Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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(or, What in Clapton's name is wrong with me!?)

Okay. First of all, I've been on paleo (fairly strict, but not 100%) for about a month now. From when I started to now I've noticed a number of ailments, ranging from nagging to severe, that have plagued me for years dissipating, including (but not limited to)

hypoglycemic symptoms like feeling faint when I stand up if I haven't eaten in a few hours
chronically low energy levels
crappy sleep
chest/back acne
persistent bloatedness
severe gastrointestinal distress
PMS (granted, I've only had the chance to test this one out once, but still)
breakouts of the red, inflamed type on face
mood swings
and the kicker: anxiety attacks.

Based on the elimination of all these 'symptoms' alone, I can say right now that paleo is AWESOME. HOWEVER, since starting paleo a month ago, I have been experiencing low-level cold symptoms. Yes, for a month! Things like post-nasal drip, both productive and non-productive coughing, wheezing.. the lot. At the onset I saw my doctor who prescribed a round of antibiotics, which pretty much did nothing to alleviate my symptoms. They continued mildly and were bearable (though puzzling) until this past Saturday, when I developed a full-blown cold, complete with fatigue, headaches and chest pains. As a result, I saw my doctor again, who ordered blood tests and a chest x-ray and prescribed antibiotics, which he intructed me to hold off on taking until the results of my tests came back. Today, they did. Everything normal. No bronchitis, no pneumonia, no.. whatever else they were looking for in the blood tests (to be specific: CBC, BMP, IgE and Sedimentation Rate).

I can't figure out what the heck is wrong with me. I have suffered from both allergies and asthma in the past, but these aren't like my normal allergy symptoms (itchiness in the mucous membranes, mainly) and I really haven't had a problem with my asthma since I was a little girl--and anyway, isn't paleo supposed to reduce systemic inflammation, of which these conditions are a result?

For a little extra info: I don't do very-low-carb, but I keep my carbs under 200g a day. I supplement with a men's multivitamin (I don't need extra iron), a magnesium supp, and vitamin C powders (I intake about 500% of the RDA of C). One thing I might be deficient in is D3 (even though i live in Az) because I don't get out in the sun much and I don't supplement it, but it's hard for me to imagine that all my symptoms could be caused by D3 deficiency. I drink plenty of water and keep my fat saturated most of the time. My diet has very much improved since my SAD days, but I used to almost never get sick, and even when I did my symptoms would last a few days, not weeks!

So: immune deficiency? Food allergy? Imminent death!?!

Basically, I'm looking for some relief, and who better to turn to than PH-ers? I'll gladly answer any questions you may have! Please help me before I abandon this completely and go LFRV. ;p

flag	asked Dec 14 2011 at 23:46 Mick Jagger 571●3●13

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I don't know, you might just be unlucky. I went on a trip for Thanksgiving that was kind of stressful (and I ate badly) and afterwards I came down with a terrible cold that was actually pretty mild the first week, and then got WORSE the second week, and I STILL have mild symptoms, mainly a cough at night. The doctor said it was maybe a flu/virus and just to take it easy until it went away. I've been taking zinc, Vit C, D, and I'm slowly getting better I think. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 14 2011 at 23:52

BTW I've been paleo on and off for four years and this is the worst cold I've had within that time span. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 14 2011 at 23:52

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Did you begin eating any foods or supplements you didn't used to or that were novel to you prior to starting Paleo? For me, post nasal drip almost always arrives as a result of some environmental exposure (like allergens, smoke/fumes, etc.), or food sensitivity. And post-nasal drip can definitely cause coughing, both productive and non-productive. And anything that causes coughing can cause wheezing. So perhaps it all starts with the sinus trouble? It's a shame about the antibiotics--I refuse to take them without proof (or VERY strong evidence) of bacterial infection. – Christopher Gagnon Dec 14 2011 at 23:59

Melissa, thanks for solidarity! Knowing this isn't ENTIRELY unusual does make me feel a little better and less troubled.. is it obvious how troubled I am?? In any case, I appreciate the answer! – Mick Jagger Dec 15 2011 at 0:08

Christopher: in short, YES. There's a plethora of items I never used to consume before going paleo: coconut oil & milk, supplements of any kind, free-range eggs, grass-fed beef (or ANY beef--I'd consume red meat once a month, if that), various greens.. Could it be that inundating my system with so many novel items is causing an inflammatory/allergic response of sorts? If so, how can I combat it? – Mick Jagger Dec 15 2011 at 0:11

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JeJ · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-10 03:18:55Z UTC

This year there was a bad cold virus circulating through most of North America and into Europe/Australia (Christmas air traffic for you!). Since it is a virus, the antibiotics wouldn't have helped if that's what you caught. I had a low-level cold for about 3 weeks this winter, my mom had a low-level cold for over a month. It just went away with time, as viruses do. In the meantime, rest up, drink plenty of fluids!

Karen · Answer 2 · 2011-12-15 16:31:58Z UTC

It's also possible the antibiotic you were prescribed just didn't do the trick against the bug you have. I've been having a recurring illness for the past month and a half (but I also have a toddler, which increases the odds of me getting sick ;-). I'm attacking it with vitamins because it really doesn't get that bad, just annoying. So, I agree this might be an unusually rough season for illnesses...? It's probably not related to your diet. It's probably either an infection that needs a different type of antibiotic, or just to run it's course. Although, an illness lasting this long should probably be dealt with by a doctor. Hate to scare you, but I knew someone who had a sinus infection and never saw treatment for it. It ended up spreading to his brain and killing him. He wasn't even 30 yet. So, if you're concerned about this, go back to your doctor, honestly.

coprophagous · Answer 3 · 2012-01-26 23:24:16Z UTC

your doctor probably had a blood test performed CBC and with it dependant on the ratio of neutrophils vs mononuclear cells decided if you had a viral or bacterial sinus infection. then using the best guess technique chose an antibiotic if truly indicated to treat you with and said if your not better in a few days come back for the next best guess of antibiotics. this describes how 95 percent of antibiotics are used in modern medicine. in a perfect world, impossible because of a lack of medical microbiologist, a culture would have been taken and within a few days the offending pathogen would have been separated from the normal flora and a complete antibiotic susceptibility profile would have been done to define which antimicrobics would be the most effective. i doubt that happened. if he said to start taking the antibiotic then you should have a bacterial infection. if he said the antimicrobial agent is not needed then you have a viral infection that may or many not latter progress to a bacterial infection which is the usual course if your body does not defeat the virus in time. sory your sick.

Harmen · Answer 4 · 2012-09-18 10:56:32Z UTC

hypoglycemic symptoms like feeling faint when I stand up (natrium defficiency)
chronically low energy levels (electrolyte disbalance, could be natrium/magnesium)
crappy sleep (magnesium helps)
chest/back acne (overkill of omega 6)
persistent bloatedness (no idea)
severe gastrointestinal distress (no idea)
PMS (granted, I've only had the chance to test this one out once, but still) (magnesium)
breakouts of the red, inflamed type on face (overkill of omega 6)
mood swings (magnesium and omega 3 do improve this)
and the kicker: anxiety attacks. (magnesium / omega-3 deffiency)

It is common for low-carb to

don't get enough magnesium (soil depletion & because you need much more grain plants to produce a bread than a broccoli, so mineral density of vegetables is lower), while increasing magnesium outflow.
don't get enough natrium (because you have to add salt yourself)
get an overkill of omega 6 because of increased grain and soya fed meat intake

So balance your omega6/3 to about 1:1, as you wish with flaxseed oil or fish oil, and/or lowering your omega-6 intake. What kind of magnesium supplement do you have? Getting enough magnesium in your system can be a process of weeks with enormous doses. Magnesium-oxide is like rust. Literally and price-wise. Make sure you use enough salt for your dishes. Just use as much so you like the taste. Preferably use a real, grey unrefined sea salt, which contains a bunch of other materials as well (pottasium, magnesium, selenium etc).

Hack my cold symptoms! PLEASE!

4 Answers