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The Wahls Protocol

How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine
Jan 03, 2019DANIEL HAMMANG rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This is a well thought out book that, as the title says, uses diet and what the author calls Functional Medicine, to attack her progressive MS. She was motivated by the paleo diet movement and the Institute for Functional Medicine. That institute is based on the foundational principle that the current clinical model for treating disease, especially chronic disease, is obsolete. I have a form of MS that my neurologist classifies as progressive relapsing. After ten years of care I have a lot of sympathy for the idea that a change in the way care is done could use some updating. I take a fair number of drugs. I have been through four different protocols for specifically addressing the MS. The progression of my MS has marched right along throughout all of them. I also take eleven other medications that address various symptoms that I have. All of them have been helpful in helping me maintain a better quality of life during the progression. The effectiveness of all of them has seemed to have faded over time, though, as the various symptoms inexorably march on. I often wonder whether it is worth taking them. I have also faithfully worked at many of the alternative therapies that Wahl talks about. For me the most effective ones have been yoga, exercise and meditation. My diet has also changed very dramatically. My calorie intake is much lower and I eat a lot of fruit. There are some meat based proteins and a lot fewer carbs. A lot more fiber. After ten years I have found that the meditation has opened up a great gift for me: acceptance. In the history of this group we call human beings there is long, deep cultural support for that idea. It was a bit of surprise for me to discover that fact after living within a culture of great personal empowerment. There is a lot to be said for empowerment of the individual and I have lived most of my life being enriched in many senses of that word pursuing the individual goal setting and action based days that that model calls for. I'm in a place now where I am at peace in accepting the trajectory that I am on. I say three cheers to Dr. Wahl for her rational, evidence based approach. I hope it continues to work for her and her Wahl warriors. And I hope that the clinical testing that she has correctly undertaken winds up supporting her hypothesis. And I ask that as a society we leave room for both paths. This is perhaps more than a book review. I hope that some folks out there find it helpful.