Reader Results

This page documents health changes our readers have experienced after adopting the Perfect Health Diet. If you have improved your health on our diet, please leave your story in the comments. Sharing your results encourages others — it lets them know that healing is possible! — and encourages scientists to investigate natural healing methods. We also welcome any reports of difficulty, since we and our readers can help you troubleshoot; such questions may be posed on the Q & A page.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has posted a success story!

Reader reports are arranged by condition:

Also, a few of our favorite reader success stories have appeared as blog posts:

Obesity, weight loss, food cravings, binging

 

Person
Quote
Health Issue
Mary(more here) There is a whole pan of dark chocolate gluten-free brownies in my kitchen, and I’ve
had no desire for them all day. I’m crediting the supplements (I’m on all the
PHD recommended supplements save kelp), and I’m particularly thinking copper
has made a big difference (I’ve suspected a copper deficiency for some time
as I started going gray young). Or perhaps also selenium. (I’m
hypothyroid…hoping for some improvement there.)In any case, I feel great
physically, I’ve not been binge-y or nearly as much as a sweet freak (and
I’ve been known to eat an entire bag of caramels in less than an hour, and
then head out to the store for more), and I’ve felt mentally stable and
pretty happy. I feel great on this plan, and maybe more importantly, I’ve
noticed that I have many more calm, good mood days than otherwise. I think
it’s the combination of the Perfect Health eating plan and the recommended
supplements. I’ve not lost more weight since my last check-in – I seem to be
at a plateau – but I’m still seven pounds down since I started, so that’s
good.
Reduced
cravings, improved mood, weight loss
LizardFace I’ve
been doing PHD for 6 months after 45 years of eating the SAD. I wasn’t super
overweight, but was gaining every year, 6′, 200 lbs. I craved sweets. Six
months later I am down to 180. I eat rice and sweet potatoes but don’t crave
them, never crave sweets, don’t think about food all the time like I used to.
Try it yourself and see.
Reduced
cravings, weight loss
erp
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
I agree completely with Paul that when you’re well nourished, you’re never
hungry. I’ve been following the PHD/cum supplements coming up on one year
next month and can honestly say, I have no cravings and am never hungry. When
I see one of my former nemeses like hazelnut biscotti, while walking the
aisles of the grocery store, I need only remember that I have visible ribs
now and have moved down from size 16 to size 6, to smile and move on. It took
a while, but the trip is well worth it…. I’m 77 and over the years, I’ve
tried to lose weight by going low carb. The weight losses were successful,
but I didn’t stop craving high carb/sugary stuff and would always gradually
go back to the bad old ways and gain the weight back. One year later strictly
following the PHD, I lost almost 40 lbs and not only don’t I crave carbs and
sugar, I am actually repelled by the smell of a bakery. Yeast and cinnamon
are off putting. When grocery shopping, just knowing that I have a visible
rib cage is enough to keep me moving out of the cookie aisle. Whether it’s
self-hypnosis or balanced nutrition, I say thank you to Paul and Shou-Ching
and all the people who comment here.
Reduced
cravings, weight loss
Nancy I
am a 64 year old woman who has fought weight control all my adult life.
January 2011 I started following Dr. Harris’ 12 steps, J Stanton’s “Eat Like
a Predator” and the Jaminets PHD. I am maintaining my weight loss without
cravings or white knuckling and feel great. Thank you! Thank you! I have
printed out so much from each of your blogs and share with all who ask. My
husband is also on board. I may even take up hunting this season!
Reduced
cravings, feel great
Peter After
approximately six months of PHD I have zero craving for sweets and have
easily resisted entire tables groaning with plates of cakes, doughnuts,
cookies and so forth. Resisted is the wrong word though – it’s as if all
desire for a (formerly craved) substance has left my body. I’m not sure if
it’s related, but I have no desire to drink alcohol these days.
Reduced
cravings
Stabby (also here) I have been eating the PHD for a while, and it has really reduced any sort
of cravings and tendency to mow down, even if the food is really yummy.

My gut feels better, I have better digestion with less bloating from
fruit/sugar. If I eat some organic dairy I don’t get as many pimples as I
used to, and if I do they are noticeably smaller, they barely become inflamed
and they heal more quickly. Paul introduced me to the idea of a goldilocks
zone for fiber, whereas in the past I either had too much (conventional low
fat, grainy, animal-food-phobic) or too little (standard low carb). Also
probiotic supplementation likely helped, which was also Paul’s suggestion.

I have had other improvements in health since discovering books like the
Primal Blueprint or blogs like Evolutionary Psychiatry, however those are the
only ones that I can directly ascribe to Perfect Health Diet. But no doubt if
I had switched from a low fat diet with grains to Perfect Health Diet I would
have experienced the improvements in energy and psychological resilience.

food
cravings
Katelyn I
was ZC but am no longer-I cycle carbs by using white potatoes. Leanness,
satiaty, energy, bathroom habits, etc. have all improved! I owe thanks to you
and to Kurt Harris, whom I respect a lot, in getting me to not fear adding
them. I was scared to, but have had only positive results! Keep up the great
work!
weight
loss, food cravings, low energy, digestion
Sarah Atshan I
also had an mental adjustment period of accepting white rice. I had cut
starch out of my diet for so long. I found including 400 calories of white
rice &/or potatoes, reduced my cravings for something sweet. My calories
naturally lowered without hunger. I was also able to start intermittent
fasting, something that was impossible for me to do before the starch.
food
cravings, hunger
Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Gary I’d
be glad to offer testimony confirming that PHD is a weight-loss diet. My own
loss isn’t dramatic, about 15 lbs. in the past year. My primary health
problem is sleep apnea, which I’ve had for many years/decades. It has led to
high blood pressure and weight gain. It is not caused by my weight but rather
sleep apnea caused me to gain weight. I’ve been thoroughly tested and know
the reasons for the apnea and am recovering primarily by using a cpap
breathing machine at night. PHD got my attention because it was primarily
about good health. I started following it a year ago and can say that it has
significantly improved my health. In addition, I also began to lose weight, a
welcome side benefit. I follow the basic diet recommendations and take all
the supplements. I get enthusiastic about PHD and tell my friends about it,
but the most frequent response I’d get was that it may be great, but it means
home cooking everything. I’d counter that home cooking isn’t hard. So finally
I set up a small website that shows how I’ve done my own interpretation of a
PHD meal plan and the home cooking that make it possible to do it during the
week, working 50-hour days and making 2 or 3 meals a day for me and my
spouse. I call it “10 minute meal.” It might be of use to others:
10minutemeal.com
weight
loss, high blood pressure
Jaybird I
have been shocked that unlike all previous diets for the first time in my
adult life I consistently, not just choose, but desire the PHD foods over the
crap foods. I feel full and more satisfied as well as crave PHD tastes. Even
my craving for a pizza with its wheat crust has reduced greatly after the
first 3 months on PHD. On past gov’t pyramid diet, vegetarian acid/alkaline
diet, and even a strict paleo diet, they seem to require a herculian will
power to choose to eat “healthy”. I had to definitely choose the less food
reward. I came accept this was just the way it is in life…until PHD. You
definitely can lose weight on the PHD! I don’t understand the Jaminets
conceding PHD is not a weight loss book. Their section on weight loss is the
best advice I’ve found in years of reading diet info. I went from 250 to now
182 in 6 months! It seems to me you need to get more clear exactly what PHD
recommends for weight loss. You seemed confused in your description of PHD
weight loss. 400 cals? I now eat 600 calories a day of safe starches and
continued to lose weight at 2 lbs a week. Remember, total calories is king
and the PHD foods will satisfy at a lower calorie intake like no other. Also,
you can add lemon in your water throughout the day.
weight
loss, food cravings
S,
email
Two
weeks ago my doctor diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. After
chatting to me a little about nutrition and its effect on the body, he wrote
down the title of your book “The Perfect Health Diet” and said that
it could help me. I went home and immediately ordered the book online and
received it a few days later (yippee!) Although I’m not even half way into
the book (I decided to start again after discovering it’s not light bedtime
reading!) I am certainly seeing sense in what the book says and am already
feeling a lot better just in myself – more energy, happier, less hormone mood
swings and not bloated at all. I’ve lost a bit of weight since I started two
weeks ago (6lbs) and my skin is… well… the least spotty its been since I
was about 11 years old! I’m certain that the diet is the reason for these
changes.
PCOS,
weight loss
gp2x I
can’t believe how much better I feel!… I had been eating (very) low-carb and
high-protein for the better part of a decade – and I had gotten a lot of
practice arrogantly dismissing suggestions (from any source) that I should
change anything about my diet…. Results: (after 1.5 months or so.)

  1. <span
    >I’m no longer
    “brain-dead” and unable to think in the evenings after work.
  2. <span
    >I no longer have fruit
    or chocolate cravings.
  3. <span
    >I’m much happier, and
    wake up looking forward to the day.
  4. <span
    >I’ve been much more
    social.
  5. <span
    >The extra starch has
    not resulted in weight gain. (I always gained weight when eating carbs
    before.)
  6. <span
    >It looks like the
    fasting (which I’ve never tried before) is helping my alertness and also
    contributing to healthy weight loss.

It
took less than a week for me to notice dramatic changes…. I can’t recommend
this book highly enough.

food
cravings, mood, alertness
Robert I
started PHD a few weeks ago, after finding the blog, and then reading the
book. I have only positive experiences to report. I had been overweight in
the past, and lost weight by low-calorie dieting on processed foods, along
with strength training. After a while I would revert to some degree of
overeating, and have to diet again. I’m mildly overweight now but I have been
losing 2 lbs. per week on the PHD. Keep in mind this is before any calorie
counting. I keep telling myself I will plug things in to Fitday, but so far
my hunger is autoregulating itself and the weight is coming off. Besides
weight loss, I feel great. I haven’t wanted to eat any take-out or sweets,
and that is unusual for me.
weight
loss
Morris
G (
comment 1, comment 2, comment 3)
A
couple of months after starting PHD there was an obvious improvement in mood
and cognitive function. Now 12 months later the mental improvements persist
but do not seem to be growing. … I’ve had joint “noises” for about 20 years
(I’m 72yo) but no direct discomfort from the noise effect. The frequency and
magnitude has increased over time but only very slowly. I tend to think that
the degree of crepitude correlates (weakly) with general joint health eg time
to recover from episodes of tendonitis or discomfort caused by overuse. I
have ignored this “crepitude” as being an unavoidable aging effect until
recently, when my manageable back/neck aches spontaneously improved and that
happened about 3 months after adopting the PHD diet (although I didn’t know
at the time that the diet was PHD). For example I can sleep on my back for
the first time in 8 years and turn my neck 90 deg without any discomfort. My
exercise regime has not changed from pre-PHD and is not too strenuous, about
2-3 hrs total/week of which most is moderate effort cardio with some
resistance. The odd thing is that pre-PHD, with the same exercise effort, if
I increased calories my fat would easily but slowly increase, but not now….
I feel great …  
mood,
cognitive function, joint function, weight
Richard
M, email of Oct 19, 2011
May I firstly congratulate you and Shou-Ching for writing such a wonderful
book. After researching nutrition and health in my spare time for many years
I have never come across a book that has been able to tie all of the major
aspects of a healthy diet together in such a concise manner whilst being so
extensively well referenced.

The amount of improvements that I have seen since implementing this diet
is numerous. My energy levels are much steadier throughout the day (as
opposed to the constant ‘peaks and troughs’ I experienced whilst following a
vegetarian diet for 4 years); my cravings for sugar have virtually
disappeared; I have only suffered from one cold in the past 10 months as
opposed to my usual 2 or 3; my weight is effortlessly stable; I never feel
hungry despite switching from 6 small meals per day to just 3; the list goes
on!

energy,
food cravings, weight, illness
Connie As far as the PHD only being for healthy people, I wanted to share my
experience. I’ve lost about 60+ pounds on the low carb (mostly back in 2000).
My low carb methods evolved over time and eventually I avoided all fake
sugars including diet sodas and almost all prepared foods (including low carb
products) and had to be careful of dairy and nuts – trigger foods for me
which caused me to overeat. I also thought that low fat would bring me more
success, so tried to stay low fat. Whenever I would stop doing low carb, I’d
gain some weight back. But it was very difficult for me to stay low carb
because I was doing low fat and also not getting enough omega 3. And when I
did cheat with sugary foods, I’d eat a lot of it.

Then I discovered PHD this year. I was afraid of “safe starches” and fat,
but thought I’d give it a try. At first I actually gained some weight because
I was adding coconut oil snacks and the plain Greek yogurt and my favorite
safe starch – sweet potatoes – all became trigger foods and I couldn’t stop
eating them. So I stopped the coconut oil snacking and the Greek yogurt and
the sweet potatoes for a while and focused on getting enough Omega 3 and
reducing my Omega 6. (My ratios were not optimal.) Now, I’m doing the
Intermittent Fasting too (fast 16 hours, feed 8 hours – eating 3 times and
eating coconut oil for my breakfast). It’s amazing – I’m not hungry and it
feels great! I’ve reintroduced yogurt, kefir and a daily sweet potato, but
now those 3 items that had been my trigger foods are no longer and I feel
satisfied very easily and don’t overeat them as before. Maybe it was because
my Omega 3/Omega 6 ratio was out of wack? Maybe it was because my body had to
get used to safe starches after so long without them? Maybe the IF helps?
Maybe after several months of PHD supplements that I’m finally not
malnourished? I’m not saying that I don’t ever eat sweets and don’t ever eat
too many. But it’s a lot easier and happens only rarely. And sometimes I can
just eat a little taste of something on a rare occasion. But if I’m under
stress, it’s right before that time of the month, or if it’s meal time and I
haven’t had a chance to eat yet (usually all 3 factors combined) and I’m
tempted with a sugary sweet, then it’s so much harder for me to resist
temptation. And once I do, it’s hard to stop eating the sweets! The other key
thing is to try to make sure the fat/carb/protein ratios are adhered to for
each snack/meal. I know Paul has said not to just have a starch by itself and
that is important advice.

So, my problem of overeating isn’t totally gone, but my diet and weight
maintenance is so much better and easier than ever before because of the PHD!
And I feel better and happier and more satisfied than ever before!

weight
loss
David I’m still very new to this diet, and I’ve been generally getting in shape
and losing weight for a while now, but one thing I can comment on already is
the effect it’s had on rhinitis.

Simply put, my rhinitis has disappeared completely. I no longer wake up
with a runny nose. I don’t need to take steroidal nose sprays. I don’t even
blow my nose. Rhinitus is now a non-issue. I’ve read that wheat and soy often
cause rhinitis, so I suspect some sort of allergy was to blame.

One other benefit: I’m never hungry on the PHD and I’m really enjoying all
the food I CAN eat, while not missing the food I can’t eat.

rhinitis,
appetite
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
David Z. My success story: I’ve been eating what was mostly a “health food” diet
for twenty years. I followed the various trends and tried vegan, vegetarian,
raw, and more at different time periods. I’ve done juice fasting and
cleansing. At some times I followed it more religiously and other times less
so, but nonetheless slowly gained weight over the years.

This year I read Wheat Belly and started to think about cutting out wheat,
but that book rubbed me the wrong way and I wasn’t ready to commit. In
following up on it however I learned about paleo diets which led me to the
Perfect Health Diet. I was highly intrigued and implemented it before I even
finished the book.

I lost 25 points in the first two months on the diet, going from 215 lbs
to 190. I was not 100% compliant during this time period so was surprised to
see how effective it was. Since then I have mostly leveled off on the weight
loss while staying on the diet, but my pants continue to get looser and
looser.

190 is not a bad weight for me; I am 5’11″ and lift weights so while
this would be a high BMI I look pretty good. I’d like to lose another 10 or
15 pounds eventually but since this diet is so easy and pleasurable I’m not
stressing out over it and am giving myself as many years as it takes to do it
slowly.

Thanks!

weight
loss, body recomposition
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Jim, email of April 2, 2012 . I am down from 341lbs to 272lbs doing mostly Paleo, but modified with
some safe starches per your book. Just so you know this is not just about
weight loss for me, I was a type 2 diabetic with full metabolic syndrome and
most importantly, I had popping capillaries in my retinas that were leading
to blindness. All is better now, no pills etc.
diabetes,
obesity, diabetic retinopathy
Roxy Rocker I am the smallest I have ever weighed as an Adult. I weigh 218. When I
switched to Paleo/highfat I was 284 about 14 months.
obesity
Elyse I’ve been adding starches to my diet for the past 6 months and find that I
am more satisfied and eat far less “treats”– just 1-2 squares of 85% dark
chocolate most days. Definitely agree that food just isn’t that big of a deal
any more.
food
cravings
Connie Warner After doing very low carb for so long, I was worried too. I started with
fruit and sweet potatoes and it was hard to stop eating them at first. But
now that my diet is more balanced, I have it under control. I think there was
an adjustment period. I’m now taking the recommended supplements as well as
some of the suggested supplements and am following the PHD guidelines, which
have helped. My Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio was way out of balance for a long time.
Paul has said the cravings are due to missing nutrients. It’s great to have a
balanced diet – carbs, protein & fat – with NO cravings – it’s an amazing
feat for me! I feel better and happier and don’t feel deprived. I also do the
Intermittent Fasting (16 hour fast with 1 Tbs coconut oil and an 8 hour feeding
window) and this has helped me too. Food is less important to me, it really
is a lot easier than it sounds (I’m not suffering!) and I choose my foods
carefully to get all the nutrients I need in 2 meals with a snack in the 8
hour window. Sometimes I just have a spoonful of rice syrup to get some
carbs. Or you could add it to a homemade salad dressing or drizzle it on some
plain yogurt.
food
cravings
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Jennifer Fulwiler As I look for something to wear this weekend, I’m reminded that I am in
the middle of the wardrobe crisis that I’ve been waiting to have for ten
years: all my clothes are too big. I don’t mean a little loose; I mean I
perpetually look like I’m headed out to an M.C. Hammer costume contest.

Over the past few months I’ve lost 25 pounds. That’s a good thing, mainly
since the drop on the scale was more of a side effect of lifestyle changes
that have left me with more stamina and energy than I had when I was 20….

It’s too long of a story to explain in detail here, but the short-short
version is that it was Perfect Health Diet + rethinking what a reasonable
portion size looks like + accepting that spiritual warfare really does come
into play with getting healthy + learning to depend on a good jog for an
energy boost. What started it all was getting fed up with feeling awful all
the time; I started optimizing my life around foods and exercises that would
make me feel better and have energy, and the weight loss followed.

weight
loss, stamina & energy
Meli Hi Paul,

I just wanted to let you know that I was finally successful at adding back
in some carbs. I am now able to eat half of a small sweet potato on a daily
basis, while still losing weight! You were right, the weight gain (about five
pounds) was merely a temporary “hump” I had to get over before starting to go
back down. I was afraid I’d be stuck eating very low carb forever!

As a bonus, my eyes are no longer blurry, and my hair appears to have
started growing back. When I put it in a ponytail, there is a thick halo of
new fuzz where formerly my scalp was visible. I am suprised at how quickly
these issues began to resolve – it has been perhaps a month, if not less. I
haven’t been able to afford the supplements you recommended, but as soon as I
can I will get them.

You have my deepest gratitude, and respect. ~ Meli

Weight
loss, dry eyes, hair loss
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning
(even with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
Timothy J Hicks Background: I was an Atkins dieter in the 1990’s. Lost a lot of weight,
but staying on it was difficult.

Last year I came off a bout of depression determined to beat it without
drugs. I stopped eating sugar and (surprise!) started losing weight. Since
exercise is also helpful to depression, I thought that it would be better if
I kept losing weight to reduce my chance of injury while exercising. Along
the way I found that many of the things that are recommended in the Perfect
Health Diet greatly helped me in losing weight.

I lost a total of seventy pounds. As a man at fifty-five years old and 195
pounds, I am now in better physical condition than I was in my 20’s. This is
due in large part to the dietary recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet.

What is even better is that the recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet
led to removing the last things that were contributing to my depression. I
believe now that grains and omega-6 in vegetable oil was making me depressed.
That’s why adding omega-3 fish oil to your diet helps fight depression,
something I had started doing without understanding why.

To go back to the beginning, the Atkins diet had two flaws which
undermined long-term weight loss:

1) Atkins diet “phases” lead to the idea that somehow you lose
your weight and then slowly phase back into eating “normal” food.
Atkins didn’t say this exactly, but it’s implied.

2) When Atkins wrote the Diet Revolution book, he didn’t have access to
the research that we have now, and couldn’t see that some fats (high omega-6
vegetable oils) are bad for you, while some carbs in moderation (rice, sweet
potato) are okay. His blanket recommendation to get rid of all carbs would
have been better focused on SUGAR, FRUCTOSE and GRAINS.

The Perfect Health Diet is written so that you can read to whatever depth
of scientific detail you want to. I am about done with my third time through.
My particular health issue is depression, and the Perfect Health Diet has
many links to dietary causes of depression. The most helpful aspect is that
it is written from the perspective that this way of eating is a PERMANENT
change, and that this way of eating is based on sound science, including
cultural and epidemiology studies, not just lab experiments.

This book is a good companion volume to “Why We Get Fat: And What to
Do About It” by Gary Taubes.

The only qualification that I would add is that the book recommends eating
a lot of fish rather than using supplements for omega-3. This recommendation
is based on the observation that most fish oil capsules are stored at room
temperature and the oil may go rancid without you knowing it. My answer is to
take fish oil as a liquid and KEEP IT REFRIGERATED. It’s lemon or lime
flavored and refrigeration keeps the the fishy taste down. No capsules
needed, and it’s actually cheaper than capsules.

Again, as a person who has lost seventy pounds and now enjoy a life free
of depression. I wholeheartedly recommend the Perfect Health Diet.

depression,
obesity
Jon (email of Feb 7, 2012) Dear Paul,

Following your PhD diet I have continued to lose weight at a rate of one
half pound per day! In 27 days I have miraculously lost 13.6 pounds! Overall
it has been consistent but on the days when I increase my probiotic intake it
seems that the loss is considerably more rapid!! While there were some days
in the beginning that were very rapid weight loss, I expected it to even out
and slow down by now but in fact yesterday I was surprised to find i had lost
1.4 pounds in a single day, so the theory that the early pounds were merely
rapid water loss and that the rest of the weight loss would be very slow has
simply not been supported by my experience.

Since I’m eating 1500 cal per day and 54% of that is fat, 26% is carbs,
and 20% is protein, I’m not on a ketogenic diet, but at the rate I’m losing
weight, it seems my body is responding as if I were on a ketogenic diet. Is
that possible?

I must tell you, that being insulin resistant, I was a prime candidate to
become a pre-diabetic patient. Now that I found your diet, and I’m
successfully losing weight, and this is the first diet that I’ve been able to
succeed at, I am so incredibly appreciative of the work you have done.

I’ve been gaining weight for years, and there has been no solution to the
weight gain so far, and therefore I believe your diet, literally, is going to
save my life.

I’ve got about 50 pounds left to lose! I plan to lose it the slow way, I
am planning on a half a pound a week but with your diet I’ve been beating
that rate on a consistent basis.

Thank you thank you thank you,

Jon

Weight
loss
hadrion I decided to give Perfect Health Diet a go first and see where that takes
me. What I’ve learned from asking question to the Jaminets and reading their
answers is that a little sugar here and there in products and the sugar in
fruit isn’t going to kill you.

I can’t do a low carb Paleo diet as I never feel right on that kind of
eating plan and I end up gorging on nuts more than anything.

After 2 weeks on Perfect Health Diet I’ve seen some pretty impressive
changes in my body. My skin is clearer and less red. I’ve lost the
“bloat” I would get in my stomach after meals containing gluten. In
fact, I get full quicker on less food but the sense of full isn’t
uncomfortable; it’s just my body telling me to stop eating. I’ve lost some
weight in mid section that has been my most stubborn area as well. My wife,
who suffers from eczema, has had her condition lessened to the point that
it’s not an issue right now following the diet with me.

This leads me to a few things, chiefly, that gluten is not good for my
wife & I. My energy levels are more consistent and there’s less crashing
during the day avoiding gluten. I’ve had no inflammation although I stopped
my inflammation years ago following CS’s advice and using the supps he
recommends.

While I’m not dismissing Peat’s philosophy of diet, so far I feel pretty
great. I really think there’s a middle ground between these 2 styles of
eating that will work for people long term. That said, I’m going to stick to
Pefect Health for a full month and chart my progress and then I might try to
introduce some Peat ideas into the mix and see how the sugar from OJ and Ice
Cream play with how I feel. I have a feeling that it’s not going to be a
problem adding in those down the road. I am following Peat’s suggestion to
eat a raw carrot and coconut oil daily,

What I would encourage any of you dealing with inflammation or who feel
extremely bloated after a meal with wheat in it is to try to avoid gluten and
see if your body feels different. I had gone gluten free before but all I did
was replace wheat bread with gluten free breads and I paid no attention to
the oils used to make the products. The Perfect Health style of eating with
safe starches like potato, sweet potato and white rice makes following the
diet easy and pleasurable. We even made Perfect Health ice cream which uses
rice syrup in place of sugar and it was delicious and totally satisfied any
lingering sweet tooth.

So far, following the plan set out in the PHD has led to some nice
results.

Skin
redness, bloating, weight loss, eczema
Ole I have been on the PHD diet for over a year now. (I bought the draft
version in September 2010). My health has improved a lot. I have lost about
25kg and I’m now about 87kg (i’m 185cm tall). I’m probably healthier than an
average person on just about any performance metric. (Picture of me in summer
of 2010 and 2011. http://blisunn.no/2011/07/min-brors-nye-livsstil/)
weight
loss
Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety
P.wen Paul & Shou-ching,

Just want to thank you guys for all that you do. I’ve been doing paleo for
2 years now and this year my weight had been yo-yo-ing due to my binge
eating. After my thanksgiving binge I finally decided to get serious and add
in about 50-100g of carb per your recommendation and my cravings for sweets
had decreased a lot. Being able to eat starch got rid of the feeling of
deprivation and I no longer feel the need to eat dessert after every meal.
I’ve definitely gone off the PHD over Christmas but I was able to minimize
binging. After starting the PHD, I’ve also been less neurotic with food and
not feel as guilty when I eat food thats “not paleo”. I’m going to keep up
with PHD and hopefully I can get to a healthy stable weight and healthy
relationship with food!

weight
loss, binge eating, food cravings
Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility
Peter When I ate a VLC diet I found that hard liquor was extremely satisfying.
As soon as I added back starches, my desire for alcohol diminished greatly.

Like Cheeseslave’s experience when she IF’d, I wonder if a craving for
alcohol could show the body is trying to prop up blood sugar levels and wants
ethanol, since it digests quickly to glucose.

craving
for alcohol
Clarissa Just adding in my similar experience to Peter’s. When VLC Paleo I was
sucking down 2-3 glasses of wine a night. I’ve bumped up my carbs to the PHD
level, and have been able to stay off alcohol entirely for the last couple of
months. I’ve also lost about 5 more lbs since upping my carbs and quitting
alcohol. Now when I get a strong craving for alcohol, I can “satisfy” it by
having a few starchy carbs. Since going off alcohol and upping carbs I’ve
seen improvements in my mental function and sleep pattern.
craving
for alcohol
elizabethe I’ve struggled all my life with overweight, binge-like eating disorder
symptoms, and fluctuating weight and (undiagnosed but quite obvious) volatile
blood sugar. I’ve been roughly following PHD for some months now and it has
seriously reduced all of my previous binge-eating, hunger craving symptoms,
as well as vastly increasing the amount of time I can go between meals
without feeling frantic or emotional. I haven’t lost much weight, but my
weight has stabilized whereas before I was on a steady gaining trend.
binge
eating, weight gain, glycemic regulation

High blood pressure

 

Gary I’d
be glad to offer testimony confirming that PHD is a weight-loss diet. My own
loss isn’t dramatic, about 15 lbs. in the past year. My primary health
problem is sleep apnea, which I’ve had for many years/decades. It has led to
high blood pressure and weight gain. It is not caused by my weight but rather
sleep apnea caused me to gain weight. I’ve been thoroughly tested and know
the reasons for the apnea and am recovering primarily by using a cpap
breathing machine at night. PHD got my attention because it was primarily
about good health. I started following it a year ago and can say that it has
significantly improved my health. In addition, I also began to lose weight, a
welcome side benefit. I follow the basic diet recommendations and take all
the supplements. I get enthusiastic about PHD and tell my friends about it,
but the most frequent response I’d get was that it may be great, but it means
home cooking everything. I’d counter that home cooking isn’t hard. So finally
I set up a small website that shows how I’ve done my own interpretation of a
PHD meal plan and the home cooking that make it possible to do it during the
week, working 50-hour days and making 2 or 3 meals a day for me and my
spouse. I call it “10 minute meal.” It might be of use to others:
10minutemeal.com
weight
loss, high blood pressure
Advocatus Avocado I’m a great proponent of the PH diet. I’m pleased to report that after
dramatically increasing my saturated fat intake and following some of the
proscriptive measures in the book that my blood pressure has decreased from
130/85 to 118/74. My resting heart rate has also decreased, and I now sleep
much more soundly.
blood
pressure, sleep quality
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure

Mood and cognitive function

 

Mary(more here) There
is a whole pan of dark chocolate gluten-free brownies in my kitchen, and I’ve
had no desire for them all day. I’m crediting the supplements (I’m on all the
PHD recommended supplements save kelp), and I’m particularly thinking copper
has made a big difference (I’ve suspected a copper deficiency for some time
as I started going gray young). Or perhaps also selenium. (I’m
hypothyroid…hoping for some improvement there.)In any case, I feel great
physically, I’ve not been binge-y or nearly as much as a sweet freak (and
I’ve been known to eat an entire bag of caramels in less than an hour, and
then head out to the store for more), and I’ve felt mentally stable and
pretty happy. I feel great on this plan, and maybe more importantly, I’ve
noticed that I have many more calm, good mood days than otherwise. I think
it’s the combination of the Perfect Health eating plan and the recommended
supplements. I’ve not lost more weight since my last check-in – I seem to be
at a plateau – but I’m still seven pounds down since I started, so that’s
good.
Reduced
cravings, improved mood, weight loss
Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease process
has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that there’s no
way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my husband must be
in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc doesn’t know what to
make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I tell you I’m utterly
grateful for both your product (the book) and service (advice on your site).
The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to connect with your audience.
It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community and healing when I’m on your
site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Deacon Patrick Thank
you for the gift of better brain function you have given me! A few months ago
I switched to ketogenic diet, and now a completely Paleo diet based in large
part on your Perfect Health Diet — the differences I’ve experienced are
amazing…. The more ketogenic my diet, the better my brain capacity,
cognitive energy, energy stability, longevity, and the better I feel….
brain
injury recovery
Pia I
am struck by this from Paul’s post: “Good health, I believe, leads to
good spirits.” Have been on PHD for only about 3 weeks and I am amazed
by my new outlook on life. I was not ‘unhealthy’ before (by modern
standards)– but I feel so much more able to see the positive now. Thanks a
million.
mood
gp2x I
can’t believe how much better I feel!… I had been eating (very) low-carb and
high-protein for the better part of a decade – and I had gotten a lot of
practice arrogantly dismissing suggestions (from any source) that I should
change anything about my diet…. Results: (after 1.5 months or so.)

  1. <span
    >I’m no longer
    “brain-dead” and unable to think in the evenings after work.
  2. <span
    >I no longer have fruit
    or chocolate cravings.
  3. <span
    >I’m much happier, and
    wake up looking forward to the day.
  4. <span
    >I’ve been much more
    social.
  5. <span
    >The extra starch has
    not resulted in weight gain. (I always gained weight when eating carbs
    before.)
  6. <span
    >It looks like the
    fasting (which I’ve never tried before) is helping my alertness and also
    contributing to healthy weight loss.

It
took less than a week for me to notice dramatic changes…. I can’t recommend
this book highly enough.

food
cravings, mood, alertness
Lisa Weis Yours
is by far, the best Paleo / Ancestral diet that makes sense…. I was very
strict Paleo for a good 8 months, and yes felt fantastic and lost 10ks etc.
But then started feeling tired, moody. Enter some carbs (from the suggestion
of your book) in the source of potato and rice and taro – and now I’m feeling
a whole lot better. Did I put on weight. Of course not! Essentially now I eat
what my body craves. I can listen to it now and it responds accordingly. It
knows when it needs more carbs (eg., after exercise). And it knows how much as
well.
fatigue,
mood
Sarah I
eat circa 100g carbs from starch a day not including veg and this has been
one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health along with including a
vitamin C supplement. My low-level depression and anxiety have completely
disappeared and the diet is considerably more varied and easier to stick to
than VLC.
depression,
anxiety
Morris
G (
comment 1, comment 2, comment 3)
A
couple of months after starting PHD there was an obvious improvement in mood
and cognitive function. Now 12 months later the mental improvements persist
but do not seem to be growing. … I’ve had joint “noises” for about 20 years
(I’m 72yo) but no direct discomfort from the noise effect. The frequency and
magnitude has increased over time but only very slowly. I tend to think that
the degree of crepitude correlates (weakly) with general joint health eg time
to recover from episodes of tendonitis or discomfort caused by overuse. I
have ignored this “crepitude” as being an unavoidable aging effect until
recently, when my manageable back/neck aches spontaneously improved and that
happened about 3 months after adopting the PHD diet (although I didn’t know
at the time that the diet was PHD). For example I can sleep on my back for
the first time in 8 years and turn my neck 90 deg without any discomfort. My
exercise regime has not changed from pre-PHD and is not too strenuous, about
2-3 hrs total/week of which most is moderate effort cardio with some
resistance. The odd thing is that pre-PHD, with the same exercise effort, if
I increased calories my fat would easily but slowly increase, but not now….
I feel great …  
mood,
cognitive function, joint function, weight
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

hypothyroidism,
bowel function, mood
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning (even
with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
KH I’m type 1 diabetic …

Just this morning, I took my A1c home test (by Bayer) which includes two
tests in the box. Because of the unbelievably low result of first test, I
took the second one (different finger, different hand) to check… Results:

test 1- 5.2

test 2- 5.3 …

I know the diet here is helping me a lot and I’ve been feeling more
energetic lately and less moody, which my husband is VERY HAPPY about!!

Type
I diabetes, energy, mood
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Mental health conditions

 

Sarah I
eat circa 100g carbs from starch a day not including veg and this has been
one of the best things I’ve ever done for my health along with including a
vitamin C supplement. My low-level depression and anxiety have completely
disappeared and the diet is considerably more varied and easier to stick to
than VLC.
depression,
anxiety
Kate I
too have had Raynaud’s all my life … In the past two months, I have modified
my diet in line with Paul’s suggestions for Migraine. I now eat 200 calories
worth of safe starch, all the recommended supplements, and as much coconut
oil as I can stomach. I am also doing the 16/8 fast. My Raynaud’s has further
improved, as measured by the fact I sometimes forget to turn the heat up in
the morning, and cold extremities don’t always alert me to my
forgetfulness!… Thanks for asking about the Migraines. They are in fact
vastly improved, which I attribute solely to your recommendations. I can say
that, because I have tried virtually everything else in the past…. Clearly
something remarkable is happening, thanks to your recommendations! A little
history. I started getting these headaches in my late 30s. (I am now 52). In
the beginning I thought I had the stomach flu, because in addition to the
headache I would always throw up or have dry heaves. The worst headaches
would keep me immobilized in bed for up to two days. My brother-in-law, a
neurologist, convinced me they were migraines. I finally consulted a doctor,
who put me on midrin, which did not help, and a few months later I started on
imitrex, which did help, at least at first. Eventually, my headache pattern
evolved, and I had at least a mild headache every day, punctuated by the
occasional doozy. Apparently, this is a pretty common progression, especially
with women my age. I always suspected there was something wrong with my
lifestyle or diet, and over the years I have tried numerous experiments, but
nothing ever worked. … In January, in my blog travels, I stumbled on your
site. I ordered the book and was intrigued by your and Shou-Ching’s ideas
about disease and chronic conditions. I was already familiar with the idea of
a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, so I was immediately interested in trying a
more ketogenic diet for myself. I ordered all your basic supplements, and
immediately upped my kelp to two capsules. I had been using coconut oil for
curries, so I started using it habitually. Started eating 200 calories of
starches that you recommended—this was a little scary, after studiously
avoiding them for four years! I was afraid I they might keep me awake at
night, but I am sleeping like a log. Started fasting 16/8, which was easy
once you absolved me for having cream in my morning coffee! Within a
week of starting this regimen my chronic headache started to disappear!

Some days I would only have a headache for part of the day, and occasionally
I would have no headache at all! I read somewhere on your site that NAC is
good on a ketogenic diet, so I ordered it too. I had never heard of this
supplement before. It seems to have made a further positive difference. I
have started taking it twice a day. Once before bed, and once in the late
afternoon, when the headache sometimes starts coming back. Since I
added NAC, I have been nearly headache free.
Another amazing
development concerns anxiety. Over the years I have become somewhat anxious
when I drive on highways. I grip the steering wheel tightly, sit forward in
the seat, and am generally hyper vigilant. I always chided myself for my lack
of nerves, but that didn’t help. As mentioned above, this was magnified by
the Topomax. I never had this issue when I was younger; indeed I used to fly
helicopters in the army. Two weeks ago I drove up to New Jersey to pick up my
daughter, a 3.5 hour trip from where I live in Northern Virginia. I stopped two
hours into the trip to make a pit stop, and I suddenly realized I was totally
relaxed, and had been for the entire trip! The PHD is strong brain medicine
indeed! Thanks for all your research, insights, and ideas. I think the
Perfect Health Diet is going to be a game changer for many people. Hopefully
it is the start of a sea change at how we approach the chronic maladies of
our times.
Raynaud’s,
migraines, anxiety
Stephanie When I went on the Perfect Health Diet plan, I hoped to clean up my eating
habits and address some of my thyroid issues through food choices. As it
happens, the PHD plan is not just about food; there is actually a pretty
aggressive recommended supplement plan. (Aggressive, that is, for me, as I’ve
traditionally been a “multi-plus-maybe-some-vitamin-D” person.) Since the
supplement plan didn’t involve drastically cutting sugar or giving up the
fresh, hot gluten-filled rolls I was habitually baking for my family (as the
food plan does, sigh), I did the pills first.

Because I was not expecting to get any bang for my vitamin and mineral
buck, I didn’t watch for any reactions, good or bad, that I might have to
this or that supplement. I didn’t take a scientific approach to starting on a
new pill or capsule. I included each recommended supplement in my morning
cocktail as it arrived in the mail. Pretty quickly (thanks to Amazon Prime),
I had added the following to my multi-vitamin and 1000 IUs of vitamin D3:
vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin K2 (100 mcg), copper (2 mg), chromium (200 mcg),
iodine (500 mcg), magnesium (400 mg), and selenium (200 mcg).

Within a few days after I was on everything, I noticed a major change, not
physically, but mentally — a major reduction in OCD symptoms and general
anxiety. I was first struck while I was driving to the food store. I had a
feeling of competence and ease. I was not gripping the steering wheel. I was,
in fact, steering with one hand. This is not something I do. Generally, I
drive waiting for an accident, acutely aware of my killing potential. But now
I felt…not indifferent to others’ wellbeing, by any means, but as capable as
the other drivers on the road.

This was strange! And it took a little mental work for me to accept that
perhaps I felt like a competent driver because I am one, not because I was
suddenly drugged and delusional. A few days later, I began to feel that I was
perhaps a bit too mellow. In poking around a little, I learned that the
recommended dose for magnesium for women is 200 mg (400 mg is the recommended
dose for men). Also, I have low blood pressure, and I was concerned that too
much magnesium would lower it even more. So I bumped my dose down. That felt
more natural.

Then, the real test: I had an upset in my personal life, the sort of thing
that generally sets me off in a spiral of obsessing, “phoning in” my
obligations to my sons, driving my husband crazy, clenching my jaw, eating
obsessively, and just generally getting sucked into a vortex of negativity
and pulling my family and friends down with me. Only I didn’t. I was upset
for a bit, processed the situation, and moved on. This was major, and
completely unexpected.

With minimal research (laziness being central to my character), I learned
that many folks with OCD find symptom relief with selenium supplementation,
so I’ve decided that this was likely key to my newfound mental health
improvement. I’ve taken magnesium in the past with no reduction in OCD
symptoms.

I may in the near future try eliminating selenium for a bit to see if my
OCD symptoms ramp up. The trick will be finding a “good” time to invite that
lovely obsessing back into my psyche.

If you grapple with OCD, you might want to give selenium a try. Note that
too much selenium is toxic, so monitor your intake. And if you regularly eat
Brazil nuts, you are already getting a big hit of selenium, so be careful.

Obsessive-compulsive
disorder, anxiety
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning (even
with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
Timothy J Hicks Background: I was an Atkins dieter in the 1990’s. Lost a lot of weight,
but staying on it was difficult.

Last year I came off a bout of depression determined to beat it without
drugs. I stopped eating sugar and (surprise!) started losing weight. Since
exercise is also helpful to depression, I thought that it would be better if
I kept losing weight to reduce my chance of injury while exercising. Along
the way I found that many of the things that are recommended in the Perfect
Health Diet greatly helped me in losing weight.

I lost a total of seventy pounds. As a man at fifty-five years old and 195
pounds, I am now in better physical condition than I was in my 20’s. This is
due in large part to the dietary recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet.

What is even better is that the recommendations in the Perfect Health Diet
led to removing the last things that were contributing to my depression. I
believe now that grains and omega-6 in vegetable oil was making me depressed.
That’s why adding omega-3 fish oil to your diet helps fight depression,
something I had started doing without understanding why.

To go back to the beginning, the Atkins diet had two flaws which
undermined long-term weight loss:

1) Atkins diet “phases” lead to the idea that somehow you lose
your weight and then slowly phase back into eating “normal” food.
Atkins didn’t say this exactly, but it’s implied.

2) When Atkins wrote the Diet Revolution book, he didn’t have access to
the research that we have now, and couldn’t see that some fats (high omega-6
vegetable oils) are bad for you, while some carbs in moderation (rice, sweet
potato) are okay. His blanket recommendation to get rid of all carbs would
have been better focused on SUGAR, FRUCTOSE and GRAINS.

The Perfect Health Diet is written so that you can read to whatever depth
of scientific detail you want to. I am about done with my third time through.
My particular health issue is depression, and the Perfect Health Diet has
many links to dietary causes of depression. The most helpful aspect is that
it is written from the perspective that this way of eating is a PERMANENT
change, and that this way of eating is based on sound science, including
cultural and epidemiology studies, not just lab experiments.

This book is a good companion volume to “Why We Get Fat: And What to
Do About It” by Gary Taubes.

The only qualification that I would add is that the book recommends eating
a lot of fish rather than using supplements for omega-3. This recommendation
is based on the observation that most fish oil capsules are stored at room
temperature and the oil may go rancid without you knowing it. My answer is to
take fish oil as a liquid and KEEP IT REFRIGERATED. It’s lemon or lime
flavored and refrigeration keeps the the fishy taste down. No capsules needed,
and it’s actually cheaper than capsules.

Again, as a person who has lost seventy pounds and now enjoy a life free
of depression. I wholeheartedly recommend the Perfect Health Diet.

depression,
obesity
Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety

Digestive disorders

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added
back safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD
safe starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are
considerably harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!)
than potatoes and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Dr. Jacs In
an effort to jazz up my nutrition and increase my energy availability, I’m
doing the
target=”_blank” title=”Perfect Health Diet”>Perfect Health Diet with a vengeance. I really love this way of eating, and
feel well on it. It’s good for my gut and my sleep.
digestion,
sleep
Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues
Jordan Reasoner I
have battled Celiac disease for some time and got about 80% better with a
Paleo diet… but the Perfect Health Diet was the first book that could finally
answer that last 20% with science based logic.
Celiac
disease
Brussie About
5 years ago, I started having horrible stomach problems (pain, bloating,
etc.), extreme fatigue, weight gain of about 15 lbs, and anemia. After many
useless visits to traditional doctors, I finally went to see a naturopath who
put me on a restricted diet: no sugar (or fruit), no grains other than rice,
no cow dairy, no legumes, no nuts. It was actually pretty much a PHD diet.
Within 4 months on this diet I felt 80% better; the fatigue was gone, I lost
the weight, and the anemia went away (with some help from iron supplements),
and my stomach pain was intermittent and brief when it did occur. I went on
like this for about 2 years. Then, about 2 years ago, I discovered the paleo
diet. It was already similar to the way I was eating with some minor tweaks:
upping the fat content of my diet, eliminating rice and sweet potatoes,
adding back some moderate fruit. Within a year of eating this way, I began
experiencing some additional stomach discomfort, more bloating and pain. I
went to see a doctor for some help. Unfortunately, she just made the
situation worse…. Well, I adopted the PHD in October 2010 and I am happy to
say that my stomach issues are almost completely gone…. I would definitely
recommend PHD to anyone looking for a healthy way of eating. I would also
recommend it for anyone who is still experiencing stomach issues while on a
paleo diet.
digestive
problems
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

hypothyroidism,
bowel function, mood
Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
Joan Hi Paul

I haven’t posted for a while but continue to be an avid reader of your
blog. I thought an update was due.

Quick background: Crohn’s for 16.5 years. Steroids for most of that time
as other Crohn’s meds ineffective. Got off steroids in Oct 2011 after 14
months on an almost zero carb diet. Glucose deficiency symptoms led me to
your site. Added in safe starches in November and started to implement PHD
with recommended supplements. Did a home fecal transplant in December.

I’ve particularly concentrated on raising my Vit D levels
(supplementation) and optimising thyroid function (selenium and iodine and
increasing thyroid hormone). Both are now in the normal range.

All these things improved my general sense of well-being and energy levels
but the Crohn’s was still a problem.

I did a Metametrix GI Effects Stool test in March hoping to find something
significant. The results were disappointingly good: no pathogens; commensal
bacteria were all present (a result of fecal transplant??). I did have high
inflammation and red blood cells present, indicating active Crohn’s.

During this time, since coming off steroids, I was able to observe the
nature of the Crohn’s without the confusion of medications. My observations
convinced me that it was an infection and research indicates mycobacterium
avium paratuberculosis (MAP) is the most likely pathogen. High E.Coli counts
in my stool test seem to confim this.

So, re-reading you assertion that intra-cellular bacteria can only feed on
glucose not ketones, I realised that the exacerbation of the Crohn’s was due
to coming off the ketogenic zero carb diet and adding in too many starches
(300 – 400 cals). For the last month I’ve dropped back to 200 cals, kept to a
daily 6 to 7 hour feeding window, and added in BCAAs and MCT oil (I was
already taking coconut oil). My Crohn’s symptoms have improved steadily. I
have very little tummy pain now. I do still have some diarrhea but that is
probably due to the high fat content of my diet.

It is very unlikely that anti-MAP antibiotics will be made available to
Crohn’s patients anytime soon, therefore I’m convinced a ketogenic, low-fibre
form of PHD is the best way to manage my Crohn’s. Thanks for all your
information, Paul. I’m thrilled with my progress thus far.

Regards, Joan

Footnote2: My sister continues to be free of eczema. Thanks so much,
again.

Crohn’s,
hypothyroidism, general wellbeing; eczema
Raham Robert Fodrek Thank you so much for all the support you offer. I have been following
your diet for a few months and in many ways feel much better. Last year at
this time I could barely walk (29 years old). I was diagnosed with Crohns
along with several other autoimmune diseases (including a lesion on the
spinal cord).
Crohn’s,
autoimmune diseases, spinal cord lesion
Nick Hi Paul,

Thank you so much for the fantastic information! I am one of the new
followers of the PHD. I listened to the your interview with Dr. Mercola and
wanted to learn more. I bought your book and started reading it immediately.
I am about 3/4 through it and all the information is just fascinating. For
about 12 years now I’ve been suffering from acid reflux. Trying many
different medicines including the deadly “purple pill”. I was on this for
roughly 7 years and just up until recently I started experiencing more and
more heartburn and a boat load of other problems. I was tested and poked and
prodded and what the doctors came up with is that my gastric levels were
elevated. He recommended I get off the PPI and switch back to the H2. I did
this for 3 more years but recently I started getting uncontrollable heartburn
all the time. I then checked out your interview about 2 weeks ago and started
on the PHD for about a week now and have not had to take my ranitadine in 5
days. It almost seems to good to be true. I am very grateful for the
information in your book. Thank you very much!

acid
reflux
hadrion I decided to give Perfect Health Diet a go first and see where that takes
me. What I’ve learned from asking question to the Jaminets and reading their
answers is that a little sugar here and there in products and the sugar in
fruit isn’t going to kill you.

I can’t do a low carb Paleo diet as I never feel right on that kind of
eating plan and I end up gorging on nuts more than anything.

After 2 weeks on Perfect Health Diet I’ve seen some pretty impressive
changes in my body. My skin is clearer and less red. I’ve lost the
“bloat” I would get in my stomach after meals containing gluten. In
fact, I get full quicker on less food but the sense of full isn’t
uncomfortable; it’s just my body telling me to stop eating. I’ve lost some
weight in mid section that has been my most stubborn area as well. My wife,
who suffers from eczema, has had her condition lessened to the point that
it’s not an issue right now following the diet with me.

This leads me to a few things, chiefly, that gluten is not good for my
wife & I. My energy levels are more consistent and there’s less crashing
during the day avoiding gluten. I’ve had no inflammation although I stopped
my inflammation years ago following CS’s advice and using the supps he
recommends.

While I’m not dismissing Peat’s philosophy of diet, so far I feel pretty
great. I really think there’s a middle ground between these 2 styles of
eating that will work for people long term. That said, I’m going to stick to
Pefect Health for a full month and chart my progress and then I might try to
introduce some Peat ideas into the mix and see how the sugar from OJ and Ice
Cream play with how I feel. I have a feeling that it’s not going to be a
problem adding in those down the road. I am following Peat’s suggestion to
eat a raw carrot and coconut oil daily,

What I would encourage any of you dealing with inflammation or who feel
extremely bloated after a meal with wheat in it is to try to avoid gluten and
see if your body feels different. I had gone gluten free before but all I did
was replace wheat bread with gluten free breads and I paid no attention to
the oils used to make the products. The Perfect Health style of eating with
safe starches like potato, sweet potato and white rice makes following the
diet easy and pleasurable. We even made Perfect Health ice cream which uses
rice syrup in place of sugar and it was delicious and totally satisfied any
lingering sweet tooth.

So far, following the plan set out in the PHD has led to some nice
results.

Skin
redness, bloating, weight loss, eczema
Brian Paul, Many thanks for the excellent work and great book.

I started PHD a few week before Christmas, and even with a few holiday
wobbles, I can honestly say that I am already starting to see a number
benefits.

I have no serious health issues as such, but a number of smaller/low level
chronic ones – headaches, gastric reflux, fatigue, stomach bloating and
gradual weight gain.

Gradually over a few shorts weeks the aforementioned issues have either
gone or dramatically subsided. My weight is starting to decrease (albeit
slowly) and my energy levels /sleep pattern is far better.

I’ve recommended your book to family and work colleagues as a result.

I think the main plus point of the diet is that it is ‘doable’.
Eliminating wheat and reducing fructose has been surprisingly easy, reducing
vegetable oil exposure more difficult.

Being allowed to each ‘safe starches’ has been great, as I’ve found
strictly low carb both difficult to sustain and left me not feeling optimal.

All in all I’m delighted, and so glad I found your website & book.

Many thanks

headaches,
acid reflux, fatigue, bloating, weight gain
Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Autoimmune disease

 

Raham Robert Fodrek Thank you so much for all the support you offer. I have been following
your diet for a few months and in many ways feel much better. Last year at
this time I could barely walk (29 years old). I was diagnosed with Crohns
along with several other autoimmune diseases (including a lesion on the
spinal cord).
Crohn’s,
autoimmune diseases, spinal cord lesion

Sleep quality

 

Dr. Jacs In
an effort to jazz up my nutrition and increase my energy availability, I’m
doing the
target=”_blank” title=”Perfect Health Diet”>Perfect Health Diet with a vengeance. I really love this way of eating, and
feel well on it. It’s good for my gut and my sleep.
digestion,
sleep
Kathy After
cutting back on coconut oil and adding all the supplements suggested by PHD I
am sleeping 6 hours straight and can dose the next two hours, a ginormous
improvement. Oh, and I upped my carbs! Delightful!
insomnia
Advocatus Avocado I’m a great proponent of the PH diet. I’m pleased to report that after
dramatically increasing my saturated fat intake and following some of the
proscriptive measures in the book that my blood pressure has decreased from
130/85 to 118/74. My resting heart rate has also decreased, and I now sleep
much more soundly.
blood
pressure, sleep quality
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Janusz I’ve been on the PHD for about 3 weeks. Beginning the first week I could
feel the difference in terms of energy and better sleep.
sleep,
energy
Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition

Allergies, rhinitis, sinusitis

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added back
safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD safe
starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are considerably
harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!) than potatoes
and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress
David I’m still very new to this diet, and I’ve been generally getting in shape
and losing weight for a while now, but one thing I can comment on already is
the effect it’s had on rhinitis.

Simply put, my rhinitis has disappeared completely. I no longer wake up
with a runny nose. I don’t need to take steroidal nose sprays. I don’t even
blow my nose. Rhinitus is now a non-issue. I’ve read that wheat and soy often
cause rhinitis, so I suspect some sort of allergy was to blame.

One other benefit: I’m never hungry on the PHD and I’m really enjoying all
the food I CAN eat, while not missing the food I can’t eat.

rhinitis,
appetite

Anemia

 

Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood

Fatigue, low energy

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added
back safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD
safe starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are
considerably harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!)
than potatoes and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease
process has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that
there’s no way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my
husband must be in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc
doesn’t know what to make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I
tell you I’m utterly grateful for both your product (the book) and service
(advice on your site). The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to
connect with your audience. It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community
and healing when I’m on your site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in mood
and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
Lisa Weis Yours
is by far, the best Paleo / Ancestral diet that makes sense…. I was very
strict Paleo for a good 8 months, and yes felt fantastic and lost 10ks etc.
But then started feeling tired, moody. Enter some carbs (from the suggestion
of your book) in the source of potato and rice and taro – and now I’m feeling
a whole lot better. Did I put on weight. Of course not! Essentially now I eat
what my body craves. I can listen to it now and it responds accordingly. It
knows when it needs more carbs (eg., after exercise). And it knows how much
as well.
fatigue,
mood
Richard
M, email of Oct 19, 2011
May I firstly congratulate you and Shou-Ching for writing such a wonderful
book. After researching nutrition and health in my spare time for many years
I have never come across a book that has been able to tie all of the major
aspects of a healthy diet together in such a concise manner whilst being so
extensively well referenced.

The amount of improvements that I have seen since implementing this diet
is numerous. My energy levels are much steadier throughout the day (as opposed
to the constant ‘peaks and troughs’ I experienced whilst following a
vegetarian diet for 4 years); my cravings for sugar have virtually
disappeared; I have only suffered from one cold in the past 10 months as
opposed to my usual 2 or 3; my weight is effortlessly stable; I never feel
hungry despite switching from 6 small meals per day to just 3; the list goes
on!

energy,
food cravings, weight, illness
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Jennifer Fulwiler As I look for something to wear this weekend, I’m reminded that I am in
the middle of the wardrobe crisis that I’ve been waiting to have for ten
years: all my clothes are too big. I don’t mean a little loose; I mean I
perpetually look like I’m headed out to an M.C. Hammer costume contest.

Over the past few months I’ve lost 25 pounds. That’s a good thing, mainly
since the drop on the scale was more of a side effect of lifestyle changes
that have left me with more stamina and energy than I had when I was 20….

It’s too long of a story to explain in detail here, but the short-short
version is that it was Perfect Health Diet + rethinking what a reasonable
portion size looks like + accepting that spiritual warfare really does come
into play with getting healthy + learning to depend on a good jog for an
energy boost. What started it all was getting fed up with feeling awful all
the time; I started optimizing my life around foods and exercises that would
make me feel better and have energy, and the weight loss followed.

weight
loss, stamina & energy
Janusz I’ve been on the PHD for about 3 weeks. Beginning the first week I could
feel the difference in terms of energy and better sleep.
sleep,
energy
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I feel
like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the recommended
supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has helped me
tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy, more
patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less anxiety, and
better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning
(even with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a
little hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer
than 16 hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast –
no problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s
KH I’m type 1 diabetic …

Just this morning, I took my A1c home test (by Bayer) which includes two
tests in the box. Because of the unbelievably low result of first test, I
took the second one (different finger, different hand) to check… Results:

test 1- 5.2

test 2- 5.3 …

I know the diet here is helping me a lot and I’ve been feeling more
energetic lately and less moody, which my husband is VERY HAPPY about!!

Type
I diabetes, energy, mood
Joan’s sister Hi Paul

You will remember 12 days ago I asked you about my sister who has CFS and
was taking 100 mls a day of safflower oil to keep eczema under control.

You wrote: My guess is that there is a high level of oxidative stress
which is diminishing AA levels, and the safflower oil makes more arachidonic
acid and relieves the problem. So the strategy I would try first is (a)
supplementing antioxidants…. and (b) treating any infections. Also, get serum
25OHD levels tested and normalize vitamin D/A/K status.

Your advice was spot on and the results have been miraculous. She started
supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, D and K and NAC.
Within 24 hours her eczema was much improved and she began reducing the
safflower oil. Now 10 days later she is down to 10 mls of safflower oil and
is confident she can discontinue it completely in a few days. Her eczema has
completely cleared and her skin is looking good.

Not only that, but some of her CFS symptoms have improved. Her constant
headache is not as severe, irregular heartbeat episodes have almost
completely stopped and she is tolerating slightly more physical activity.
Needless to say she is absolutely delighted and wants me to pass on her
deepest gratitude to you. Her words are, “It’s a miracle”. Once again
Proverbs 13:12 springs to mind. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Her sense of despair and resignation
has gone and you have given her hope of a better future. Words seem
inadequate to express thanks for that.

I’ve ordered a couple of copies of your book and I’m sure she will be more
than open to reading it and making dietary changes. I hope she will also
follow up your advice to treat any underlying infections.

Any interesting note: prior to starting the anti-oxidants she craved the
safflower oil and could hardly wait for her next ‘dose’. That has been
replaced with feeling nauseous even at the thought of the oil. Obviously her
body no longer needs it.

In searching the net I found this paper that seems to support your advice:
Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with
chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14744043

And this letter in the Nutritional Neuroscience discussing the paper’s
findings: Oxidative Stress Might Reduce Essential Fatty Acids in Erythrocyte
Membranes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Hypotheses/nijs.demeirleir04.pdf

Thank you once again, Paul, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge
and your time. The effect is life-changing.

Kind Regards

Joan

chronic
fatigue syndrome, eczema
Brian Paul, Many thanks for the excellent work and great book.

I started PHD a few week before Christmas, and even with a few holiday
wobbles, I can honestly say that I am already starting to see a number
benefits.

I have no serious health issues as such, but a number of smaller/low level
chronic ones – headaches, gastric reflux, fatigue, stomach bloating and
gradual weight gain.

Gradually over a few shorts weeks the aforementioned issues have either
gone or dramatically subsided. My weight is starting to decrease (albeit
slowly) and my energy levels /sleep pattern is far better.

I’ve recommended your book to family and work colleagues as a result.

I think the main plus point of the diet is that it is ‘doable’.
Eliminating wheat and reducing fructose has been surprisingly easy, reducing
vegetable oil exposure more difficult.

Being allowed to each ‘safe starches’ has been great, as I’ve found
strictly low carb both difficult to sustain and left me not feeling optimal.

All in all I’m delighted, and so glad I found your website & book.

Many thanks

headaches,
acid reflux, fatigue, bloating, weight gain
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Dry eyes or skin

 

Angie It’s
anecdotal, but all four people in my family experienced a variety of new
symptoms (seasonal allergies, constipation, worsening of heartburn, bladder
spasms, dry eyes, increasing tiredness and low energy) when we did GAPS.
These problems didn’t resolve until we luckily stumbled upon PHD and added
back safe starches. I think GAPS would be much improved by allowing more PHD
safe starches and doing away with all the honey and nuts which are
considerably harder on many people’s systems (they definitely are on mine!)
than potatoes and white rice.
Allergies,
heartburn, dry eyes, low energy
Melinda I
had severe dry eyes while eating too low carb. Following Dr. Paul’s
recommendations at “Perfect Health Diet”, I upped my carbs to his
minimum of 50 grams of starch per day and the dry eyes went away. He says
that minimum keeps mucus membranes intact and protective.
dry
eyes
Susan I’ve
instituted “Paleo” in our house since 1/1/11. Very strict about
only plants and protein. About 4/1/11 I realized I was experiencing extremely
dry eyes and mouth. I read your post about glucose deficiency and added rice
and potatoes back into our diet. This cleared the problem up within 3 days
and I was super grateful. It also *normalized* our diet, as it’s easy to go
out to lunch and have rice/potatoes while avoiding wheat/grains.
dry
eyes
Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved noticeably,
and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me out
physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life I
felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Doris I
reached my weight loss goals by eliminating grains and limiting dairy to
butter and cream and reducing fruit intake. That said, over the last month or
so, I was wondering why my body seemed to be drying out from the inside out.
I want to tweak my diet to optimum health and found your book. The
information about the importance of mucin was helpful. What was missing in my
diet was the carbs that you and the missus recommend. Sweet potatos, white
rice etc. Maybe less protein than I’ve been eating and more saturated fat.
(I’m alarmed by the stomach and other cancers suffered by long term adherence
to the Optimal diet …) I’m having better results every day. I am fascinated
that I have a laboratory of my own body to put your ideas to a test and have
them show positive results. Thank you both so much for your work and above
responses to questions and comments.
Dry
eyes, GI tract

Autism

 

Erik
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
Your
book and writings have totally changed the way I think about my diet,
nutrition and health. So in the past year, I have minimized grains, cut out
processed food, do not eat sweets and avoid omega-6 rich cooking oils like
the plague. I have increased my intake of saturated fat by several fold and
use butter and coconut oil as my cooking oils. I eat eggs for breakfast and
add cream/coconut milk to my coffee. I eat sardines and salmon weekly. I get
plenty of sunshine and exercise several times a week. I eat just as much
fruits and vegetables as I did in the past. I do however consume more sweet
potatoes and potatoes. I use to avoid the “evil” potato as well!… I
basically do not calorie count and eat to what I feel. I have actually lost
weight and my skin has become healthier as well. My lips do not become
chapped like they use to in the past. I always had chapped lips for most of
my life…. I have been well overall. The phd is working great for me. Also,
my son’s gastrointestinal issues have been improving from the addition of
probiotics and better nutrition. He is also starting to say a lot more words
this summer. He is asking for things with words for the first time. I can’t
say what helped him since there are so many variables interplaying but I am
happy to see improvements in language. Our pediatrician was shocked and
excited about his improvements. I think his probiotics, gluten free diet,
vitamin supplements and intensive ABA therapy have helped a lot. My son’s
autism has been a very good learning experience. I feel very lucky to have
you as a fantastic resource of information. Many thanks again for your help
and kindness!
weight
loss, chapped lips; his son: autism, GI issues

Constipation

 

Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease process
has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that there’s no
way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my husband must be
in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc doesn’t know what to
make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I tell you I’m utterly
grateful for both your product (the book) and service (advice on your site).
The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to connect with your audience.
It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community and healing when I’m on your
site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
Vincent I
thought others might be interested in the results of my experiments with
preventing constipation over the last few months. (See my previous comments
and Paul’s recommendations to me in this thread for background.) My regimen
was as follows… Diet: Added enough white rice to raise consumption of safe
starches above 600 calories daily; ate berries, turmeric, oregano, spinach,
and fermented vegetables regularly; initially eliminated tubers (which I had
difficulty digesting) and later replaced them with fermented tubers; and
replaced coconut oil with olive oil. Anti-fungal medicines: I respected
Paul’s advice regarding anti-fungal drugs, but decided to postpone using them
until after I had tried non-prescription supplements. Supplements: Conformed
my nutritional supplements to the PHD recommendations and added NAC; added
grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, Kolorex advanced candida care
(horopito), Now Foods candida clear, and occasional activated charcoal; and
tried a few probiotics, including ThreeLac.

After a few weeks of little improvement, I experienced my
first normal bowel movement in a long time (years?). After more changes to my
regimen, I now have normal stools on most days. The greatest improvements
coincided with the times I added fermented tubers and (later) ThreeLac. I
also think that cranberries, turmeric, increased amounts of safe starches,
the Now Foods anti-fungal, and removal of my beloved coconut oil were all
quite helpful. My victory is not complete — I still get diarrhea fairly easily
and the occasional hard stool — but the improvement is incredible.

Many
thanks, Paul, for helping me fix a problem that has plagued me for a long
time. I wish you, Shou-Ching, and all your readers the great health and
happiness you deserve.

constipation,
fungal infection
Anna I’m
so grateful to you for this information. I’ve been suffering for weeks but I
took the recommended supplements and did nothing else — and experienced
relief the second day. In a world full of useless and confusing information,
having a good source is such a godsend. Thank you for all that you do.
constipation
Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
Betty You
have blessed my life. I had one final symptom that was chronic all my life.
Constipation. I e-mailed you last week and you offered up some suggestions.
PRAISE THE LORD! I have had NO IBS, or constipation since following your
advice. I am, and will be forever grateful.
constipation
Robin I had been on a Paleo diet for about six months when it dawned on me that
I needed the rice to avoid constipation. Addition of starchy roots and a bit
more animal fat did not help the situation. Once I reintroduced rice ( 1 cup
on a daily basis) , the problem was solved.
constipation
Anonymous I’ve been following the PHD and taking the recommended supplements and
many of the therapeutic supplements for several months. Last week, I just
started supplementing with Zinc and NAC. This week – no more constipation for
the first time in many, many years – amazing! Thank you so much!
constipation
Helena’s mom Hi Paul, Thank you again! You helped my mom who has suffered with chronic
constipation for 60 plus years. She had taken Senna for decades. I read your
post about using Magnesium Citrate instead. It works like a charm and she is
no longer taking toxic Senna. Thank you!
constipation

Fungal infections

 

Bella Perhaps
this is as good a place on your site as any to share the improvements I
experienced after switching from a gut healing diet that generally can be
described as VLC Paleo to PHD. What’s even more remarkable than the
improvements themselves is that they occurred *within 48 hours* of seriously
increasing my safe starch consumption. I couldn’t have special ordered it any
better. 1. Constipation is gone. 2. Fungal (?) rash is gone. 3. Powdery
substance in urine is gone. (After reading here about how VLC diets can cause
excess excretion of uric acid, I’m certain this was the problem.) 4. Energy
and mood are way better. 5. I like what I’m eating now, I am sated, and my
instincts are no longer telling me something’s missing. This intangible
effect has made perhaps the biggest impact on my day-to-day quality of life.
Thank you PJ and S-CJ! Your PHD came into my life at exactly the right time
and produced exactly the changes I needed. Sweet relief! I am still working
out some hormonal issues, and fighting fungi, but my glucose deficiency
symptoms are gone, and I feel better than I have in a year, which is to say I
feel normal, finally. My husband has virtually no symptoms of colitis now.
We’re looking forward to his upcoming flex sig to prove that the disease
process has been reversed, so that the GI doctor will stop telling us that
there’s no way dietary changes alone could’ve cured the disease, that my
husband must be in symptomatic remission with a still-flaming colon. Doc
doesn’t know what to make of us. So indulge me in a bit of gushing when I
tell you I’m utterly grateful for both your product (the book) and service
(advice on your site). The one-on-one advice is a very powerful way to
connect with your audience. It’s as if I can *feel* the sense of community
and healing when I’m on your site. You’ve got a special thing going.
fungal
infections, low energy, impaired mood, constipation
Vincent I
thought others might be interested in the results of my experiments with
preventing constipation over the last few months. (See my previous comments
and Paul’s recommendations to me in this thread for background.) My regimen
was as follows… Diet: Added enough white rice to raise consumption of safe
starches above 600 calories daily; ate berries, turmeric, oregano, spinach,
and fermented vegetables regularly; initially eliminated tubers (which I had
difficulty digesting) and later replaced them with fermented tubers; and
replaced coconut oil with olive oil. Anti-fungal medicines: I respected
Paul’s advice regarding anti-fungal drugs, but decided to postpone using them
until after I had tried non-prescription supplements. Supplements: Conformed
my nutritional supplements to the PHD recommendations and added NAC; added
grapefruit seed extract, olive leaf extract, Kolorex advanced candida care
(horopito), Now Foods candida clear, and occasional activated charcoal; and
tried a few probiotics, including ThreeLac.

After a few weeks of little improvement, I experienced my
first normal bowel movement in a long time (years?). After more changes to my
regimen, I now have normal stools on most days. The greatest improvements
coincided with the times I added fermented tubers and (later) ThreeLac. I
also think that cranberries, turmeric, increased amounts of safe starches,
the Now Foods anti-fungal, and removal of my beloved coconut oil were all
quite helpful. My victory is not complete — I still get diarrhea fairly easily
and the occasional hard stool — but the improvement is incredible.

Many
thanks, Paul, for helping me fix a problem that has plagued me for a long
time. I wish you, Shou-Ching, and all your readers the great health and
happiness you deserve.

constipation,
fungal infection
KirkC I
started PHD ten months ago after having previously pursued a low-carb paleo
approach. At that time, I had a toe fungal infection which made the toenail
of my right toe nearly black, plus it made my foot half-numb. It was getting
so that I didn’t even like to go for long walks, which I have done all my
life. After six months of PHD eating, some of the fungus had receded and some
feeling had returned to my foot. Recently, after a discussion or two on your
blog mentioned Epsom Salts, I added a nightly foot soak in Epsom Salts. It
seemed to me that almost immediately there was a reduction in both the
visibility of the fungus as well as a reduction in the numbness. As of today,
most (but not all) of the feeling has returned to my right foot. Although I
suspect the most recent improvement resulted from Epsom Salts, it might also
be due to other changes which finally registered results. Those changes, in
reverse order (most recent changes first): Nature’s Way Primadophilus, Yerba
Prima Bentonite, intermittent fasting, recommended supplements, PHD
nutrition.
fungal
infection
jtl When
I began implementing PHD a few weeks ago I cut fruit back to about 80
calories/day and upped starch intake with sweet potatoes, potatoes, sourdough
buckwheat pancakes, and white rice. Within a couple of weeks chronic health
issues such as itchy, flaky scalp, tense painful neck and shoulder muscles,
and cyclical vaginal itching had disappeared, my mood had improved
noticeably, and I was able to do a little weight-lifting without it wiping me
out physically and mentally. 2 weeks ago I cut out fruit entirely and began
getting all my carbs in PHD proportions from white rice, sweet potatoes,
sourdough buckwheat cakes, and potatoes and saw a dramatic improvement in
mood and ability to work-out without negative effects, and the
fuzzy-headeded/blurry-eyedness that I’ve felt intermittently throughout the
day for as long as I can remember disappeared. For the first time in my life
I felt happy, relaxed, patient, care-free, clear-headed/eyed, and not hungry
(I’ve always noticed being hungry in my head, not my belly).
fungal
infections, impaired mood, fatigue, dry eyes, food cravings
Juan Camilo Thank
you Paul, you’ve been a huge help and so far, the one who’s had the right
answer to many problems.
fungal
infection
Bill
(
comment 1 and comment 2)
VLC
sucked the life out of me… maybe I didn’t do it right but for a young active
male it is a definite no go for me and I never had dandruff until I went ZC….
Got way better with starches and is now on it’s way out with starches plus
antifungals!… I thought I would share an update on my antifungal therapy. I
have been taking 200mg of Diflucan along with 2 caps of Kolorex for almost 2
weeks now… so not much time but I have seen some very significant changes in
that time period. I am eating a diet high in sweet potatoes and lower in
fat/protein. Probably anywhere from 50-60% carbs, 20-30% fats and 10-20%
protein. Before when attempting this high carb diet, my digestion went to
hell. 3-5 bowel movements a day, starting with 1 good one and then each one
after got worse. Never diarreah but not well formed, etc (sorry to be TMI).
My sebhorreic dermatitis would flare up even though my skin was more moist
and healthy (maybe increased oils flared this). Allergies seemed to be worse.
Sleep was sometimes better and easier, sometimes worse. I went high carb
because I seemed to develop some thyroid symptoms on low carb that were
easily erased with a high carb PHD. Now, two weeks into Diflucan, my
digestion is almost perfect. 1-2 solid bowl movements a day all well formed.
No IBS like urgency at all anymore. Better athletic performance, smoother
healthier skin (the seb derm redness has vanished but there is still some
minor flaking… upping the bone broths, vit C, vitamin A to speed healing).
Congestion is much much better and my gums have stopped bleeding!
fungal
infections
Kirk I forced my toenail fungus into a major retreat by switching to the
Perfect Health Diet (which added more carbs, which, according to Paul,
supplies the body the glucose needed to fight fungal infections). I also
added in a number of their recommended supplements.
toenail
fungus

Hypothyroidism

 

Becky

Am
doing quite well on PHD … Having Hashimoto’s, I avidly followed your
Carbohydrates and the Thyroid series, and have found there is DEFINITELY a
thyroid improvement (energy levels, reduced neck swelling) when some carbs
are in my diet. Like Claire, on PHD my thyroid medication was reduced, but to
1/3 of the previous dose. This is all thrilling … Thank you so much for all
your work.
hypothyroidism
ET I
am extremely grateful to you and Shou-Ching. Your book and this website has
helped me tremendously. I had soft tissue recovery issues, joint
inflammation, skin issues etc. After endless doctors visits, a smart
dermatologist suggested I had a leaky gut and gluten sensitivity. At one
point Hashimoto was also thrown into the mix. Paleo and GAPS took care of
most of the joint inflammation and skin problems, but my T3 and some of my
thyroid symptoms got worse while I was on the (unintentional) ketogenic
healing diet. Your posts on this issue have been helpful, and I am now upping
my carb intake. I have bought the book to a few people in my family and my
best friend…. I am so happy.
joint
inflammation, skin issues, hypothyroidism
William Trumbower MD What
a wonderful series of posts!! I treat thyroid problems in my practice and
have Hashimoto’s myself. I check FT3/RT3 ratios on almost everyone. I think
this is the best lab test for your thyroid related metabolic state. The most
useful is the old fashioned history and physical exam. Old time thyroid docs
did this with no lab tests to guide them. The thyroid gland controls the
metabolism of the hypothalamus and pituitary. TSH allows the
hypothalamus/pituitary to receive adequate thyroid hormone in the face of a
hypometabolic state (starvation etc). Chronic elevated systemic inflammation
and malnutrition inhibit thyroid function and thus ALL endocrine function,
including adrenals. The longer I am on the PHD and appropriate supplements,
the less desiccated thyroid I require. It used to take 21/2 tabs daily and
now I use 1/2 tab daily. I have increased my safe carb intake as weight loss
is no longer my main goal and feel great! Thanks Paul
hypothyroidism
Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

hypothyroidism,
bowel function, mood
Joan Hi Paul

I haven’t posted for a while but continue to be an avid reader of your
blog. I thought an update was due.

Quick background: Crohn’s for 16.5 years. Steroids for most of that time
as other Crohn’s meds ineffective. Got off steroids in Oct 2011 after 14
months on an almost zero carb diet. Glucose deficiency symptoms led me to
your site. Added in safe starches in November and started to implement PHD
with recommended supplements. Did a home fecal transplant in December.

I’ve particularly concentrated on raising my Vit D levels
(supplementation) and optimising thyroid function (selenium and iodine and
increasing thyroid hormone). Both are now in the normal range.

All these things improved my general sense of well-being and energy levels
but the Crohn’s was still a problem.

I did a Metametrix GI Effects Stool test in March hoping to find something
significant. The results were disappointingly good: no pathogens; commensal
bacteria were all present (a result of fecal transplant??). I did have high
inflammation and red blood cells present, indicating active Crohn’s.

During this time, since coming off steroids, I was able to observe the
nature of the Crohn’s without the confusion of medications. My observations
convinced me that it was an infection and research indicates mycobacterium
avium paratuberculosis (MAP) is the most likely pathogen. High E.Coli counts
in my stool test seem to confim this.

So, re-reading you assertion that intra-cellular bacteria can only feed on
glucose not ketones, I realised that the exacerbation of the Crohn’s was due
to coming off the ketogenic zero carb diet and adding in too many starches
(300 – 400 cals). For the last month I’ve dropped back to 200 cals, kept to a
daily 6 to 7 hour feeding window, and added in BCAAs and MCT oil (I was
already taking coconut oil). My Crohn’s symptoms have improved steadily. I
have very little tummy pain now. I do still have some diarrhea but that is
probably due to the high fat content of my diet.

It is very unlikely that anti-MAP antibiotics will be made available to
Crohn’s patients anytime soon, therefore I’m convinced a ketogenic, low-fibre
form of PHD is the best way to manage my Crohn’s. Thanks for all your
information, Paul. I’m thrilled with my progress thus far.

Regards, Joan

Footnote2: My sister continues to be free of eczema. Thanks so much,
again.

Crohn’s,
hypothyroidism, general wellbeing; eczema
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Agatha Thanks for this Paul – very helpful. I have noticed my temperature has
increased since starting PHD – I used to be always cold and being warmer
feels much, much better – being constantly cold is a miserable way to live.
hypothyroidism
Peter After eating a meat and vegetables diet for a 1.5 years I read PHD and
added back starches. I had been craving them, so it wasn’t hard to do.

The addition of starches warmed my body temperature (always an issue
because I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis), improved my energy level, helped
with symptoms of adrenal fatigue (as per Dr. BG), improved my bowel function,
and improved my mood. I also reduced my grocery bill (which in turn made for
a more harmonius family life) because I instantly desired about one-third of
the protein I used to eat.

Of all the symptoms of glucose deficiency the most concerning was the flat
mood. Clearly my brain was low on energy despite the “no human requirement
for carbohydrate” dogma.

Many thanks to Paul!

Hypothyroidism,
energy, adrenal fatigue, bowel function, mood

Carpal tunnel syndrome<

 

Justin (and here) I started feeling terrible in the winter of 2007. I went to five doctors,
none of them knew what was wrong with me. I had blood drawn about 15 times
for various lab tests. I was afraid I would be bedridden one day because of
the pain.

The first doctor who helped me did so by diagnosing me with fibromyalgia.
I was informed that my previous doctors did not believe fibromyalgia existed,
since it could not be tested with a blood sample. I began to have a disdain
for most doctors.

He started me on Savella 50mg/day. I improved on Savella, and was told to
do a cleanse diet to detect food sensitivities. Many people with fibromyalgia
have food sensitivities as well. I did not have the will power to execute
this plan properly. However, I was not going to rely on doctors anymore, so I
began my search for healing on my own.

I tried a few different things, natural supplements, and diets. Some gave
no help, some gave a bit of help, then I plateaued. Most importantly, with
regard to the food restrictions I tried, I had such cravings that I did not
care about my fibromyalgia pain and just indulged. Then, when I was full, I
cared about my fibromyalgia pain again.

I learned of the Perfect Health Diet from a friend in the summer of 2011.
I did not think I would be able to do it all, knowing my failures in the past.
So, I started small. I had a friend with celiac and was most convinced by the
section on the toxicity of wheat and other cereal grains. Thus, I began by
eliminating these. I noticed an improvement within a few weeks: I could type!
No more Dragon NaturallySpeaking for me! It was not carpal tunnel, in fact, I
still have bumps that come and go in my elbows and have to limit my
weightlifting when I use my biceps in any way. Still trying to figure that
one out, but typing is not a problem anymore, as you can see here.

In light of my previous failures, the key that made the avoidance of wheat
and company successful was that I could eat a lot of fat. After a few weeks,
I had some cravings for bread, but nothing as strong as my cravings for
things excluded in other trial diets. Now I have no cravings for bread.

I thought all would be cured by avoiding gluten, so I started cutting back
my Savella dosage. When I got down to none, I felt fine for a week, then I
slowly started to feel bad again. I got back on Savella, at 1/4 the original
dose.

I decided I would put more effort into the other parts of the PHD. Next in
line was vegetable oil. I had been eating a lot of salads, and I loved ranch
dressing. With a few false starts, I finally broke the habit of vegetable oils,
and was encouraged by some weight loss.

Next, I went half in on the supplements. I noticed the magnesium had
significant effects on my muscle soreness and neck stiffness. I read the post
on constipation and decided to add selenium, vitamin C, NAC, copper, etc.
Finally, I got started on working up to high dose iodine, with the
recommendation of starting low and doubling every month. In the last two
weeks I have been at 12mg/day iodoral, and I have recently noticed a great
uptick in my mood and lowered occurrence of stiffness in my neck. I have been
getting much more done at work, and have not had as much “brain
fog”.

In fact, it took some forced thinking to recall how far I’ve come. I used
to stand up very slowly, and limp for a bit afterward because of pain in my
hips. I used to try to play volleyball, but could not move suddenly or land
the wrong way lest I feel great pain. I used to accept that I would always be
stiff and have difficulty moving in the morning. I used to get random pains
in the bottom of my foot which made me limp. I used to take a lot of fiber
and was still not regular. I used to be 25 pounds heavier. I used to have
strong cravings for sugar, bread, chicken strips, and chips, just to name a
few. I used to have acne flare ups all the time. In the past I had to stop
typing every five minutes and massage my elbows for ten minutes; it usually
hurt to turn my neck; my shoulders were frequently sore; I could not throw a
baseball, a football, or a frisbee. Frequently, I could not remember details
of things I knew a lot about. I would get confused and get tired easily.

Now, I do still have elbow pain and some psoriasis/rash, so all is not
perfect. I am beginning to think these are unrelated to the fibromyalgia and
that the fibromyalgia is gone. I am at 1/32nd of the original Savella dose,
feeling fine, but will report back if I regress when taking the dose down to
zero.

THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER:

I posted earlier about my progress with being on Savella for a
fibromyalgia diagnosis I received a bit over 2 years ago. With following the
PHD about 40% or so I began to cut back on my medication. I did it too quick
the first time, and began to feel terrible. So, I stepped up the PHD
compliance of my diet as much as I could. I then began slowly cutting the
dosage until I was off completely 3 months ago.

I delayed reporting because I wanted to be sure symptoms would not flare
up again. Today I ran my fastest 2 mile time, then played ultimate frisbee
for a few hours later in the day. I feel great. I used to get extremely sore
from just trying to run half a mile, which was also pretty depressing. I am
feeling strong and limber with no trace of soreness.

fibromyalgia,
carpal tunnel

Arthritis, joint inflammation, crepitus

 

ET I
am extremely grateful to you and Shou-Ching. Your book and this website has
helped me tremendously. I had soft tissue recovery issues, joint
inflammation, skin issues etc. After endless doctors visits, a smart
dermatologist suggested I had a leaky gut and gluten sensitivity. At one
point Hashimoto was also thrown into the mix. Paleo and GAPS took care of
most of the joint inflammation and skin problems, but my T3 and some of my
thyroid symptoms got worse while I was on the (unintentional) ketogenic
healing diet. Your posts on this issue have been helpful, and I am now upping
my carb intake. I have bought the book to a few people in my family and my
best friend…. I am so happy.
joint
inflammation, skin issues, hypothyroidism
Morris
G (
comment 1, comment 2, comment 3)
A
couple of months after starting PHD there was an obvious improvement in mood
and cognitive function. Now 12 months later the mental improvements persist
but do not seem to be growing. … I’ve had joint “noises” for about 20 years
(I’m 72yo) but no direct discomfort from the noise effect. The frequency and
magnitude has increased over time but only very slowly. I tend to think that
the degree of crepitude correlates (weakly) with general joint health eg time
to recover from episodes of tendonitis or discomfort caused by overuse. I
have ignored this “crepitude” as being an unavoidable aging effect until
recently, when my manageable back/neck aches spontaneously improved and that
happened about 3 months after adopting the PHD diet (although I didn’t know at
the time that the diet was PHD). For example I can sleep on my back for the
first time in 8 years and turn my neck 90 deg without any discomfort. My
exercise regime has not changed from pre-PHD and is not too strenuous, about
2-3 hrs total/week of which most is moderate effort cardio with some
resistance. The odd thing is that pre-PHD, with the same exercise effort, if
I increased calories my fat would easily but slowly increase, but not now….
I feel great …  
mood,
cognitive function, joint function, weight
Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress
L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
J.L. I just returned from a book club meeting where we discussed The Perfect
Health Diet at length. I have to say, I am most fascinated by the chapter
focused on chronic disease and infection!

I am a living testament to the power of diet and “immuno- warfare”, if you
will (a.ka. antibiotic therapy). I muddled through 32 years of life on this
drug or that, all in the hopes of ending my “not-so in love affair” with
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I was diagnosed at age 3 after a bout
with what doctors thought to be a cold virus, and that which followed was
years upon years of aspirin (24 chewables daily, to be exact), gold salts,
NSAIDs and DMARDs. Ugh!

Since beginning to uncover secrets of old three years ago, I have eaten a
Weston Price, biblical, Paleo-ish diet and dabbled in various and asunder
supplements. This part of my new-found health journey yielded results good
enough to keep me off prescription meds, but something was still lurking in
my body causing imbalances, hiding out in my joints and other deep, dark
places.

Thank God for my integrative MD…He ordered Metametrix testing, and lo and
behold, found parasitic and fungal infections (imagine that, right?). I
reluctantly gave in and started rounds of Flagyl (antibiotic) and Nystatin
(antifungal), along with Primal Defense Ultra probiotics and a much lower
carb/no sugar diet. The results have been nothing short of WOW!

I can sometimes feel the anger welling up inside me when I think of the
years of my life this degenerative disease has robbed me of. But as quickly
as the feeling comes, it fades when I’m reminded that I wouldn’t be enrolled
in a Naturopathic Doctor program now. Moreover, my passion in life certainly
wouldn’t be helping others with chronic, degenerative diseases if it hadn’t
been for those nasty bugs that attacked that little three year old girl many
years ago.

Thank you kindly for joining the crusade and bringing your diet and this
life-restoring information to light. May the Immuno-warfare games begin!

rheumatoid
arthritis, chronic infections
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Thomas An unanticipated but very welcome result of getting on PHD has been relief
of arthritis in my ankles. I sprained my ankles dozens of times while playing
basketball growing up, and had slight arthritis in both ankles by the time I
was 26. Since then, any type of prolonged running makes my ankles sore and
painful for hours, with a little bit of swelling. In the last month that has
stopped completely- I feel great after playing ball now. I don’t know if PHD
is responsible for the relief, but I can’t imagine what else it could be.
arthritis

Back pain

 

Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress

Raynaud’s syndrome

 

Becky Hat
tip and thank you: After I started reading your blog, and adding in “safe
starches”, my Reynaud’s largely cleared up with temperatures over 20F. This
wasn’t the intention, but a wonderful side-effect. Last month, when the sun
came out and the temps got over 25, I enjoyed a successful 2-mile snow hike
for the first time in three years. =)
Raynaud’s
Kate I
too have had Raynaud’s all my life … In the past two months, I have modified
my diet in line with Paul’s suggestions for Migraine. I now eat 200 calories
worth of safe starch, all the recommended supplements, and as much coconut
oil as I can stomach. I am also doing the 16/8 fast. My Raynaud’s has further
improved, as measured by the fact I sometimes forget to turn the heat up in
the morning, and cold extremities don’t always alert me to my
forgetfulness!… Thanks for asking about the Migraines. They are in fact
vastly improved, which I attribute solely to your recommendations. I can say
that, because I have tried virtually everything else in the past…. Clearly
something remarkable is happening, thanks to your recommendations! A little
history. I started getting these headaches in my late 30s. (I am now 52). In the
beginning I thought I had the stomach flu, because in addition to the
headache I would always throw up or have dry heaves. The worst headaches
would keep me immobilized in bed for up to two days. My brother-in-law, a
neurologist, convinced me they were migraines. I finally consulted a doctor,
who put me on midrin, which did not help, and a few months later I started on
imitrex, which did help, at least at first. Eventually, my headache pattern
evolved, and I had at least a mild headache every day, punctuated by the
occasional doozy. Apparently, this is a pretty common progression, especially
with women my age. I always suspected there was something wrong with my
lifestyle or diet, and over the years I have tried numerous experiments, but
nothing ever worked. … In January, in my blog travels, I stumbled on your
site. I ordered the book and was intrigued by your and Shou-Ching’s ideas
about disease and chronic conditions. I was already familiar with the idea of
a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, so I was immediately interested in trying a
more ketogenic diet for myself. I ordered all your basic supplements, and
immediately upped my kelp to two capsules. I had been using coconut oil for
curries, so I started using it habitually. Started eating 200 calories of starches
that you recommended—this was a little scary, after studiously avoiding them
for four years! I was afraid I they might keep me awake at night, but I am
sleeping like a log. Started fasting 16/8, which was easy once you absolved
me for having cream in my morning coffee! Within a week of starting
this regimen my chronic headache started to disappear!
Some days I
would only have a headache for part of the day, and occasionally I would have
no headache at all! I read somewhere on your site that NAC is good on a
ketogenic diet, so I ordered it too. I had never heard of this supplement
before. It seems to have made a further positive difference. I have started
taking it twice a day. Once before bed, and once in the late afternoon, when
the headache sometimes starts coming back. Since I added NAC, I have
been nearly headache free.
Another amazing development concerns
anxiety. Over the years I have become somewhat anxious when I drive on
highways. I grip the steering wheel tightly, sit forward in the seat, and am
generally hyper vigilant. I always chided myself for my lack of nerves, but
that didn’t help. As mentioned above, this was magnified by the Topomax. I
never had this issue when I was younger; indeed I used to fly helicopters in
the army. Two weeks ago I drove up to New Jersey to pick up my daughter, a
3.5 hour trip from where I live in Northern Virginia. I stopped two hours
into the trip to make a pit stop, and I suddenly realized I was totally
relaxed, and had been for the entire trip! The PHD is strong brain medicine
indeed! Thanks for all your research, insights, and ideas. I think the
Perfect Health Diet is going to be a game changer for many people. Hopefully
it is the start of a sea change at how we approach the chronic maladies of
our times.
Raynaud’s,
migraines, anxiety
Anonymous (also here) I have Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and am taking a very low dose
of risperdal (same drug in higher doses used to treat schizophrenia).

I had been doing very low carb for many years and do now wonder if it
actually made my symptoms much worse. (I was diagnosed with BPD while doing
very low carb.) Following the PHD diet has greatly reduced my symptoms. I
feel like a new person.

Better mood

I have found that following the PHD diet (in particular, getting enough
Omega 3 and not excessive Omega 6 and eating PHD “safe starches”, etc.,
eliminating toxins (grains, legumes, vegetable oils, soy, etc.), taking the
recommended supplements, and doing the optional intermittent fasting) has
helped me tremendously. I feel so much better now: better mood, more energy,
more patient, clearer thinking, happier, calmer, less emotional, less
anxiety, and better able to cope with issues such as difficult people.

Very nutritious, no cravings

This diet is super healthy and does allow plenty of choices: meat, fish,
vegetables (peas & green beans are fine), nuts (not peanuts which are a
legume), fruit, “safe starches” (rice pasta, sweet/white potatoes and white
rice), wine (which I like but don’t drink due to Rx), healthy fat like lard,
butter, cream, olive oil and coconut oil, dairy, chocolate, eggs, fermented
vegetables and some safe sweeteners such as rice syrup. A benefit of eating a
variety of healthy foods including “safe starches”: no cravings.

Intermittent fasting – easy

This is optional, but I’m so happy I discovered this. Fasting sounds
difficult and you’d think it would involve hunger and suffering and a strong
will power, but not so. No need to go hungry. And I’m not even hungry and
don’t suffer but feel great and clearer thinking/more energy in the morning
(even with my risperdal which for years had made me lethargic in the morning)
during my daily intermittent fasting (16 hour fast with coconut oil during
the fast with 8 hours feeding). When the fast is over, I eat normally:
usually 2 meals and a snack during the 8 hour feeding window, sometimes just
2 meals. I’m not ravenous when it’s time to eat, surprisingly. Sure, I’m a little
hungry, but in no hurry to eat and sometimes the fast lasts longer than 16
hours just because of circumstances. And I exercise during the fast – no
problem with a lack of energy. No longer am I anxious about eating every 4
hours like I used to be while doing the low carb. In fact, I think I have a
much healthier relationship with food – it’s not so important and I know I
can go without it if I need to. Food doesn’t control me anymore. It has
really simplified my life.

Raynaud’s

Another benefit of the PHD is that my Raynaud’s is much better now and I’m
not as cold as I used to be. I think this was helped by eating more healthy
fat and Omega 3.

So give PHD a try if you want to feel better and be healthy too. I highly
recommend it – it really has worked for me.

Thank you so much, Paul and Shou-Ching, for all you do! 🙂

Borderline
Personality Disorder, mood, energy, anxiety, food cravings, Raynaud’s

General health

 

Kate “However,
some of the effects of nutrient deficiencies are insidious and might easily
escape notice, because they develop gradually over months or years.” I could
not agree more. Moreover, while your your body may give you hints all is not
well, that does not necessarily point you in the right direction.
Particularly when you are embracing the latest ill thought out nutritional
theory de jour. In my case, I went from “carb loading” on my swimteam as a
teen, to thinking carbs were the most healthful food, which segued into low
fat, whole grain obsession as an adult. By my late forties, I had a number of
niggling health problems, which were partially resolved by a 180 shift to a
low carb diet, which I took to further extremes, which created more issues…I
think many people know their body is trying to tell them something, but in
the midst of the cacophony of government and health agencies’ dietary advice,
most people have no idea what to do. I am finally finding my way out of a
dark tunnel using the PHD framework of optimizing macro and micro nutrition,
getting tests, and careful experimentation. This is the first diet and
approach to health I have seen that really tries to reconcile all the
research, and consider all the traditional wisdom, in contrast to the usual
practice in recent decades of enshrining one or two possibly good ideas to
extreme and ultimately damaging dietary prescriptions.
miscellaneous
issues
Richard
M, email of Oct 19, 2011
May I firstly congratulate you and Shou-Ching for writing such a wonderful
book. After researching nutrition and health in my spare time for many years
I have never come across a book that has been able to tie all of the major
aspects of a healthy diet together in such a concise manner whilst being so
extensively well referenced.

The amount of improvements that I have seen since implementing this diet
is numerous. My energy levels are much steadier throughout the day (as
opposed to the constant ‘peaks and troughs’ I experienced whilst following a
vegetarian diet for 4 years); my cravings for sugar have virtually
disappeared; I have only suffered from one cold in the past 10 months as
opposed to my usual 2 or 3; my weight is effortlessly stable; I never feel
hungry despite switching from 6 small meals per day to just 3; the list goes
on!

energy,
food cravings, weight, illness
Jeanie Graham Campbell My husband is doing fabulously on the PHD. It stalled my weight loss, but
I felt great. Once I get down to where I want to be (another 7 or so pounds),
I’ll be rockin’ the PHD!!!
A. b. Dada I added back white potatoes and even white rice based on Dr. Harris’
advice and definitely feel better (less orthostatic hypotension) — plus I’m
actually slimmer than I’ve ever been, yet my muscles are much stronger.

Low carb for 12 years before this year!

orthostatic
hypotension, body composition
Ellen MM’s
nighttime numbness made me think about a similar mystery that I experienced.
I have had for the last several years, not exactly numbness, but a strange
burning sensation in feet and/or legs only at night when I would wake. not
every night, but frequently. If I moved my legs a bit it would go away. It
started after being VERY low carb for over six months. I hadn’t noticed, but
now that I think about it, it seems to have dwindled significantly, perhaps
completely. I have been eating 200 C safe starches for a three and a half
months now. Chalk up another one for PHD!
strange
burning sensation

Chronic infections

 

Jesper I
was struggling for a while and had to keep upping the abx dose every couple
of months to get the same effect as before, and not deteriorate. I read about
some of Pauls tips and started eating high fat low carb, and i felt there was
a difference. Also started doing ketogenic fast in the morning. I have a lot
less symptoms now than before and i feel like the abx hits harder, especially
true during my morning fast. I think high fat low carb is a good idea for the
people with this bacteria especially those who struggle with abx resistance.
chronic
bacterial infection
Natalie As
someone dealing with chronic disease (a very unfun combination of Lyme,
Babesia, and Bartonella), I know I’m always looking to find out more of what
has worked and what did not work for others. This blog along with many of the
readers of this blog have been a tremendous help to me personally. For
example, I now know I can avoid the daily “coma naps” if I don’t go crazy on
the carbohydrates. I’ve actually received some excellent diet advice from my
doctor, but he never told me to chill on the carbs!
chronic
infections
Thomas The
part of this blog post that starts “Thus common symptoms of a
bacterial infection of the brain are those of cognitive hypoglycemia and
serotonin deficiency
” and continues for several paragraphs describes
precisely the mysterious changes I have experience over the last decade of
life (I am now 33), with the one variation being that I suffer extreme
fatigue rather than insomnia or restlessness. Every other sympton, including
the odd mental state you mention, is a perfect match, and I experience them
all to a marked degree…. I have been diagnosed with general anxiety but never
depression. I do not feel sad ever, just irritable and anhedonia-ac, if I may
coin a word. Anti-depressants, and I’ve tried a bunch, do absolutely nothing
for me. I began to decline after suffering the second subdural hematoma of my
life at age 20 when I was in Italy, followed by a 5 year binge on alcohol….
I’ve been doing PHD for about 7 weeks now, and tried a ketogenic fast this
past weekend. I ended up going 33 hours with some coconut oil and cream. It
was a bit tough having to eat a bunch of oil on an empty stomach, but nothing
too bad. I can’t say there was any improvement cognitively or with anhedonia,
but there seemed to me to be a pronounced calming effect after about 24 hours
of fasting. I often stutter or stumble over words (again, for about 10 years
now), which usually goes away only with two or three alcoholic drinks. But
the speech problems stopped almost completely during the fast, which makes me
thing that there is some link to anxiety and stuttering. I’ve been on PHD for
a few months, and about a month ago went to the low-carb therapeutic
ketogenic version of the PHD. After reading some of Paul’s posts, I believe
that I might have a brain infection as a result of a head injury from more
than a decade ago (Paul, if you recall, my condition has a lot of
similarities to the one you once had). I started taking doxycycline a few
days ago, and I have already noticed pronounced improvement (whether due to
the diet or the antibiotic or both) in controlling the irritability and
anxiety that have plagued me for years…. I definitely feel great since making
the diet changes. My blood pressure, which has been creeping upwards over the
last few years to 135/80 or so, is back down to 110/70. My testosterone is
824, and I am pleased to see that I maintaining my strength in the gym
despite being on a ketogenic diet. The improvements I’ve seen recently have
done more for my well-being than anything in the last decade, and I am profoundly
grateful to you for all your excellent advice.
brain
infection
J.L. I just returned from a book club meeting where we discussed The Perfect
Health Diet at length. I have to say, I am most fascinated by the chapter
focused on chronic disease and infection!

I am a living testament to the power of diet and “immuno- warfare”, if you
will (a.ka. antibiotic therapy). I muddled through 32 years of life on this
drug or that, all in the hopes of ending my “not-so in love affair” with
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). I was diagnosed at age 3 after a bout
with what doctors thought to be a cold virus, and that which followed was
years upon years of aspirin (24 chewables daily, to be exact), gold salts,
NSAIDs and DMARDs. Ugh!

Since beginning to uncover secrets of old three years ago, I have eaten a
Weston Price, biblical, Paleo-ish diet and dabbled in various and asunder
supplements. This part of my new-found health journey yielded results good
enough to keep me off prescription meds, but something was still lurking in
my body causing imbalances, hiding out in my joints and other deep, dark
places.

Thank God for my integrative MD…He ordered Metametrix testing, and lo and
behold, found parasitic and fungal infections (imagine that, right?). I
reluctantly gave in and started rounds of Flagyl (antibiotic) and Nystatin
(antifungal), along with Primal Defense Ultra probiotics and a much lower
carb/no sugar diet. The results have been nothing short of WOW!

I can sometimes feel the anger welling up inside me when I think of the
years of my life this degenerative disease has robbed me of. But as quickly
as the feeling comes, it fades when I’m reminded that I wouldn’t be enrolled
in a Naturopathic Doctor program now. Moreover, my passion in life certainly
wouldn’t be helping others with chronic, degenerative diseases if it hadn’t
been for those nasty bugs that attacked that little three year old girl many
years ago.

Thank you kindly for joining the crusade and bringing your diet and this
life-restoring information to light. May the Immuno-warfare games begin!

rheumatoid
arthritis, chronic infections
Michelle IME, a comprehensive stool test proved helpful. I found a fungal infection
which I treated with two bottles of ProEnt-2. I found bacterial overgrowths,
which I treated with Natren probiotics. The stool test showed gluten
intolerance as well, and seeing the results on paper helped me to take the
leap & kiss gluten goodbye.

I was also positive to toxoplasma, which I have not treated due to cost
and efficacy of treatment. Maybe down the line?

I had a sudden severe arthritis flare and have been on low dose pulsing
Doxy for it, successfully, since 2008.

My thyroid function has improved as I’ve gotten healthier. My guess is
improving iodine status and other micronutrient status, plus knocking back
infections are the major contributors.

I’m no longer anemic.

I used SAM-e successfully, for 2-3 years at 200-400 mg per day, upon
waking to help with low mood….

I can’t tell you how empowering it felt to take steps, and to slowly see
my labs improve. In my case, my labs tends to improve a bit ahead of
symptoms.

Good luck to you! There are often many pieces to the puzzle! You may find
it helpful, as did I, to minimize your variables, and track your protocol to
the best of your ability.

Infections,
arthritis, hypothyroidism, anemia, mood
Louise My 10 yo daughter is being treated for a lyme/bartonella infection and her
LLMD is supplementing her with the B6 metabolite P-5-P, L-methylFolate and
methylB12 to address the MTHFR defect that is so prominent in a lot of kids
with lyme induced autism and immune disregulation. My daughter is responding
well to treatment; her speech, executive function, handwriting, sound/light
sensitivities have improved greatly with antibiotics and supplementation, and
the ~80% implementation of your diet. Thank you so much for your hard work,
you are helping so many.
Lyme,
bartonella

Fibromyalgia & CFS

 

Justin (and here) I started feeling terrible in the winter of 2007. I went to five doctors,
none of them knew what was wrong with me. I had blood drawn about 15 times
for various lab tests. I was afraid I would be bedridden one day because of
the pain.

The first doctor who helped me did so by diagnosing me with fibromyalgia.
I was informed that my previous doctors did not believe fibromyalgia existed,
since it could not be tested with a blood sample. I began to have a disdain
for most doctors.

He started me on Savella 50mg/day. I improved on Savella, and was told to
do a cleanse diet to detect food sensitivities. Many people with fibromyalgia
have food sensitivities as well. I did not have the will power to execute
this plan properly. However, I was not going to rely on doctors anymore, so I
began my search for healing on my own.

I tried a few different things, natural supplements, and diets. Some gave
no help, some gave a bit of help, then I plateaued. Most importantly, with
regard to the food restrictions I tried, I had such cravings that I did not
care about my fibromyalgia pain and just indulged. Then, when I was full, I
cared about my fibromyalgia pain again.

I learned of the Perfect Health Diet from a friend in the summer of 2011.
I did not think I would be able to do it all, knowing my failures in the
past. So, I started small. I had a friend with celiac and was most convinced
by the section on the toxicity of wheat and other cereal grains. Thus, I
began by eliminating these. I noticed an improvement within a few weeks: I
could type! No more Dragon NaturallySpeaking for me! It was not carpal
tunnel, in fact, I still have bumps that come and go in my elbows and have to
limit my weightlifting when I use my biceps in any way. Still trying to
figure that one out, but typing is not a problem anymore, as you can see
here.

In light of my previous failures, the key that made the avoidance of wheat
and company successful was that I could eat a lot of fat. After a few weeks,
I had some cravings for bread, but nothing as strong as my cravings for
things excluded in other trial diets. Now I have no cravings for bread.

I thought all would be cured by avoiding gluten, so I started cutting back
my Savella dosage. When I got down to none, I felt fine for a week, then I
slowly started to feel bad again. I got back on Savella, at 1/4 the original
dose.

I decided I would put more effort into the other parts of the PHD. Next in
line was vegetable oil. I had been eating a lot of salads, and I loved ranch
dressing. With a few false starts, I finally broke the habit of vegetable
oils, and was encouraged by some weight loss.

Next, I went half in on the supplements. I noticed the magnesium had
significant effects on my muscle soreness and neck stiffness. I read the post
on constipation and decided to add selenium, vitamin C, NAC, copper, etc.
Finally, I got started on working up to high dose iodine, with the
recommendation of starting low and doubling every month. In the last two
weeks I have been at 12mg/day iodoral, and I have recently noticed a great
uptick in my mood and lowered occurrence of stiffness in my neck. I have been
getting much more done at work, and have not had as much “brain
fog”.

In fact, it took some forced thinking to recall how far I’ve come. I used
to stand up very slowly, and limp for a bit afterward because of pain in my
hips. I used to try to play volleyball, but could not move suddenly or land
the wrong way lest I feel great pain. I used to accept that I would always be
stiff and have difficulty moving in the morning. I used to get random pains
in the bottom of my foot which made me limp. I used to take a lot of fiber
and was still not regular. I used to be 25 pounds heavier. I used to have
strong cravings for sugar, bread, chicken strips, and chips, just to name a
few. I used to have acne flare ups all the time. In the past I had to stop
typing every five minutes and massage my elbows for ten minutes; it usually
hurt to turn my neck; my shoulders were frequently sore; I could not throw a
baseball, a football, or a frisbee. Frequently, I could not remember details
of things I knew a lot about. I would get confused and get tired easily.

Now, I do still have elbow pain and some psoriasis/rash, so all is not
perfect. I am beginning to think these are unrelated to the fibromyalgia and
that the fibromyalgia is gone. I am at 1/32nd of the original Savella dose,
feeling fine, but will report back if I regress when taking the dose down to
zero.

THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER:

I posted earlier about my progress with being on Savella for a
fibromyalgia diagnosis I received a bit over 2 years ago. With following the
PHD about 40% or so I began to cut back on my medication. I did it too quick
the first time, and began to feel terrible. So, I stepped up the PHD
compliance of my diet as much as I could. I then began slowly cutting the
dosage until I was off completely 3 months ago.

I delayed reporting because I wanted to be sure symptoms would not flare
up again. Today I ran my fastest 2 mile time, then played ultimate frisbee
for a few hours later in the day. I feel great. I used to get extremely sore
from just trying to run half a mile, which was also pretty depressing. I am
feeling strong and limber with no trace of soreness.

fibromyalgia,
carpal tunnel
Joan’s sister Hi Paul

You will remember 12 days ago I asked you about my sister who has CFS and
was taking 100 mls a day of safflower oil to keep eczema under control.

You wrote: My guess is that there is a high level of oxidative stress
which is diminishing AA levels, and the safflower oil makes more arachidonic
acid and relieves the problem. So the strategy I would try first is (a)
supplementing antioxidants…. and (b) treating any infections. Also, get serum
25OHD levels tested and normalize vitamin D/A/K status.

Your advice was spot on and the results have been miraculous. She started
supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, D and K and NAC.
Within 24 hours her eczema was much improved and she began reducing the
safflower oil. Now 10 days later she is down to 10 mls of safflower oil and
is confident she can discontinue it completely in a few days. Her eczema has
completely cleared and her skin is looking good.

Not only that, but some of her CFS symptoms have improved. Her constant
headache is not as severe, irregular heartbeat episodes have almost
completely stopped and she is tolerating slightly more physical activity.
Needless to say she is absolutely delighted and wants me to pass on her
deepest gratitude to you. Her words are, “It’s a miracle”. Once again
Proverbs 13:12 springs to mind. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Her sense of despair and resignation
has gone and you have given her hope of a better future. Words seem
inadequate to express thanks for that.

I’ve ordered a couple of copies of your book and I’m sure she will be more
than open to reading it and making dietary changes. I hope she will also
follow up your advice to treat any underlying infections.

Any interesting note: prior to starting the anti-oxidants she craved the
safflower oil and could hardly wait for her next ‘dose’. That has been
replaced with feeling nauseous even at the thought of the oil. Obviously her
body no longer needs it.

In searching the net I found this paper that seems to support your advice:
Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with
chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14744043

And this letter in the Nutritional Neuroscience discussing the paper’s
findings: Oxidative Stress Might Reduce Essential Fatty Acids in Erythrocyte
Membranes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Hypotheses/nijs.demeirleir04.pdf

Thank you once again, Paul, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge
and your time. The effect is life-changing.

Kind Regards

Joan

chronic
fatigue syndrome, eczema

Acne

 

Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition
Hunter and here Well I can comment on the topic of acne. Since starting to follow the
perfect health diet around the beginning of this month my acne has completely
cleared up. To give you a little history, I discovered both Cordain’s the
paleo diet and Sisson’s primal blueprint nearly 2 years ago and upon cutting
out grains and dairy I saw immediate improvement in my moderate acne that I
have been struggling to find a cure for since I was about 15. I turned 34
this month. At first I thought for sure that it must’ve been the 3+ glasses
of milk plus cheese plus yogurt plus ice cream that I was consuming nearly
everyday, but my acne did continue even though I was following a relatively
strict paleo diet, although acne inflammation was usually to a much lesser
degree than before I had changed my diet. I have still not been able to nail
down the cause, until now I think…

Cordain’s advice has been to avoid saturated fat and simply eat all the
lean meats, fruits & vege’s you can eat. So I had been eating as much as
10 servings of fruit a day, sometimes more, and less vege’s because well
fruit tastes better. And I had been supplementing with Carlson’s liquid fish
oil, typically twice a day. When I came across your site recently and started
reading your advice on fish oil, fructose consumption, and limiting meat
intake I adjusted my diet and have seen immediate positive results.

I increased my sat fat intake, mainly from coconut oil which I had
actually tried cutting out earlier this year (due to Cordain’s advice) and
I’ve started limiting my meat to about 1lb a day, and I’ve started limiting
my fruit to 2 or 3 servings a day while increasing vege intake, especially
from green leafy vege’s, while increasing my carb intake a little by eating
some white rice for the first time in years.

All of those changes I think are good, but I believe that in particular
the increase in sat fat intake has been clearing up my acne because I was
already experimenting with sat fat intake before finding your site and buying
your book a few weeks ago and I was noticing immediate improvement on the
days that I cooked my food with coconut oil compared to the days that I was
limiting sat fat intake. It was just last month that I was waking up every
single morning to find new acne forming on my face but the day that I started
spooning coconut oil is the day that stopped. Of course like I said it has
only been 2-3 weeks now so I can’t claim to have actually cured my acne yet,
but I’m going to continue following the perfect health diet closely and in a
few months I’ll have a more accurate confirmation. Hopefully a positive one.
I’ve even reintroduced some dairy back into my diet recently, per your advice
and mostly from raw milk cheese yet still in relatively small amounts.

BTW, I had already been experimenting with intermittent fasting for the
past year and I noticed that when I fasted my face would definitely break out
the next day. Since discovering your advice on eating green leafy vege’s,
berries, and plenty of coconut oil during a fast I have followed a 16/8
eating cycle for the past 8 days straight without any skin problems at all. I
also just feel “better” during the fast while previously, I thought that a
fast wasn’t a fast unless I consumed nothing but water and black coffee. Your
advice both in your book and on this website has been invaluable to me. Thank
you!

I’ve been
following your advice strictly for nearly 4 months now, except I normally eat
200-400 carb calories per day, and my acne has completely cleared up. My skin
“feels” different, it was like I could feel a change in the texture of my
skin. In almost 20 years of trying every prescription drug, lotion, cleanser,
etc, this is the first thing that has worked (accutane worked for about 1
year). I do nothing to my face now but wash it once a day and follow the PHD
=D

acne

Infertility, amenorrhea, PCOS

 

Hunter‘s wife My
wife and I have been VLC for a couple years now, myself probably a little
longer than her and I tend to eat more saturated fat too. She recently
stopped taking birth control and her menstrual cycle just stopped. Also for
years and years, maybe as long as the past decade, she’s been chronically
constipated, depressed, and always tired and wanting to sleep 10+ hours.
She’s been thru tons of tests and no doctor can find anything wrong with her.
I started doing some research on her results from multiple blood tests and
found her TSH has been slowly increasing and was at 3.13. We started checking
her basal body temperature in the mornings and she’s usually around 96….
Both of us have also avoided salt for most of our lives as well as most
packaged/processed foods that might contain salt. So we started supplementing
Iodine, starting about a month ago and slowly increasing the dosage each
week, as well as eating about 200-400 carb calories a day from white rice,
taro, and cassava (all covered in pastured butter). Some mornings now her
temperature has reached as high as 98.2 and her constipation has suddenly
improved a lot.
hypothyroidism,
fatigue, constipation, amenorrhea
S,
email
Two
weeks ago my doctor diagnosed me with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. After
chatting to me a little about nutrition and its effect on the body, he wrote
down the title of your book “The Perfect Health Diet” and said that
it could help me. I went home and immediately ordered the book online and
received it a few days later (yippee!) Although I’m not even half way into
the book (I decided to start again after discovering it’s not light bedtime
reading!) I am certainly seeing sense in what the book says and am already
feeling a lot better just in myself – more energy, happier, less hormone mood
swings and not bloated at all. I’ve lost a bit of weight since I started two
weeks ago (6lbs) and my skin is… well… the least spotty its been since I
was about 11 years old! I’m certain that the diet is the reason for these
changes.
PCOS,
weight loss
Brian P. Many thanks for your book and blog as it has helped me lose 35 pounds and
counting over the last 5 months, along with a general improvement in energy
level and “evenness”. Extremely gratifying to find a way of eating which is
sustainable, totally satisfying and results in natural weight loss. And, I
have yet to add high intensity workouts to my normal morning and afternoon
walks. I have been talking to anyone who has expressed interest as the
potential of the diet is obviously tremendous!!

P.s. I strongly suspect PHD played a pivotal part in my wife getting
pregnant naturally, just prior to starting her next round of IVF.

weight
loss, energy, mood, infertility

Genetic disorders

 

Zach and Mathias My
son, who is 6, … has been on the diet for less than one month and his
hands have relaxed enough for him to regain his pointing ability (which had
been lost)
. Zach, the 12 year old on the diet, is much further
progressed in the disease. Zach has been on the diet since late October,
2010, reaching 80% fat levels towards mid-December. The following are the
improvements that have been noted by Zach’s family and therapists: Zach
has begun holding up his head
even though his neck has been hyper
extended backwards since he was 9, he has begun pointing with his
finger again
instead of the palm of his hand, he is moving
his right arm again
some, and the latest thing is that he is
now able to go from a laying position to a sitting position
on
his own
by hanging on to something or someone. He has not done this
since he was 9 years old. Both boys have begun smiling and laughing all
the time
…. Zach has gotten off all pain medicine
and only has a small amount of 3 [anti-spasmodic] medicines left which
hopefully he can get off of over the next year.
Neurodegeneration
with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA)

Migraines, headaches

 

Rob Sacks By
day 23 [of a ketogenic fast] I became free of headaches. There was still some
sort of migraine activity — I could often feel the sensations that in all my
previous life, had always been followed by a headache — but no headache
resulted….Then I started following a diet similar to those used by
neurologists at Johns Hopkins to treat children with epilepsy, with calorie
restriction, frequent meals, and a ratio of fat to protein (by weight) of
four to one. After two days of this diet, my headaches stopped again. That
was only 48 hours ago but I’m sure the diet is working because I challenged
myself last night with a sure-fire migraine trigger by staying up past my
bedtime to watch the eclipse. Normally this would create a debilitating
headache, but the only result was a slight migrainy feeling that was easily
controlled with two aspirin. Before the fast, aspirin had no apparent effect
on my migraines…. A bad varicose vein is dramatically improved, and a teary
eye problem (which I think was caused by a clogged tear duct, and which I
previously controlled with large amounts of vitamin C) has resolved almost
completely.
migraines
Kate I
too have had Raynaud’s all my life … In the past two months, I have modified
my diet in line with Paul’s suggestions for Migraine. I now eat 200 calories
worth of safe starch, all the recommended supplements, and as much coconut
oil as I can stomach. I am also doing the 16/8 fast. My Raynaud’s has further
improved, as measured by the fact I sometimes forget to turn the heat up in
the morning, and cold extremities don’t always alert me to my
forgetfulness!… Thanks for asking about the Migraines. They are in fact
vastly improved, which I attribute solely to your recommendations. I can say
that, because I have tried virtually everything else in the past…. Clearly
something remarkable is happening, thanks to your recommendations! A little
history. I started getting these headaches in my late 30s. (I am now 52). In the
beginning I thought I had the stomach flu, because in addition to the
headache I would always throw up or have dry heaves. The worst headaches
would keep me immobilized in bed for up to two days. My brother-in-law, a
neurologist, convinced me they were migraines. I finally consulted a doctor,
who put me on midrin, which did not help, and a few months later I started on
imitrex, which did help, at least at first. Eventually, my headache pattern
evolved, and I had at least a mild headache every day, punctuated by the
occasional doozy. Apparently, this is a pretty common progression, especially
with women my age. I always suspected there was something wrong with my
lifestyle or diet, and over the years I have tried numerous experiments, but
nothing ever worked. … In January, in my blog travels, I stumbled on your
site. I ordered the book and was intrigued by your and Shou-Ching’s ideas
about disease and chronic conditions. I was already familiar with the idea of
a ketogenic diet for epilepsy, so I was immediately interested in trying a
more ketogenic diet for myself. I ordered all your basic supplements, and
immediately upped my kelp to two capsules. I had been using coconut oil for
curries, so I started using it habitually. Started eating 200 calories of starches
that you recommended—this was a little scary, after studiously avoiding them
for four years! I was afraid I they might keep me awake at night, but I am
sleeping like a log. Started fasting 16/8, which was easy once you absolved
me for having cream in my morning coffee! Within a week of starting
this regimen my chronic headache started to disappear!
Some days I
would only have a headache for part of the day, and occasionally I would have
no headache at all! I read somewhere on your site that NAC is good on a
ketogenic diet, so I ordered it too. I had never heard of this supplement
before. It seems to have made a further positive difference. I have started
taking it twice a day. Once before bed, and once in the late afternoon, when
the headache sometimes starts coming back. Since I added NAC, I have
been nearly headache free.
Another amazing development concerns
anxiety. Over the years I have become somewhat anxious when I drive on
highways. I grip the steering wheel tightly, sit forward in the seat, and am
generally hyper vigilant. I always chided myself for my lack of nerves, but
that didn’t help. As mentioned above, this was magnified by the Topomax. I
never had this issue when I was younger; indeed I used to fly helicopters in
the army. Two weeks ago I drove up to New Jersey to pick up my daughter, a
3.5 hour trip from where I live in Northern Virginia. I stopped two hours
into the trip to make a pit stop, and I suddenly realized I was totally
relaxed, and had been for the entire trip! The PHD is strong brain medicine
indeed! Thanks for all your research, insights, and ideas. I think the
Perfect Health Diet is going to be a game changer for many people. Hopefully
it is the start of a sea change at how we approach the chronic maladies of
our times.
Raynaud’s,
migraines, anxiety
Sharon
McAllister
Before the Perfect Health Diet, I was getting migraines almost every day.
I was on a low-fat, high fiber diet which is, necessarily a high carbohydrate
diet. I ate lots of legumes, lots of whole grains, and lots of fruits and
vegetables. I also ate low-fat and non-fat dairy. As you can see, the only
good thing in my diet was the vegetables. I was on this diet for about 4
years. My bowels were regular for the first time in my life, and it did feel
good to not always be constipated. I believed I was doing all the right
things. I now know that slowly over time toxins were building up in my
system. Eventually, I realized that immediately after eating a meal (a meal
that I thought was superfood healthy), I got a migraine before I could even
get up from the table. I couldn’t understand it! I began to research, and by
the grace of God, I found your diet and immediately purchased your book. I
have many migraine triggers, so they are not completely gone, but the
frequency and intensity have reduced substantially. My doctor has put me on
several different maintenance drugs over the years that were suppose to
reduce the frequency and intensity of my migraines, but none of them worked
at all. Your diet has done far more than anything else I’ve tried. I am still
hoping that one day I will be migraine free, but with my hormone related
migraines, it will probably not be until after menopause. I’m 48 years old
though, so maybe not too much longer to wait. My adult niece has also been a
migraine sufferer for years and she is now on your diet, and it is working
great for her too. We both owe you a great deal of thanks!
migraines
Karin I have particularly severe, chronic, complicated, and often silent
migraines. I have had these since childhood all day everyday. Because they
were often silent (no pain) they would manifest in various other ways, thus
leading to misdiagnoses of mood disorders and schizophrenia for many years.
At one point I was also misdiagnosed with epilepsy as well. After one
particularly smart neurologist saw and tested me, I was placed on blood
pressure medications for migraines. This worked. The problem is that my body
constantly fights to readjust to the medications. After a few months at one
dose, it seems I start to get migraines again. So it would go up and the same
thing would repeat again. I was looking for a different solution and I
stumbled across this article.

I’ve been on the keto diet for nearly a month and it is the best thing
that has happened to me. I’m migraine free and medication free. My mood is
incredibly stable, I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep all night, I have
lots of energy, I can concentrate for hours on end, etc. I’ve lost weight
also, a much loved side effect. Thank you for writing this!

migraines,
mood, sleep, energy, weight loss
Brian Paul, Many thanks for the excellent work and great book.

I started PHD a few week before Christmas, and even with a few holiday
wobbles, I can honestly say that I am already starting to see a number
benefits.

I have no serious health issues as such, but a number of smaller/low level
chronic ones – headaches, gastric reflux, fatigue, stomach bloating and
gradual weight gain.

Gradually over a few shorts weeks the aforementioned issues have either
gone or dramatically subsided. My weight is starting to decrease (albeit
slowly) and my energy levels /sleep pattern is far better.

I’ve recommended your book to family and work colleagues as a result.

I think the main plus point of the diet is that it is ‘doable’.
Eliminating wheat and reducing fructose has been surprisingly easy, reducing
vegetable oil exposure more difficult.

Being allowed to each ‘safe starches’ has been great, as I’ve found
strictly low carb both difficult to sustain and left me not feeling optimal.

All in all I’m delighted, and so glad I found your website & book.

Many thanks

headaches,
acid reflux, fatigue, bloating, weight gain

Kidney stones

 

George
(email of Oct 14, 2011)
Just
a quick thank you for your website and the book which I purchased a month
ago. I had been a low carber for several years and over that time have
suffered 4 painful bouts of kidney stones. Your post on kidney stones on a LC
diet was eye opening. My urologist did various tests and I ended up with
having high levels of uric acid and oxalates. Incorporating your PHD, I
dramatically brought down my uric acid levels. I hope this and the other
benefits of your PHD will help prevent future stones.
kidney
stones

Diabetes & glycemic regulation

 

PeterC’s dad There might not be a perfect known diet for diabetes, but approximately
six months ago, my dad, an obese man in his early 70s with Type II diabetes
and recovering from congestive heart failure (with other health problems as
well), began following a not-especially low carb version of PHD along with
daily intermittent fasting.

Not only has he lost around 30 pounds, he’s been able to go off all his
meds except for insulin, which he has cut in half. Although his blood
pressure is still high, it’s pretty good for him, and most of his other
numbers have gotten better. His glucose is the best and most stable its been
in a very long time, possibly decades. I plan to write more about him and
show some before and after photos, with more detailed numbers and so forth,
when I get the chance.

He feels the best he’s felt in a long, long time. Where he used to say,
“If I live,” now he’s sure he’s going to live. Interestingly, he’s stopped
snoring as well, along with many other symptoms of better health.

I could write a lot more about him and plan to do so in the future.

diabetes
Daniel’s stepdad My
step dad was diagnosed T2D and had to take Metformin (high dosage) I convinced
him that his problem wasn’t high glucose but high insulin levels and that
Metformin was just a bandaid. I managed to get him to read Sisson’s articles
at MDA and follow the Primal Blueprint. This was NOT easy-he is very
stubborn. But Mark does have a way with words and now my step dad-in 8
months-has great BS readings and does not take any medication. His best
friend is also T2D and used to take 6 “mega shots” (his words) of insulin
everyday and now, after about 6 months, he is down to one shot per day. They
both have lost weight and both are in their late 50?s. Dont give up! the PHD
or Primal Blueprint are actually perfect to handle diabetes. Just dont listen
to the ADA!!
diabetes
Newell Wright I am a type II diabetic and a Perfect Health Diet follower, so I want to
chime in with my experience….

I switched from the Atkins Induction diet to the Perfect Health Diet. I
have been eating rice, potatoes, bananas, and other safe starches ever since,
as well as fermented dairy products, such as plain, whole milk yogurt. I have
also slowly lost another seven pounds. I enthusiastically recommend the book,
Perfect Health Diet by Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet.

Today, my fasting blood glucose reading was 105. Note that since following
the Perfect Health Diet, my fasting blood glucose reading has gone down.
Previously, I was suffering from the “dawn phenomenon.” My blood
glucose levels overall were well below 140 one hour after a meal and 120 two
hours after a meal. Only my fasting BG reading was out of whack, usually
between 120 and 130, first thing in the morning.

For dinner tonight, I had a fatty pork rib, green beans, and a small baked
potato with butter and sour cream. For dessert, I had a half cup of vanilla
ice cream. One hour after eating, my blood glucose level was 128 and two
hours after, it was 112.

So not only am I losing weight on the Perfect Health Diet, my blood
glucose levels have actually improved, thanks to the increased carbs
counteracting the dawn phenomenon, just as Dr. Kurt Harris (another proponent
of safe starches) said it would.

So for me, as a type II diabetic, this “safe starches” exclusion
is pointless. I realize that I have greatly helped my diabetes situation by
losing a lot of weight prior to switching to the Perfect Health Diet. And I
am taking Metformin Extended Release pills every day. Nevertheless, despite
the type II diabetes, I am doing just fine on the Perfect Health Diet, thank
you. I reject the diabetic exclusion of safe starches.

diabetes
Jim, email of April 2, 2012 . I am down from 341lbs to 272lbs doing mostly Paleo, but modified with
some safe starches per your book. Just so you know this is not just about
weight loss for me, I was a type 2 diabetic with full metabolic syndrome and
most importantly, I had popping capillaries in my retinas that were leading
to blindness. All is better now, no pills etc.
diabetes,
obesity, diabetic retinopathy
KH I’m type 1 diabetic …

Just this morning, I took my A1c home test (by Bayer) which includes two
tests in the box. Because of the unbelievably low result of first test, I
took the second one (different finger, different hand) to check… Results:

test 1- 5.2

test 2- 5.3 …

I know the diet here is helping me a lot and I’ve been feeling more
energetic lately and less moody, which my husband is VERY HAPPY about!!

Type
I diabetes, energy, mood
elizabethe I’ve struggled all my life with overweight, binge-like eating disorder
symptoms, and fluctuating weight and (undiagnosed but quite obvious) volatile
blood sugar. I’ve been roughly following PHD for some months now and it has
seriously reduced all of my previous binge-eating, hunger craving symptoms,
as well as vastly increasing the amount of time I can go between meals
without feeling frantic or emotional. I haven’t lost much weight, but my
weight has stabilized whereas before I was on a steady gaining trend.
binge
eating, weight gain, glycemic regulation

Atherosclerosis

 

Alex I recently had my carotid arteries evaluated via ultrasound for plaque and
narrowing and was told there is no evidence of either. A year ago, just
before adopting a PHD type diet, an MRI of my heart revealed “significant”
plaque on one of my coronary arteries and less significant on another…. I’m
in my mid 40s, lean, active, and have seen many health improvements since
adopting the diet (less joint stiffness, no more chronic back pain, milder
colds, fewer allergy symptoms, less gas, less bloating, need for less sleep.
atherosclerosis,
joint stiffness, back pain, allergies, bowel distress

Body composition, strength, athleticism

 

Ryan In a month on your diet, I haven’t lost a single pound—I wasn’t really
overweight to begin with when I start—but my body fat % has decreased 2.5%
from 17.5 to 15. I have never had an easier time putting on and maintaining
muscle in my entire life, despite the fact that I am not really doing any
exercise, well, save for a half hour of yoga, 5 days a week.
body
composition, muscle development
David Z. My success story: I’ve been eating what was mostly a “health food” diet
for twenty years. I followed the various trends and tried vegan, vegetarian,
raw, and more at different time periods. I’ve done juice fasting and
cleansing. At some times I followed it more religiously and other times less
so, but nonetheless slowly gained weight over the years.

This year I read Wheat Belly and started to think about cutting out wheat,
but that book rubbed me the wrong way and I wasn’t ready to commit. In
following up on it however I learned about paleo diets which led me to the
Perfect Health Diet. I was highly intrigued and implemented it before I even
finished the book.

I lost 25 points in the first two months on the diet, going from 215 lbs
to 190. I was not 100% compliant during this time period so was surprised to
see how effective it was. Since then I have mostly leveled off on the weight
loss while staying on the diet, but my pants continue to get looser and
looser.

190 is not a bad weight for me; I am 5’11″ and lift weights so while
this would be a high BMI I look pretty good. I’d like to lose another 10 or
15 pounds eventually but since this diet is so easy and pleasurable I’m not
stressing out over it and am giving myself as many years as it takes to do it
slowly.

Thanks!

weight
loss, body recomposition
Billy Greetings from Liverpool UK! I recently bought your book and converted
from paleo (one year) to using your safe starches and more fat which works
much better for me – i’m 28, athletic build and live a very active lifestyle
so super low carb made me look like i was literally starving – gaunt and not
good. I have some colour back in my cheeks now and much more energy!
body
composition, energy
Matt Dear Paul

I completely agree with the review on your book given by Chris Kresser. It
certainly is, in my opinion, the best book on nutrition out there. I’ve
bought copies for my entire family.

I’m an amateur bodybuilder and I’ve been struggling to gain muscle mass
for the past year. I’ve been on high carb and high protein diets but barely
gained any muscle mass, only fat and water mass.

I’ve read your book and greatly increased my saturated fat intake from
butter and whole eggs while simultaneously removing all grains, excess
omega-6 and fructose from my diet. I’m getting leaner and my muscles are
developing better.

What’s really surprising is that my calorie intake is higher and I’m
losing fat mass!! About 400 calories more per day. (I keep a very accurate
record of my calorie intake).

bodybuilding,
gaining muscle while losing fat
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
John D. After ‘standard’ PHD (maybe too low carb PHD) for about six months I’ve
been doing Leangains-style for the past 3-4, and I too have better success
than before. (Success = weight loss without significant muscle loss.)

In my case I lift once a week (Body By Science-style), and on that day I
drive carbs above 200g. I do 60-90g carbs on off days. Protein is consistent
at 130-150g per day, which I know is too high for PHD but I tell myself it’s
only temporal. All days are 16/8 IF.

By watching calories (1600 off day, 2000 workout) I’ve (slowly) lost
around 15 lbs over 6 months, but maintained or increased my strength (as
measured by weight and/or time-under-load).

So I am a fan of LG + PHD. The big question is what happens when I stop
watching those calories? My entire life to date it’s meant a slow creep up
back to ~my starting weight. I’m hoping this time will be different; I’ve
been lighter before, but never had this little fat mass. We’ll see.

weight
loss, muscle gain
A. b. Dada I added back white potatoes and even white rice based on Dr. Harris’
advice and definitely feel better (less orthostatic hypotension) — plus I’m
actually slimmer than I’ve ever been, yet my muscles are much stronger.

Low carb for 12 years before this year!

orthostatic
hypotension, body composition
Mowgli When I started primal/phd, the numbers on the scale didn’t change, but I
went from a 4 pack to a solid 6 pack, and got much faster despite less
running.
running
speed, body composition
Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the supplements
Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to the one I
was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD is that
it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several times at
night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep uninterrupted
for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to happen
occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as well. Also,
today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get a pimple in
my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of pimple just
before or during my monthly period and my husband or a dermatologist would
actually help me get it out especially if I had an important function to attend
to. I was thinking that may be IF and the removal of wheat in my diet did
greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement in my sleep. So yes at least
in my experience, a great improvement in my over all health since I
incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD book. And btw, I have
a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy syndrome – a
hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and grandma had it
too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all the time but in
the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry everywhere has never
been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs in the last 4 weeks
(losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my list because I am
trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems and hardly get
sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what diet works
best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the Jaminets! At 42,
5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20% carbs, I feel great!
And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition

Gout

 

L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure

Dyslipidemia

 

L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
Java Gal Ok, have to comment – can’t contain myself anymore! I am a lurker of the
worst sort, but here goes. As a 54 year old woman, I am more energetic,
flexible (yoga three times a week), and healthier than I have been for, oh,
decades. My doc, a wonderful, but dye-in-the-wool vegetarian, told me to keep
doing what I was doing – cholesterol dropped, good TSH levels(I’m hypo), and
down 5 sizes. Talk about replacing a wardrobe! My worry, of course, is
gaining it all back, which, sorry to say, is an experience I have had already
in days of yore. I was an avowed low-carber back then and I can attest that,
while it was effective for losing weight, it was not a good long term
strategy. So far, as long as I stick to basic PHD principles, things are
going swimmingly. In general, PHD has been a huge success. Thank you Paul and
Shou-Ching!
obesity,
energy, flexibility, dyslipidemia, hypothyroidism, general health
Mike Gruber My TG seem to run a little lower if I eat some carbs. Pre-Paleo, I was
114. Post-Paleo, it had run as high as 167, and was 139 when last tested in
May of ’10.

I added “safe starches” and started the full PHD supplementation
program in late January of ’11. At my last blood draw (May of ’11), my TG was
finally under 100 (85).

dyslipidemia

Oral & dental health

 

L.B. I have been following a “paleo” diet for the past seven months – a
combination of the PHD book, Mark’s Daily Apple and Kurt Harris’ blog. I am a
47 year old male, 6’ 1” and 175lbs.

My health and fitness improvements include the following:

  • <span
    >25lb weight loss and
    better body composition
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of chronic gout (a seventeen year affliction)
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of “creaky” joints in my feet and knees
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of life long irritable bowel symptoms
  • <span
    >Complete elimination
    of heartburn
  • <span
    >Improved cholesterol
    profile
  • <span
    >Less plaque build-up
    on my teeth
  • <span
    >Reduced carb and sugar
    cravings over time

This fitness plan has had a profoundly positive impact on my life. My wife
is also doing this with me and she has been able to get off her blood
pressure medication and she’s experienced many other benefits as well.

weight
loss, gout, creaky joints, IBS, heartburn / acid reflux, dyslipidemia, oral
health, reduced cravings, blood pressure
Ray Among many of the benefits of giving up gluten completely has been the
disappearance of a life long dental plaque problem (I’m currently 51); a
problem so bad I needed to have my teeth cleaned every four months to keep my
dental hygienist happy.
dental
plaque

Eczema

 

Firlefanz I’ve had a sore on my right hand for over two months now. Nothing I did
really helped, I tried fatty salves, zinc salve, disinfectant spray …
nothing helped. But this morning, it’s practically healed. No more red skin,
in fact, the hard skin part simply flaked off and left healthy skin behind.

Small, but noticable. This diet reduces inflammation in the whole body. I
think this was one tiny example of it.

hadrion I decided to give Perfect Health Diet a go first and see where that takes
me. What I’ve learned from asking question to the Jaminets and reading their
answers is that a little sugar here and there in products and the sugar in
fruit isn’t going to kill you.

I can’t do a low carb Paleo diet as I never feel right on that kind of
eating plan and I end up gorging on nuts more than anything.

After 2 weeks on Perfect Health Diet I’ve seen some pretty impressive
changes in my body. My skin is clearer and less red. I’ve lost the
“bloat” I would get in my stomach after meals containing gluten. In
fact, I get full quicker on less food but the sense of full isn’t
uncomfortable; it’s just my body telling me to stop eating. I’ve lost some
weight in mid section that has been my most stubborn area as well. My wife,
who suffers from eczema, has had her condition lessened to the point that
it’s not an issue right now following the diet with me.

This leads me to a few things, chiefly, that gluten is not good for my
wife & I. My energy levels are more consistent and there’s less crashing
during the day avoiding gluten. I’ve had no inflammation although I stopped
my inflammation years ago following CS’s advice and using the supps he
recommends.

While I’m not dismissing Peat’s philosophy of diet, so far I feel pretty
great. I really think there’s a middle ground between these 2 styles of
eating that will work for people long term. That said, I’m going to stick to
Pefect Health for a full month and chart my progress and then I might try to
introduce some Peat ideas into the mix and see how the sugar from OJ and Ice
Cream play with how I feel. I have a feeling that it’s not going to be a
problem adding in those down the road. I am following Peat’s suggestion to
eat a raw carrot and coconut oil daily,

What I would encourage any of you dealing with inflammation or who feel
extremely bloated after a meal with wheat in it is to try to avoid gluten and
see if your body feels different. I had gone gluten free before but all I did
was replace wheat bread with gluten free breads and I paid no attention to
the oils used to make the products. The Perfect Health style of eating with
safe starches like potato, sweet potato and white rice makes following the
diet easy and pleasurable. We even made Perfect Health ice cream which uses
rice syrup in place of sugar and it was delicious and totally satisfied any
lingering sweet tooth.

So far, following the plan set out in the PHD has led to some nice
results.

Skin
redness, bloating, weight loss, eczema
Joan’s sister Hi Paul

You will remember 12 days ago I asked you about my sister who has CFS and
was taking 100 mls a day of safflower oil to keep eczema under control.

You wrote: My guess is that there is a high level of oxidative stress
which is diminishing AA levels, and the safflower oil makes more arachidonic
acid and relieves the problem. So the strategy I would try first is (a)
supplementing antioxidants…. and (b) treating any infections. Also, get serum
25OHD levels tested and normalize vitamin D/A/K status.

Your advice was spot on and the results have been miraculous. She started
supplementation with zinc, copper, selenium, vitamins C, E, D and K and NAC.
Within 24 hours her eczema was much improved and she began reducing the
safflower oil. Now 10 days later she is down to 10 mls of safflower oil and
is confident she can discontinue it completely in a few days. Her eczema has
completely cleared and her skin is looking good.

Not only that, but some of her CFS symptoms have improved. Her constant
headache is not as severe, irregular heartbeat episodes have almost
completely stopped and she is tolerating slightly more physical activity.
Needless to say she is absolutely delighted and wants me to pass on her
deepest gratitude to you. Her words are, “It’s a miracle”. Once again
Proverbs 13:12 springs to mind. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a
longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Her sense of despair and resignation
has gone and you have given her hope of a better future. Words seem
inadequate to express thanks for that.

I’ve ordered a couple of copies of your book and I’m sure she will be more
than open to reading it and making dietary changes. I hope she will also
follow up your advice to treat any underlying infections.

Any interesting note: prior to starting the anti-oxidants she craved the
safflower oil and could hardly wait for her next ‘dose’. That has been
replaced with feeling nauseous even at the thought of the oil. Obviously her
body no longer needs it.

In searching the net I found this paper that seems to support your advice:
Determination of fatty acid levels in erythrocyte membranes of patients with
chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14744043

And this letter in the Nutritional Neuroscience discussing the paper’s
findings: Oxidative Stress Might Reduce Essential Fatty Acids in Erythrocyte
Membranes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients
http://cfids-cab.org/cfs-inform/Hypotheses/nijs.demeirleir04.pdf

Thank you once again, Paul, for your generosity in sharing your knowledge
and your time. The effect is life-changing.

Kind Regards

Joan

chronic
fatigue syndrome, eczema

Hair loss

 

Meli Hi Paul,

I just wanted to let you know that I was finally successful at adding back
in some carbs. I am now able to eat half of a small sweet potato on a daily
basis, while still losing weight! You were right, the weight gain (about five
pounds) was merely a temporary “hump” I had to get over before starting to go
back down. I was afraid I’d be stuck eating very low carb forever!

As a bonus, my eyes are no longer blurry, and my hair appears to have
started growing back. When I put it in a ponytail, there is a thick halo of
new fuzz where formerly my scalp was visible. I am suprised at how quickly
these issues began to resolve – it has been perhaps a month, if not less. I
haven’t been able to afford the supplements you recommended, but as soon as I
can I will get them.

You have my deepest gratitude, and respect. ~ Meli

Weight
loss, dry eyes, hair loss

Heart palpitations

 

Shelley I’ve been reading paleo, WAPF, low-carb sites for over a year now and
following your PHD as well. You can add me to the list of your success
stories as I lost 15 pounds , have no “cravings” eliminated GERD, heart
palpiations, panic attacts and other annoying pains.
weight
loss, food cravings, GERD / acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks /
anxiety

Cramps, menstrual cramps

 

Els and here and here I have been on PHD for almost 2 weeks now, doing IF 16/8 at the same time,
and have started with the supplements you have recommended 4 days ago. Since
I started PHD I do no longer crave for sweets. I used to eat chocolates
almost everyday and haven’t had it for over 2 weeks now. 🙂 I am so happy I
found your blog and got your book. Keep up the good works….

5 weeks ago I found PHD website and ordered the book. I am now on my 4th
week of PHD and doing pretty well eating 20% carbs. I also am taking the
supplements Paul had recommended after I emailed him to ask what I can add to
the one I was taking. One of the things I immediately noticed after doing PHD
is that it improved the quality of my sleep (used to keep waking up several
times at night and that is now a thing of the past because I now sleep
uninterrupted for 7-8 hours); and no more cramps in my calves (that used to
happen occasionally after a heavy work out); no more menstrual cramps as
well. Also, today is the first time i had my monthly period that i didn’t get
a pimple in my face. I usually get a big, really deep and hard to get rid of
pimple just before or during my monthly period and my husband or a
dermatologist would actually help me get it out especially if I had an
important function to attend to. I was thinking that may be IF and the
removal of wheat in my diet did greatly help me in seeing immediate improvement
in my sleep. So yes at least in my experience, a great improvement in my over
all health since I incorporated the principles that I learned from the PHD
book. And btw, I have a very sensitive skin (Atopic skin type or atopic/atopy
syndrome – a hereditary component, as my doctor calls it because my mo and
grandma had it too) and I usually get itchy and/or red spots in my skin all
the time but in the last 4 weeks the anti-itching cream which I carry
everywhere has never been used even once. And to top it all off, I lost 3 lbs
in the last 4 weeks (losing the 15 lb excess weight is not even on top of my
list because I am trying to get pregnant). I don’t have any health problems
and hardly get sick. I simply want to eat healthy and trying to figure out what
diet works best for me. And I found it! Thanks to PHD. Thanks to the
Jaminets! At 42, 5’6″ height, 125 lbs weight, and doing PHD on 20%
carbs, I feel great! And yes, I am sticking with PHD for the rest of my
life….

Btw, I continue to shed off some more fat even after I’ve increased my
carb intake to 30% last week. When I started the PHD 6 weeks ago, I weighed
128 lbs and now 122.4 lbs. I just hope I keep losing the last few fat I
wanted to shed off. Btw, I only weigh myself once a week at the same day and
time without fail and I also use a Digital Body Fat Caliper to measure my
body fat. So yes, I am definitely losing some body fat and no muscle loss!
That’s only after doing PHD for 6 weeks without changing my usual cardio
& weight training regimen. My trainer was very impressed when she weighed
me last week. I told her about PHD because she’s one of those people who
believes in eating 5-6 small meals a day. 🙂 I’ve done that for years but I
am definitely doing better by practising IF 16/8 and eating only 2-3 meals a
day. I am definitely seeing positive results since I started the PHD! The
elimination of wheat, sugar and cheese which I used to eat a lot everyday has
done great wonders in my body.

food
cravings, cramps / menstrual cramps, sleep, acne / pimples, body composition
Erik I also recall during the summer getting cramps in my calves and triceps
when I didn’t consume enough carbohydrates. It was very easy to under consume
carbs when you cut out grains and legumes. The cramping went away when I
added in sweet potatos, rice and yams. Now, I make an effort to get more
carbs in my diet. I also noticed that my body odor would be stronger on days
that I consumed less than 100 calories of carbs. For me, I have found that
very low carbing doesn’t work well and there are side effects.
cramps,
body odor

Multiple sclerosis

 

Sara H I am a non-menstruating woman who with MS …

I do practice ketogenic dieting (thanks to you!) and I definitely feel the
benefit. I have not been successful finding a doctor who will treat me with
antibiotics but will continue to search. I do the coconut oil but I am prone
to fungal infections so I am careful not to take too much. I once lived in an
apartment for over 2 years working out of my home and when it was time to
move out noticed mold on the ceiling and after further investigation
discovered that the heating ducts were filled with it. I’m pretty sure this
is where my health problems began.

I have had no new lesions since first being diagnosed and looking at me
you would not know that I have MS …

multiple
sclerosis

Body odor

 

Erik I also recall during the summer getting cramps in my calves and triceps
when I didn’t consume enough carbohydrates. It was very easy to under consume
carbs when you cut out grains and legumes. The cramping went away when I
added in sweet potatos, rice and yams. Now, I make an effort to get more
carbs in my diet. I also noticed that my body odor would be stronger on days
that I consumed less than 100 calories of carbs. For me, I have found that
very low carbing doesn’t work well and there are side effects.
cramps,
body odor

Leave a comment ?

553 Comments.

  1. I am 64 yr old female, had bypass graft and small colon cancer w rt. hemicolectomy in 2005. Been on high dose niacin for small dense ldl particle size( hdl now 100). Went gluten free primal abt 2 yrs ago. ND says severe leaky gut in spite of diet. Oh, went off PPIs for severe silent reflux ( throat clearing) 2 yrs ago as well.
    Have horrible rash dxd as Interstitial Granuloma Annulare. No itching, but disfiguring, started in winter of 2012, and biopsed 3 weeks ago. Went off coffee, all dairy, nuts, seeds, eat meat,fish offal, home made coconut milk, fruit and vegies smoothies.
    Please help rash spreading! Derm only offers toxic treatments. Went off niacin as well….feel like health not improving.
    Thank you

    • Hi Marlaf,

      The rash is due to some sort of immune impairment that either allows some infection to flourish (eg seborrheic dermatitis is caused by overgrowth of Malassezia fungal infections on the skin), or by autoimmune activity. Granulomatous dermatitis is usually thought to be autoimmune, see http://www.dermnetnz.org/dermal-infiltrative/granulomatous-dermatitis.html.

      In general the first step is normalizing diet. Being very low carb is a risk for fungal infections and affects immune function. Try including some carbs in your diet — potatoes and white rice if possible, if gut dysbiosis/leaky gut is too bad, try dextrose powder.

      For the leaky gut, eat bone and joint broth soups and liver and other nourishing foods organ meats and seafoods, plus vegetables. Be sure to get enough vitamin D. Gradually introduce fermented vegetables, eg kimchi.

      I agree with staying off niacin, it can promote certain infections and modulates immune function. See this post for alternative ways to raise HDL: http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2011/04/how-to-raise-hdl/.

      Also try the other steps suggested in our book, including circadian rhythm strategies.

      Best, Paul

  2. Two more comments regarding supplements, adding to my previous list:
    Magnesium (200 mg) seems to adversely affect regularity.
    Vitamin C (250 mg) seems to prevent me from experiencing a runner’s high. (When taking the PHD supplements, exercise didn’t really feel like exercise, either during or after.)

    If followed to the letter, the Perfect Health Diet is so good that I suspect introducing supplements will only harm as opposed to promote health. According the the nutrition calculator, I am between 90% – 400% of every micronutrient, so supplements would seem unnecessary; moreover, unlike foods high in micronutrients, supplements appear to cause side-effects (including brain fog, inarticulateness, loss of appetite, increase in libido, constipation, weight gain, personality changes, lack of endogenous reaction to exercise).

    • Thanks languagegame. I appreciate you sharing your experiences.

      I’m doing experiments myself, but I seem to be rather slower to reach conclusions. One thing I have concluded, however, is that supplementation is most likely to aid the elderly, who eat relatively little food, and least likely to be beneficial for children and the young or active, as they eat so much more food relative to body mass. May I ask if you are young?

      • Thanks for your response. Your project is one of the most fascinating things I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve found that the food and lifestyle aspects of your diet produce a very high level of health and wellness.

        I’m in my early 30’s and weigh 129 pounds. I have very little body fat, and even less when I’m not taking supplements. I exercise daily. According to the nutrition calculator, I eat around 2300-2500 calories a day.

      • I also wanted to note another phenomenon I’ve experienced since starting the PHD diet over two years ago. Regardless of how much non-grain starch I consume (from potatoes or bananas), unless I eat rice, I essentially feel cognitively incapacitated. I’ve even tried eating 3 pounds of potatoes a day. But for some reason, rice seems to fuel my brain in a way that non-grain starch doesn’t. For me, there is not some choice of eating either potatoes or rice. I have to eat rice at least a couple times per week to feel OK.

    • thanks languagegame…I think i’m starting to experience some of what you are talking about – that the supplements, which I’ve been taking for about 8 months now, are starting to cause adverse reactions – the brain fog with iodine, and interesting about the Vitamin C and exercise. I too have noticed exercise feeling “easier.”

  3. Suggestion: it would be interesting and useful to see daily meal plans that you think would bring every micronutrient into the plateau range. Over the last two years, vitamin C, E, potassium, thiamine and calcium have been the primary nutrients I’ve struggled to obtain from food (assuming the nutrition calculator is reliable). The PHD diet seems to be potentially very low in vitamin C, and theoretically low in potassium, so long as rice is favored. I’ve tried to address both vitamin C and potassium by drinking a couple glasses of watered-down tomato puree with the juice of two limes/lemons. This simple change has seemed to improve my health substantially.

  4. I don’t know if you or the paleo community is aware of this study. Evidently people are more quickly adaptive than generally thought.

    Diet Shapes the Ability of Human Intestinal Microbiota to Degrade Phytate – In Vitro Studies
    Lidia Hanna Markiewicz1,*, Joanna Honke2, Monika Haros3, Dominika ?wi?tecka1, Barbara Wróblewska1
    Journal of Applied Microbiology

    Abstract
    Aims
    Investigation of intestinal bacterial groups involved in phytate degradation and the impact of diets with different phytate contents on phytase activity.
    Methods and Results
    Faecal samples of adults on conventional (n=8) or vegetarian (n=8) diets and breastfed infants (n=6) were used as an inoculum for modified media supplemented with phytate. Populations of Gram-positive anaerobes (GPA), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Proteobacteria-Bacteroides (P-B), coliforms and anaerobes were studied. The PCR-DGGE analysis revealed a random distribution of DGGE profiles in the dendrograms of GPA, P-B and coliforms, and a partially diet-specific distribution in the DGGE dendrograms of LAB and anaerobes. The degradation of phytic acid (PA) was determined with HPLC method in supernatants of the cultures. Regardless of the diet, the Gram-positive anaerobes and LAB displayed the lowest ability to degrade phytate whereas the coliforms and P-B cultures produced higher amounts of intermediate myo-inositol phosphates. Bacterial populations grown in a non-selective medium were the most effective ones in phytate degradation. It was the vegetarians’ microbiota that particularly degraded up to 100 % phytate to myo-inositol phosphate products lower than InsP3.
    Conclusions
    A diet rich in phytate increases the potential of intestinal microbiota to degrade phytate. The co-operation of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria is essential for the complete phytate degradation.
    Significance and Impact of the Study
    This study provides insights on the effect of diet on specific metabolic activity of human intestinal microbiota.

  5. I have severe muscle pain all the time. I’ve been trying the PHD diet since the first of this year.When going thru your book I never see the title of pain. I wondered if you could give me some suggestions. I haven’t been doing the auto immune part of the diet. I have been on savella a drug for fibromyalgia and have seen no improvement. Also how would i find a doctor that could help me with testing that uses the PHD ideas. Thanks PJ Rosen

    • Hi PJ,

      You might want to visit Kamal Patel’s site at http://paindatabase.com. I’ll pass your comment along to him, maybe he’ll reply here. I personally am not very knowledgeable about pain.

      For doctors, you can try our Healers page or PrimalDocs; but many tests are also available to you directly at places like directlabs.com.

      Best, Paul

      • Hi PJ– Feel free to send me an email at painkamal (at) gmail dot com, and I might have some additional ideas on things to try.

        Fibromyalgia drugs don’t have great efficacy rates in general, as fibro is a tough condition to treat and has a variety of causes.

        If you are already doing a PHD style diet, incorporating more autoimmune aspects isn’t too onerous and could reap rewards. However, treatment of fibromyalgia can often come from things outside of diet that either center on specialized physical therapy, manual therapy such as trigger point massage or injection, and lifestyle modification such as circadian rhythm normalization, which Paul has written on. Note that in one small trial, fibro patients showed significant improvement in pain after regular use of tanning beds. This further supports the idea that UV light (and/or vitamin D) may be beneficial for fibro.

        http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19769472

    • So many things can cause pain. I’ve dealt with it for seven years. Mine was a tick born illness, bartonella, for which I was on antibiotics for two years. Menopause didn’t help that either, because hormones can also be a factor; HRT therapy helped for a few months. (I was too old to safely continue it indefinitely.) Eventually, I was also diagnosed with hypothyrodism, which can also cause body pain, and can often follow a chronic illness. Quite often doctors under treat this disease, using only the TSH test and levothyroxine, instead of the more effective natural thyroid hormone, like Armour thyroid. I’ve done very well on the latter. (See stopthethyroidmadness.com)
      After dealing with all of this AND using the PHD diet AND treating for fungal infections (probably due to the antibiotic treatment), I still did not find relief until I started having acupuncture treatment weekly. I’ve had 27 treatments to date. I am continuing to improve, but am not yet 100%. I still deal with a fairly low white blood count also and that causes infection problems for me, thus more antibiotics and more fungal infections, so it is a journey. It is NOT easy to regain health! Prayers for you in this difficult journey. Pain changed my life forever.

  6. Hi Paul, what do you think about rice protein powder? It is said to be the closest protein source to mothers milk. I struggle with eating animal protein so was wondering if this would be good to add into my diet.

    • Hi PC,

      Food has many nutrients that aren’t present in protein powder, so it’s much better to get protein from food. I’m puzzled by what sort of struggle you have with animal protein. Is it a moral struggle – you don’t like the thought of dead animals? If so dairy and eggs would be good sources.

      • Thanks for your reply Paul. My struggle with protein isn’t moral, I just feel unwell whenever I eat it. I suspect it’s a histamine problem. Fish such as cod doesn’t agree with me although I will have it in small amounts, beef ramps up my nervous system and makes me feel tense and anxious, I don’t tolerate eggs very well either. I have trouble eating liver too. Dairy also has bad effects on me, I suspect it’s the casein that’s the problem.

        I was taking SSRI meds for a while and my food intolerances started after I stopped taking them. The meds are known to be anti-histamine, so coming off them presumably causes some sort of histamine rebound effects. I know that the high serotonin levels caused by SSRIs affects the gut, so there has to be some connection there.

        Chris Kresser did a post on HI recently:

        http://chriskresser.com/headaches-hives-and-heartburn-could-histamine-be-the-cause

  7. I suspect few are aware that people losing weight on a ‘strict veggie’ diet are actually on a high animal fat diet. If someone loses 100 pounds over a year, for example, that means they are ‘consuming’ about 2 pounds of their own fat per week(some muscle too probably). Perhaps some fat soluble vitamins become available from the fat too; but when they cease losing fat, that is when they need to be especially vigilant to eat some animal fat and supplements. Diets are not always what they appear!

  8. I always get this rash when I take probiotics. It starts around my mid-section and then spreads downward. I have read this is die-off, so I decided to endure until the die-off subsides; HOWEVER, the rash is spreading downward and it is concerning me that it will spread too far. I have tried soaking in apple c. Vinegar, baking soda,e. salts. I have applied coconut oil which did nothing, now I’m applying a clay poultice 2X/day. Would you stop the fermented cabbage juice and probiotics or not?

  9. Hi,
    I had SIBO last year and my gastro. put me on a lose dose of eurithromiacin .
    He said I will have to stay on this medicine indefinitely to keep the SIBO from returning. What is your opinion. I don’t want to live on this medicine forever.
    Thanks for all your help!!

    • Hi G.J.,

      You certainly don’t want to stay on antibiotics indefinitely.

      Key steps:
      1. Improve stomach acid production (salt, iodine, potassium, bitter herbs, water, bone and joint broth). Try betaine hydrochloride with a few meals to see if it helps.
      2. Support antimicrobial peptide production with liver (vitamin A) and vitamin D (sun, supplements).
      3. Yoga breathing exercises to massage the small intestine and stomach.
      4. Eat lots of vegetables (rich in antimicrobials). Flavor food and water with apple cider vinegar (heavily diluted). You could try gentle antimicrobials like mastic gum.

      Best, Paul

  10. 2 articles of interest: Study by Schwimmer of UCSD in which Adenovirus 36 infects fat cells…”In cell cultures,” Schwimmer said, “the virus infects pre-adipocytes or immature fat cells” apparently leading to obesity in kids (this is the only virus known to be linked to obesity) and second article – in Cell Metabolism – researchers from Methodist Hosp report that fat cells in obese people make major histocompatibility complex II antigens, a group of proteins usually expressed to help the immune system fight off viruses and bacteria. The evidence that obesity is an infectious disease seems to be mounting!

  11. 1. Dr. Paul Jaminet (whom I greatly admire for his clear thinking) believes that the ability of the obese human body to offload excess glucose most effectively is through heat generation (see PHD webpost of 18 Jan 2011 – ‘if you’ve got too much fat and too much glucose, you really, really want to turn up the waste heat generator.’).
    2. When this mechanism is blocked, then the body cannot avoid the metabolic syndrome, etc.
    3. Mitochondria are the location of this ‘thermogenesis-as-relief-valve’ function.
    4. The mechanism for this is principally via a protein known as thermogenin (UCP-1), as activated by thyroid hormone and the ‘fight or flight’ hormone norepinephrine.
    5. When an obese person with over-supply of glucose loses this mitochondrial defense mechanism, disease ensues (See the study on mitoNEET over/under-expression – UT Southwest, Scherer).
    6. What can derail this mitochondrial based defense mechanism? – a. Toxin, whether plant or ‘animal’ i.e. gut bacterial origin or whole grain toxin or combination; OR b. Genetic alteration, e.g. via viral action (?example adenovirus 36 in obese kids)
    7. The relative importance of these 2 etiologies and the response to either will necessarily differ: i.e. the toxin can be reduced by various strategies which seek to decrease glucose over-supply while decreasing toxin load, e.g. diet change/gut bacterial antibiotics/prebiotics/probiotics/fecal transplant – while the genetic change will be ameliorated via reducing glucose over-supply coupled with autophagy strategies.
    8. Maintaining health as much as possible during the anti-obesity treatment is key – which importantly rests in large part on the PHD principles.

  12. Paul,

    I think my earlier comments on infectious etiology of obesity need to be adjusted. I refer to the review article in GGH vol 24, #1 by Dhurandar and Atkinson. Their figure 1 illustrates the state of knowledge at the moment wherein the 6 organisms (Canine distemper, Boma, Scrapie, Roux, Chlamydia pneu, adeno-36)linked to obesity are diagrammed with their various sites of action (hypothalamus, thyroid, etc). The authors point out that where the organism damages the body and is then no longer active, the treatment must be addressed to the metabolism, not the organism itself. No mention of mitochondrial thermogenesis is made, so far as I can see, in this article. Thanks.

  13. Paul,

    What follows is the true story of a researcher into obesity…thought you might like to read it if you haven’t already.

    Jim B.

    BOMBAY, INDIA, 1988–Nikhil Dhurandhar’s life was turning out just as he’d always imagined. Like his father before him, Dhurandhar was a doctor specializing in obesity. His practice was thriving and he saw a thousand patients a year. Until, one day, a casual remark changed his life forever.
    A family friend, veterinary pathologist Sharad Ajinkya, mentioned that he’d been studying a viral epidemic that was sweeping through poultry flocks, killing hundreds of thousands of chickens. And oddly enough, when he examined the dead birds he’d been surprised by the large amount of body fat they were carrying. Dhurandhar was amazed. How could birds ill enough to die of a virus be overweight? “There should be little or no fat,” said Dhurandhar. “They should be wasting away.”
    The two men decided to investigate. They injected the virus, known as SMAM-1, into some chickens in the lab. Six weeks later the infected ones had almost 50 per cent more fat in their body cavity than chickens that had not been exposed to the virus. Oddly enough, the fatter group also had less cholesterol and triglycerides in their blood. This was surprising because fat animals usually have high levels of these two molecules, which transport fat round the body in the bloodstream. Intrigued, Dhurandhar took blood samples from 52 of his obese patients and tested them for SMAM-1 antibodies. He found them in 10 of the 52, and those 10 were heavier than the other patients. They also had lower cholesterol levels—the same unusual signature he had found in the chickens. “When I got that, I thought this was something which was very important to pursue,” says Dhurandhar.
    But he knew, too, that he didn’t have the lab space or funding to study this at his clinics in India. He started writing and phoning obesity researchers in the US, and soon realized that no one was going to take a chance on an unknown Indian scientist with an offbeat idea. He hoped there’d be a better chance of convincing someone if he went there. “So I closed my clinics—I had three at that time—got permission from my wife and my son, and we all came to the States,” he recalls. “It was a big, big leap of faith.”
    THE WORLD has become dramatically fatter in the past few decades. Since 1980, obesity rates have risen more than 30 per cent in the US. Today, fully 23 per cent of adult Americans and about 20 per cent of adult Britons are obese, as defined by a body mass index (weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) over 30, which works out to 97 kilograms for a person 1.8 meters tall (see Graphs). The problem is even worse in countries like Samoa, where more than half the adults are obese.
    This sudden billowing of fat in rich and poor countries alike puzzles obesity experts. The usual suspects—notably poor diet and inadequate exercise—haven’t worsened as rapidly as obesity has burgeoned, which has left experts with the feeling that they must be overlooking some important factor we cannot explain all of this obesity problem,” says Arne Astrup of the University of Copenhagen.

  14. I loved reading your book and I have a question:
    In the article I sent to you yesterday, about the obese people in India, one part reads as follows:
    “Dhurandhar took blood samples from 52 of his obese patients and tested them for SMAM-1 antibodies. He found them in 10 of the 52, and those 10 were heavier than the other patients. They also had lower cholesterol levels—the same unusual signature he had found in the chickens”
    20% of this population of over-weight patients in India was apparently infected with SMAM-1 and rendered obese with low cholesterol blood levels. So they were not victims of metabolic syndrome but of infection (When Dhurandhar came to the USA, he discovered adeno-36 does the same thing).
    My question: If this pattern holds for people in general – i.e. about 20% are altered by infection in such a way that adaptive thermogenesis and other normal body mechanisms are inoperative – then my question is – what diet, if any, will work for weight loss in them? Or is the best approach for them similar to what we see on TV’s Biggest Loser program – extreme exercise?
    As a corollary – I’m a retired pathologist, and I found the article on ‘Fat cells acting like they are infected’ which I sent you – the one on Major Histocompatibility 2 proteins on the surface of fat cells – I found that article serves as circumstantial evidence that many people’s fat cells are infected, don’t you think?
    In closing, I think the Perfect Health Diet is fantastic – and it is working well for me. Thanks and please keep going with the great work you and your wife are doing!

    • Hi Jim,

      Thanks for all the interesting information. I did a blog post in 2010 about Prof. Dhurandhar’s very interesting work, http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/09/obesity-often-an-infectious-disease/, but it’s nice to get an update.

      The MHC paper you found is important and it does suggest some sort of infection, I agree.

      PHD was designed originally as a health optimizing diet which is effective against infections; Part V of the book is devoted to minimizing infectious disease risk. So those same tactics should work against infectious causes of obesity.

      One of the things we learned is that the diet which minimizes calorie intake (Chapter 17) is also the diet which minimizes infectious disease risk (Chapter 39). This is non-obvious but true.

      So I think our diet will work against obesity generally — though other methods like Weight Watchers wouldn’t be so effective.

      I don’t think weight loss is necessarily the thing to optimize. The Biggest Loser optimizes for weight loss but it may not optimize for health, especially when the obesity is infectious.

  15. Paul,

    My father died of prostate cancer in his 80’s. As a pathologist, now retired, I know that prostate cancer incidence increases steadily with age, but most men will die of something else before their prostate cancer gets them..unless they have a higher grade cancer.

    I was interested in the reports, several years ago, that a virus was suspected as the cause. But now that retrovirus (XMRV) is proven to be only a lab contaminant in the research. Here are the details from a website on the subject: “Using careful molecular detective work, they found that the original archived prostate cancer tissue was negative for XMRV although the archival extracted RNA from the original study was positive for XMRV. They also failed to demonstrate the presence of XMRV in new prostate cancer samples. In addition, they discovered that the source of XMRV contamination in the archival extracted RNA was from an XMRV-infected cell line used in the laboratory. The inability to confirm their original findings published in PLOS Pathogens represents the final chapter that closes the book on XMRV and its role as a naturally acquired human infection associated with prostate cancer. The PLOS Pathogens paper is retracted today.”

    This subject is of personal interest to me, due to my family history. I would appreciate any thoughts you might care to share.

    Thanks.

    • Hi Jim,

      Yes, I blogged about the original XMRV work when it came out (http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/08/retroviruses-and-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/) and then an update in an around the Web when it was refuted. The interesting thing is that we can be confident a viral infection is one of the causes of prostate cancer because people with gene mutations in RNase L that impair viral immunity have substantially higher incidence of prostate cancer. But we don’t know what the virus is. It looked for a while like XMRV might be it, but it didn’t pan out.

  16. i want to thank  paul  and shou-ching for the for all their time spent researching ,compiling and publishing the perfecthealthdiet,,,you guys educated yourselves about nutrition with open minds and an unbiased view of all nutritional info available ,,,only then did you put all the pieces together and to write your book,,,your 5 year research to help yourselves with your health issues and then to unselfishly share it with us is truly and act of love and compassion to us all….i am sure that mainstream diet and health advisers are closet readers of your informative book,,,your down to earth  intentions to help others is truly reflected in the ad free website you have and the amount of time and money you must be spending  to answer questions and be guests on radio and conventions,,you are both the salt of the earth,,,,,,,,,,myself i picked up on your book last january and really felt i had found something different and complete to improve my eating habits and health,,,i raised four kids and did all the cooking myself rarely going out for fast foods,,i cooked in a 50’s 60’s style so meats vegies and potatoes were often used,,i wish i would of known more about nutrition but my 3 girls and boy all in their 20’s are all healthy and their weights are perfect….now that i know about seed oils,,grains,fructose ect. i have educated them all on your nutritional knowledge,,since january 1st i have lost 25 pounds,,the first 10 came off within 2 weeks and now i am consistantly losing 1 lbs/week…i havent eaten wheat,sugar,grains(except for buckwheat and quinoa(buckwheat in my smoothies in the morning make me carb happy))i understand why you reject any grains as a food but always hope that one day with more research  you will let us know that quinoa,buckwheat,chia and hemp seeds are ok as this is were i cheat in my diet ,,,,i supplement ,intermiten fast,,,sleep 8 hrs a night(always have) and generally follow your guidelines 95% of the time,,,,i used to have heart burn(from wheat),,,,,,gone…………..take naps,,,,,,,,no more,,,,,,,,,snore like crazy…..now moderatly,,,,my last bloodwork showed my cholesterol numbers almost perfect(doctor took me off the statins) ,,blood sugar levels slightly below normal,,my doctors was amazed,,,,,,,after four months my new eating habits are a natural part of my life,,i have also spread this diet to my friends and family,,,,,,both of you are a rare find in this day and age and i want to thank you for what you have done to the health of all your followers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,leo delaplante

  17. Hi,
    I am in process of slowly decreasing my nexium usage.
    I have reduced down to 20 mg. nexium every other day. However, after 1 wk on this low dosage, I have developed diarrhea after every meal for a week now. Other Internet uses also complained of this after discon’t their nexium.
    Please , can you give me any ideas on how to stop this diarrhea.
    Kip

  18. Hi Paul,

    Thanks so much for all your insights. I loved your book and am now learning so much by reading your blog posts.

    I never learned these concepts in medical school…my loss.

    The PHD is so soundly logical that not only have I adopted the diet myself, but I also find myself teaching it to friends (and mentioning it in a series of health books I am now self-publishing).

    Two questions have arisen from those I teach:

    1. The cost of food seems high to some. Cost savings are possible by using left-overs, by cooking stews from meat, by saving the drippings for sauces, etc. Do you have any other cost saving measures or advice for those on a budget?
    2. The supplements you recommend are clearly described. For choline however, I read in your blog that you now wish you had advised choline to be supplemented by all. Your reasons are well described, and my question is…what dose, in what frequency, would you advise? Eggs have choline, of course, and I gather choline is one supplement which you feel is valuable (in preventing insulin resistance, etc.), with a wide safety range.

    Any comments you might care to make on these questions will be appreciated.

    Thanks

    Jim Beecham

    • Hi Jim,

      We saved a lot of money adopting PHD because we cooked at home instead of eating at restaurants. You can save more money by eating unpopular cuts of meat, eg organ meats can be obtained much more inexpensively than steaks.

      I think for choline the best supplements are egg yolks and liver. So those are in our “supplemental foods.” But for people with egg allergies or pregnant women or who don’t like liver, there’s a good case to be made for supplementation. The goal should be to get over 500 mg/day from all sources, so if eggs and liver are not avoided, 250 mg/day would be a suitable supplement; 500 mg/day if they are avoided.

      • I think the “unpopular cuts of meat” is an angle that is under appreciated by many.

        In addition to the organ meats, the cheapest cuts of “red meat” are the chucks, shanks, oxtails etc. I am able to buy frozen, (greass fed) beef shank slices (with the bone and marrow in the middle) from my butcher for $3/lb.

        The thing with the cheap cuts is that they mostly need slow moist heat to cook – the crockpot is your friend!

        I have found the beef shanks, oxtails etc turn our best by cooking them just on the “warm” setting on the crockpot, for 10+hours. On in the morning, ready at dinner.

        And then make broth from the bones, and use that, in the crockpot, to cook rice/potoatoes + veg – very cheap and far more satisfying than veg cooked without broth.

        I am convinced the collagen from the “tough cuts” is a major benefit. I know I have it right when the broth, on cooling, turns to jelly.

        Cheap meat and plenty of veg. The only thing that is “cheaper” is grain based crap.

        P.S. On a $/calorie basis, butter is pretty damn cheap too! 3200 cal in a pound that you can buy for less than $5

  19. Hi Paul do you know why Melatonin is a problem for those with autoimmune problems? Should I worry about it?

    • Hi Jas,

      There was a study in 2007 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2048559/?tool=pubmed) which found that giving 10 mg melatonin to rheumatoid arthritis patients made their symptoms worse. Melatonin tends to enhance immune function, and this was a physiologically super-large dose, so this is plausible.

      I would expect that a low dose of melatonin, say 1/4 mg, taken before bed would probably be beneficial in most autoimmune diseases. I think the study just used too large a dose. Nearly everyone would have negative effects from such a large dose, autoimmune problems or not.

  20. I have noticed eating 1 oz of protein at breakfast and lunch and then having 4-5 oz at dinner is keeping me satisfied. I eat mostly a plant based diet with fruit in the morning. I find that I can not tolerate rice and white potatoes – they make me go running back to the kitchen for more food – craving sugar. I was wondering if GMO organic soy milk was ok and I have been wakeful between 2-4 a.m. for about 2 months. Any help for sleep would be appreciated. I am not taking any sleeping aids other than phosphatidyserine 200 mg but for about 6 days – no relief.

    • Hi Julie,

      I wouldn’t take soy milk.

      I am a bit puzzled by what you are eating. You can’t eat starches, you eat minimal protein, and presumably you don’t eat much fat since you avoid animal foods. That leaves sugar which is a problem. Or undereating which is another problem.

      Without knowing more about your diet and lifestyle it is hard to give specific advice. Eating starches should help you sleep. Magnesium at dinner may help. Circadian rhythm tactics, including exercise during the day, will help. See Chapter 42 of our book for more.

      You should try to solve the starch issue. Cravings for sugar when eating starch suggest either you are deficient in glucose (this is more common on low-carb dieters) in which case the craving will go away in ~3 weeks if you keep eating starches, or some sort of gut dysbiosis / bowel infections which requires remodeling of the gut flora through, eg, kimchi and other fermented vegetables, liver and vitamin D, bone and joint stock soups, and nourishing food generally.

      Best, Paul

  21. Hi Paul,
    I avoid coffee, sugar, gluten, dairy, legumes and nuts. I eat a plant based diet with fruit in the morning. i do eat sweet potato and squash 2 times a day. I feel well nourished but i can not sleep a full night. I eat Red Palm oil and olive oil for the oils. I take skate oil and the recommended vitamins. When I was eating eggs daily with the potatoes and rice I felt tired and run down. After 1 month i eliminated them and I feel better though I would like to sleep. I drink Matcha in the morning and water with lemon juice throughout the day. I increased my vitamin D and C and mag to see if that would help. I take a pro biotic. The rice and potatoes cause spikes in my insulin – heart racing and craving for food. How do you diagnosis a gut dysbiosi.

  22. Hi Paul,

    Your blog post of aug 2010 mentioned a very intriguing what if: ‘What if the main cause of aging is not the decay of mitochondria in general, but a specific decay in their support for 1,25D formation in the mitochondrial inner membrane? What if this loss of intracellular 1,25D is widespread among the elderly?’

    What symptoms in elderly might you find sufficient to prompt advising efforts to boost 1,25 vit D? How would you go about this?

    Thanks,

    Jim Beecham

    • Hi Jim,

      Improved mitochondrial health, via reduced omega-6 fat consumption, good nutrition, PHD macronutrient ratios, and exercise, would be the best step. Also maintaining good vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin K status.

      Best, Paul

  23. Follow up question-
    Why do i get these bad Rashes when i consume probiotics and cabbage juice, etc. when these types of bacteria are naturally present in a person’s body?
    (Years ago, I took probiotics to combat yeast infections with no side effects.)
    Thanks so much for being so kind to answer people’s questions. I know your time is valuable ,and I really appreciate your willingness to help people.
    Kip

  24. I am trying to convince my Malaysian colleague to eat something other than packaged snacks and suggested your PHD book. I mentioned kimchi and he cited that Koreans have the highest rate of stomach cancer. And then he proudly ate the rest of his 2 donut breakfast. Can you help me with a reply to help save my friend from his junk food fuel? Why do you think Koreans are getting stomach cancer more than other groups? Thank you very much!

  25. Hi,
    Can I con’t on the perfect health diet if I have histamine intolerance?
    ESP. Since fermented foods, broths , etc. are high in histamine.
    Kip

    • Hi Kip,

      Just like on any other diet, you would have to reduce histamine rich foods until you fix your problem. Copper deficiency is a common reason for histamine intolerance. I wouldn’t shift away from PHD since nutrient deficiencies are a primary cause of histamine intolerance and PHD is nutrient-rich. I’d just avoid fermented foods for a while.

      • Hi,
        Do you think it could it be beneficial to take a copper supplement?
        Most of the foods that have copper are no allowed on histamine food list.
        Kip

        • It would be, if you are not getting enough copper on the foods you are eating. Aim for at least 2 mg per day.

          • Hi Paul,
            In responding to kip’ copper supplement query, you said,
            “Aim for at least 2 mg per day”.
            Could you just clarify that a bit please.

            Do you suggest an upper limit on the amount of daily copper from supplement forms?

            I was wondering that you would not want to go too much over that 2 mg number you mentioned from a supplement source.

            Or would you say that up to 4 mg copper per day from a supplement is still okay (as long as you were not adding to that from food).

          • Hi Darrin,

            A good range of copper intake is 2 to 4 mg/day. But the more copper you take the more zinc you need, so for most people 2 to 3 mg/day copper is best.

            An average person gets about 1 mg/day copper, but PHD eaters will get more. Just a 1/4 lb beef or lamb liver per week will get anyone into the optimal range; chocolate also helps. So if you are fully PHD compliant you shouldn’t supplement.

            It’s hard for me to see a scenario where more than 2 mg/day from supplements would be beneficial. Food will always have some. I think 2 mg is a good upper limit to supplements.

          • Thanks for making that clear Paul, for myself, & anyone else following.

            As mentioned in the book, non food sources of copper could potentially be more toxic at lower ‘doses’ (my words/interpretation).

          • According to the Linus Pauling Institute, excessive copper intake does not impair the absorption of zinc.

            “…high copper intakes do not affect zinc absorption”.

            http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/

          • I am looking into supplementing copper intake with desiccated liver capsules. It has copper plus other important vitamins.

          • i have never noticed copper listed on the labels of desiccated liver tablets/capsules/powder before.
            but i suppose it must contain some copper.

            I seem to recall that desiccated liver tablets/capsules/powder is ‘categorised’ as a food rather than a supplement & hence the manufacturers do not normally list any/much detail on the vitamin/mineral content

  26. Hi Paul,

    First of all, I’m a big fan of your book and I recommend it to everyone.

    I stumbled across this post and I’m wondering if you think my condition is possibly related to a brain infection or some other chronic infection.

    I’m 31 years old, male, 5’7” and 140 lbs.

    About 9 months ago I woke up one morning with what I believe to have been a swollen spleen. A few days later I developed a persistent lightheadedness that seemed to get worse immediately after eating (starting with the first bite) or after drinking anything. For several days I was delirious and barely slept. 9 months later I’m still experiencing this persistent lightheadedness all day, every day. It goes away completely when I’m lying down and it’s better when I’m sitting. It’s the worst when I’m walking around or standing for any length of time. I also experience a lack of coordination and will often knock things over.

    I’ve had a barrage of tests done. Below are the things that stand out.

    – A TSH that jumps around a lot (Anywhere from 1.5 to 3.7). Free T3 was low once but in subsequent tests it was normal.

    – A low WBC that bounces between 3 and 4.5.

    – Two saliva hormone tests 3 months apart that revealed consistently low DHEA & low progesterone (but normal cortisol & cortisol pattern).

    – A digestive health panel that revealed an overgrowth of E-Coli (not O157), an absence of gram positive flora, and low intestinal SIgA (14 with the normal range being 400 – 880).

    – Low intracellular selenium levels despite supplementing 200 – 300 mcg a day.

    – High levels of antibodies to Epstein-Barr suggesting a possibly recent but not an active infection. The test was done several months after the symptoms began.

    – Unstable oral temperatures. Day to day temperature averages vary between 97.3 and 98.1.

    – A high A/G Ratio (typically 2.5).

    – Various odd neurological symptoms that come and go – tingling & numbness in hands and feet. Also, stiffness in the neck that exacerbates the lightheadedness when looking down at the floor.

    – Sensitivity to light. Wearing sunglasses, even indoors, seems to improve symptoms.

    – A neurotransmitter urine test that showed high levels of GABA (everything else was in normal range).

    – An allergy panel that showed a severe reaction to the mold species Rhizopus Nigricans and Botrytis. I’m in the process of getting my apartment tested for mold.

    A Brain CAT scan 2 weeks after symptoms began and an MRI 3 months after the CAT scan revealed no abnormalities. Over a dozen CBC, metabolic and lipid panels have been normal (besides the low WBC and high A/G ratio).

    Based on what I’ve read and through some elf experimentation, the lightheadedness and loss of concentration seems to be caused by orthostatic intolerance. So far the only relief I’ve found is in consuming a significant amount of salt (about 4 – 5 grams a day) and limiting water intake to 8 – 12 oz every 2 hours (the goal being to increase blood volume). I also noticed some benefit from taking piracetam and vinpocetine to increase cerebral blood flow.

    I’ve been following the ketogenic version of the PHD for about 5 months. During this time my WBC recovered from a low of 2.6 to a stable 4 – 4.5, which stayed this way for several months. However, in the past month, after two weeks of exercising every other day and increasing carbs to about 100 g/day (vs < 50 g/day before), my WBC suddenly dropped to 3.1. The differential showed that neutrophils and lymphocytes dropped by roughly the same percentage. RBC also saw a significant drop but it's still well within the normal range (4.92) Also, my ALT, which hadn't changed at all in months, shot up suddenly from 22 to 39. I've cut my carbs back to what they were before and have stopped exercising (except for brisk walking 2 – 4 miles a day). I plan on doing a follow-up CBC and metabolic panel soon to see if my WBC has improved.

    It's the chronically low WBC more than anything that leads me to believe I'm dealing with a chronic infection. Once in a while I have a decent day where I don't feel as lightheaded as usual. However, on those days, the lightheadedness is usually replaced by extreme fatigue.

    I've seen three MDs and two NDs. None have been able to provide a definitive diagnosis or help. The naturopaths had me do 4 infrared sauna sessions, which seemed to help slightly and the MDs only wanted to prescribe thyroid medication, which only made things worse.

    Any thoughts?

  27. Hi Kevin,

    It’s a puzzling case. A wide range of things can cause orthostatic intolerance, from infections like Lyme disease (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21305487) to autoimmune conditions and maybe nutrient deficiencies.

    The other symptoms are puzzling to me, I don’t recognize the pattern. I think an infection seems a plausible possibility but I don’t know what to suggest as far as diagnosis.

    I wish I could be more help. Let me know what you find.

    • Hi Paul,

      Thanks for the response. I do have a lot of the symptoms of lyme disease. The only reason I haven’t tested for it is because I currently live and have historically lived in areas where there are very few confirmed cases of lyme. I will test for it soon.

      I just got back the results of the CBC + metabolic panel I mentioned in my original post. WBC increased to 5.1 and liver enzymes dropped 25%. HDL also increased to 71. All I did was reduce carbs to about 50/g day and limited exercise to 2-4 miles a day of brisk walking. The mystery continues 🙂

      • Tested negative for Lyme. Collected mold samples from my apartment and sent them to a lab this week. Will be interesting to see if the samples contain the species of mold that showed up in my allergy panel.

  28. PHD has really helped me. Still battling blood sugar issues. What do you all think of adding apple cider vinegar to help control sugar levels?

    Also all my bloodtest show super high B-12. All my doctors say stop taking b-12, but I don’t take any. Is having above the norm okay or do I have a problem utilizing it?

    • Hi MissBB,

      High B12 is very common in chronic infections, liver disease, leukemia, and quite common in diabetes and obesity, probably due to the infection angle. In your case I’d suspect a liver/pancreas/small intestinal infection, since those will affect blood sugar regulation. You might ask your doctor to test for SIBO, H pylori, or common hepatitis pathogens.

      There’s no harm from high B12, and you could supplement it without harm if you wished. It is a symptom of some underlying disorder.

      Apple cider vinegar is good. Don’t overdo it in any one dose. You can use it to flavor water or food. The taste should be pleasant rather than acidic.

      • Hello Paul,
        Apropos of apple cider vinegar, fermented foods, I am drinking home brewed kombucha every morning and I don’t eat until a few hours later. Is there caution to fermented foods like kimchi? I still am not understanding that picture. I thought cabbage juice can cure the ulcers caused by H pylori and fermented foods are the best thing for SIBO???? Thanks!

        • Hi Regina,

          Well, it’s a little more complicated. Generally fermented foods are quite beneficial but there are a few instances in which they are risky — for instance, the yeast in kombucha can flare a fungal infection. Fermented plants are generally beneficial for any colonic issue, from IBS to C. difficile, but the picture is less clear with SIBO where you have too many bacteria and not enough immune response or stomach acid, so fermented foods may not be helpful. The good bacteria might still outcompete the bad bacteria, or they might contribute to the overgrowth.

          • Thank you very much for your response Paul,
            I think this topic is quite interesting and indeed, serious. I’ve been on PHD for about 6 months (and have also read GAPS and Sally Fallon book).I had been suffering from chronic chest infections. Every little exposure to someone sick left me w 4 months battling chest infection. I went headlong into the synthesis of these 3 books and felt better literally w/in days. Been super healthy feeling until last week when I had lunch w a colleague who was very sick w the flu. Sure enough, I got it 2 days later. BUT, I beat it in 4 days! It was a nasty infectious type flu-ish but I was able to kill it. I know the diet change clearly has improved my immune system but I want to do the right thing. I am eating a lot of raw sauerkraut and kombucha and whole milk yoghurt (as well as bone broths and tons of meat and fish). No desserts. None of my other colleagues got sick though. They all just live on junk food but only I caught my friend’s bug. So, I am still more prone than others to chest infections. It’s a gross subject, but since you mentioned colonic health — my bowels have improved dramatically since my diet change. From lousy to absolutely perfect. So, I think the added probiotics/fermented foods did wonders for lower GI, I am afraid I might be not helping upper GI. GAPS says many of her patients have low stomach acid and she suggests supplementing w HCL betaine. Hmmm, not sure if I should continue the sauerkraut/kombucha/yoghurt regimen. Thank you!

  29. Thanks for this information. I sent an email to my doctor asking about the tests.
    I have not had good response with doctors here at least with thyroid disorders – they only want to test for tsh and prescribe synthroid. And most of them do not get the connection with high blood sugar etc.

  30. Hello Paul,

    Have you any thoughts about the Spectracell analysis? It’s a blood test that analyzes what nutrients are actually making into your cells. It is not covered by insurance. I’m doing PHD but still getting chest infections. I’m missing something….
    Thx!

    • Regina,

      I’m not sure how Paul feels about the Spectracell micronutrient test but I have personally found it very useful. I’ve done it three times now (waiting for the third results).

      The test seems to be consistent / repeatable. The micronutrients I began supplementing after receiving the first test results showed a considerable improvement (as expected) in the second test results and the things I didn’t change stayed almost exactly the same (also what you would expect). An important note – the tests were done 4 months apart.

      Besides uncovering micronutrient deficiencies, it also provides a measure of insulin sensitivity, fructose sensitivity, immune function and overall antioxidant function. Hands down the most useful and informative test I’ve done so far. Second would be the comprehensive saliva hormone panel from Canary Club.

      • Thanks very much for your sharing your experiences with SpectraCell. I have made an appointment to get the test done.
        All best, Regina

  31. The United Nations World Health Organization is proceeding to approve and implement a FLAWED plan for preventing Non-communicable Diseases.

    Here is a general timetable and citations from the FINAL DRAFT as it pertains to saturated fats:

    TIMETABLE:
    The outcomes of the first informal consultation will serve as an input for the WHO Secretariat to prepare a ‘zero draft’ of the 2013-2020 Action Plan, for discussion at a second informal consultation for Member States and UN Agencies to be held on 1 November 2012 in the Executive Board Room at WHO headquarters. The outcome of the second informal consultation will serve as an input for the WHO Secretariat to prepare a draft 2013-2020 Action Plan for submission to the Sixty-sixth World Health Assembly, through the Executive Board. The group indicates it plans to submit this plan for approval to the United Nations General Assembly.

    FINAL DRAFT LANGUAGE:
    The ‘World Health Assembly’ has published a “Final Draft action plan for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 2013–2020”

    Among the goals listed in the report (pg 20) are:
    • Virtually eliminate trans fatty acids in the food supply and replace them with unsaturated fatty acids (emphasis added, plus also see reference #3 below, from report footnotes)
    • Reduce saturated fatty acids in food and replace them with unsaturated fatty acids (emphasis added, plus also see reference #4 below, from report footnotes)
    Footnote 3: For example, through regulatory approaches restricting the use of fat, oil, shortening or other ingredients used in food preparation containing industrially produced trans fatty acids(or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils); regulations limiting the sales of food products containing trans-fatty acids in restaurants and food‐vending establishments; and voluntary approaches, based on negotiations with food manufacturers
    Footnote 4: For example, by providing incentives to manufacturers to use healthier vegetable oils or investing in oil crops with healthier fat profiles

  32. IS OBESITY INFECTIOUS OR IS INFECTION WORSE IN OBESITY? Interesting research about relationship of obesity to cytokine storm. Thesis: Because pre-adipocyte fat cells are histogenetically closely related to immune cells, their response to infection might include proliferation of fat cells and production of cytokines, similar to immune cell response. In lab setting, this was tested and effect was cytokine storm/blocked by antibody to leptin given to lab mice. Reference is: Zhang AJX, et al. Leptin mediates the pathogenesis of severe 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection associated with cytokine dysregulation in mice with diet-induced obesity. JID 2013; 207: 1270-80.

  33. I have started eating this style of eating introducing bone broths, organ meats, coconut oil, eliminating vegetable oils, sugar amongst other things. One big change I am finding is at 59 I was having problems with the skin on my hands, every little knock cause a a heamatoma type of bruising under the skin, an obvious sign that the collagen in my skin was lacking. Today I gave my hand a big knock & there is only a small bruise.
    Also I am having less problems with my knees, so I am sold on the paleo/high fat style of eating.
    I haven’t lost a lot of weight but it is stable & body fat percentage is reducing slowly. On a low fat, moderate protein diet my body fat percentage just kept going up & up.
    Thank you for your book & the information it provides.

  34. I enjoy how you teach us to learn from nature. You deduce from nature that mother’s milk is wholesome food, and that our body’s consumption of itself during times of fasting is healthy food mix.

    Another item in this ‘Learning from nature’ occurred to me today. See what you think:

    Eating ‘whole animals’ mimics how predators eat in nature (watching a heron today at my Florida home) reminded me how they eat an entire fish at a gulp). What does this say about protein for example, I wondered.

    Protein in an animal’s body is half collagen. Collagen has sulfated molecules such as chondroitin sulfate. Dr. Morrison in 1966 published research proving one could prevent atherosclerosis in aorta of primates (monkeys in lab)by supplementing with chondroitin sulfate.

    Longevity studies also show us nature prefers collagen. Collagen is low in cysteine and tryptophan. Reducing these 2 aminos is linked to increased longevity.

    Seems we can mimic this lesson from nature by consuming fish eggs (ingredients for whole fish), sardines, and chicken eggs (ingredients for whole chicks). I think I’ll try eating less protein as meat, more in form of collagen. Fifty-fifty, if my heron watching is right.

    • But cysteine is a precursor to glutathione. In fact, it’s theorized it’s the rate limiting factor in glutathione production. I can’t see any good coming out of limiting the most important antioxidant in the body.

  35. Kevin, thanks for adding your thoughts. Glutathione is important, no doubt.

    Other researchers have concentrated on the mitochondria as here for example. See what you think:

    “Mitochondrially encoded cysteine predicts animal Lifespan.”

    Aging Cell (2008) 7, pp32–46 Doi: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2007.00349

    From Abstract: “Here, we report on a meta-examination of genome sequences from 248 animal species with known maximum lifespan, including mammals, birds, fish, insects,and helminths. Our analysis reveals that the frequency with which cysteine is encoded by mitochondrial DNA is a specific and phylogenetically ubiquitous molecular indicator of aerobic longevity: long-lived species synthesize respiratory chain complexes which are depleted of cysteine.”

    Not sure how diet content of cysteine is reflected in encoding by mitochondrial DNA.

  36. Here is reference where cysteine was restricted and glutathione did not drop, even as longevity improved.

    Exp Gerontol. 2003 Jan-Feb;38(1-2):47-52.
    Nutritional control of aging.
    Zimmerman JA, Malloy V, Krajcik R, Orentreich N.
    Source
    Orentreich Foundation for the Advancement of Science Inc., Cold Spring-on-Hudson, NY, USA. zimmermj@stjohns.edu
    Abstract
    For more than 60 years the only dietary manipulation known to retard aging was caloric restriction, in which a variety of species respond to a reduction in energy intake by demonstrating extended median and maximum life span. More recently, two alternative dietary manipulations have been reported to also extend survival in rodents. Reducing the tryptophan content of the diet extends maximum life span, while lowering the content of sulfhydryl-containing amino acids in the diet by removing cysteine and restricting the concentration of methionine has been shown to extend all parameters of survival, and to maintain blood levels of the important anti-oxidant glutathione. To control for the possible reduction in energy intake in methionine-restricted rats, animals were offered the control diet in the quantity consumed by rats fed the low methionine diet. Such pair-fed animals experienced life span extension, indicating that methionine restriction-related life span extension is not a consequence of reduced energy intake. By feeding the methionine restricted diet to a variety of rat strains we determined that lowered methionine in the diet prolonged life in strains that have differing pathological profiles in aging, indicating that this intervention acts by altering the rate of aging, not by correcting some single defect in a single strain.

  37. About 6 months ago I learned that I had metastatic prostate cancer. The treatment recommended was hormone therapy and targeted radiation. The hormone (androgen deprivation) therapy tricks the brain into suppressing testosterone production. The effects are a total suppression of sexual drive, hot flashes similar to those experienced by menopausal women, and the feeling that one is an old, old man. The lack of sexual function I could deal with, and the hot flashes just seemed like a good sweat. But, at 65 and still athletic, I found the last one particularly brutal, and questioned whether I wanted treatment at all.

    A friend gave me a good book on cancer, recommending an all-out approach rather than the sequential attempts favored by most oncologists. Nutrition was a major part of the approach. I then trolled my friends for books on nutrition and one commented that PHD was the best he had ever read. I am overwhelmed by what it has done for me.

    After reading PHD, I immediately adopted the recommendations in full, with the exception of fasting. I then went thru 44 radiation treatments, and never felt fatigue, a common symptom. No more old man feelings, and no thoughts of quitting treatment. Hot flashes are completely gone, which really puzzles the oncologists. Everyone wants to know what stopped the hot flashes. The trouble is that because I adopted everything at once, there is no way to identify that which contributed most. But that’s not all.

    Ever since grade school I have been a nailbiter. I knew the habit was caused by a chemical imbalance, rather than behavioral, but could never figure out what. But since adopting PHD, my fingernails have grown to the extent that filing them is annoying. That makes me wonder that if PHD brought my system into balance, how many other imbalanced people could also benefit. Those people could manifest their imbalance otherwise, say with abuse of alcohol or drugs.

    Bill Rafter

    • Hi Bill,

      Thank you so much for sharing your story! You may have noticed that Court Wing left a blurb for our book mentioning that a good friend of his who had cancer had a very good experience going through chemotherapy with minimal side effects on PHD. It is good to hear another case.

      I agree, lots of people can benefit from PHD! I hope we have an opportunity to prove that.

      Best, Paul

  38. Hello from Scotland!
    It took me weeks to get hold of your new book and I’m glad I did. You aren’t well known here; I hope you are soon!!

    My brief story….I was previously very healthy before having my two (still very young) kids. I then had a lot of stress worrying about one child who wasn’t well, suffered a miscarriage, and did extended breastfeeding and had to take lots of antibiotics for various reasons. My kids, touch wood, so far are both fine now!

    However, I’ve not fared so well and I’ve since been plagued by sinus infections and fatigue and just not feeling quite right. Conventional doctors shrug “it’s usual to feel like this with young kids”. But it’s not usual for me.

    I have had to resort to steroid sprays and antibiotics to remain at near functioning level. I have embarked on an elimination diet which left me feeling exhausted and strained. not to mention various supplements after grasping for anything on the web that might heal sinusitis. (NB no one, including ENT consultants and conventional doctors have mentioned iodine, selenium or magnesium).

    In desperation one night I trawled the web and found your website and thought it was worth a shot. Within a matter of days of kicking gluten for good (not that I ate much wheat anyway but we scots eat a lot of oats) and starting magnesium/selenium/iodine supplements I felt 50% better. Given my deteriorating health over the preceding two years, this was a HUGE improvement. My sinuses, whilst still far from perfect, are feeling considerably better. My energy levels, whilst still not what they used to be, have definitely picked up. This is after a fortnight. I am so excited that I might actually keep improving!!

    So a huge THANK YOU. Your book and regime have given me hope! I will report back on my further progress in a month. I am surprised there aren’t more sufferers of sinusitis on here given its prevalence.

    In terms of what is wrong with me, given my response to the supplements so far, I am questioning whether, after months of breastfeeding, I have developed very minor hypothyroidism. I have had drier skin and sinus problems but not weight gain issues so I’m not sure. Maybe mild thyroid problems manifest themselves in different ways. Or maybe deficiencies in magnesium/selenium themselves do. GPs here aren’t very great on thyroid testing so I feel like I’m on my own although I could pursue private thyroid testing if I need to.

    You seem to receive a huge number of questions and I appreciate you can’t answer many. If you get the chance…

    – I am nervous about the iodine supplementation as the UK seems very anti-supplementation for iodine. I can only get hold of kelp (which claims to be from unpolluted waters!). Do you think this is better than nothing? I am starting on 450mcg daily. Family are very against this..
    – I suspect I’m very low in selenium as the Scottish soil isn’t renowned for its high selenium content. Do you feel taking selenium (200mcg) twice a week would be OK? I’m not quite managing the three egg yolks a day?
    – What on earth do you do with your wasted egg whites?!

    Thanks again – your work is spreading into Europe and I wish you the very best. Interestingly, my boring Scottish diet as a young child in the 80s was very PHD-esque – lots of liver, bone soup and meat/potatoes and I was a very healthy child. I think the vegetable fat thing hit Scotland shortly thereafter.

    • Hello Scotland,
      I hope Paul will give you some more insights. The book is a treasure and it was so easy to adapt to the diet. I am sure I will stay on it for the rest of my life. My irish parents fed us liver, bone stocks, fish stocks, kelp, meat/potatoes, lamb, oysters, celery sticks. I thought I was being tortured because my friends got to have pizza and tacos and soda and snack cakes and eat at McDonalds. So I spent the first few yrs out of the house making up for all the yrs I was deprived of processed carbs and junk food. 😉 While I matured a bit, my husband and I still did a lot of take-out food (pizza, chinese, mexican). I made decent enough meals but didn’t know anything at all about the oils and fats.
      I found the Jaminet’s book when I had really come to a health crisis. Incurable chest infections that linger and linger for months, fade, and return for a few more months. I also had profound fatigue. I’ve been on PhD since January and felt instantly better and started running again and staying awake with no napping. In May I had an extremely stressful emotional event (like a broken heart) and suffered severe chest pains from it. In this weakened state my chest infection has returned. I am thinking about biofilms and fibrin. Maybe there is an infection tucked away beneath a protective shield. Maybe Paul will have some words about this too. I am going to try Ultimate Bio-Fibrin which has serrapeptase, nattokinase and various other enzymes. These systemic enzyme are said to be able to scarf up anaerobic tissue and breakdown the fibrin that can protect a colony of bacteria. Additionally, I will be trying Lauricidin – which is the extract from coconut oil that is a powerful natural anti-viral/anti-biotic. Waiting for these two products to arrive. Hopefully I will be able to crack open this hiding illness and finally rid my body. But I will definitely say the PhD was working phenomenally and so quickly on me right up until my horrible stressful event. Anyone have experience with the serrapeptase (systemic enzyme therapy) and/or Lauricidn (aka monolauren)? Thank you. G’luck “Scotland” – our mother’s were right.

      • Hi Regina,

        When I was sick I tried fibrinolytic enzymes — all the ones you mention — and didn’t notice any benefits, maybe harm. Some people are harmed by them. I would suggest that if you use them you do careful experimentation.

        Lauricidin is good against enveloped viruses and a few bacteria, but it is expensive, so I switched to coconut milk/oil. Lauricidin is basically a partially digested coconut oil; they may have arranged the pellets to resist further digestion.

        • Thank you Paul,
          Rats! I trust you. I was hoping for the thumbs up to fibrinolytic enzymes. I was hoping to also give a little bit of the fibrinolytic formula and lauricidin to my elderly beagle who has a urinary tract infection. Vet gave him a 20 day script for amoxycillin. The Biofilm “movement” or Scientists cite that UTI’s are always a biofilm. I’ll take the Lauricidin and experiment carefully with the enzymes. What about Lactoferrin? Both parents are all irish – more at risk for iron overload. Biofilm explains why all my many tests come back “normal.” Doctor says, “you’re the healthiest sick person I ever met.” Sends me home w a Z-pak which does nothing to allieve the slime feeling under my breastbone or profound fatigue. Thanks a lot for your reply.
          Regina

    • Hi gill,

      You’re welcome!

      I think 450 mcg kelp is excellent for you. Good choice.

      Yes, I think 400 mcg/week would be fine, but beef/lamb, seafood, and eggs are high in selenium, so it may not be necessary. Beef/lamb kidneys are very rich in selenium so if you can have kidney once a week you wouldn’t need the supplements.

      I discard egg whites (down our garbage disposal). If you have a dog or cat you could give it to them (cooked would be more digestible).

      You’re fortunate to have gotten such a healthy diet in your youth!

      Best, Paul

  39. Hello Regina, and thanks for your comment. I think stress has an incredibly detrimental affect on us and I feel your pain. Stress definitely impacts our immune system and if we can find a way to reduce stress maybe everything else follows suit. My own issues started after nights of worry. If I find the answers I will let you know! In the meantime, take care.

  40. Nicole Willner of Planet Green has this to say about not wasting any part of an animal:
    “I’ve noticed a recent culinary trend in my Brooklyn community where restaurants are choosing to purchase entire animals raised naturally on nearby farms, butcher in house, and use most of their parts in the establishment’s cuisine, leaving little animal to waste.”

    Brooklyn’s Get Fresh Chef and Owner Juventino Avila proudly admits, “When I purchase the whole animal, all the parts are being used even the bones for doggie treats.”

    “It’s really a culinary practice that many of us learn from historical text, foreign travel, or older, sensible generations recollecting meals uncommon to today’s Westernized taste buds such as heart, feet, tripe, liver, or blood pudding. In fact, just simply imagining the whole animal and the farmer that raised it while placing its savory meat in to our mouths is a thought typically kept at distance from today’s dinner table.”

  41. Is there a problem with eating egg whites? I know they are not good eaten raw, but what about cooked? I tend to eat soft boil eggs that I take out of the water as soon as they start boiling. The whites are still somewhat runny. I thought they would be a good source of protein. The egg yolks are never really cooked.

  42. Paul,

    Are you aware of any reasons why the body would not achieve “keto-adaptation” after 3 months of being on the ketogenic version of the PHD? I read in “The Art and Science of Low Carb Living” that ketones should barely register on ketostix after about 6 weeks of being in ketosis. The reason being that ketostix only measure acetoacetate, the levels of which drop during ketoadaptation as the muscles being converting it to betahydroxybutyrate. The end result being considerably less acetoacetate excreted in the urine.

    I would think by now I would have seen that transition but I haven’t. For me, the levels are low in the morning but fairly high in the evening.

  43. Richard Parker

    I have been following the PHD for about 5 months. I had a serious flare of IBD over the Christmas holidays. For several years I had been able to control my symptoms to tolerable levels but this flare was beyond my control with my old diet. I first started with a broth diet for 2 weeks, then elimination diet before I discovered PHD. I lost 30 pounds in a month, which is mot particularly healthy before starting the PHD at the end of January. Several things truly shocked me on PHD that helped. Being able to tolerate fat, cutting down on fruit was good, elimination wheat and whole grain was good, eating egg yolks didn’t raise my cholesterol, eating liver and liking it and switching to goat dairy helped. I had been on a low fat, whole grain, yogurt, low animal protein, probiotic and Chia seed fiber diet before. The Chia seeds had been my savior to slow down the diarrhea. I still eat Chia seeds but just sprinkle them on salads. Today my digestion and elimination system is better than it has been in 35 years. My triglycerides have dropped from 153 to 72. My HDL has risen to 45 after 30 years of HDL between 27 and 35. I drink bone broth every day as I eat 3 egg yolks. The only probiotic I take now is Live Zing Salad. I also take most of the supplements recommended but take them on faith that Paul knows what he is talking about here too. I have never been able to say that I know a supplement has helped. But I wouldn’t stop anything I am doing for fear that the good changes I have experienced would end.

    • Hi Richard,

      That’s great! Congratulations!

      As far as supplements, you needn’t be so cautious about experimenting. When you feel your health is stable, try dropping a supplement for a month, then restoring it for a month; see whether you feel better off or on. Some people do great with food only. Also, supplements can help for a while as they relieve nutrient deficiencies, but then cease helping once the body is replete.

      Best, Paul

  44. Welcome! - pingback on June 22, 2013 at 5:50 pm
  45. Hi Paul,

    I wrote to you a while ago about some success with the diet– improved body temperature, feeling better, etc.

    I’d also like to report that my acne is doing much, much better. I had made an error in the supplements I was taking, taking only the b50 complex, but not realizing the pantothenic acid and biotin were not included in that and were separate supplements to purchase. Having added those in seems to have done the trick for my skin, along with the fact I have been eating your diet and taking the rest of your supplements/supplemental foods rather strictly for the last 9 months (but in all fun, it’s been a delicious time, not too strict).

    I did also add in chromium and vanadium and molybdenum rather late into my PHD hacking,but again, I didn’t see things really clear until all the b-vitamins were supplemented.

    I also believe my gut was leaky, as many foods which caused pimples before– cheese, milk, honey, salmon, etc. – have significantly decreased impact. I had seen some improvement on a very strict GAPS diet, but that was very limiting. So seemingly, only with the supplementation of vitamins and minerals and variety of foods that you recommended was I able to “stray” from the gaps-diet and be ok.

    This is a huge success! I may have to send pictures, as embarrassing as they are, if you would like? I know people respond to that sort of thing.

    My only question now pertains to a final nagging problem I’ve been having which is waking after about 6-7 hours of sleep, not feeling fully rested. Furthermore, I seem to have brain fog/fatigue. Obviously the fatigue could be related to insufficient sleep, but even when I have slept for 8.5 hours I have fatigue/brain fog. I’m getting a metametrix organix urine test which I believe tests for vitamin/mineral insufficiencies, and a metametrix gi ecology effects test to test for pathogens.

    Do you or anyone else here have brain fog/headache from the supplements? Vitamin D3, iodine (1-2.5 g per day), perhaps even the B-50 complex – I stopped them.

    When I took a week off of supplements, I felt somewhat better…but then I took them again because I’m afraid of feeding some pathogens or reviving acne, etc.

    I should also add Taurine also seemed to cause a headache, and I was wondering if anyone here had had issues with taurine? or any supplements?

    Is this a sign of a pathogen? it seems rather late in the gain for a herxheimer reaction… Is inability to withstand supplements perhaps a sign of adrenal fatigue?

  46. I started with PHD two months ago and have the most amazing results. I had weekly migraines, which could last up to three days and they have completely disappeared! I have tried so many things (also dieting, like leaving out Gluten), nothing brought sustainable results. I also find it very easy to adhere to. Being a working mum a I was a bit worried about the praticability, also of intermittend fasting. Leaving out a meal would cause a migraine, but I can now go until lunch without breakfast – no migraine. Had two periods, wheather changes, a glass of wine (my usual triggers) and again no migraine. Thank you for this wonderful book and all the research you have done, will surely recommend you to others (a German edition however would help here! :-), but that can only be a question of time!

  47. I subscribe to this and lately have been getting many emails from this site that are nonsense–just random letters in a row. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it a security problem? Thought everyone, including Paul, should know.

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