Episode #173
Improving Progressive Multiple Sclerosis Outcomes Using Nutrition and Lifestyle Changes
In 2007, Dr. Terry Wahls’ life looked completely different than it does now. She was bedridden and could barely walk, thanks to a secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. Even sitting up was a challenge for her. As a medical doctor, she dove into aggressive treatment options to try to beat her disease and symptoms, […]
Guest
Dr. Terry Wahls
In 2007, Dr. Terry Wahls’ life looked completely different than it does now.
She was bedridden and could barely walk, thanks to a secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.
Even sitting up was a challenge for her.
As a medical doctor, she dove into aggressive treatment options to try to beat her disease and symptoms, but unfortunately, they didn’t offer much relief.
She also dealt with debilitating pain that made it hard for her to work and function normally.
Instead of succumbing to MS, she vowed to do everything she could to alleviate the awful symptoms she was dealing with.
It led her down a path of discovering nutritional and lifestyle therapies that could offer real relief.
They were so effective that she became active again, both walking and cycling, and she returned to living a normal life, free from being wheelchair-bound, with a huge increase in her quality of life.
She went on to develop The Wahls Protocol and led several research studies, including eight clinical trials, that proved just how effective these dietary changes are in treating progressive MS.
In this episode, you’ll hear about Dr. Wahls’ inspiring and incredible health journey, how nutrition can drastically impact autoimmune conditions, and the diets that can help these conditions.
You’ll also hear her thoughts on using the carnivore diet for autoimmune conditions, the two nutrient-dense foods she recommends eating whether you’re sick or not, and the spiritual component of healing and health.
Dr. Wahl also shares the symptoms and conditions that may be a red flag for future autoimmune issues, what you can do to treat those before they become worse, and the mindset she adopted to help herself and her family get through the most challenging parts of her health journey.
The more culinary mushrooms we eat, the lower the incidence of cognitive decline, dementia, anxiety, and depression. And all of those are big issues for people with neuroimmune conditions. Share on XIf you don’t know Dr. Terry Wahls, she’s a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. She teaches internal medicine residents in their primary care clinics and does clinical research.
Dr. Wahls has been published in over 60 peer-reviewed scientific abstracts, posters, and papers, and her work has been cited thousands of times.
She’s also on her eighth clinic trial, working hard to show that dietary and lifestyle interventions are effective treatment options for people suffering from autoimmune conditions.
Dr. Wahls is an incredible human being who is leading the way for treating the symptoms of MS and extending the quality of life for patients, and she’s a living testament to how effective her treatment is.
It was an honor to have her on the show and I can’t wait to share her knowledge with you.
In this episode, you’ll learn about the following topics
- Dr. Terry Wahls’ incredible health journey and how she went from barely being able to walk or sit up to being active again and living a high quality of life despite being diagnosed with secondary progressive MS
- Dr. Wahls’ aha moment in her healing health journey and how she started researching alternative treatment options
- The diets being studied for progressive MS treatments and which ones have shown the most promising results
- The nutrients she focused on adding to her diet to start repairing her mitochondrial health
- Is the carnivore diet a good option for people with autoimmune conditions like MS?
- Is there only one diet or more than one that works at increasing the longevity and quality of life in MS patients?
- Two nutrient-dense foods Dr. Wahls included in her diet to improve her MS outcomes
- Other conditions that may benefit from The Wahls Protocol
- The other lifestyle factors Dr. Wahls addressed aside from nutrition to improve her condition and quality of life
- The spiritual component to better health and healing
- What keeps Dr. Wahls going now that she’s seen incredible improvements in her condition
Mentioned in This Episode
- Dr. Terry Wahls’ website
- Dr. Terry Wahls’ Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube channel
- Where you can donate to help support Dr. Wahls’ incredible research
- Dr. Wahls’ book, The Wahls Protocol
More Resources
- The Natural State Podcast Episode 123: Mary Ruddick – Healing Chronic Diseases Through Dietary Changes
- The Natural State Podcast Episode 163: Chris Kresser – Addressing Nutrient Deficiencies in Healthy Populations, The Most Nutrient Dense Foods, Pleiotropic Interventions, and More
- The Natural State Podcast Episode 097: Dr. Will Cole – Decreasing Inflammation in the Body for Better Health
- The Natural State Podcast Episode 168: Ty Beal – The Most Nutrient Dense Foods, Addressing Nutrient Deficiencies, The Bioavailability of Foods, Are Seed Oils Healthy?, and More