i was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago after i had my first flare of the disease. my white matter was lit up like a Christmas tree on MRI, and i had a large lesion on my cervical spine (C2-C4). my major symptoms were paresthesia in my hands, feet and in a band around my chest. i also frequently experienced something we all an "MS hug" which are extraordinarily painful spasms in my intercostal muscles- truly feels like youre gasping for your last breath because someone parked a truck on your rib cage. i had pretty extreme fatigue and heat sensitivity. i was being treated with Copaxone which is a daily injection that essentially slows the course of the disease in several ways by a good 30% or so. it really is a great drug, compared to some of the others. i also would do IV solu-medrol infusions for 4-7 consecutive days when the disease flared. i slept a lot, and i had a hard time even walking around the block without my hands and feet going numb, getting an MS hug, followed by a fatigue so deep that i felt drugged. i had gained a lot of weight from the IV steroids and was wanting to get rid of that, for cosmetic and health reasons but primarily in the effort to stop the "wave of inflammation" (like the pixies song- get it?)

i moved towards paleo gradually. i have never relied on heavily processed foods, and have belonged to a CSA for about 7 years. i was functionally a vegetarian since my husband is, and would only eat meat when we went out. i read a few books, like taubes and pollan, and decided to move in that direction. i was pretty educated already about food labeling and other food politics issues.

ANYHOO, after about four months doing pretty much what amounts to an 80/20 lacto-paleo diet, im off my medication and feeling incredible. i do a bootcamp thing twice a week that kicks my A, and HIITs once a week and it hasnt sparked any new disease process. to the contrary, i think my ability to exercise again has been a huge factor in keeping me in remission,a nd keeping me strong in case i have another. i dont have a single MS symptom- old or new, and one of the lesions on my brain is gone. no trace. the lesion on my c-spine has shrunk. now that the holidays and vacations are over, im focusing on a 90/10 primal, and thinking about doing a whole 30. i just find it kind of hard since i already feel great, and my family, while totally supportive, eats very differently than i do. im on the wagon for life though!

except, i did have one of my sons cupcakes at his first birthday party the other day....

In 2007 I fell down while playing soccer and broke my collarbone in 6 places. This led to my celiac self-diagnosis. Cutting gluten helped but was clearly only part of the solution. I never had a formal diagnosis of osteoporosis, but I think it's pretty self-evident that I had it. Normal 35-year-olds don't break their collarbone to the point where surgery, a titanium rod, and seven metal screws are necessary to hold the bones together. I didn't even hit the ground very hard.

Now I play goalie on six different teams and endure greater abuse than I suffered in that fateful fall, every 3 or 4 minutes, repeatedly, day in and day out. And I don't even get very sore.

There are other things. I couldn't wear contact lenses because of dry eyes. This is cured. IBS is gone. My hands shook in a rather Parkinsonian manner. I had an ataxic gait. I took buspar, valium, wellbutrin, zoloft, and whatever else any one of my 14 doctors would give me to get me out of their office, knowing full well that the litany of symptoms I presented made me sound like a hypochondriac. I also presented with a skin rash which earned me multiple tubes of powerful steroids over the years. Also there were discolorations on my skin that have since disappeared.

I'm probably leaving something out.

I've been low carb almost 4 years (mid March is anniversary) and 3 1/2 years Paleo.

Aside from the 155lbs + pound weight loss (so far) I am now asthma free, Rosacia free, and my arthritis (both knees) is MUCH improved.

I'm also now hardcore minimal footwear, minimal soap, no shampoo, no deodorant, no sunscreen (my five children as well!) and have never felt better!

I'm peri-menopausal (I'm 46) and having a time dropping this last 20lbs, but other than that I'm, normal sized, feel great, and happy. :D (my blood panel is also excellent)

So, yeah ... I'll be Paleo till I die (hopefully about age 90 whilst showing my greatgrandchildren how to gather fresh eggs!)

I have only been Paleo for about 4 months now. I lost 100lbs eating a high protein/moderate carb/high fiber diet. I lost the last 11lbs once I started eating Paleo and dropped my body fat by about 7%.

Since I started eating this way I just FEEL so much better. I've never had allergies, I am not celiac, I am not lactose intolerant. I really just notice how much more alive I feel and I was fit and happy before. It's a new clarity, or something. This just clicked into place for me, the final piece, I think.

I dropped my blood pressure medication over a month ago. I am hoping to get off my diuretic medication soon too. I think eating lower carb is improving that situation too.

I've been doing paleo for only a few months, and my allergies are now pretty much non-existent. I started getting bleeding/receding gums before doing paleo, and since then my gums are healthier than ever. My anxiety is also a lot better. I think the cause of my anxiety is just negative thinking patterns that I've developed, and being confident that I'm eating clean and healthy takes a huge load off my mind.

The one thing the paleo lifestyle has not improved (yet?) is the fungus on my big toe nail (ewww). But I believe toenail fungus is definitely something that needs a little extra help, ie. a lengthy course of a strong antibacterial applied to the toe. My next health adventure.

Since I began my /Primal/Paleo lifestyle 18 months I have had no depression and I have no need for statins, I reversed my cholesterol problems! Doctors kept telling me I was depressed cause I was tired and had no energy and no desires to do anything, they would prescribe medicine for which I did take for years. What do ya know, two and a half weeks without grains and a fog lifted and the need for that went bye bye!! I also had anxiety and heart palpitaions often.That too is gone now. All I can say is I will be Paleo for life. I just turned 47 and feel physically, mentally and emotionally better than I have ever in my whole wntire life. It's all a lifestyle for me now. It has taken a little adjusting from time to time, but I am really good now, no worries just living!!

My allergies have completely gone away. I also don't get sick. My sisters have had the flu and strep several times this season, but I haven't even gotten a cold.

Workout recovery is also much improved.

My eyesight hasn't gotten better. It was a long shot for sure, but I have awful vision so I was hoping maybe I was young enough and it would get even a little better. I didn't really expect it to, but it would've been a very happy side effect. I guess they haven't gotten worse though...

Paleo helped get rid of about 90 percent of more of my asmtha and allergies. My mood and mind seem a bit sharper but nothing huge. I didn't have any major issues to start with though on that though. Lost some weight. I have more energy now and sleep a bit less. I have much better muscles stamina now, even though my exercise regime is the same. It's just little things like not getting tired when stomping flat the recycling cans or walking back up the steep driveway. Paleo didn't do anything for some minor foot pain issues though, but I suspect that might be a structural foot design issue. Paleo didn't do anything for some other weird muscles aches and leg cramps I used to get, but magnesium supplements finally fixed those. Also, after paleo, my head hair strands became a bit stronger and more wavy and fluffy. There are other things, but I can't remember them all off hand. I don't think paleo typically cures all ills in all people but just about all ills have been sometimes improved in some people by paleo. Sometimes/often paleo will even cure problems you didn't really know you had until they were gone. I didn't have any major issues before paleo, though, so no miracle huge cures were possible for me.

I used to love smoking bud, and did it four or five times a week. Without even consciously wanting to, I just stopped doing it after about six weeks on paleo.

I have a genetic predisposition to spondyloarthropathy (a family of autoimmune inflammatory joint conditions). I had eaten a fairly "healthy" conventional diet...low in processed foods but not paleo by any means. After becoming paleo (nearly a year now!), I stopped experiencing the extreme stiffness and joint pain I had become accustomed to. As my joints healed, I got some VFFs and started barefoot running and exercising much harder than I could ever allow myself to do before. And now I can run and move like a healthy 27-year-old rather than an 80-year-old.

It also pretty much completely cleared up my acne, eczema, and, shall we say, "gut issues."

Paleo, at its core, is about eating 2 thrive...

I can't imagine a single health issue that would not benefit from a nutrient dense diet in alignment with our evolutionary past.

Remember... eat Paleo 2day 2 thrive 2morrow!!

I've been low-carb 5+ years, paleo 3+ years... I'm 47, 5-11, 160lbs with better muscle tone than when I was twenty-something!! Honestly, I am truely turning back the clock as my health continues to improve... I feel younger the older I get (including sex drive), and I look better than most of the kids half my age in the health club!!