 23:18
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I have dealt with depression and anxiety for a few years. I had a baby in July and after experienced major post partum depression, and severe anxiety. I didn't not want to go on meds and tried natural remedies and exercising, although it helped the symptoms were still out of control. I started seeing a therapist, so I could be diagnosed. My boyfriend is doing Crossfit and he told me he wanted to start trying a paleo diet. So I started us on a paleo diet. I didn't think it would help with my depression and anxiety, but I could try loosing some baby weight. Within a week I lost 5 pounds and felt great! It's been almost two months and I haven't had one anxiety attack, and I feel great! I have continued to see a therapist because I do have some issues I need to work out and I never want to go back to that dark place. The paleo diet has given me the ability to be in control and feel great!

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That's great Nadine! I suffered from anxiety attacks all my life too but I guess I've taken it for granted that I haven't had a single one while eating paleo. I've taken so many different anxiety meds over the years - they just made things worse or more complicated. My wife just came off her prozac recently too because she's feels better. So far, I haven't noticed her depressive episodes come back. – D.K. Apr 19 2012 at 20:59
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I have also noticed recently a significant reduction in anxiety and panic attacks. It didn't happen overnight, but 6 months in, the difference is really noticeable. – Kelly Apr 20 2012 at 15:06
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Reversed peripheral neuropathy about 80% (neurologist is shocked!)

Back and joint problems are gone.

Eczema type skin conditions completely cleared up.

Haven't had any kind of NSAID for anything in almost a year.

Hashimoto's is under control and energy returning.

EDIT added - no more GERD either.

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that's great news! – Andrea S. Apr 20 2012 at 5:00
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Reversing peripheral neuropathy is definitively miraculous. Most people get stuck with it the rest of their life. – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 11:41
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The Wheat Belly guy claims neuropathy is caused by gluten, so that's a plausible explanation. – GurlzLuvSteak Apr 20 2012 at 15:08
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The fire has been turned down to a pilot light. It used to be so bad I had to put wine corks between my toes at night to keep them from touching each other or they would burn like fire. I Was on Lyrica for over a year to tame the pain but completely off it for over a month now. Last June my neurologist beat my knees with the little rubber hammer for patellar reflex and both legs just hung there lifeless. She did it again several week ago and both legs bounced, so the nerves are regenerating. She started taking notes. No gluten and no vegetable oil since June. – edrice Apr 21 2012 at 13:12
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And the best part is, I'm back doing long hikes again with no pain. I'll be 66 this summer and the best is yet to come! – edrice Apr 21 2012 at 14:00
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My husband had a mole on his back fall off!

It was one of those raised ones, the kind you keep your eye on, you know? Completely gone now!

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wow that's crazy! – Andrea S. Apr 20 2012 at 5:00
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This isn't really a side effect but I count it anyway. I was totally hooked on tobacco, Copenhagen. Had smoked since I was in my teens and used the dip to quit smoking. I know, please hold the lectures. Total chemical dependence. I am 57 and this went on for years. I started down the paleo path this last January for all the right reasons. Have benefited from all the good things this has to offer. I was still dipping in January, but after a few weeks I just put it down. Something changed to allow me to quit, almost without thinking about it. I I really think it was the effect grains where having on me, anxiety? Don't know. I did use one package of Commit lozenges the first week, but did not really feel they were needed. Bought a couple packs of Tic Tacs the next week, but those just seemed like a bad idea. I have lost some weight and still need to drop another 20 lbs, but not being a junkie anymore kind of put that all in perspective for me.

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I buy your theory that the grains(wheat) made you anxious and kept the dipping"thing" churning. Great story. – shah78 Apr 21 2012 at 20:36
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In addition to curing my life-long depression I would have to say the fact that I never get sick is a seemingly miraculous health benefit from eating paleo. I can't remember the last time I've had a cold, the flu, or even allergies - and that's with working in a cubicle farm where germs are everywhere! Being sick is a sign of a weakened immune system, something I just don't have any longer.

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I've read in a lot of places of people experiencing relief from depression and coming off their meds after going paleo. How is your sleep? Do you find you don't sleep in as much now or feel like you have more energy when you wake up? – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 12:23
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My sleep is generally fantastic (especially since I began using blackout curtains in my bedroom) - I generally get 8-9 hours of solid sleep per night. I think in regard to my energy I am far more energetic than I used to be, especially in the late afternoons. For a long time I would come home from work and just want to go to bed but since going paleo I can go out and exercise and have a life without feeling exhausted. – invisible ink Apr 20 2012 at 16:33
My daughter has suffered from postpartum depression after both of her kids and has had to be on meds. I'd been talking to her about the wheat belly book and the paleo diet. Then the hospital she birthed at did some sort of trial that sounds closer to what we're doing and she said she got in on it. Said she could tell within a week that she felt better. Very interesting. – CJ Apr 20 2012 at 22:45
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My left ankle had been swollen for over three years. I had ask my doctors over and over again, what causes this? How can I prevent this in the future? The answers I recieved was "It "might" have happened, perhaps from an an old injury or maybe from my blood pressure meds." After living Primal (I include a bit of dairy every now and then) for a month and 1/2 - two months, the swelling was gone!.. That made me Very Happy not to mention losing belly fat first! No turning back, Love it! It has been 3 months and Monday I am going to do The Whole30, can't wait to see what happens after this!

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That's awesome! – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 11:40
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Not so miraculous maybe, but skin condition stuff. Itchy scaly scalp gone. Fungal infection between toes for at least four years. Had tried everything under the sun including buying all new socks and shoes. Gone! Toe nails look so much better. Systolic BP never under 120 even when I was slim and in my 20's. (except for a short time when I was on a beta bocker for headaches) My last unmedicated systolic BP was 116 and I'm 50 yo. Lost 29 lb. Took me a year to lose that much following weight watchers to the letter several years ago. I could go on but so far I'm very happy with the progress in only 3 months.

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Hey good for you on the blood pressure reduction! Blood pressure reduction was a miracle for me too. When I was eating vegan, my blood pressure went up from 120/80 to 140-150/85-95. I took every supplement under the sun to try and get it down but nothing worked. Now that I eat paleo, my blood pressure today was an astounding 106/66! – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 0:30
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I used to have tonsil stones - which have mysteriously disappeared. It's not a huge life changing thing since they were more of an annoyance than a serious problem, but I guess it's kind of cool?

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What are tonsil stones? – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 16:07
lmgtfy.com/?q=tonsil+stones – Maria Apr 20 2012 at 18:15
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I just lost some weight.

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Hey man, if it's a miracle to you, then it's a miracle to me. I tried every diet pill imaginable and every fad diet out there. As soon as I switched to paleo, the weight flew off incredibly fast. – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 16:08
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I'm right there with ya D.K. I tried every pill on the market. Even a few that i'm pretty sure were illegal. It's amazing what a clean diet and exercise will do! Guess they were right all along... :) – DanielleO812 Apr 20 2012 at 19:18
I had honestly despaired that I would ever be able to stop gaining weight. No matter what I did it kept piling on. Now I've lost 20 pounds rather painlessly. I'm not thin, but I actually have some hope now. – Kelly Apr 20 2012 at 20:06
Oh, I meant, "nothing miraculous, I just lost some weight". Sorry. – netmork Apr 21 2012 at 12:11
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I have very fair skin, and used to sunburn quickly, literally in 15 minutes in mid-day sun. I seem to have much more tolerance to sun now. I'm guessing it has more to do with the 6000 IU of D-vitamin I supplement with daily than paleo diet, though.

Digestion is excellent. I used to think that groaning tummy, runny/rock hard excrement, and general discomfort after eating was a normal part of human existence, not anymore.

Higher alcohol tolerance is a nice bonus.

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Interesting. I think my alcohol tolerance has gone down, and hangovers are worse now that I'm paleo. – shtoink Apr 20 2012 at 12:32
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I've noticed that my alcohol tolerance has gone down too, but I'm not unhappy about it. I can buy nice wine and make it last. – Violet9 Apr 20 2012 at 13:15
My alcohol tolerance is severely reduced. And it makes me sad, because I have a number of bottles of really good top-shelf small batch whiskey that I can't even have 1 shot of anymore. Even a single glass of wine bothers me now. Maybe it's just a 'phase' - I'm not throwing out the Rittenhouse 20yr old Rye with the bathwater, so to speak! – Tikivana Apr 20 2012 at 17:08
Rittenhouse 20yr old Rye. Oh my! What happens when you take a half oz on the rocks? Have you seen this? highbrowpaleo.com/tag/alcohol – Mama_Z Apr 20 2012 at 19:20
Hmm alcohol tolerance the same for me, but hangovers seem much less severe. A few times I didn't have a hangover at ALL despite being pretty drunk. – Beck Apr 26 2012 at 3:18
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Well for the most part it seems I'm very resilient to stress, as far as physical manifestations of it regardless of diet, internally I'm easily stressed out, I'm the type of person who is like a mom who can find absolutely anything to worry about for no good reason. I'm also very energetic in a nervous kind of way, I do a lot of pacing around sometimes I even walk around while reading. I've just always been like that. It's good for me to exhaust myself on occasion. It takes a very special women to be married to someone like me.

When I started eating more saturated fat I noticed that I was able to actually relax and chill out in a natural way the nervousness just doesn't enter my thought process as much as it did before. And while I'm not high-fat I'm not low-fat either. I'm probably pretty equal. At least half and half for fat/carbohydrate ratio. But I will favor fat over carbohydrate quite naturally if I'm not thinking about it.

So internal stress and stressful thought patterns went down just by eating more saturated fat. I never really ate junk to begin with once I moved out of my parents house.

The other thing that changed was my sexual side. I've always been a very sexual person despite not having sex till I was 21. From about kindergarten up I've always been interested in girls. I found that this already annoying trait intensified the better I ate.

It's interesting though my sex drive increases proportional to my fat intake and decreases proportionally to carbohydrate intake. Now that I find interesting. It also further reinforces the idea that behavior can (and I do believe this is more true than most would admit to also include "everyday behavior patterns") can be driven solely by nutrient status.

My hair and nails grow faster as well and these annoying ingrown beard hairs I used to get I don't get anymore. I can shave against the grain and I don't get any irritation or anything like that anymore.

I would say the most miraculous was internal stress went down, in other words things that used to bother me don't even get my attention anymore.

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I'm finding it amazing how many people are responding with stories about improved stress response and less anxiety. Way to go, man and congrats! – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 16:05
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Ha, similar experience...I had smashed my big toenail so badly several years ago that it would just grow out a bit, then fall off. Over and over. I had to kind of paint the stubby half-nail and the skin and hope no one noticed. But since going paleo that sucker has grown out to a full nail (and my other toenails and fingernails grow crazy fast and thick). My acne has also cleared up, and the seemingly immovable stomach pooch I've always had on my otherwise slender body has disappeared.

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Alright! So I'm not the only one. Surely, I thought, I must be alone in my funny toenail story...but I guess not! :-) I wonder what the chemical/physical explanation for this is. – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 16:06
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  • Less eczema
  • Allergy symptoms almost all gone (I used to wake up with mucus jamming my throat and sinuses and what not and it would take hours to finally breathe correctly)
  • Asthma more manageable
  • Better sleep because I also quit energy drinks :)

And a recent one : My fresh tattoos are healing much faster !!

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the thing about the tattoos is great, I´ll be testing that soon, too haha – Severine Apr 20 2012 at 15:48
So basically, less inflammatory problems. Fantastic! – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 16:07
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thicker eyelashes and softer hair!!

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Same here!!! It's really unbelievable – YoungPaleoLover Apr 21 2012 at 19:26
I know! And it's amazing :D :D I love applying mascara now!! – mzrdnan Apr 22 2012 at 21:16
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My winter eczema did not flare up this past winter.

Restless leg syndrome used to be a nightmare for me, but no longer suffer with that at all.

I no longer suffer from PMS every month. Not to mention all the other undesirable things that go along with that time of the month. And it's shorter by 3 days!! Paleo is worth doing just for that reason alone!!

No longer have gall bladder attacks after meals.

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No more headaches.

I used to have the weakest stomach - would often vomit from foods I ate (we're talking several times a week not bulimic btw). Have not thrown up once since going paleo.

Not a single breakout in months.

No crash during the day. Consistent energy.

Haven't been sick in well over a year.

No more allergies.

Amazingly soft skin.

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I had the same issues with my stomach! For me, I think it was all the high fructose corn syrup and processed garbage. Glad to see you're feeling better! – latergator Apr 29 2012 at 2:50
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I have primary sclerosing cholangitis and have had most of the symptoms ease or go away since starting paleo/primal in February. My insomnia of 10 years was gone in about a week. Chronic pain is down to almost nothing with many days pain free. Liver pain is mostly gone. Only the pruritus remains mostly unaffected.

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You hit the lottery guy! So happy for you. – shah78 Apr 21 2012 at 20:37
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I used to get a cold almost every winter a few times throughout the grueling 6 months- now I never get sick! I haven't taken medicine for anything in a year, whether it be stomach aches, colds, cramps, or headaches, because they simply don't appear!

My hair is more lustrous and my nails are much stronger.

This may not be miraculous to all, but my HDL is 100 now and went up 45 from my pre-paleo days. I think that is so amazing and it's nice to just feel great.

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I've been paleo for only 2 months. An ugly, lumpy, 6-year-old scar on my arm totally flattend, lightened in colour, and is almost undetectable now. No more headaches, stomach aches or joint pain. No anxiety, my skin is radiant (people comment constantly), and of course...a huge weight loss.

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Lost about 25 pounds, and can't seem to gain bsck 20 pounds of it no matter what I do.

Better mood, sleep, energy, no blood sugar crashes.

A patch of dry, scaly skin on my ankle that I've had for 20 years suddenly disappeared, and has not come back.

I had Keratosis Pilaris (chilcken skin) on the backs of both arms for at least 10 years, it suddenly disappeared.

I had low-grade dandruff with minor flakes on my neck and shoulders ever since I was about 18, which is gone.

I had vitiligo on my face and hands, which really bothered me. This has stopped spreading everywhere but one finger, and while it has not reversed, it has not spread any further elsewhere. This is still a work in progress but there are clear benefits already.

My hair is more full snd literally stands straight up, and I have had many compliments.

My blood pressure dropped 15 points.

I sm 42 and it is no exagerratiom to say that my health was radically transformed in less than 6 months. The changes on thr outside are very obvious, I only wonder what is going on in the inside.

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I have always, for as long as I can remember, had these ugly red bumps on my upper arms. Nothing I tried helped and after being Paleo for less than 6 weeks they are already much smoother and lighter. I too have also had a major decrease in anxiety. I have a prescription for my panic attacks and was taking it 2-6 times a week. I haven't taken one in 4 weeks!

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It's helping dramatically with gastritis I've been suffering from for a few years. And my skin is improving greatly as well. Actually my overall health is way better when I stay on a healthy diet plan of the paleo type.

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I very much doubt you look 16 again. I wish paleo people would stop going overboard with the supposed benefits of this way of eating.

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Awe, poor Wayne, you seem a little bitter. What can I tell you, man. While I might not have the same baby face I had as a teen, my body is lean and toned far more than when I was 16. I wear size 30 Levi Skinnys now, down from a 36 when I was young. I look great wearing Abercrombe and Hollister clothes and my hair is thicker, silkier & beachy. Being able to wear flip-flops after 15 years is an added bonus. I workout 5 days/week and have more energy than I've ever had in my life. My skin is perfectly clear too. Getting smiled at by hot young ladies is an triple bonus. All thanks to Paleo – D.K. Apr 20 2012 at 12:15
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Why are you on a paleo message board? Go hit up the vegan board with all your negativity. Goodness. – DanielleO812 Apr 20 2012 at 19:09
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I'll pile on too. from the neck down I'm way more buff than I could have ever imagined in college. I'm 56 now. It's called eating human food, the proper amount of exercise and cold adaption(PH blastphemy). – shah78 Apr 21 2012 at 20:50

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