Note from Dallas and Melissa: If you read one testimonial about the Whole30 program, please, read this story. Jessica moved us to tears when we met her at a recent workshop. Her story is powerful, and beautiful, and we are humbled by her kind words. Read, believe, and share. M&D
Jessica’s Whole30 Story
My horrible health nightmare begins in January 2010 when I awoke in the middle of the night feeling very sick, and then passed out and hit my head on my hardwood floor. I was hospitalized, and over the course of about 8 months, I had a head CT scan, multiple brain, neck and back MRIs, three EEGs, a spinal tap, an EMG (where they stick needles in your muscles and make you flex to check to make sure your nerves are working, it’s how I envision prison camp torture), a cardiac stress test, probably 30 rounds of blood work and a lot of physical, mental and emotional suffering.
My “Mystery” Illness
My doctors initially suspected: stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, lupus, heavy metal toxicity and all kinds of other scary things. Aside from a few lesions that were discovered on my brain MRI (that were later assumed to have been there since birth), all tests came back normal or insignificant.
During this time I was having paralyzing migraines, numbness in my arms and legs, dizziness, deep nerve pain in my left arm, chest pain and I developed sudden, intense muscle jerking on the left side of my body. Sometimes the jerking would last for a few seconds and sometimes for several minutes at a time.
I knew I was sick. I was very sick, and the sickness went on for months and months, but the doctors couldn’t help me and I was left feeling like I was making it all up. The doctors kept asking me if this could be “stress,” but every time they said that I just wanted to jab a pencil in their eye. I worked in commercial real estate, so I’d been stressed for years, but stress by itself doesn’t make your arms and legs go numb and make you black out and fall on the floor.
The mental torture was so bad that I quit my job and stayed home to care for my daughter (2 ½ at the time). Being at home helped me to feel much better, but I knew whatever the problem was, it was not gone – it was dormant. The jerking on my left side would come out every now and then, especially if I got stressed or nervous or anxious. Occasionally my arm would jerk or my eyes would roll up or my hips would involuntarily move. Thankfully, it wasn’t happening very often, but anytime it would happen, it would destroy me emotionally. It was just so discouraging. It was like someone else was controlling my body and no one could explain why.
My doctors actually witnessed the jerking at a few different appointments, but it never registered on an EEG. My neurologists called it a “myoclonic jerk” or “myoclonic seizure.” In the beginning, they offered to medicate me, but I refused since I hate medication and, at the time, it seemed manageable.
A New Struggle Sheds Some Light
In the Fall of 2010, while I was home resting and trying to get well, we abruptly found out our daughter had signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder. It rocked our world, but it meant I got to take a break from focusing on my own health issues and poured all my efforts into understanding and helping her.
Ironically, for a long time we’ve known our daughter has certain food sensitivities. Gluten seems to upset her tummy. Dairy goes right through her. Too much sugar makes her impulsive, aggressive and uncooperative. Fortunately, we discovered that if we keep her sugar, gluten and dairy to a minimum, she stays focused and her behavior stays in check.
In May 2011, I was feeling better and my daughter was making great improvements, so I decided to go back to work. I started working at a local coffee shop and got stuck with the 5am shift. As soon as I started the job, the myoclonic jerking started to come back on – strong. It turned out the stress of learning a new job plus waking up at 4 AM plus drinking multiple shots of espresso will really bring out a seizure! After just three months of working at the coffee shop, I decided to quit because of my condition.
Just over a month ago, someone sent me a link to an interview with a Russian neurologist, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride on Mercola.com. She was talking about how neurological disorders like autism come from problems with bad intestinal gut flora. She mentioned that when children with autism have bad gut flora, most of the time their mothers have bad gut flora as well. And I realized . . .
I was investing all this time and effort and money into fixing my daughter’s diet, but never doing anything to fix my own.
So here’s where the Whole30 comes in . . . .
Jessica’s Whole30 Experience
A little over a month ago, I was at the park having a playdate with my friend, Rachel. I told her how sick I was and how these seizures were unbearable. I asked her to pray for me. Then, just before we left, I asked her how I could pray for her. She said that she was about to start this “cleanse” (the Whole30) and she could really use some prayer support too. I thought that sounded interesting, but didn’t think much of it. Still, I committed to pray for her.
In the meantime, I’m calling my insurance company trying to find out if they’re going to approve my upcoming EEG and trying to find out how much my out-of-pocket cost is going to be. A few days go by. I do a little more reading about this autism diet, and I really start thinking about this gut-brain connection, and then a light bulb goes off. I realized I really needed to clean out MY gut . . . so I called Rachel and said, “Tell me about this ‘cleanse.’ What are you doing?”
Thankfully, Rachel was already 9 days ahead in her Whole30 and helped me get the jump start I needed to get going. She gave me some ideas, inspiration and encouragement, and I quickly realized why she was asking for prayer. This new way of eating was hard!
Within the first three to four days of my Whole30, I could tell my seizure symptoms were subsiding. I tried not to get too excited, but I knew it was real. I could just feel this horrible undercurrent of poison was being eradicated. All of the anxious thoughts and feelings of stress that fueled my epileptic fire weren’t there anymore.
It’s crazy, but I didn’t know how sick I was until I started to get well. I had cracked skin between my toes, dandruff, frequent breakouts and infected skin on my face, fingernails and toenails that wouldn’t grow and tore off like paper, unhealthy hair, swollen lymph nodes in my neck and armpits, not to mention my all my neurological problems. Now, all of my skin is smooth and clear, and I finally have fingernails that are thick and healthy, and I feel like I have mentally clarity like I haven’t had in years. It quickly became obvious the foods I was previously eating had been blocking my body from receiving the nutrients it needed to thrive.
An Unexpected Blessing
Here’s the most amazing part. After about a week of my Whole30 challenge, I noticed another real miracle taking place. I suffer from a disorder called Trichotillomania, an impulse-control disorder that causes me to pull my hair out. Some people pull out their eye lashes or their eye brows. Some people pull other body hair. I’ve pulled the hair from my scalp since I was 9 years old – now, I’m 32. That’s 23 years of shame, guilt, and covering up with no relief and no break.
After just about 6 or 7 days of following the Whole30 program, my urge to pull my hair out was COMPLETELY GONE. This has never happened to me. I’ve tried medication, psychotherapy, hypnosis, supplements and a list of other things to stop pulling in the past. Everything has just been a temporary solution and I’m always left with a daily battle, fighting the urge to pull. This time it quickly and quietly disappeared without a fight, and I’m convinced if I continue to be mindful of my diet, I will continue to be pull-free.
When I started my Whole30, I was missing nearly half the hair on my head. Now, it’s finally filling in and growing back thicker than ever – and I’m so grateful.
One Journey Concludes – Another Begins
At this point, I’ve had so many medical tests that have come back “normal” that I may never have a scientific cause of all my illnesses, but it has become obvious that gluten, sugar and dairy do not agree with my body. Just a few days ago, I just received some blood test results that indicate Celiac Disease is a possibility, and since my daughter and my mother have problems with gluten, it’s possible this could be a hereditary illness we never knew about. I just never had digestive issues like my mother or daughter, so I never drew the connection. (I’ve also had a SERIOUS lifetime addiction to pizza, pasta, cake and cookies, so I’ve been turning a blind eye for a long time!)
My doctors are aware of my dietary changes, and although they can’t yet explain what they’re seeing, they can’t argue with it either. Clean blood. Healthy weight loss. Low blood pressure. It’s good stuff. I don’t see my neurologist again until November, but for now, all those expensive tests are on hold indefinitely.
I’m feeling better than I’ve felt in years, or maybe EVER, and I’m thanking God every morning when I wake up that my body doesn’t hurt and my head doesn’t feel dizzy and my blood doesn’t feel toxic… and I’m seizure free and pull free!!!!
Yes, the Whole30 helped me lose weight, and I’m getting my body back in shape (which, don’t get me wrong, has been totally freakin’ awesome too) but the REAL story here for me has been healing from the inside out.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to the Whole9 team for all the work that you do.
Sincerely,
Jessica O.
(City/State withheld for privacy)
For more information about compulsive hair pulling, please visit www.trich.org.
So amazing… Congrats to you, Jessica, for curing yourself when all the doctors couldn’t. I love your story!
Jessica, you are an inspiration! Not only have you overcome your illnesses, you have excelled in life and spirituality. May God continue to bless you and your family. You deserve all the goodness that is coming your way!
Wow. Wow, wow, and wow!
I’m so happy to hear about your amazing progress, and how so many dots are getting connected for you in your journey. “Congratulations” is the best word I can think of, other than “Enjoy!”
Jessica, thank you for your story. I also have Trich. I am 24 now and have had it since I was 10. I have managed to get it under control (read: most people can’t see the hair thinning anymore), but when you are a person suffering from this condition, control is the last thing you feel that you have.
I have been Paleo for a while, but slipped back into poor habits of eating too much sugar, fruit, etc. Many people have to have their arms twisted to do something like this, but I am excited. I am beginning Whole30 on October 1 and look forward to the wonderful effects of a healthy diet.
Wow, how inspiring. Thank you Jessica for sharing your story. Our family started the “autism diet” 2 years ago for my son who has adhd, dyslexia and a host of other learning disabilities. He was also diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome. I had done “zone” type eating before, but soon realized, this autism diet is really almost paleo. So we cut out the gluten/dairy free junk and just went paleo. My son’s educational experience greatly improved and his doctor dropped the Tourette’s diagnosis and lowered all of his medications. His eczema went away within a week, his bowels became more normalized and he started sleeping better. Each member of my 5 person family has great stories to tell from the Whole 9 approach. We are certainly healthier and happier!!
Very inspiring.
Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you so very much for sharing your amazing story with the world. I pray for continued success in your amazing journey!!!!!
I can only say that I am so amazed by your story and how courageous you have been in the battle against a faceless opponent. Thank you for sharing your story and may you and your family have unlimited years of great health and happiness.
Jessica! thanks for sharing your story…it is really exciting and i am especially interested since i suffer from a form of trich AND have not felt good since having a baby 2 years ago. I am really curious about this Whole30 and wonder if it could also change my life. would you please email me your advice on how to get started? i am happy for you and hope that this well-being continues for you. Thanks, jo.
johrica@hotmail.com
one more thing… have you shared your success with Trich Learning Center yet? this is valuable info and i’m positive that christina pearsib would be eager to hear of your journey.
I’m so pleased for you Jessica! Best health to you.
Jo – you can read more about our Whole30 program here on our site. Visit http://www.whole9life.com/category/whole-30 to review the program, preview our Whole30 Success Guide and see testimonials from many others who have completed the program.
You may also want to check out our Whole30 Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/whole30.
Best of luck to you! Keep us posted as to how your Whole30 goes.
Melissa
It was so wonderful to meet you last week…thank you for sharing with us in such a real way! We are trying the whole 9 a little at a time with our 9 year old who has Trich. After meeting you on Sat she was curious about what you had done to stop pulling….we told her you had changed your food choices and she wanted to hear more…. At lunch later that day she chose water instead of soda and at a birthday party that night she didn’t ask for cake……small steps.
Thanks for sharing, Jessica, you’re great inspiration. It’s amazing what the docs can’t figure out, isn’t it?
I had an parallel journey with gluten intolerance and the medical community–I developed neurological (instead of digestive) symptoms, was tested for absolutely everything, and somewhat randomly finally figured out (myself!) that I just couldn’t eat gluten, or a whole host of other things…
And just like you said, Jessica, sometimes the stuff that’s the most amazing is just the mundane. I’d had chapped lips and splits at the side of my fingernails (and the urge to constantly pick at them) as long as I could remember. They went away when I quit gluten. I’d had anxiety-for-no-reason. It went away with the gluten. I’d had a mysterious, mild pain in my lower back for ten years. It went away with the gluten. All these little things were my body trying to tell me something, and I just didn’t know how to listen….it’s frustrating, but so important to try to listen.
Good luck on your journey, and your daughter’s, onward to good health!
It is so comforting to hear your story, Jessica. I also suffered from psychological disorders (anxiety, depression, even signs of bipolar) that went away after overhauling my diet. I’ve also noticed changes down to my toenails! But, just like you, I never had digestive problems that hinted diet as the cause. I wonder if there are two types of manifestations in people, one digestive and one neurological? And does anyone know of any good research studies on the effects of sugars and grains on mental health?
Elisa – there are hundreds of studies, books and blog posts on the effects of sugar and grains on mental health. Dr. Emily Deans (www.evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com) writes about this kind of thing almost daily, and if you Google search for the related terms (use Google scholar) you should be able to dig up a ton of recent research.
Melissa
I just finished a jog (combined with some of my new CrossFit exercises I now do in my living room), and I’m realizing I’m still amazed that I continue to feel like a million bucks. I’ve been pull-free and seizure-free for over three months now. My hair is growing in. I’ve lost a few more pounds. My body is getting stronger and stronger. It feels good to feel good.
As Thanksgiving has just passed, I’m continuing to ponder all the things I’m grateful for this year. While I’m thankful for many, many things, this year, I’m thankful for my restored health and the health of my entire supportive family.
Today, I’m meditating on the fact that while my improved health has been a gift, my sickness was a gift too. If I hadn’t become sick, my average health would have been a wasted asset. I would have continued to eat foods that made me feel depressed, anxious and moody without realizing I could ever feel better than “average.” And I probably would have continued to be on and off medications thinking “This is just something I have to learn to cope with.” I feel blessed that I now know that is a lie, and I’m grateful I’ve experienced the truth – food can heal.
I’m also thankful for the continued strength and the will to change my eating so that I can be well, and I’m thankful that improved health was a relatively easy solution for me. I didn’t have to go through surgery or some kind of intense drug therapy. I just get to eat healthy food and reap the benefits. And while I have a certain sense of pride in my ability to take charge of my health, I am humbled daily that just changing my diet has been the gift that changed my life.
So I continue to spread the “good food word.” I have opportunities weekly, if not daily to share my story of healing and wellness through food and faith. I have shared with extended family, old friends, new friends, friends of friends, workout partners, and even the checker at Whole Foods.
I’ve also had the opportunity to share my story with Trichotillomania support groups and researchers, as well as fellow seizure sufferers, all in an attempt to provide hope and insight into alternative solutions to these afflictions. What a privilege.
This Thanksgiving, I’m more than thankful. I’m renewed. And I can think of no greater gift.
“But those who have hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31
Regarding the very first comment, from a physician perspective, I can tell you that for the most part people look at us like we’re crazy if we suggest that diet may be causing a lot of their health problems. Most have to get to the point where they’re desperate for a cure before trying. Unfortunately the culture of the day is to blame anything other than what we are doing to ourselves everyday an then get upset with the docs trying to help because they can’t find anything wrong.
Jessica – so wonderful to hear from you! I’m thrilled that you’re feeling great and continuing to make progress. I can’t wait to see a photo of your new, gorgeous head of hair in another month or two! Please keep in touch and keep me posted.
Laura – thank you for sharing – we always love hearing from medical professionals in our community. If you’d ever like to contribute thoughts from your professional perspective (about our program, implementation of the concepts with your patients, etc.) please feel free to email me, we’d love to hear from you! (melissa-at-whole9life-dot-com)
Best,
Melissa
This is very encouraging. My son has moderate autism. He is 4 and we have seen remarkable changes in him since starting herbal supplements at the end of May 2011. He went from not talking at all to sometimes speaking in sentences. He also went from constant sickness to rarely being sick. He also has seizures but not that much anymore. He went an entire year without one since we cleaned dairy out of his diet and added in probiotics. A trip to the doctor for spider bites and an overdose caused on not long ago but we won’t dwell on that.
The question is have you converted your daughter completely to Paleo? I am looking to do that for my family especially my son but I’m not sure how with him. As most autistic children, he is extremely picky and will only eat certain things. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions on how to transition? Thanks
May you have continued health
Shane
This is an amazing story. I wanted to make a comment about the doctors as I am a medical student. We are taught that we grow up in a legal world. We are taught to think the worst thing possible and proceed to the least worst item through a series of excluding the bad things. I champion diet and think it is one of the most important aspects of health. However the research is mostly anecdotal (that problem lies in the fact that NIH funding for diet based research is little to non existent). I don’t think the doctors were terrible but they must do their job in trying to exclude the worst things possible. For me I think I will always include diet for my patients because changing your diet is a 0 risk 100% reward treatment approach while still maintaining the traditional approach to medicine. Congrats to you and your well being!
Shane W. – Great question. The answer is no, I have not converted my daughter to eating Paleo. In fact, she’s nowhere close to eating Paleo, but we do the best we can with what she WILL eat.
I follow Everyday Paleo on Facebook and I’ve seen pictures of the lunches Sarah Fragoso packs for her kid’s lunch at school and I’m so envious. I wish I could pack almonds, sweet potato strips, grass-fed beef jerky and carrot sticks in my daughter’s lunch. If I did, I think she might skip a few grades and go straight to college, but currently, that’s not realistic for us. For now, I’m just trying to lead by example and dream of the day when she decides she wants to try some red meat or a raw vegetable. I was an extremely picky eater as a child, so I know there’s hope!
I also follow “Gut and Psychology Syndrome | GAPS Diet” on facebook and I see comments and threads all the time about parents transitioning their children to a gut-repair diet similar to paleo.
Congrats on your son’s improvements. It’s always great to hear of any child on the spectrum making significant progress. My daughter has also made significant progress in the last year, but I think it’s due to a combination of things – school, therapies, limiting wheat, dairy and sugar, getting LOTS of exercise and just growing up.
C Hap – I think it’s people like you who give hope for the future of the medical community! I’m thankful that my doctors ran every test and assumed the worst in pursuing treatment for me. They made sure I didn’t have a stroke or a heart attack or a fatal disease, and essentially saved my life. But what’s hard is when you have a lot of symptoms and don’t have any firm diagnosis, and the doctors aren’t prepared for how to handle that besides just offering anti-anxiety meds to help you cope, or tell you to come back when it gets worse.
I feel like more and more, doctors are going to HAVE to consider diet as a direct or indirect component of their patient’s diagnosis or treatment plan. It will just take some time before there is funding and research to back it up. I’m hoping somehow all of us Whole9er’s can keep bragging about how food can heal and hopefully, in time, the medical community will want to take a closer look.
Just to expand on Laura and C Hap’s comments…I think that obviously those of us in the medical profession in on this discussion do realize the importance of diet on many of our patient’s problems, however, I agree with Laura that most patients that we mention this to look at us like we are crazy and ask for a medication, or sometimes surgery. When they are receptive to diet changes, my patients are almost exclusively without meaningful income or insurance, so by nature of our completely backwards food prices, bread, hot dogs, and potato chips are the only feasible options (another problem to tackle altogether).
Unfortunately, the “ideal” diet endorsed by the heavy hitters in the medical profession is not the best solution, and is helping to perpetuate the current health crisis we are in. That is a small reason I am doing the Whole 30 starting Monday, because I believe in it from every standpoint, but
I don’t feel comfortable recommending it to my patients unless I can anecdotally speak on it (since I can’t quote evidence)
Jessica, your story is amazing and truly inspiring! I agree that we all have to sing the praises and be great examples of what the Whole9 / Paleo lifestyle can do for health and well being. Like C Hap said, the importance of nutrition probably won’t be stressed as it should be until the funding for studies directed at distinguishing the health benefits of whole food diets vs. calorie counting alone vs. low fat high fiber diets are able to be performed and are conclusive enough to impress the people who write the guidelines. Until then, it is up to us to spread the word
Please keep updating on your progress!
What an inspiration, Jessica! So thankful you shared your story with us… I’m in my twenties and have had trich for 11 years. I tried everything…EVERYTHING…to make it stop. Willpower was never enough. I hated it, and I hated myself so much for pulling my hair out.
I finally accepted that trichotillomania was just something I would have to cope with for the rest of my life. So…would you believe…I went gluten-free for a month last fall, and the pulling immediately stopped–as if by magic!?! I made the connection but thought surely it was a fluke or coincidence, and started eating foods with gluten again in November and December. On January 1st, I started my first Whole30, and haven’t pulled even one hair! That’s crazy, right??? I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me to go even one day pull free…
I’m only a little more than a week into my Whole30 but it is already changing my life more than I ever thought possible. Now I’m thinking, like you, there must be another component to gluten sensitivity than digestive issues. I’ve never had intestinal discomfort/issues, but I can’t help but wonder if gluten intake simply messed up my brain chemicals or something like that. It’s wierd, but the connection just appears unmistakable.
Oh, I was going to ask, do you think dairy is part of it as well as gluten? I’m trying to figure out of lacto-paleo is “good enough” or if I need to be permanently gluten AND dairy free. I don’t know what roles dairy and sugar play.
Amazing story, I am always amazed at how so many severe health conditions are “cured” through paleo eating yet it hasn’t taken the world by storm.
For those of you with Autistic spectrum disorder children I implore you to get the book “Disconnected Kids” by Dr Robert Mellilo it will change your childs life almost as much as paleo changed yours. I am a chiropractor and I promise you the information in this book is beyond invaluable. It is written for the lay person, easy to follow and is incredible. I will say i disagree with his nutrition recommendations but if you were to combine this program with paleo – I think autism would not exist for most. If you start this program you will find as your child’s brain heals and becomes more balanced they will eat a much wider variety of foods no problem.
What an amazing story!! So happy for you, and Thank You for sharing
Erica S.- I am currently reading Nora Gedgaudas’ Primal Body Primal Mind, and she uses a lot of published information about the benefits of paleo eating (or conversely, the harms of high carb, low fat diets) on a number of health issues. I would check out that book for studies or scientific evidence you can discuss with your patients.
Hey there just read your story and bawled…my son is on the autism spectrum..and I have trich and have had it since I was 4 years old. I have him on a gf-cf diet and its amazing..but I havn’t tried it myself..I’m ok with who I am and I wear wigs ect…but to have my own real hair is still a dream….maybe i just need to suck it up and try….thanks for the inspiration
bree johnson
http://www.thepolkadothouse.blogspot.com
This is MY story too. I mean everything is the same except for the Trichotillomania. I’ve already been gluten free for 3 years and I just started Paleo 2 weeks ago. I am noticing huge changes already. So glad to read about someone who has had the same medical issues I have had and having great success with Paleo.
wow. your story is very touching. it is really true that foods can make you live a happy life or it can slowly kill you. i’m on my 10th day of paleo diet/whole30 and the pain on my thumb and fingers were gone. I used to wear wrist support when i drive and when i sleep. i feel like an energizer bunny in the morning after drinking a glass of water. i’ve never felt this good in a long long time, feels like 20 again (i’m 40). i have researched and read a lot about pale and whole30 and so amazed at people’s stories. i wish more people will take the challenge and feel the benefits of it in their own body. it is truly amazing but words are not to describe it…you’ve got to do it to feel it. More power to us who took the challenge to change our life forever and i hope more people will join us. thank you to everyone who organize websites like this. you are all heaven-sent.
Simetra, I’d love to hear how the Whole30 did for your thumb/finger pain. We’ve heard from lots of folks with carpal tunnel-ish symptoms, and I’d like to hear if your pain stays resolved throughout your program. Please let me know!
Best,
Melissa
Congratulations jJssica. What an uplifting story. I have passed on your link to a friend whose daughter also suffers anxiety and hair-pulling. Interestingly too, my friend has recently been diagnosed with MS.
There is no doubt in my mind that food plays an enormous role in our health. Sadly, doctors are far to slow in making such a connection. My daughter suffers severe hypothyroidism and it is only through absolutely healthy eating that she is now on the pathway to recovery.
Well done!
Thank you so much for your encouraging story! My experience is almost exactly the same as yours, Myoclonic Seizures, normal tests and scans. Anxiety, depression. I even got to develop fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue from it all! Yay!
I went Paleo 2 months ago and I haven’t laughed so much or been awake so much in a days time in 7 years! It literally changed my life. I’m starting my first whole30 tomorrow and am thrilled to get my cravings under control and completely remove everything harmful from my system…who knows, I’m thinking 30 is starting to not sound like enough
I’m hoping I could even maybe go off my seizure meds. I hope! I hope!
Briana,
We are hopeful for you as well! Best of luck on your Whole30. Please visit our awesome forum for support, and let us know how your Whole30 works for you.
Best,
Melissa