Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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My girlfriend and I started paleo just a few weeks ago. For me (6' 4", 440#, mid 40's male, no allergies, mild high blood pressure), it's been good so far. I've noticed quite a bit of change just in the two weeks.

On the other hand, she's had a different experience. She's got about 50# or so she could lose from her 5' 8" frame, but nothing's changed. Moreover, she has lupus. She does not take steroids, and so she's tried to control symptoms through diet and exercise. Well, mostly diet. And that was--up until recently--virtually not there either. Wheat and dairy often sent her to migraine hell.

Now, she's noticed a few things:

Strong nausea after meals, although that seems has lessened
Skin lesions appearing
Facial rash

We're keeping sugars, wheat, and dairy completely out. Cooking our own meals. Whole foods. A solid Paleo plan, by the books.

So, has anyone experienced or seen anything like this before? Is it common during the adjustment? Should we wait it out? Your comments are greatly appreciated.

flag	asked Feb 3 2012 at 0:28 Cousin of Odin 13●3

Have you tried eating a raw carrot daily between meals? It's a quick fix, but it works well. – Korion May 15 2012 at 16:01

Dragonfly · Accepted Answer · 2012-02-03 00:40:35Z UTC

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Yes, this can happen for some folks. Sounds like a Herxheimer reaction--pretty much a detox reaction. If so, it will get better.

How is her Vitamin D blood level? Really important that she get tested and aim for the high end of 50-80 ng/ml with an autoimmune disease like lupus.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2902729/

answered Feb 3 2012 at 0:40

Dragonfly
31.2k●1●8●41

	On what do you base your conclusion that this happens to some people with lupis and that it is the herxheimer reaction? I suspect nothing. – Jay Feb 3 2012 at 1:36
	This happens to some people who go paleo--with or without lupus. Plenty of anecdotal reports on the MDA forum. – Dragonfly Feb 3 2012 at 1:45
	Different folks have different detox reactions. Read the link for a description of herxheimer reaction symptoms. – Dragonfly Feb 3 2012 at 1:47
	Thanks for the information. I did look at it, and while the symptoms match, there's no real way to establish a firm diagnosis (channeling House). We're going to go through a wait-and-see, to determine if this detox reaction is indeed the culprit. Fingers crossed. – Cousin of Odin Feb 6 2012 at 17:18

PatternMatching · Answer 2 · 2012-02-03 01:00:12Z UTC

Definitely.

Dr. Paul Jaminet seems to think that lupus is a sort of catch-all diagnosis for some sort of underlying bacterial infection. I can't help but agree with him given the support he puts forth in his book. As the body strengthens through resolution of malnutrition and begins to detoxify more efficiently, there should be an upswing in immune response. That is essentially what she is experiencing.

Most dietary healing regimens for auto-immune disorders have their own name for this reaction (Herheimer, die-off, detox) but I guess what you should know is that it is most assuredly a GOOD sign, not a bad one.

http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?page_id=4228#Lupus

The Loon · Answer 3 · 2012-02-03 17:39:15Z UTC

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She might do well to read about gut health and see if that fits. The GAPS protocol has been helpful for many.

answered Feb 3 2012 at 17:39

The Loon
8,442●6●26

Ljoan · Answer 4 · 2013-04-23 19:01:45Z UTC

I got lupus when I started paleo diet two years ago! Mine is timid lupus (at least the doctor says, I'm not convinced) ... But I have a rash, that drives me crazy.

I'm afraid to go off paleo cuz I feel so good otherwise.

I've love to know if this is a weird coincidence?!?

Starting paleo…lupus fares up?!

4 Answers