Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I've been full Autoimmune Paleo now x 3 weeks. I began to Ache real bad on just the 2nd day. Felt real sick and achy for 1st week. 2nd week I had intense stomach pain with Gas from Hell. So bad, it landed me in ER with 5mg of IV Morphine and that barely touched the pain. 3 full days of this abdominal pain with Fever 102.0 followed by about 3 days of watery diarrhea. Looked like Dead Candida in the toilet (Shredded white coconut/stringy cheese like). Stomach is better, but low grade fevers now for about 8 days. Temp ranges from 98.0-100.0 throughout the day and it goes back and forth. The middle of my spine is aching too real bad just sitting in a chair. I'm also having bad tremors/shakes. Feels like Parkinsons or something, but it goes with the anxiety.

My baseline Lyme symptoms are also flaring which are extreme anxiety, off balance, emotional lability, short of breath, terrible head pains, tachycardia, heat/cold intolerance, photophobia, brain fog (constant), autonomic dysfunction, postural tachycardia, fatigue, malaise, etc.

I keep telling myself my body is just healing, but very hard to live like this all day, every day without any relief. My Nervous system has been greatly affected by the Lyme and I failed all treatment, so I'm trying this diet. Ironic that my symptoms flared like this on Antibiotics and now from just eating better.

Where is the light at the end of the tunnel. My Dr. knows how bad I'm doing and doesn't have any advice other then to hang in there.

If anyone has some suggestions, I'd sure like to hear them.

Thanks in advance...

flag	asked Jan 27 2012 at 17:56 Gary 71●3

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I know paleo can sell itself as pretty gung-ho. It might be safer for you to take things more slowly..just having your normal diet minus gluten for a few months, etc. Transition slowly. – Senneth Jan 27 2012 at 19:07

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Look up the Shoemaker protocol. Seriously doubt you have experienced it. It is very in depth and totally not CW. Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker is in Baltimore and you can call him. – The Quilt Jan 28 2012 at 0:26

Laura · Answer 1 · 2012-01-27 21:22:18Z UTC

How much carbohydrates are you eating? Really low carb or ketogenic diets can starve pathogens and cause bacterial die-off. This kind of sounds like a herxheimer reaction to me. I too have lyme disease and there were times in my initial treatment that I felt absolutely horrible, usually after combining antibiotic treatment with a long infrared sauna, which seemed to give me a strong herx reaction.

I've read that if you kill off a large amount of bacteria at once, the toxins released can overload your system. Dr. Jack Kruse recommends using cholestyramine to bind with the neurotoxins to help with detoxifying your system: http://jackkruse.com/hey-lyme-disease-meet-leptin/

Here is some more information about the herxheimer reaction: http://www.lymediseaseblog.com/jarisch-herxheimer-reaction-lyme-disease/

On the plus side, it means you are killing the bacteria, even if it makes you feel horrible. I would suggest trying the cholestyramine to help bind the toxins, and maybe take some epsom salt baths to help with the detox process.

Good luck, I'm about to start another lyme protocol myself (the first one wasn't effective) so hopefully we will both have some good results! I definitely think eating Paleo has helped me not have worse Lyme symptoms than I would have had otherwise.

Wcc Kamal Stabby fan · Answer 2 · 2012-01-27 18:13:38Z UTC

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Stick with it Gary. It will get better for you.

There is a payoff for your efforts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KLjgBLwH3Wc

answered Jan 27 2012 at 18:13

Wcc Kamal Stabby fan
10.1k●1●4●38

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thanks for posting that. very inspiring. – legup Jan 27 2012 at 22:09

Nance · Answer 3 · 2012-01-27 18:13:09Z UTC

Gary, I am very sorry you're suffering.

I am not a doctor or scientist but I will say this lifestyle or any other is not automatically a remedy for an infectious disease. It may be neutral or it may help you recover (candida being an example of something the diet might help you recover from) but it's not a direct remedy.

Have you made any tweaks to what you're eating in the 3 weeks? For example, have you tried adding tubers for a few days to see how you respond, or changed the types of meat/fat you're eating? What have you tried and what happened?

I will say it's unlikely that eating "paleo" will make your physical health worse, and short-term symptoms can indicate good changes but 3 weeks is a LONG time.

How about probiotics? What, if anything, are you eating to help your gut develop a healthier community of microflora?

Flora · Answer 4 · 2012-02-12 04:52:41Z UTC

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Could there be Lyme co- infections going on, or yeast, fungus, etc. My Lyme opened the door for Epstein Barr, CytoMegaloVirus, and Human Herpes Virus 6.

answered Feb 12 2012 at 4:52

Flora
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Lyndsey · Answer 5 · 2013-01-16 22:20:49Z UTC

How much fat are you eating as part of your paleo diet? I also have Lyme and got much worse on a paleo diet, because Borrelia Burgdorferi as well as a co-infection that I have thrive on fat. I was eating way too much fat. For any healthy person without these infections, I think any amount of animal fat is wonderful. For us, though, you really do need to limit your fat to, essentially, "starve" the bacteria and inhibit biofilm formation. Try eating only really lean meats or white fish. Even salmon is too much fat for my body. Good luck!

3 Weeks into Paleo w Neuro Lyme Disease, not doing well at all… Advice ?

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