CLL Alternatives

CLL ~ Going Wheat-Free Part 2

Posted by: Denise on: November 5, 2015

Here is a second post on going wheat-free (and more) by fellow CLL-er, Eric Clark.


My First Quarter experience with a Wheat-Less lifestyle

In mid-June of this year, 2015, I decided it was time to read Wheat Belly and asked to borrow it from my good friend, John. I convinced myself that buying the book was too much pressure that might actually influence me to make some changes. Aren’t these mind games funny!? While reading the first chapter of Dr. William Davis’ first book, I got very engaged and decided he knew what he was writing about. I liked the fact that he is a cardiologist, not just a frustrated GP who decided to write a book with general health guidelines. This a hard-hitting indictment of medicine, public health, and various disease-centered organizations as well as the food and drug industries. It highlights solid research that has been ignored or buried deliberately.

Weight loss was not my focus but rather the many other possible benefits with respect to the chronic conditions that are too often described as the inevitable outcomes of the aging process. I began to journal various things that I noticed including the following:

*****************

In the first two weeks:

  • a skin tag in my right armpit got very active after being dormant for years – it fell off!
  • Lia mentioned that I no longer had restless legs at night – not kicking anymore
  • torn rotator cuff (of two years) in my right shoulder about 80% improved
  • tennis elbow on the same side improved about 70%
  • no cravings at all – good energy all day
  • lost 6 lbs. – belly shrinking

Second two weeks

  • feeling quite joyful and did not connect this until later – naturally elevated mood
  • my chronically runny nose stopped dripping
  • body odor gone
  • lost another 4 lbs.

Second month – mid-July to mid-August

  • enjoying a wide variety of fresh foods – everything tastes better
  • hungry for less food per day than in the past
  • noticing more in nature on my bike and in my kayak
  • lost another 5 lbs.

Third month

  • lots of physical energy – helped friends move – 8 hours of hard labour
  • decided to discontinue statin drug
  • lost 5 more lbs. – total of 20 in 3 months – 11% of starting weight

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My experience to date has cost me no money at all, perhaps it has even saved some.

I don’t feel like there is any reason to stop and revert to any former choices. I am still reading the second book – Wheat Belly – Total Health – and have the companion cookbook too. Lia is so good at this that we have not used any of those recipes yet. Most people are looking for substitutes for familiar, comfort foods like replacing cereal, toast, desserts, etc. so it can be helpful, especially to share with other family members who are not as committed to this way of eating. I have not had any restrictions in the quantity of the many lovely foods available – my body seems to know when it is satisfied.


The larger message is not just about wheat but rather about grains in general 
and how undigestible they really are; hence they lend themselves to more processing than other foods. I chose to give up wheat, rye and barley at first. Then I quickly added corn and oats to the list based on understanding more of what is really going on in my body. Remember to focus on your own motivations and enjoy your own benefits which might be quite a different list than mine. My longer term goals are to prevent bone loss and dementia which are hard to tackle if you start too late. I have watched in my family how these two conditions completely change a person’s lifestyle and former enjoyment in doing so many things in their later years.

Congratulations for considering this approach to improved health and for sharing my adventure.

Yours in health.

Eric

Eric Clark – strategy9@icloud.com

2 Responses to "CLL ~ Going Wheat-Free Part 2"

Hi Denise. Thank you for all the info on your site. I was diagnosed with CLL in January with a WBC of 56,000 but no real symptons other than being tired a lot which I assumed was from working long hours. When I was diagnosed the hemotologist checked for past blood work and found one taken in 2011 at the ER showing a WBC of 33,000. I was at the ER for a episode of paramoxal afib (which I get occasionally from spicy foods) but wasn’t told at the time that my WBC was high. I refused chemo in January And have been looking for alternative cures. It’s frustrating as a lot of things on the Internet contradict each other, so I was very happy to find your site. My WBC is now at 93,000 with slightly low platelets, but my big issue is my spleen in 23 cm! I still refusing chemo which the doctors aren’t happy about. I’m wondering if you’ve come across anything that will help shrink a swollen spleen. I don’t eat gluten, sugar or processed foods. My diet is very healthy as I have a lot of food allergies, including Alcohol. I take D, C, fish oil, curcumin, EGCG, milk thistle, probiotics, wheat grass, carrot/beet juice and green drinks daily. One thing I’ve never tried is enzymes – which I will try after reading all the entries on your site. If you have any suggestions re the enlarged spleen, I would greatly appreciated it. Be well and take care. Marilyn

Hi Marilyn,
I just came across your message, and huge apologies for the delay in response. I wonder how you are doing and whether you have had chemo or have managed to get well without. YES, I would recommend digestive enzymes, and also HCL Betaine with Pepsin. Of course, the very best you can do would be to ferment your own vegetables. There are great recipes for this and they are pretty simple. Go to http://www.perfectpickler.com. I also have a recipe for pickled parsnips which I think is delicious!!!! What the fermented foods have is an amazing amount of probiotics which is so good for your digestive system! In the not too far future I will post recipes that have worked well for me. Food matters! A lot! I honestly don’t know specifically about an enlarged spleen. But you could ask your doctor, or better yet a good nutritionist about these suggestions. I don’t think they would hurt. Please write again, either through the web site, or you can write me directly through cllalternatives@gmail.com.
Wishing you good health! – Denise

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