You Cured What?!

Jason Andrews shares how his debilitating anxiety was healed instantaneously via hypnosis and how it inspired him to learn hypnosis to help others. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/jasonandrewsJason Andrews is a talented online commentator, coach, and hypnotist. As a young man, he healed from his own anxiety and depression via hypnosis. After he was able to beat these conditions, he decided to learn hypnosis himself so that he could help others. He now helps others overcome social anxiety, achieve habit change, clear emotional backlogs, and more. Find out more about Jason at JasonAndrewsHypnosis.com [0:55] Joe plugs his DiseaseReversals.com project; a website of healing. [1:55] Joe introduces Jason. [2:50] Jason gives some background on his life, especially as it relates to the anxiety and depression he suffered from at a young age. His mother and her father both had suffered from anxiety and depression. Jason suffered from social anxiety. [4:20] Around the age of 15, Jason got caught up in a religious group. That group was extraordinarily skilled at persuasion and getting people to change their minds. He said this group helped many people, but it made his anxiety and depression much worse. He even suffered panic attacks. [6:00] Jason's doctor put him on anti-depressant drugs. He says it made him a lot dumber. And then his highs weren't high and his lows weren't low. [6:45] Jason tried SSRIs (think: Prozac, Zoloft, etc.). It killed his sex drive. He tried all sorts of other medications too. [8:20] Jason read Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins. [9:10] Jason learned from Ross Jeffries. Jeffries used hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to seduce women as a pick-up artist. [10:00] Jason gives a brief overview of what hypnosis is and what NLP is. [10:40] Jason worked with a mentor. [12:10] Jason's mentor, during a chat, told a story about pigs. And in the story, a big fat ugly sow was slaughtered. And at that moment, Jason's anxiety was gone forever. And Jason felt it all over his body. [14:00] This made Jason want to go all in on hypnosis. He says many movies, including the newest Star Wars movies, are full of hypnosis. Christopher Nolan movies are also hypnotic. [16:00] As Jason's anxiety was instantaneously healed, his muscles were twitching. It may have been a release of kinetically stored memories. [18:20] Jason briefly got into the Pickup Artist world. [19:00] Jason continued working with his mentor, who helped him reverse more programming he had received from the aforementioned religious group. [20:20] What type of results has Jason had working with family, friends, and paid clients (Jason works as a hypnotist and coach)? [21:40] Jason describes a client who he helped overcome social anxiety. But when he got to the end (his anxiety had "evaporated"), the client said: "By the way, how do you talk to people?" He had never learned to really talk to people because he had always been so focused on his own social anxiety. [23:50] Jason describes how he runs hypnosis sessions. [25:00] Jason provides some details on how to bring someone into a hypnotic trance. [26:05] Jason can now help people even without bringing them into a formal trance. "I don't know what just happened, but I feel better about it." [29:10] Jason shares remarkable "downstream effects" where fixing one issue fixes a bunch of peripheral issues: for instance, they might come in to relieve their overwhelm (and get help in limiting their social media usage) and they end up being able to breathe better. Or their back pain goes away. [32:00] Jason discusses the deep connection between the mind and body, and how perhaps we sometimes store traumas or stresses in the body. He says there are theories that the body may be part of the mind as opposed to being the other way around. [37:50] "This is an example of literally working with someone's metaphor but changing their actual reality. And that's really what hypnosis is all about." [40:30] Jason talks about trying to frame conversations under perspective that your conscious mind and subconscious mind are on the same team. [42:00] What is Jason's perspective on hypnosis as it relates to people thinking they are not suggestible? And as it relates to people being worried that the hypnotist will program something harmful into them? [48:30] Does Jason consider himself cured of depression and anxiety? [51:30] Now that he has improved his health, what's one thing Jason enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [51:50] "The anxiety and depression I had were sort of the crippling kind, not the annoying kind." [53:15] Where can Jason be found online? His website is JasonAndrewsHypnosis.com. And his Twitter is: http://twitter.com/PersuasionRisng

Shawn Wells, the Ingredientologist, shares his story of healing from depression and fibromyalgia, and he shares his formula for adding energy to life. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/shawnShawn Wells has a wealth of experience improving health. The world's leading nutritional biochemist and a former Chief Clinical Dietitian, he has counseled thousands of people on natural health solutions. And he has personally overcome various health issues including Epstein-Barr Virus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, depression, a pituitary tumor, and more. Known as "The Ingredientologist", he is the author of The Energy Formula. [1:00] Joe plugs his DiseaseReversals.com project. [1:55] Joe introduces Shawn. [3:50] Shawn gives his health background. He was overweight as a child and had low self-confidence. [6:25] Shawn's doctor, with words, helped Shawn chase down his dream of becoming a nutritionist. [7:00] A college guidance counselor crushed his dream, with words. Shawn almost killed himself afterwards. [11:15] Shawn was working 70-80 hours a weeke and got a brain tumor. [11:50] Shawn does carb cycling, but largely eats a ketogenic diet. Paleo, whole foods. Also he practices gratitude, meditation, uses saunas, and cold showers. He also works with therapists (including hypnotherapy). [14:20] "Everything happens for you and not to you, and I believe that." [16:25] Shawn describes how he got into the ketogenic diet (approximately 20 years ago). He did a lazy keto diet and still included some processed foods, so he doesn't consider it a perfect diet, but he still had a lot of success with it. [21:10] Shawn suffered from depression and he went from being overweight to being underweight and anorexic. [23:45] How have Shawn's physical health and mental health interacted? [28:20] Shawn finds that by improving mental resilience, he is more physically capable. And likewise, as he improves his physical resilience, his mindset improves. [29:30] Shawn talks a lot about how "the obstacle is the way". What are some of the biggest obstacles he has faced? [34:15] Does Shawn have any tips for how listeners can improve their mindset? He mentions religion and relationships as important concepts to consider. [40:15] "Start changing your words and you change your life." [41:50] How has Shawn's pituitary tumor progressed over time? [48:00] Are there any supplements that Shawn finds that are beneficial for a lot of people he works with? He lists off most of his Top 10 list and provides the reasons for each. Vitamin D3 (5000-10,000 iUs per day, with Vitamin K2) Berberine Fish oil (high DHA) Magnesium (especially magnesium glycinate) Creatine monohydrate Probiotics (also he mentions prebiotics and postbiotics) Vitamin C (liposomal) Alpha-GPC Active forms of B vitamins (like P-5-P and methylcobalamin) [58:20] Now that he's improved his health, what is one thing Shawn enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [1:01:15] Shawn describes his book: The Energy Formula. It's about how to give yourself energy. ENERGY is an acronym. E = Experiment N = Nutrition E = Exercise R = Routines G = Growth Y = Your Tribe [1:04:40] Shawn Wells gives a closing message. "You don't need the pill. You have the power in your mind to change your life."

Husband and wife Larry and Kay Lynne Diamond share their family's experience healing from a wide variety of health conditions. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/diamondLarry and Kay Lynne Diamond, a husband and wife, have healed from many health conditions. They have put sleep apnea, severe allergies, joint pain, anxiety, depression, psoriasis, and more into the past. They healed themselves using a combination of modern science and ancestral wisdom. They also helped their young daughter's health significantly. And Larry now helps others as a coach and researcher for The Fasting Method (TheFastingMethod.com). He offers a free consult to see if personalized coaching is a good fit at https://thefastingmethod.as.me/larry-consult [0:55] Joe plugs his "website of healing" project: DiseaseReversals.com [1:55] Joe introduces Larry and Kay Lynne Diamond. [2:55] Larry gives some background on his health background. His journey to health started on May 1, 2013. He was 47 years old and "completely breaking down". Anxious, fatigued, weak. [4:10] Larry had sleep apnea and severe allergies. He was on lots of meds for his allergies. [5:20] Larry's intuition told him that, at age 47, he was going to die by age 50 if he didn't make major changes. [6:40] Kay Lynne mentions one of the questions Larry posed: "Why am I hungry all the time?" [8:50] Larry describes some of his work as a coach and researcher with The Fasting Method. [11:10] Larry has had clients improve many health conditions and health markers such as triglyceride:HDL ratio. [13:00] Larry had severe IBS. He was often brought to his knees in pain after eating and he often had bloody stools. Lots of inflammation too. [14:45] Using historical, anthropological thought process, Larry privileged "real" foods in his diet. [15:55] To combat insulin resistance, Larry decided to lower his carbohydrate intake. He started to question the popular idea that fat is bad for you. [18:00] Larry only lost 2 pounds the first month by lowering carbs and not snacking. . . but by the end of the first month, he was no longer hungry all the time. That was "game over for illness" and "the start of a new chapter in my life". [19:40] "In less than a month, I changed my biology." [20:30] Kay Lynne started to change her diet about eight months later. She was in rough shape. Almost 200 pounds (at five-foot-two), with joint pain, sleep apnea, anxiety, and depression (and medications for some of these conditions). [21:50] Larry took over the cooking. So they were having healthy meals at home. [22:30] "I had basically accepted by that time I was just overweight... I had accepted the joint pain and the back pain as 'approaching middle age'". [23:10] "Even bigger than dropping the weight, he was so much happier." [24:00] By Christmastime 2013, Larry (five-foot-nine) was around 230 pounds. He lost about 60 pounds in seven months (and went on to lose a total of about 100 pounds in a year). [26:00] Kay Lynne mentions how upset she was when they determined they should remove corn from their diets. [28:35] Going grain-free (including dropping corn), Kay Lynne's joint pain started to go away (including her hip pain in the middle of the night). This major effect was confirmed when she had some corn chips and her hip pain came back within 8 hours. [30:40] Kay Lynne lost about 20 pounds from January to June 2014. [31:10] After a surgery that did not allow Kay Lynne to exercise for a couple months, she continued losing weight; she lost approximately 20 more pounds that summer. [31:50] What were the staple foods in the Diamonds' diet? "Meat and veg". Whole foods, close to nature, cooked in natural fats. Primal. [36:40] How did Kay Lynne's anxiety and depression respond to the new diet? She was able to taper off her anxiety and depression medications. [37:55] Larry and Kay Lynne have also started a morning meditation practice. And Larry is learning more about breathing thanks to the book Breath by James Nestor. [38:20] Kay Lynne loves the paleo approach because it is more than just nutrition. It encompasses the whole person. [40:00] The Diamonds have experimented and tried other foods outside of their "meat and veg" paradigm. [41:35] How did the Diamonds' sleep apnea (they both had it) respond to their Paleo diets? It resolved (though Kay Lynne admits she still snores sometimes). [43:50] Larry and Kay Lynne have been trying mouth taping to improve their nostril breathing and they have felt benefits. [49:00] Larry mentions that he has a passion for epigenetics and true root cause healing. Including regenerative farming to heal the land. [50:35] Joe mentions that he and his wife Hilary are expecting a baby girl. [51:30] What impact have the Diamonds' dietary strategies had on their daughter? (She was about 3 years old when they started eating this way) She has always eaten what her parents eat. [52:30] The Diamonds adopted their daughter from foster care; her biological mother had been very young and came from a challenged past. This meant, healthwise, their daughter was initially "behind the 8-ball". Even before embarking on their health journeys, they were supplementing her with high-quality fish oil pills and organic foods. [53:30] When their daughter went in for her 3-year-old checkup, she was very small. In the 3rd percentile for height. After the family changed to Paleo/real-food/lower-carb/grain-free diet, she was in the 25th percentile at her 4-year checkup. (And now, 7 years later at age 10, she is at the 50th percentile!) [54:20] The Diamonds also saw major improvements in their young daughter's behavior after adopting better (grain-free) diet. [55:20] Kay Lynne discusses the importance of prenatal and gestational environment (diet, stress, etc.) for the health of a growing child. [56:20] The Diamonds let their daughter experiment with foods outside of the Paleo paradigm, but they help her connect how she feels to what she ate. [58:10] Larry discusses that, because of her diet improvement, she will be taller than she would have been (on standard American diet). Her organs will be better. She was placed into their house at 8 months from foster care and had skin issues. (She had been on soy formula) [59:35] Larry implores parents to try grain-free diets to improve anxiety and behavioral issues. Also, sugar, refined carbs, seed oils are good things to cut out (good news: those are usually packaged up together, so removing one often removes others). [1:02:30] Joe: "So many parents, if they knew, if they had this kind of information, they would at least trial this." [1:05:30] "Our daughter is one of the most robustly healthy kids we know even with, as my wife said, 'behind the eight-ball'". [1:07:20] "It's not deprivation, it's joy. And that mindset is very important." [1:08:50] Larry details his improvements in triglyceride:HDL ratio. His triglycerides came down from being in the 200 range (!!) to 95 in a few months. And his HDL started to rise from the 20s into the 50s and 60s. His trig:HDL ratio went from over 7 (often high ratios like this are associated with worse outcomes for heart disease and many other conditions) to under 1! And it has stayed that low for years. [1:11:30] Does Kay Lynne consider herself cured of her ailments? [1:13:45] Now that he has improved his health, what's one thing Larry enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [1:16:05] Now that she has improved her health, what's one thing Kay Lynne enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [1:18:05] Larry and Kay Lynne's daughter makes a cameo! [1:19:30] How can listeners get in touch with Larry and Kay Lynne? Larry mentions TheFastingMethod.com, which also enables a free 30-minute consult about personalized coaching. Larry's email is larry@thefastingmethod.com. He is on Twitter and Instagram as natureboyrr. He also has a Facebook page: Healthy, Happy AF [1:22:00] Do the Diamonds have a closing message to express?

Dr. Nevada Gray shares her story of recovering her health after suffering paralysis, incontinence, and more from Cauda Equina Syndrome. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/nevadaDr. Nevada Gray, the Paleo Pharmacist, suffered a horrible back injury in 2016. She was diagnosed with a rare condition named Cauda Equina Syndrome. She initially did not know if she would ever be able to walk again. In the years since, she has transformed her health and her life. Now, she is not only mobile, but she is thriving. With a spirit full of positivity, she shares her journey online and is helping many others. She is sharing her story of healing in this podcast episode. [0:50] Joe plugs his DiseaseReversals.com project. [1:50] Joe introduces Nevada. [2:50] Nevada details her health background. Several years ago, Nevada had started suffering from back pain. It started getting worse and worse, until eventually one day she couldn't even walk to her car after work; she needed a motorized cart. The next morning she woke up paralyzed from the waist down, in excruciating pain, incontinent, and with a lack of reflexes. She had to get to a high-level medical center. [5:40] The E.R. physician recognized there was something wrong with the lower part of her spinal cord (horse tail, the cauda equina). Nevada needed emergency surgery. [7:00] The emergency surgery was critical. It took place about 36-38 hours after acute symptom onset. [9:00] After waking up from surgery, what was going through Nevada's mind? She is very grateful for her neurosurgeon's words (the first she heard upon waking up after surgery): "I believe you can have a full recovery." (This reminds me of Brandon LaGreca's episode of You Cured What?!, where he discusses that it's important to avoid medical hexing.) [10:00] Nevada stayed in the hospital for a week after surgery. Her bowel and bladder function came back, but she did have residual numbness. She had physical therapy after that and had lots of support from family and friends. [11:30] Even though her surgeon told her not to Google her condition... Nevada Googled it! It was discouraging. But a friend encouraged her to find success stories online, and she came across Shawn Stevenson who had overcome a (different) back condition via nutrition and fitness. [13:00] Stevenson had come up with his own protocol, and Nevada decided to research her own protocol for her rare condition (Cauda Equina Syndrome). She found out about the neuroprotective potential of the ketogenic diet and found some rodent studies showing that a ketogenic diet may be beneficial for spinal injury. [13:55] Nevada found The Ketogenic Girl Vanessa Spina online and she helped Nevada adopt a well-formulated ketogenic diet. [14:30] She found Dr. Stuart McGill and his functional back training programs. She trained gradually: she made progressions from wheelchair to walker to cane. [15:35] She found the work of Dr. Joe Dispensa, who also healed from a back injury. He emphasizes techniques involving mindset and visualization. [16:30] Nevada created a vision board of what she wanted to accomplish. [17:45] In what timeframe did Nevada start noticing benefits from her multifaceted healing approach? [19:20] Nevada considered herself recovered after one year, and her foot drop resolved at about a year and a half. [20:35] Nevada had muscle spasms in her legs. She had to take Valium for the pain. It felt like she had an alien in her leg. She also tried foam rolling to deal with it. [21:40] "I wanted to just be able to feel like I was in control of my mind." [22:00] As of recording, Nevada is about five years out from her back injury. [22:40] What did Nevada put on her vision board? She wanted to return to work, to go to the gym, and she wanted to run in a 5K on Thanksgiving Day after her surgery. The 5K was an ambitious goal, but she completed it! [23:55] "It was something I felt like I had to do to prove to myself that I could do this and I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. So I was able to do that." [24:05] Nevada discusses the benefits she felt from guided meditation. It helped (and helps) focus and calm her mind. [25:10] Nevada did a lot of grounding, walking on the beach, feeling the earth beneath her feet. (She actually face-planted one of the first times she went to the beach after surgery!) [26:10] Nevada recommends guided meditations from Joe Dispensa and Michael Sealey. [26:45] How did Nevada's diet evolve over time? [27:30] Nevada struggled with asthma and allergies most of her life. And to avoid acute allergic reactions, she gravitated towards processed foods. [28:45] Nevada was diagnosed with PCOS in her early twenties. She now attributes that to the diet she ate. Her weight got up to about 220 pounds (at five-foot-four) upon graduation from pharmacy school. Then she learned about Robb Wolf and the Paleo diet because she heard it could help with allergies. [29:45] Between Paleo and getting a personal trainer, Nevada lost fifty pounds. [30:25] After her injury and adopting a ketogenic diet, she initially cycled through versions of the ketogenic diet as laid out by the Charlie Foundation. [31:00] Nevada found Maria Emmerich and Craig Emmerich and their book Keto Nevada started eating a more protein-focused ketogenic diet. She also learned about the PKD. She went to a Zero Carb diet, and she saw major positive results from this. Her PCOS resolved! [34:00] How have Nevada's allergies responded to her dietary changes? [35:30] Dr. Ted Naiman's P:E Ratio diet (Protein-to-energy ratio) is working very well for Nevada right now. [37:35] How have Nevada's friends and family responded to her transformation? [38:30] Nevada's mom has followed Nevada's lead. She adopted a Zero Carb, protein-prioritizing diet, and she lifts weights. She has followed that approach for 3 years (age 70 as of recording); she has lost 40 pounds, she has come off all medications, and she has started to reverse her osteoporosis! [39:25] A lot of Nevada's friends have adopted low carb diets. [40:30] What were some of the challenges on Nevada's journey to health? [42:25] A local pub actually named a meal after Nevada and put it on the menu: "The Nevada Carnivore Dinner" [44:45] Does Nevada consider herself cured of cauda equina? [47:00] Does Nevada have full feeling back throughout her lower body? [49:15] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Nevada enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [51:40] Where can Nevada be found online? She can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog. She is donating proceeds from affiliate links to a study being conducted by Dr. Chris Palmer. [53:30] Does Nevada have any message for anyone else who is suffering from cauda equina or any other rare diagnosis? [54:40] Nevada references her friend Tim Angelone, who walked across Europe after suffering from cauda equina; hear his story on a podcast with Nevada and Chris Donohue here. [55:20] Nevada emphasizes the importance of human connection.

Ali Zeck shares her story of healing from overprescription of psych meds, misdiagnoses, abuse, trauma, and more to find awareness and live a healthy life. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/aliAli Zeck has been through the mental health system. Diagnosed (or as she would later come to understand, MISdiagnosed) with "mental illness", she spent decades on psychiatric medications. She suffered the effects of these drugs, leading to suicide attempts and eventually to very difficult psychiatric medication withdrawal (including "benzo" withdrawal). She has regained her health, and she now looks at the mental health system and at society with a new level of clarity, providing sharp commentary about both online. [1:00] Joe plugs his DiseaseReversals.com project. [2:05] Joe introduces Ali. [3:00] Ali gives her background in the mental health and healthcare systems. She was brought up in a family that held doctors in high regard. She felt anxiety during college. She was diagnosed with bullimia and over-exercise at that time. She was told she was mentally ill and put on Prozac. [5:35] Ali discusses how she underwent trauma and how that impacted her subconscious and her behaviors. Combined with lots of psychiatric medications, this put her into a psychosis that lasted many years. [6:40] She had started on a path dominated by the belief system that she just had to find the right drug to cure her "mental health" issues. [7:25] Over 25 years, what psychiatric drugs did Ali take and what were some of the effects? (Some examples of drugs she was put on are Xanax (a benzodiazepine) and Valium. Also, SSRIs and anti-seizure medications.) The withdrawal effects of coming off these drugs were awful. And some of them gave skin-crawling feelings when she was on them. [9:15] What was the timeline on Ali coming off benzodiazepines and what were the withdrawal symptoms like? [10:15] One general practitioner abruptly switched her from Prozac to Lexapro in one day, which is very dangerous. This led to Ali's first suicide attempt. [10:50] Ali stopped taking benzodiazepines cold turkey (dangerous) in August 2015 and went into a horrible psychosis. She couldn't sleep, she was having heart palpitations, muscle contortions, diarrhea, and she had hallucinations of a man chasing her around her bedroom. She was misdiagnosed at this point with bipolar disorder and put on her more meds which gave her a skin-crawling feeling. [12:40] What led Ali to wanting to come off the benzos cold turkey? Trauma was a big part of this. [13:40] Ali was told by one of her psychiatrists that he didn't know what was wrong with her, that the drugs helped everyone else. She later found out that that same psychiatrist had at least three patients kill themselves in a single year. [14:35] When Ali decided to go cold turkey off her meds, she had an appointment already scheduled with holistic doctor Dr. Kelly Brogan. [17:20] Ali describes the gaslighting and abuse she faced from many of her doctors. She thought the drugs were making her unwell, but the psychiatrists told her it was actually her genetic "mental illness" causing the problems, not the drugs. She got indoctrinated into their belief system. [20:30] How did Ali go from being trapped inside the mental health system to being outside of it, looking at it with clarity? Dr. Kelly Brogan did a lot for her, starting by changing her mindset and letting Ali know that Ali was not mentally ill. [22:45] Dr. Brogan helped Ali change her lifestyle as well after helping change her mindset. This includes diet and meditation. Brogan helped Ali deal with her trauma. [26:00] What specifics in lifestyle changes were big difference-makers for Ali's health? She references a no-gluten, no-sugar, no-dairy, Whole30ish diet that Dr. Brogan said she needed to go on immediately (and Ali committed). Ali sees that most people don't understand how much alcohol and food impact how they feel. She finds it empowering to try to find foods that fit the dietary strategy she follows (and has been so beneficial for her). [31:00] Ali feels great now but she still suffers from stuttering at times today and struggles with bright lights from computers. [32:30] "When you step back and you start to realize how amazing you can feel away from that type of eating or alcohol use or whatever, it's really kind of mind-blowing" [32:55] Did Ali get pushback from her friends and family when making these lifestyle changes? [33:55] Ali's children saw her getting better after implementing the diet and lifestyle changes and accepted it, but other people in her life (including a doctor) gave her pushback. [37:00] Ali talks about healing happening in layers. [38:30] Significant moment for Ali: Ali talked to a trauma counselor who asked her, "Did you realize that you're being abused?" Understanding emotional abuse was a painful layer of her healing. [39:25] Ali works with clients. "I can't tell you how important it is to look at mental health as it relates to your relationships." "Being involved in emotionally abusive relationships was absolutely as much as a problem for my mental health as the psychiatric drugs were." [40:55] Ali has detox periods after interactions with certain people the same way as there are detox periods after eating certain foods or drinking alcohol. [41:40] "Your emotions can absolutely be affected by who you hang out with." [42:20] What is Ali's meditation practice like? She used to do a more structured meditation, but now she follows a "living meditation": experiencing her reality in a peaceful way. She loves her dogs and nature. She tries to just really observe the world and be present. [44:35] "I couldn't sit still and be quiet for twenty seconds. And I'm not even exaggerating. So for me to be able to really be at peace and be very present and engaged mentally in these moments, it's priceless to me." [45:50] Are there any health issues Ali is still trying to work out? [46:10] "I really do think I should be dead because I had multiple very severe suicide attempts." ... "To see people who have been on these drugs, I've lost many friends to these drugs and to suicide." [49:20] Does Ali consider herself cured of her conditions? She was misdiagnosed; she never actually had mental illness. [50:30] "I do have faith in God. But I believe that God gives us the tools, and the body, and the innate wisdom to help ourselves... I would say that I escaped from the mental health system." [51:05] Now that she has improved her health, what's one thing Ali enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [53:00] Are there any resources Ali would recommend? She says to "ask for help". She says she is constantly in communication with God. She says answers are not in black or white. She also recommends her doctor (prominent doctor author) Kelly Brogan. She encourages looking for medical care staff that looks for root cause. She also recommends, for anyone suffering from narcissistic abuse, The Little Shaman and Lisa Romano on YouTube. [58:10] Where can Ali be found online? She is available (if not removed) on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram. And she is working on coming up with her own podcast.

Rebekah Farmer shares her journey of healing from over 10 autoimmune conditions (plus many more issues) via a powerful change in diet. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/rebekahRebekah Farmer has dealt with health issues for most of her life. These include mood disorders, structural problems, and over ten autoimmune conditions. In spite of all those challenges, she has found healing. Now she uses the wisdom and passion she's gained from her experience to work as a health and life coach to help others heal. [3:10] Rebekah gives her health background. She has overcome over 10 autoimmune conditions and over 20 total diagnoses. [4:20] Malnutrition was an issue for Rebekah from a young age (6th grade). She was diagnosed with osteoporosis at a young age. She was on antibiotics a lot growing up and her immune system was not great. [6:30] Rebekah, in 7th grade, was put on a lot of medications for anxiety, insomnia, narcolepsy, and more. And she was told by her doctors that they could all be taken long term and that they were not addictive (she now knows that they should not be taken for long, and that they are addictive). She was on many prescription drugs for over a decade. [8:30] In 2017, Rebekah crashed. [9:10] What was Rebekah's diet like growing up and in early adulthood? [11:40] Rebekah's knowledgeable relative convinced her that she needed to get off the flurry of medications she was on. [12:05] What was the withdrawal like trying to come off of her medications? (Clonazepam for anxiety was the hardest one to come off of. Very addictive.) [13:30] Coming off the meds, Rebekah was suffering chronic fatigue. This sent her to functional medicine doctors who diagnosed her with chronic Lyme disease. [15:40] Rebekah left her Lyme doctors after treatments were going to continue to be too expensive for her. And the doctors were telling her the treatments would be long term. (Rebekah was 25 at the time; she is 28 as of recording.) [18:15] After seeing the Lyme doctors, she got in to see a renowned rheumatologist and was diagnosed with Central Sensitization Syndrome, a diagnosis that encompasses many issues. [19:35] Rebekah was also diagnosed with several digestive issues: IBS, IBD, celiac, gastroparesis, slow transit colon, diverticulitis. [20:30] Rebekah found ozone therapy helpful. She also tried PRP (platelet-rich plasma). These things didn't make enough of a difference for Rebekah. [21:50] After a long time doing a strict ketogenic diet, Rebekah was no longer bed-bound. She was getting her energy back. But then she started to lose severe amounts of weight. She did not need to lose weight and was not doing the diet to lose weight. Despite eating up to 6000 calories a day, she was losing weight (and didn't want to). She was even misdiagnosed as having an eating disorder because she was getting so skinny. [23:10] Ultimately, Rebekah was diagnosed with C-Diff, a bacteria that had taken over her entire gut. [23:50] Rebekah's lowest recorded weight (at a height of 5-6) was 68 pounds. That's how bad her C-Diff was. [25:20] Her diet at the time did not include a lot of meat. [25:30] Rebekah went through 13 rounds of antibiotics to prepare for a fecal transplant. [26:30] She had two fecal transplants. The first one did not get rid of C-Diff. The second one initially led to a negative test, but a month later she tested positive for C-Diff again. [27:20] Rebekah provides a description of what the idea is behind fecal transplants. [28:10] She had a third fecal transplant, and she still had C-Diff. [29:10] In 2019, after more trips to the ER, Rebekah decided she had to give the carnivore diet a try. She had initially heard of it from Danny Vega. [31:10] What are some of the keto "treat" foods that Rebekah was addicted to? (Fat bombs.) [34:00] Rebekah, diagnosed with prediabetes and non-epileptic seizures, now thinks she was not getting enough protein (it majorly spiked her blood sugar at the time). [35:30] Rebekah and Joe discuss frustration around being mistreated by the medical industry. [39:00] "The way that they treat people in there is so backwards." [41:00] Rebekah, wanting to get out of the ER, convinced a dietician to let her try a carnivore diet. The hospital cooks complied and she ate lots of meat and eggs and butter. Her blood sugar stabilized and her condition stabilized and she was able to go home after about a week of that. [45:20] What happened after Rebekah came home from the hospital? [49:40] What were the staple foods of Rebekah's carnivore diet which was significantly healing her? [51:30] Why does Rebekah think the carnivore diet has worked so well for her? [56:00] Are there any specific milestones or changes that have taken place between the start of her healing carnivore diet and the time of recording? She mentions gratitude, affirmations, hope, and her relationship with God. [59:55] Are there any health conditions Rebekah is still struggling with? No. [1:01:05] Does Rebekah consider herself cured of her conditions? [1:02:00] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Rebekah enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [1:03:10] Are there any resources Rebekah would recommend to others who want to learn more about her approach? [1:04:45] Rebekah gives an overview of her work as a health coach and life coach. [1:08:00] Where can Rebekah be found online? Her primary social media is her Instagram: https://instagram.com/tailoredketohealth [1:09:50] Rebekah gives her closing message.

Christine Trimpe shares her journey from being overweight, in pain, and tired to being healthy, energetic, and full of joy. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/christineChristine Trimpe is this episode's guest; she has reversed numerous health conditions: including but not limited to extreme fatigue, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, cystic acne, and more. Along the way, she has lost over 100 pounds. Bust most importantly, she is now full of energy and doing her best to live a joyful keto life. As part of her work at JoyfulKetoLife.com, she has even provided a special "Goals" resource for listeners of this episode: Click here to grab Christine's "Goals" resource. [3:00] Christine shares her health background (age 53 as of recording). She was chubby during childhood but started having big problems in college (she gained not the Freshman 15, but the Freshman 40). [4:15] Christine tried everything to get her weight under control: Weight Watchers, medical weight loss centers, intense exercise, and more. She could never find anything that worked sustainably. [6:10] Christine discovered Dr. Jason Fung's work on January 13, 2017, and it was life-changing. [6:25] Christine had a major turning point for her health in the fall of 2015 when she was unable to join her husband on a mountain trail hike. This motivated her to improve her health and look into her sleep problems. She was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. [8:50] Christine found out she had not only painful ovarian cysts, but also fatty liver. [10:45] Christine's first step was to cut sugar; and her first step in cutting sugar was quitting coffee cold turkey because she used flavored sweetener in her coffee. [12:00] Over ten months, Christine resolved her headaches, migraines, and cystic acne by simply cutting sugar out of her diet. However, she only lost 18 pounds over this time, which was far from her goal. And she still had several other ailments. [15:40] What were the next steps after Christine binge-watched/read Dr. Jason Fung content? She was brought to tears by the idea expressed by Fung that "this is not your fault". [17:00] (Speaking of her former doctors) "I was told I had metabolic syndrome. But they never explained it to me." [18:15] Christine took the two week Diet Doctor Challenge (starting on a low carb diet) and the rest is history. [20:00] Other than weight falling off, what did Christine notice? She was bouncing off the walls with energy (after previously suffering from chronic exhaustion). [21:30] Christine's diet includes 20 grams of carbohydrates or less per day and she does 18:6 intermittent fasting. [24:15] What are Christine's staple foods? She now eats a lot of red meat, some pork, some salmon, some greens, some cauliflower, olives, and she eats cheese and other dairy foods. [27:00] "How much would it blow your mind from 5, 10 years ago (Weight Watchers background) that you could lose that much weight and overhaul your life to that degree packing bacon, olives, and cheese for lunch every day?" [29:10] "My energy is so much better just eating two meals a day. You know, whole healthy meals that keep me energized and satiated throughout the day." [29:40] Christine shares the story of the reversal of her obstructive sleep apnea. This is backed up by a sleep study. Completely reversed. Her doctor: "It's very rare that people come off a CPAP machine." [33:00] How have Christine's family and friends reacted to her health transformation? [34:20] Christine shares the name of her blog: Joyful Keto Life (joyfulketolife.com). Also, she has a website for her speaking ministry at ChristineTrimpe.com. [37:00] On her journey to health, what have some of Christine's challenges been? [39:00] Christine even needed new shoes because her shoe size went down. [39:30] Christine shares her experience doing a medical weight loss program. Even though she lost weight doing it, it was a different type of weight loss than she's had on keto. Her body composition is better on keto; after weight loss from calorie restriction, she was still TOFI (Thin Outside, Fat Inside). [41:30] Does Christine consider herself cured of her conditions? [41:55] Christine's fatty liver reversal has even been confirmed by ultrasound. [42:40] "I used to think that eventually I was going to have to have knee replacement surgery and my knees don't hurt at all anymore." [43:40] Christine shares her "second mountain story". It was a remarkable change from the "first mountain story" only 2 and a half years earlier. [46:50] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Christine enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [50:10] How can listeners get in touch with Christine? She has a special "Goals" resource page for this episode, and she has JoyfulKetoLife.com and ChristineTrimpe.com [51:45] Does Chrstine have a closing message for the listeners?

Dr. Gary Fettke shares how he overhauled his health and how he has radically helped patients improve theirs via real food, Low Carb Healthy Fat diets. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/garyDr. Gary Fettke is an Australian orthopedic surgeon and a hero of the health and nutrition world. He was silenced for helping his patients with nutritional advice. He was persecuted but he stood strong knowing he was doing what was right, and eventually he was exonerated. But before taking on the establishment with his message emphasizing the importance of real food, he had to heal himself of prediabetes, high blood pressure, inflammatory joint disease, psoriasis, and more. [2:50] "I'm often quoted as saying 'Once you see something, you can't unsee it.' And I've seen the health benefits of changing diet and nutrition for myself and I've seen it for my family and I've seen it for my patients." [4:20] Dr. Fettke shares his "fresh, local, and seasonal whole food" message. He explains that we should reduce processed food and added sugar. This often leads to a low-carbohydrate, Paleo, and/or ketogenic style of diet. [7:30] What is Gary's health background? He was an overweight kid and even had joint aches as a kid. He had a pituitary gland tumor at age 38. He had high blood pressure, skin conditions, and other ailments (metabolic syndrome). He had this type of health while eating a diet largely based on the food pyramid. [10:50] A lightbulb went off for Gary when he realized his tumor showed up on PET scan based on glucose metabolism. It was growing and thriving on sugar. Since then, he often reflects on the Krebs cycle and how our bodies create ATP for energy. [14:10] Gary started out by cutting out sugars. Then he cut out polyunsaturated oils. Then he cut out other carbohydrates. [15:15] In 2013 and 2014, Gary came up with a nutritional model of inflammation. The idea is that the combination of refined carbohydrates, polyunsaturated oils, and fructose cause a highly-inflammatory state in the body. This inflammation sits behind basically every disease and ailment we face. [17:30] Initially, Gary lost about 8 kilos (approximately 20 pounds) without exercise by cutting out sugar. He was inspired by David Gillepsie's book Sweet Poison. [18:50] Gary, a surgeon, performed many amputations of diabetic limbs and digits. His patients were coming in with their limbs rotting off and it bothered him because he now sees it is preventable. [22:25] "I'm infinitely healthier now than I was ten years ago." Gary shares how he came off ten medications. [23:45] Dr. Fettke discusses the problem of the lack of informed consent for lifelong medications which have massive side effects. [25:30] Gary mentions that information about Tracey Brown, the CEO of the American Diabetes Association, improving her diabetes significantly by limiting carbs has been taken offline. [31:05] Gary, paraphrasing his wife Belinda: "You guys are talking about the science. Nobody's listening. Who's blocking that?" [32:00] Gary talks about the importance of SAM: support, accountability, and motivation. [38:10] Gary talks about how eating healthfully allows his patients to take back some level of control over their lives. [39:50] Gary shares a story of a patient: 70-year-old who had horrible arthritic pain and was down to bare bones on X-rays. Gary talked to her about low carb. 3 months later she came back to his office down 12 kilograms (approximately 25 pounds), felt better, and no longer needed surgery. "It's just fascinating for me that someone with bare-bone arthritis can turn around their pain before they lose weight." [41:40] "If you reduce your sugar and carbs, you reduce your insulin production, you reduce your inflammation. It happens within days or weeks successfully, before weight loss." [42:25] Are some of Gary's patients who come in on a reconstructive surgery consult able to avoid the need for surgery altogether? By changing their diet? Spoiler alert: yes. [42:50] Gary shares the major improvement in a 75-year-old patient who had been low carb for 6 weeks: all of her back pain was gone. [43:55] "I'm not saying this cures everyone, I'm not saying that it's the answer for everything. But gee, it's bloody close to it." [44:20] How has real-food, low-carb, healthy-fat diet impacted surgery patients' recovery? [45:30] Gary compares ketosis to the "Safe Mode" of a computer. [45:50] Gary, thinking of his grandchildren, talks a bit about diet and pregnancy. [47:20] Gary works with an elite soldier who spends time in ketosis. Gary asked him how he feels when in ketosis: "cunning" [49:50] "Virtually all of us are carrying around a super-tanker of fuel on our bodies." (Body fat) [50:45] "We've got more potential to take back our health than we've been told. Than we've been led to believe." [52:30] Gary found it odd to learn that his textbooks and professors had been all wrong; he talks about how much is hiding in plain sight. [53:30] "Our medical education was corrupted in 1910 with the Flexner Report which was commissioned by Andrew Carnegie of steel and John Rockefeller of oil." [53:50] "Our nutrition education was manipulated since 1917 and made up by the cereal industry. And our medical education came from Rockefeller and Carnegie, which was really the birth of the pharmaceutical industry." [54:30] "It's a massive turnaround to admit that we got it wrong." [55:50] Does Gary consider himself cured of his conditions? [57:50] Now that he's improved his health, what's one thing Gary enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [59:30] Where can the listener learn more from Dr. Fettke? [1:00:55] "The enemy's not food. The enemy is the people telling us what food to eat." [1:04:40] Gary shares a closing thought that he used in his book Inversion: One Man's Answer for World Peace and Global Health: "Only dead fish swim with the current. You'll know you're truly alive when you're swimming against it."

"The Black Carnivore" Ede Fox shares her story of losing 80 pounds and transforming her life: including major improvements in asthma, eczema, and more. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/ede[2:45] Ede shares her health history. [3:45] In 2015 at age 44, Ede was feeling exhausted, in pain, and overweight, so she adopted a ketogenic diet. She lost 80 pounds on keto. [5:05] Ede felt better on a ketogenic diet, but she felt even better upon adopting a carnivore diet in December 2017. [6:10] Ede became passionate enough about the carnivore diet that she started YouTube and Instagram channels as "The Black Carnivore". [7:35] Ede shares the timeline of her weight loss. [8:25] Ede started carnivore with a "beef and butter" fast. Within 3 days, she felt phenomenal and felt major improvements in her breathing (she had asthma and allergies). [12:05] Ede found that dairy was a trigger for her autoimmune and breathing issues. [13:40] "So I had no more cheese after that, and I haven't used my inhaler since then." [15:25] "My allergies had improved on keto, but now are just gone." She goes on to describe all the allergy drugs she no longer takes and mentions that she has also saved a lot of money by not needing those. [18:25] Ede describes the ketogenic diet that she ate (50 grams of carbohydrate per day or below) and the carnivore diet that she eats now. [21:15] Is butter also a trigger for Ede's health issues? [25:45] How did Ede originally come across the idea of a low carb diet (which she had done at times even prior to her 2015 keto diet)? [31:25] How have Ede's energy and mood been impacted by her dietary change? [36:45] How has Ede's endometriosis responded to her dietary change? (Note: she has also utilized acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and surgery to address this condition.) [41:55] On Ede's journey to health, what have some of the challenges been? Ede uses a great analogy to an alcoholic working in a bar here. [44:35] How have Ede's family and friends reacted to Ede's health transformation? [47:15] Does Ede consider herself cured of her conditions? [50:20] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Ede enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [52:50] Ede lists her social media contact information ("The Black Carnivore") for Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. [54:25] Ede emphasizes the importance of community in making dietary/lifestyle changes.

Jennifer shares her story of reversing epilepsy, anxiety, and insomnia: going from decades of seizures to being seizure-free for over 3.5 years. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/jennifer[1:35] Jennifer shares her health background, which includes seizures since the age of 12. Her seizures are partial seizures, not grand mal seizures. [3:00] Jennifer was actually diagnosed with epilepsy in her 20s. Jennifer was put on a slew of medications. [4:05] Jennifer was already taking the maximum dosage of Keppra for seizure control (it was not working; she was still having seizures) when her doctor recommended upping the dose. Also, she was on a bunch of other medications to control horrible side effects (anxiety, insomnia): she was even on SSRIs. [4:45] Jennifer had read about the ketogenic diet for epilepsy and had brought that idea up to her neurologist several times. Her neurologist always shot the idea down. [5:20] When her neurologist upped Jennifer's meds again (in 2017, at age 41), Jennifer researched the ketogenic diet for epilepsy further via The Charlie Foundation. She went out and got groceries which matched the macronutrient requirements (80% fat, 15% protein, 5% carbohydrate). She started eating that way. [6:50] Jennifer typically had 6-10 seizures per month. Since starting the ketogenic diet (over 3.5 years ago as of recording), she has not had another seizure. [9:40] Jennifer weighed almost 290 pounds when she started keto. [12:25] Jennifer lays out a lot of specific ways her life has gotten better since adopting a ketogenic diet. This even includes shedding aphasia and improved short-term memory. [15:15] Jennifer weighed 287 pounds prior to starting keto; now she typically weighs between 127 and 130 pounds. [16:15] Jennifer's doc not only recommended more and more meds, but she had also recommended a surgery to remove part of her brain!! Her medical care staff would have removed part of her brain before recommending a change in diet. [20:15] After never supporting keto, Jennifer even found out later that her care system even had a ketogenic nutrition specialist on staff. And still they did not support it. [22:15] What foods make up the bulk of Jennifer's ketogenic diet? [26:40] After 2 years of a largely traditional ketogenic diet (approximately 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% carbs), Jennifer tweaked her diet to increase protein. She now eats more of a Modified Atkins Diet approach (approximately 65% fat, 30% protein, 5% carbs). [32:30] How did Jennifer's anxiety and insomnia change after adopting a ketogenic diet? [35:00] Jennifer got into powerlifting. She turned her addiction to food into an addiction to endorphins. [36:05] "Between the lowered anxiety and the improved sleep, I'm like, 'This is my life now. I'm keeping this forever.'" [37:05] How did Jennifer's family and friends respond to her transformation? [38:50] Jennifer's best friend started keto two years ago and got rid of her migraines. (Notably, her friend had been taking Topamax, which Jennifer used to take for seizures.) [40:10] Jennifer's mom started keto in July 2019. She was able to come off hypertension and asthma medications (she had chronic asthma). Another of Jennifer's friends has adopted a ketogenic diet and gotten rid of PCOS symptoms. [42:40] On her journey to health, what have some of the challenges been? [45:50] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Jennifer enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [48:35] Where can Jennifer be reached? She is active on Twitter at http://twitter.com/KetoHiking and via email at ketohiking@gmail.com [50:00] For learning more about a ketogenic approach to treating epilepsy, Jennifer recommends The Charlie Foundation, this Johns Hopkins website, and Matthew's Friends.

Amanda Atkins reversed her severe Type 2 Diabetes along with brain fog, tingly fingers, and more via a low-carbohydrate diet. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/amanda[2:00] Amanda gives some context to her reversal of Type 2 Diabetes and her health history. [4:40] Amanda's doctors never gave a very good explanation or any mention of food in regards to her childless state or her other ailments. "No one mentioned food." [7:45] Amanda woke up one morning in 2014 blind in one eye. [10:20] Amanda's fingers and feet were starting to get tingly. Her ankles were swollen. And she dealt with carpal tunnel syndrome and brain fog. [11:45] Amanda tried a 1200 calorie low-fat diet. She lost some weight with it but she also got a dry cough. [12:55] Amanda's fasting blood sugar was 18.4%! She had severe diabetes. [14:45] After being diagnosed, Amanda searched online for "severe diabetes" and she found the following paper: Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on glycemic control in outpatients with severe type 2 diabetes https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-6-21 [17:00] The paper she found recommended limiting fruit (and other foods). [20:00] The paper Amanda found showed terrific success improving glycemic control in Type 2 Diabetics even by restricting to 90-170 grams of carbohydrate per day. But Amanda found that some people in the study restricted even further and had even better success. And the health improvements in this study were achieved without that much weight loss. [22:40] One woman in the paper dropped her A1C from 14.4% to 6.1% in just six months. She was restricting carbs to 11% of her diet and was walking an hour a day a few days a week. Within hours of her new Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis, Amanda had a new plan. [24:50] Amanda immediately understood three new principles: 1) It's not about weight. 2) Don't fear saturated fat. 3) Your HbA1c is tightly tied to what you eat. Using these principles, she halved her blood sugar in a few days. [30:20] In 6 weeks, Amanda's HbA1c was down to 8%. At 6 months, it was down to 5.5%. It has stayed around there ever since. [32:00] What foods does Amanda base her low carbohydrate diet around? [42:00] It used to be hard (even at age 17) for Amanda to go up 20 steps. It is easier for her now at age 60, now that she has modified her diet. [44:30] Amanda's skin is not nearly as susceptible to sunburn anymore. [56:40] "There is a whole universe out there of people who are dying to help you." [1:11:00] Does Amanda consider herself cured of her conditions? [1:16:15] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Amanda enjoys doing that she couldn't do before?

Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in January 2015, Brandon LaGreca used an integrative protocol to put it into complete remission in eight months. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/brandon[0:55] Joe gives a brief overview and biography intro for Brandon LaGreca. [2:20] Brandon gives the background on his diagnosis. He was 34 and went to the hospital with horrible abdominal pain in January 2015. It turned out he had a 4-inch abdominal tumor, causing a bowel obstruction. It turned out to be stage 4 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. [4:25] Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is considered incurable in the conventional paradigm. [5:10] What went through Brandon's mind when he got this diagnosis? [6:30] One part of Brandon went into shock, but the other part went into his clinical problem-solving mindset. [8:00] Brandon is glad his oncologist didn't give a specific prognosis or do any "medical hexing". [9:20] Brandon asked his oncologist: if Brandon made it to 5 years without a recurrence, would there be something different about him? The oncologist said yes. It has now been 5 years. [10:30] Brandon already wrote the book Cancer and EMF Radiation, and he is now working on a new book Cancer, Stress, and Mindset. [12:00] After his diagnosis, Brandon decided to see what conventional oncology had to offer him. [13:30] Brandon was offered R-CHOP (Rituxanimmunotherapy drug plus a chemotherapy cocktail). Brandon didn't want chemo so he reached out to his holistic medicine colleagues and friends. [14:35] Brandon decided to take Rituxan for immunotherapy but opt out of chemo, and his oncologist agreed. Brandon would put together an integrative protocol in combination with the Rituxan. [15:50] At first, Brandon did four sessions of Rituxan once a week for four weeks to reduce tumor burden. After that, he did one session every two months. [17:00] After the first four sessions (to allow the effects of the drug to initially be isolated), Brandon kicked his integrative protocol into high gear. This protocol included supplements, homeopathics, and emotional and spiritual support. [18:20] Brandon finds that one of the big benefits of his integrative protocol was that after getting healthy, he could continue the practices (unlike chemotherapy, which can only be done temporarily). [19:05] The first category of his integrative protocol was emotional/spiritual/mindset. One key to this was asking himself how he would be a better person on the other side of the cancer diagnosis. [22:25] Another category was detoxification via heavy metals chelation and sauna work. [25:45] Brandon followed the work of Dr. Nick Gonzalez and Dr. William Donald Kelley who focused on metabolic type diets. In Brandon's case, he followed the parasympathetic diet with a good amount of animal fats and proteins. He also ate a colorful array of vegetables and fruits. No processed foods. [28:30] Brandon also added in different herbs and nutraceuticals. Some examples are medicinal mushrooms, turmeric, hemp, and green tea. [29:40] Brandon was also getting a homeopathic injection of mistletoe several times a week. This is based off the work of Rudolf Steiner. [33:30] Brandon also incorporated different forms of meditation. One of these is a moving meditation called qigong. [36:40] For diet, Brandon recommends the Weston A. Price Foundation for giving an umbrella of what nutrient-dense whole foods are and what good dietary principles are. [40:20] What challenges did Brandon face on his journey to healing? Gastrointestinal distress issues have been challenging. [46:30] Does Brandon consider himself cured of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma? [48:00] Brandon recommends the book Radical Remission. [50:35] Now that he's improved his health, what's one thing Brandon enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [52:50] What recommended resources does Brandon have for others who want to learn more about his approach to healing from cancer? [56:00] Brandon talks a bit about electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and their role as a carcinogen.

Despite 8 years ago having a golf-ball sized brain tumor (anaplastic astrocytoma), Andrew Scarborough shares how he is now in the best health of his life. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/scarborough[1:45] Andrew provides his health history. He was diagnosed with an anaplastic astrocytoma after suffering a brain hemorrhage on a train in 2013. (It is 2020 at recording time). [3:00] Leading in to the brain hemorrhage, he had been feeling symptoms, including migraines. He had been stressed so he chalked the migraines and other symptoms up to the stress. [5:00] On top of the migraines, Andrew was also suffering from focal seizures, runny noses, and muscular fatigue. [6:00] What diet had Andrew been eating before (which he thought were perfect to manage his strange symtpoms)? He was eating a "rainbow", "Mediterranean", "plant-based" diet with some occasional oily fish. [7:30] Andrew was in good athletic shape (low body fat, lots of lean tissue) prior to his brain hemorrhage. [9:30] Leading up to the incident on the train, Andrew had been suffering from some of the aforementioned symptoms for about a year. They had gotten so bad that he could barely cope a couple months before the hemorrhage. [10:20] Initially his tumor was misdiagnosed as a cavernous hemangioma. [11:10] Andrew was told that they were going to take out the cavernous hemangioma (that's what they thought it was at the time). Andrew was suffering from seizures which were causing brain damage and also it was leading to other injuries such as a shoulder dislocation. [12:10] They were not able to remove the entire tumor and the resulting histopathology report showed that it was not truly a cavernous hemangioma; it was an anaplastic astrocytoma. [13:35] Andrew adopted a ketogenic diet to manage the debilitating seizures he kept having, which were keeping him from being able to even leave the house. Also, he was on medications which were making him feel like a zombie. [14:30] Andrew had learned about ketogenic diets in 2012 (just before his diagnosis) while studying for his Master's Degree in Nutritional Therapy. Ketogenic diets have been in use for children's epilepsy for about 100 years. Andrew was skeptical it could help him beyond seizure control but he bought the book Cancer as a Metabolic Disease anyway. [15:50] Andrew found out that some traditional ketogenic foods were still causing seizures for him. [18:30] Andrew also leveraged the work of the UK group Matthew's Friends, which promote ketogenic diets (especially for epileptic children). [20:00] Andrew noticed he had issues with dairy and with a lot of plant foods, especially ones containing salicylates. He ended up cutting out all carbohydrates. [21:50] Andrew focused on eating nutrient-dense animal foods (carnivore diet) and on improving his fatty acid ratio (lower Omega-6, increase Omega-3). [23:50] Through his nutrient-dense animal-food diet, Andrew was able to establish a therapeutic zone of blood ketones and blood sugar and completely manage his seizures. Eventually he was able to come off all medications. [26:00] Andrew also found boswellic acid to be an effective supplement to reduce seizure activity. Likewise, frankincense essential oil under the tongue helped Andrew rapidly mitigate low-level seizure activity when a seizure came on. He also found that magnesium chloride spray was able to help. [30:30] What was the timeline like for Andrew's health improvements take? [31:50] Andrew talks a bit about gadolinium contrast agents for his cancer scans (for visualizing tumors in the body). He describes that gadolinium may be more toxic than conventionally accepted. [32:40] Over time, Andrew noticed that the tumor activity and/or brain brain damage was getting better over time (in about a year). And his doctors had told him that would not happen. And over time he was able to include more foods back into his ketogenic diet (including some plant foods). His strokelike symptoms and photosensitivity got markedly better. [34:30] Andrew felt better within a year. And each year, he keeps feeling better than the year before. "At the moment I feel like I'm in my very best health." [35:10] Andrew can now control his symptoms without being on a strict carnivorous 4:1 fat-to-protein-and-carbohydrate ratio diet. [37:10] What was Andrew's initial prognosis? At first they misdiagnosed his tumor as a cavernous hemangioma so they weren't worried about the tumor; instead his medical providers were worried about the seizures he was having consistently. [39:35] Andrew's brain tumor was the size of a golf ball. [40:50] Andrew lost speech ability and movement ability on the right side of his face for a while. However, he has regained both speech and movement! [42:30] "What isn't speculative is the resolution of these horrific symptoms that I'd suffered." "I realized over time how powerful the things that I've implemented have been because if I diverge from my approach to managing the epilepsy even a little bit, I experience seizures again. So I just carry on doing what I'm doing and I don't experience anything." [43:50] How has Andrew's doctor responded? [44:45] After changing hospitals, Andrew became his new doctor's "human guinea pig". (Note: Andrew now hosts a podcast named The Human Guinea Pig Project.) [48:55] What have the challenges been on Andrew's journey to health? [51:00] Does Andrew have any recommended resources for people interested in learning more about his approach to healing from cancer? He recommends the book Cancer as a Metabolic Disease, the Charlie Foundation, Matthew's Friends, Dominic D'Agostino on Twitter, Thomas Seyfried, and Brent Wagner (who researches gadolinium toxicity). Also, Andrew has his own podcast: The Human Guinea Pig Project. [52:10] Andrew discusses how gadolinium is a highly toxic metal often used in cancer scans as a contrast agent. This could be making the cancer worse. This is not well enough known and conventional practitioners downplay any risk, but Andrew knows there are real risks with it. Andrew is even writing a book on this subject; he hopes to have it finished by the end of 2020. [58:50] Does Andrew consider himself cured of his conditions? [59:40] Andrew has relaxed his diet (still keto); he eats more plants now. He still suffers symptoms if he eats too many carbohydrates. But even after adding some plants back in, he can keep his blood glucose low and ketones in a therapeutic range. Andrew also finds great benefit in long morning walks; he often even gets a euphoric feeling during these fasted morning walks. [1:03:05] Andrew also tried some hyperbaric oxygen therapy. [1:08:15] Andrew has a blog: My brain cancer story. Specifically, the blog post discussing "air break" technique is: https://mybraincancerstory.blogspot.com/2016/02/epilepsy-and-hyperbaric-oxygen-therapy.html [1:10:20] Now that he has improved his health, what's one thing Andrew enjoys doing that he couldn't do before?

Using a plant-free carnivore diet, L. Amber O'Hearn went from years of depression and bipolar type II disorder to being in remission for 11 years. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/amber[2:30] Amber considered herself happy as a child and teenager, but by the time she was 20, she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and ultimately with treatment-resistant depression. [4:30] In her young adulthood, Amber's energy, joy, and motivation dissipated. Things she used to find enjoyable stopped feeling enjoyable. [5:25] Amber describes her initial experience with antidepressants. Ultimately, she took them for over a decade. [7:10] Amber describes the typical type of bipolar disorder (which she was never diagnosed with). It involves mania and depression in cycles and can sometimes end in delusions of grandeur and/or a psychotic break. [8:40] Amber was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder. It does not involve total mania, but it also involves cycles of elevated mood followed by a crash. It can also involve mixed states. [10:40] Her bipolar type 2 disorder was impacting her whole life and all of her relationships. [11:30] Amber was actually excited to get the bipolar 2 diagnosis because she thought it provided hope; perhaps she couldn't cure her depression before because it had been a misdiagnosis. [12:30] Amber had many bad symptoms, including not being able to find words when speaking, and she even felt a form of "brain zaps", amongst other symptoms. [15:40] Amber describes how frustrating it was in moments of self-awareness to see that she was not acting rationally. [20:15] Amber talks about what happened with her physical health as she dealt with mental health issues. In her experience, weight gain was often associated with mood and/or mental health issues. [21:40] Amber weighed in at her highest weight (around 195 pounds, being 5-foot-6) around the end of 2008. She got up to that weight despite eating a low carbohydrate diet, which had initially helped both her weight and her mood. [23:30] Amber's weight gain was frustrating because she felt like she was doing everything right. She was reading all about the science of low carbohydrate diets and was convinced that they were beneficial. But despite eating low carb with lots of vegetables, she was gaining weight slowly. (She also attributes some of her weight gain to pregnancies.) [26:00] One day in late 2008, Amber came across an online forum called Zeroing In On Health where people were eating only meat. No plants. The forum members had stories which seemed relatable to her; many of them had breakthrough success with this plant-free diet. [28:50] Amber initially started a zero-carb diet with a "diet" mindset to lose weight (with the idea that maybe then she could go back to low carb and maintain her weight). [29:30] Within a few weeks of starting this plant-free diet, Amber lost a bunch of weight and her mood had improved. She just felt good. And her husband commented that he hadn't known how to tell her, but in those few weeks, her mood had been more stable than it had been in all of the eight years they'd been married. [32:20] Amber now refers to this diet as a carnivore diet instead of zero carb, as it emphasizes its plant-free nature. [33:30] Amber was pregnant shortly after starting this diet. She did not stay carnivore for her entire pregnancy (though she would sometimes go days at a time plant-free), but she did have to go off her psychiatric medications for the pregnancy. Within a few days of giving birth, Amber went back to her plant-free carnivore diet, and she has never needed psychiatric meds again. She has been free from psychiatric medications for about 11 years as of recording. [37:30] No one was more surprised about her health improvements on carnivore than Amber herself. She was quite surprised to improve her health by removing vegetables. [41:00] A video by Dr. Georgia Ede in 2012 turned on a lot of the lightbulbs in Amber's head for why her carnivore diet was working. Dr. Ede's speech was about the mechanisms by which plants need to defend themselves. Often, plants use toxins. [46:00] Amber finds that animal-based foods often are full of vitamins and minerals; meat is much more than just protein. [48:00] There is a wide variety of foods available to someone eating a plant-free carnivore diet. Amber does not feel deprived whatsoever. [49:30] What foods does Amber focus on for her carnivore diet? She focuses on beef, but also likes pork (especially pork belly), eggs, brain (!!!), butter, salmon, mackerel, chicken thighs, and oysters. [52:20] After the initial weight loss that came from her adoption of a plant-free diet, how has her weight and body composition been impacted? [53:00] "The one thing that happened to me when I first went on a carnivore diet is I stopped getting sick." She says she doesn't often mention that because it sounds so crazy. She didn't get as much as a cold for her first 8 years on carnivore. [53:30] Amber does not consider herself cured of bipolar type 2; she considers herself in remission. [56:50] Despite some weight regain (which Amber attributes at least partially to some infections and corresponding antibiotic usage), Amber has not felt any dissipation in the psychiatric benefits she has gotten from her plant-free carnivore diet. [58:30] Amber went on a carnivore diet in 2009 which lines up with her terrific improvement in mental health. Is there anything else Amber could point to, besides the diet, that might have impacted this improvement? She surmises that coming off the antidepressants and pregnancy could have also benefited her. But she just knows that something is different from the diet. [1:04:00] At her website mostly-fat.com, Amber has a How-to Guide for the carnivore diet. [1:07:35] Now that Amber has improved her health, what is one thing she enjoys doing that she couldn't do before? [1:08:45] Where can Amber be reached online? Her website is mostly-fat.com and her Twitter handle is @KetoCarnivore [1:11:00] As a closing message, Amber mentions that if the listener has an autoimmune, psychiatric, or other condition that they think could potentially be benefited by a carnivore diet. . . trying it for a month is a a low-risk, high-potential-benefit intervention. Her how-to guide is a great resource for anyone interested.

Ian Morris shares his story of using sound healing and other ideas to heal from dyslexia, MS, colon cancer, depression, and more. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/ian[1:50] Ian gives some background on his health history. [2:15] Ian struggled in school as a child. [3:50] As a budding baseball player, at age 17 or 18 Ian was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and heart arrythmia. [5:20] Ian had always loved sports, but after high school Ian found himself being moved by music (but he was also dealing with suppressed emotions and depression). [6:30] As a young adult, Ian started a non-profit named Homemade Genius. It shared music and poetry with underserved communities. [8:00] Ian's health began to fail and he racked up $60,000 worth of doctor bills. One of his doctors diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis and another diagnosed him with colon cancer. In 2011, he weighed around 315 pounds. [9:30] Two books were suggested to Ian over and over: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay and The Healing Power of Sound. [10:30] Ian Morris started getting into mind-over-matter, into meditation, and into frequency-minded music with headphones. [12:15] Ian was 32 or 33 when he was going through his major health problems (including MS and colon cancer diagnoses). [13:15] Ian describes how he had muscles twitching, skin outbreaks, digestive problems, and constant horrible migraines. His body was even rejecting foods he had always eaten (including strawberries, peanut butter, and especially meat). [15:00] Looking back on the time when Ian was sick, he feels like he has died and is now a completely different person. [16:40] Ian is a co-founder, along with Dana Kato, of Listening To Smile. Their work with Listening To Smile helps clients improve their health and their lives through some of the same methods that helped Ian heal (sound healing, mindset, meditation, etc.). [19:10] Ian describes sound healing. [21:10] Sound healing is a recalibration on a frequency level on the body. On a deeper level, it is dealing with consciousness expansion (more awareness). (Some clients say things like "I'm hearing the birds more") [22:50] The brain reacts when it is exposed to new sound frequencies, expanding your sound palate beyond what you normally feed it. [24:50] What was the timeline like on Ian's healing? [25:50] In a year or a year and a half of breathwork, mindfulness, and sound healing, Ian lost 110 pounds. [26:45] During his sickness, Ian was in pain constantly. He had horrible migraines which led to depression; Ian even contemplated suicide. [27:45] Ian describes 528 Hz music ("the frequency of love" on the Solfeggio scale) healing his migraines in 3-7 minutes. Also, he feels his dyslexia is 95% gone, as is his brain fog. [29:50] "It was like an upgrading of my soul." [31:40] Ian describes that pure tones are very powerful. He sees them almost like "audio medicine". [32:20] Ian's company sells albums for individuals and for practitioners at ListeningToSmile.com. [36:30] Ian talks about how tempo, music, and melody can be used to pump someone up or to help someone calm down. [38:05] Ian's company has dubbed the song Belief Code 21 as the "frequency of peace". Many people use that song for anxiety relief and to relax before bed. The song is approximately 30 beats per minutes. [40:30] Ian describes what sessions are like for clients who come to his company Listening To Smile. [48:30] What is the reason Ian recommends over-the-ear headphones? He likes to keep wireless frequency activity away from brainwave activity, and he also likes the frequency response you get from over-the-ear headphones, and he likes their ability to block out other sounds. [53:00] Ian gives an overview of how binaural beats can be helpful and how they can bring about specific brainwave states. Listening to binaural beats to put your brain into a theta state allow the brain to go into a highly-programmable state which can be used to undergo behavior change. [55:45] Binaural beats can create peaceful brainwave states very quickly. In ten minutes, listening to binaural beats could put the listener's mind into a state that could take years of meditation and/or breathwork practice to get into without that musical aid. [1:00:00] Ian and Joe continue discussing how binaural beats can be used in powerful ways by putting mind into programmable state and by changing our default subconscious "programming". [1:03:00] Does Ian consider himself cured of his conditions? [1:03:50] Ian believes stress is at the root of almost all suffering. [1:04:20] Ian believes nutrition and mindset are important to his health improvements. [1:06:00] What have some of the challenges been on Ian's road to health? [1:09:35] Ian describes the nutrition changes he made on his healing journey. He stopped eating meat and now eats less fat and more fruit. He also does time-restricted eating. [1:12:50] Now that he has improved his health, what's one thing Ian enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [1:14:20] How can Ian be reached online? The main way is via ListeningToSmile.com (ian@listeningtosmile.com) Also his company has Spotify albums available here

Type 1 Diabetic Andrew Berger shares his story of improving his A1C from 7.8% to 4.9% in 23 months. In doing so, he improved everything from his energy to his skin to his retinopathy. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/andrew[1:00] Andrew is introduced; diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 3, he is 29 as of recording. In 23 months, he has lowered his HbA1c from 7.8% to 4.9%. [2:00] Andrew gives his background with Type 1 Diabetes. He was the only one in his school with Type 1 Diabetes growing up. [4:15] Throughout the first decades of having Type 1 Diabetes, Andrew was also developing Type 2 Diabetes, which he attributes to the large amounts of insulin he was injecting to cover the food he was eating. Also, his blood sugar often got very high: into the 200s, into the 300s regularly, and even into the 400s. [5:00] By the time he was 25 or 26, his eyes started failing. He was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. [6:30] After being diagnosed with the retinopathy, Andrew was frustrated with the vague advice he was given: "Control your blood sugars." But no one told him how to do that. [7:15] Andrew describes his history with Weight Watchers. He tried it several times. Largely unsuccessfully. [8:00] Andrew heard Vinnie Tortorich's podcast Fitness Confidential and he was ripping apart Weight Watchers and promoting a low carb diet. Andrew decided to try eating a low carb diet. [9:20] Andrew's health and blood sugar had improved significantly from low carb, and then he heard Shawn Baker promoting the carnivore diet on the Joe Rogan podcast. Andrew decided to try the carnivore diet (only foods from animals, none from plants-- a meat-based diet). [15:00] Andrew eats one meal a day: usually around 2 to 2.5 pounds of red meat. [16:20] Andrew promotes intermittent fasting. [18:50] Andrew's pancreas still cannot produce (much) insulin. [22:50] Andrew's diabetic retinopathy has been getting better. [25:15] Andrew once did a seven-day fast as a Type 1 Diabetic. [26:20] Andrew now takes a different number of units of insulin each day: often 5, 9, or 13 units. Before starting a low carb diet, he used to take 60-65 units per day. He even had to take over 100 units some days prior to low carb. [27:45] Andrew describes the subjective benefits he has felt from changing his diet. "I feel like a different person completely. My energy is insane." He used to need a two-hour nap every day and was sleeping half the day. [31:45] "I've never felt this way in my life. And I seriously mean that. In my teenage years, in my adult years. . . I feel like a little kid." [33:30] How have Andrew's medical providers reacted to his tremendous health improvement? ("Holy crap! How did you do it?") [37:00] Andrew talks about how most conventional doctors think A1C values in the high 5s are normal and don't know it's even possible to get below 5. [44:20] What are the staple foods of Andrew's carnivore diet? [45:00] Andrew extolls the virtues of eating beef liver. [48:30] Now that he has improved his health, what's one thing Andrew enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [54:30] Are there any resources Andrew would recommend to listeners interested in his approach to healing symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes? [1:01:00] How can Andrew be reached?

Kyle Williams shares his story of healing from a moderate-to-severe diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/kyle[1:45] Kyle gives his background with ulcerative colitis, which started in 2015 or 2016. He was going through a stressful time in his life. [3:00] Kyle noticed blood in his stool (he was 29 or 30 at the time). [4:00] Kyle had his first ulcerative colitis flare at work shortly after noticing blood in his stool. After that, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. [5:30] After the initial flare, Kyle's overall health went into a tailspin. [8:00] After taking antibiotics, Kyle began having horrible abdominal pain and got C. diff. [12:40] From California, Kyle moved back in with his mother in Florida. [15:00] Kyle began eating a new diet: the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. [18:00] Kyle noticed slow progress from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. [22:00] Kyle began seeing a therapist to see if that would help his health. [23:40] After a while on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, Kyle went on a binge at 2017 Christmastime: ice cream and pancakes galore. [25:00] Kyle went back on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and things were not getting better. Every bowel movement was bloody and painful. [26:15] Kyle began feeling shame; he was buying adult Depends because he was afraid of soiling himself. [27:30] Kyle began going to a support group and he went back onto medication in July/August 2018. [30:15] From his initial diagnosis of mild ulcerative colitis, after getting another colonscopy, Kyle was diagnosed with moderate-severe ulcerative colitis. He was at risk of needing to have his colon cut out surgically. [32:30] With medication and a nightly rectal enema, Kyle's bleeding stopped within a week. [33:10] Backtracking to March of 2018, Kyle had a horrible panic attack and convulsions and Kyle had to be taken away from a convention in an ambulance. [35:20] After the panic attack, Kyle began seeing a new doctor. Kyle's new doctor, Dr. Marcus Ettinger, told him that he should consider the carnivore diet (eating only animal foods and salt). [36:40] Kyle's doctor (the one before Dr. Ettinger) told him that the drug he was on (mesalamine) was not going to work anymore. Kyle was going to have to go on Remicade/Humira, an immunosuppressant. This drug is extremely expensive ("a crap-ton of money"), it compromises the patient's immune system, and once you go on it, you may never be able to come off the drug. [39:45] Kyle decided he would go on the carnivore diet. [40:50] When Kyle started on the carnivore diet, he ate just beef, salt, and drank water. [46:25] What results did Kyle see upon adopting a carnivore diet in October 2018? [48:00] Kyle began weaning off medications in March 2019. [50:50] What other steps has Kyle taken beyond the carnivore diet in his healing journey? [51:30] Even beyond diet, Kyle's doctor promotes the importance of environment (light, water, and magnetism) on biology (and therefore health). [54:20] Kyle thinks his resilience is improved (he can cheat greatly on his carnivore diet at times without feeling ill effect) because of his improved environment. [58:50] What changes has Kyle made to improve his environment? The first item he changed is reduce artificial light, especially blue light (a specific spectrum of light). He uses blue-blocking glasses for this. [1:02:10] Kyle also credits getting more sunlight with improving his health. Especially morning and evening sun. [1:09:00] Kyle has also seen benefit from utilizing the Wim Hof Method. Kyle has done the Method's specific form of breathing exercises and cold exposure. [1:14:45] "I could not have made the health recovery I have made while caring too much about what other people think of me." [1:17:45] Does Kyle consider himself cured of ulcerative colitis? [1:19:00] Now that he has improved his health, what's one thing Kyle enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [1:23:00] Kyle gives his closing thoughts regarding humans being made to be outside, regarding comfort, and regarding personal growth.

Nick Norwitz, Oxford PhD student and Dartmouth valedictorian, shares his story of healing from ulcerative colitis and osteoporosis. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/nick[1:00] Joe details Nick's background which includes: being a Boston Marathon-qualifying runner, being an Ivy League valedictorian, studying for his PhD at Oxford, and a future at Harvard Medical School. [3:35] Training for the Boston Marathon in 2014, at a very young age (17 or 18), Nick got his first bone fracture. This eventually led to a diagnosis of osteoporosis. [5:20] Nick was given antibiotics before he was one year old. According to him, this increases your chances of eventually getting ulcerative colitis by about 500%. [6:05] What did Nick's diet consist of at the time he was diagnosed with osteoporosis and ulcerative colitis? [8:05] Nick never had weight issues but he now considers that he was fueling his body with the wrong foods. [10:00] Nick has had many bone fractures in his life. He describes some of them at this point. [11:45] Nick completed the 2014 Boston Marathon on crutches. He got sunburnt and contracted shingles in the process. [17:25] Nick was diagnosed at age 22 with ulcerative colitis. [20:35] Nick tried many diets which did not help him with his colitis. He did not have success with any of them until he tried a ketogenic diet. [22:35] Before adopting a ketogenic diet, Nick's calprotectin levels were around 150. Levels below 50 are considered normal. [23:05] Nick started feeling better within days of starting on a ketogenic diet. One week into the ketogenic diet, his calprotectin levels went from 150 to 20. [24:40] Nick has had no symptoms of ulcerative colitis since starting on a ketogenic diet. He started on June 1, 2019, and he has become passionate about studying the impact that a ketogenic diet can have on a wide array of health conditions. [27:20] Nick gives an overview of what ketones are. [31:35] Nick has largely eaten a Mediterranean version of the ketogenic diet with lots of olive oil and avocado and salmon and sardines. [34:40] At the time of recording, Nick is currently experimenting with the carnivore diet (sometimes referred to as the "ultimate elimination diet"). [37:30] "In life, you either win or you learn. So either way, you're winning." [38:00] How did Nick's doctor react to his big health improvements? [43:00] How is Nick's carnivore diet experiment going? [44:55] There is interesting data on treating constipation with a no-fiber diet. Here is one such study. [49:00] Nick describes his future educational journey (he will be going to Harvard Medical School after he finishes his PhD at Oxford). He wants to study metabolic medicine in some capacity and has specific interests in neurological health and Alzheimer's Disease. [52:50] "Alzheimer's Disease is also called Type 3 Diabetes." See one of Nick's articles on ketones for Alzheimer's here. [57:20] How has Nick's osteoporosis responded to the ketogenic diet? [58:50] Nick's case of osteoporosis is unique; there was a case report written on it here. [59:40] We cut in with an update. Nick got new results regarding his osteoporosis less than a week after the initial recording, so we spliced in conversation around those new results here. [1:01:05] Nick just got another DEXA scan. His bone density improved since starting on the ketogenic diet. He goes into detail and gives context around this, including why he credits the ketogenic diet with his improvements. For a visual, see this Tweet. [1:03:40] "Technically, I don't have osteoporosis by definition anymore." [1:09:50] What are Nick's thoughts on cholesterol levels when eating a low-carb, high-fat diet? Nick discusses further, and he also references this paper. [1:16:50] On his lipid panel, Nick's triglycerides dropped significantly. His HDL and LDL both went up significantly. He provides contexts around these numbers; he is happy with his results. [1:20:40] Does Nick have any recommended resources? (These are listed in the show notes under "Nick's Recommended Resources" [1:25:40] Now that Nick has improved his health, what's one thing he enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [1:27:50] How can Nick be reached? He is @NickNorwitz on Twitter. He posts a fun fact about nutrition every day.

Carolina Cartier shares her story of reversing 16 years of PCOS and going from infertility to being a mother who helps others improve their chances of having kids. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/carolina[2:15] Carolina gives background on her health history. She had a diagnosis of precocious puberty at age 5. [3:15] At age 13, Carolina was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). [4:15] Carolina had PCOS for 16 years. During that time, she did not have a period. And at her heaviest, six-foot-tall Carolina weighed nearly 400 pounds. [5:50] Carolina had always had normal blood glucose levels. But after 16 years of having an endocrine disorder, a doctor finally checked her insulin levels (an undertested but very important marker). Her insulin levels were very high; she had hyperinsulinemia. [7:00] In her mid-twenties, Carolina had started eating a Paleo-like Weston A. Price-style diet. [8:00] In 2014, Carolina started following a ketogenic (carbohydrate-controlled) diet. [8:55] Within 4 months of keto, even though she was still morbidly obese, Carolina began having her cycle for the first time in her life. [9:45] Carolina describes the criteria used to diagnose PCOS. [12:45] Carolina describes how insulin levels impact PCOS. [15:20] Carolina never had a naturally-occuring menstrual cycle until her late twenties. And she had finished growing at age 12. [18:20] For most of her life, Carolina didn't think much about her ability to have children or not. [22:30] Carolina describes her transition to a ketogenic diet. [26:00] Carolina started out focusing on a meat, a low-carb vegetable, and a sauce. She also liked "fatty coffee" drinks early on. [32:30] What was the timeline like on Carolina's weight loss (around 200 pounds total) on the ketogenic diet? It totaled out to about 60 pounds per year. [35:50] Carolina doesn't have to think about food as often anymore. She's not hungry all the time. [38:50] After massively improving her own health, Carolina decided to get a Master's degree in Nutrition. Just after getting accepted to the Master's program, she found out she was pregnant. She and her husband found out she was having twins. This was after she was told at age 13 she would likely never be able to have children. [41:20] Carolina describes that a normal insulin level is

Juan Pablo Alvarez Máynez shares his story of overcoming Lyme Disease and achieving terrific health, well-being, and fulfillment. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/juanpablo[1:50] In March 2017, at age 30, Juan suffered a tick bite while mountain biking. [3:35] In the first six weeks, Juan saw six different doctors and got many differing diagnoses. At the time he was suffering from chronic fatigue, muscle pain, and mental confusion. [4:50] Juan talked to people who had Lyme Disease or knew people with Lyme. They recommended that he go to the United States (Juan lives in Mexico) to see an allopathic doctor in California. [6:10] Juan was diagnosed with Lyme and confections (Rickettsia and Babesia). He was told it would take four years to heal, with antibiotics being the key to treatment. [7:35] Juan started out on nine different medications. Two or three weeks into this treatment he was suffering from many side effects from all the medications (vomiting, diarrhea, feeling awful); this was a low point for him and he was victimizing himself. [10:00] Lyme Disease is an autoimmune disease. He describes how autoimmune diseases lead to the body attacking itself. [10:55] Lyme Disease is often confused with one or more other autoimmune diseases. It mimics other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose and treat. [13:50] Juan had a wake-up call in his life. [15:50] Juan started putting together a plan to support the medicine. He thought the medicine wouldn’t heal him 100%; his body would have to become stronger too. [16:50] Juan came across a VICE documentary on Wim Hof which described the Wim Hof Method which has potential for helping with autoimmune conditions. [18:50] Wim Hof had found peace and inner strength through a specific breathing practice and through going out into the cold in nature. [19:35] The Wim Hof Method consists of deep breathing, of cold exposure training, and of mindset and commitment. The mind/body connection is very important to the Wim Hof Method. [20:20] Research at Radboud University showed the power of the Wim Hof Method. Initially it showed Wim’s ability to control his autonomic nervous system; this turned out to be repeatable by everyone who used Wim Hof’s method (deep breathing, cold exposure, mindset and commitment). [23:10] Wim Hof found that humans have the ability to regulate their immune reactions and their autonomic nervous systems. [25:50] Wim Hof’s method involves breathwork, cold exposure, meditation, mindset, and commitment. [27:35] After hearing about Wim Hof, Juan thought it could be helpful for his autoimmune condition. He bought a 10-week course on the Wim Hof Method. [28:20] Juan describes his first ice bath experiment (at the 8-week point of the 10-week course). [29:05] Juan was amazed at how he felt in his first ice bath. [32:00] Juan started adopting the mantra “Lyme can’t stop me” [33:40] In less than ten months (as opposed to the predicted 4 years), Juan tested negative for Rickettsia and Baresia. [35:30] What happened in the first eight weeks of Juan practicing the Wim Hof Method? [36:10] Juan felt better energy-wise and in his joints after his first time doing Wim Hof breathing. [42:50] Juan also practices grounding and eats a no-processed-food Paleo alkaline diet. [43:20] After a year of taking medicines alongside his natural approaches, Juan decided to try a fully natural approach (he was still feeling side effects of the medications). [45:50] Juan decided he was going to go all-out for 15 straight days: grounding himself to the earth, getting sunlight into his eyes, eating a Paleo alkaline diet, and sitting in an ice bath every day. [48:20] Juan’s symptoms (“sensations”) went way down from his 15-day focused healing effort. Also his quickness at recovering from ice baths improved dramatically. [50:55] What are the foods Juan ate as part of his paleo alkaline diet? [53:50] Juan considers that his lifestyle (poor diet, unfulfilling career, less-than-ideal friendships), in the years leading up to the tick bite, weakened his immune system. [55:20] “Nutrition is not only food. It’s air you breathe, it’s water you drink, it’s thoughts you put inside your mind.” [56:20] Juan considers lifestyle and thoughts to be a 50/50 split in importance. [57:50] At Wim Hof Method instructor training, Juan felt a calling (“You’re here to do something else”). [1:01:50] Juan also practices fasting now. [1:02:05] Juan finds that we (humans) have too much comfort now. [1:04:10] Juan advocates for a neo-primitive way of living which is more connected with nature. [1:07:40] Juan breaks down the importance of thoughts. [1:10:05] Juan recommends the documentary Transcendence. [1:13:05] Juan describes doing the pose “The Shelf” (similar to a one-arm plank). Visualization helped him accomplish the pose for the first time, after a great deal of practice. [1:16:50] Juan has taken up mountain climbing, even in the cold. [1:18:05] Juan tells the story of his journey from being a successful management consultant at an e-commerce company to becoming a full time Wim Hof Method instructor to help others heal and attain wellness. “It’s not that I don’t like this job, but it doesn’t fulfill me.” [1:24:20] You can find workshops taught by Juan at wimhofmethod.com. Juan is based in Mexico City; he goes to Phoenix and LA fairly often. Also, you can find Juan on Instagram at http://instagram.com/ElSrDeLosHielos [1:26:55] Does Juan consider himself cured? [1:31:40] Now that Juan has improved his health, what’s one thing Juan enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before? [1:34:10] Juan now eats just once per day.

Jason Sousa, health coach and CEO of Solas Light, shares his experience of overcoming health adversity from Lyme Disease. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/jason[1:00] Jason is a functional medicine health coach and the founder and CEO of Solas Light. [1:55] Jason grew up close to Lyme, CT. [2:40] Jason got Lyme twice. He got it once in 2007 and once in 2013. [3:45] Jason’s medical providers initially just followed the standard approach and gave him antibiotics for Lyme. [4:50] Jason was having awful symptoms of Lyme: nerve pain, couldn’t get out of bed, could barely walk, serious pain in stomach, liver, and kidney. [6:00] Lyme is an infection (from a tick bite); once you have it, you will always test positive for Lyme; it’s in your blood. It’s like having a parasite in the body. [6:25] What alternatives (to standard conventional medicine approach of antibiotics) did Jason try for Lyme? [7:20] Some of the alternative healing modalities were herbs, sound therapy, light therapy, high-dose Vitamin C, and even crystals. The (retired) doctor who helped him with these treatments is Arthur Gertler. [8:20] Light helped his body heal, which is why he started Solas Light. [9:20] Jason sat/laid on mats that pulsed specific electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to help combat Lyme and found this beneficial. Some studies indicate that certain frequencies can actually kill parasites and regulate blood flow and other processes. [10:25] Certain sound wavelengths can be beneficial. They were healing for Jason. [12:35] Jason started feeling better within 6-8 weeks of doing the “alternative” treatments. [14:10] Jason says his sickness ultimately put his life onto a better path. [14:50] Jason was amazed that there were not more opportunities available to use light therapy which had been so beneficial for him. 15-20 minutes a day reduced his inflammation and improved his mood. To provide this type of technology: that’s what motivated him to start Solas Light. [17:10] Jason describes a red light therapy session and goes into some of the ways red light therapy works in the body (through helping body’s cells’ mitochondria function properly). [18:50] Red light boosts cellular ATP production (cellular energy). [21:10] Humans are natural beings that need light. [22:30] Red light therapy typically operate on two wavelengths. [23:50] Jason’s testosterone used to be low. Red light therapy took his free testosterone levels from 300-400 levels up to nearly 1000. [25:55] Jason’s dad saw a lot of benefit for hair growth from red light therapy. [27:55] Jason describes the subjective improvements in energy and libido from the increased testosterone he’s gained from red light therapy. [29:40] Jason stands in front of his red light for about 15 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week. 5 minutes of that he stands naked to get the testosterone boost (using the red light wavelength). [31:40] Jason shares one of his favorite customer stories: the customer used red light to improve back and nerve pain. And his daughter used red light therapy to overcome horrible menstrual cramps. [34:55] Did diet make any impact on Jason’s health? [37:20] How did crystals factor into Jason’s healing Lyme treatments? His mood “just changed” [39:55] Jason gives some detail on blue light and how excessive amounts of it are likely harmful for health. [47:35] “How human can you be during the day?” [48:10] Jason recommends his company’s blog for more info on red light and also recommends searching “red light” at Science Direct. [50:55] Does Jason consider himself cured of Lyme Disease? [52:55] Jason considers socialization with family, love, light, sound, good food, good water, good relationships good ways to make deposits to your own health. [53:25] Now that Jason has improved his health, what is one thing Jason enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before? [54:25] Jason’s company’s site is solaslight.com (use code 10OFF for 10% off) and his health coach website is healthopsy.com

Vic Basmadjian shares his story of curing himself after many years of hypertension, acid reflux, and severe sleep apnea. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/vic[1:00] Vic Basmadjian is now a health coach but he comes from a background of battling obesity and having years and years of sleep apnea and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, also known as acid reflux). [3:50] Vic used to be a bit of a yo-yo dieter. He could lose weight for a while but he wouldn’t keep it off. [5:00] Vic tried Weight Watchers several times. [7:00] The heaviest Vic ever got was 295 pounds. [8:10] Vic is 57 at the time of recording. He started to have hypertension at the age of 25. Even on blood pressure medication, he was borderline hypertensive. [10:15] Vic’s medical providers gave him the advice of “Eat less, move more, and watch your salt.” [12:30] On top of high blood pressure, Vic was suffering from acid reflux. [13:15] Vic describes some of the symptoms of acid reflux. [15:30] Vic’s GERD got progressively worse from age 40 on. [15:45] At age 50, Vic was diagnosed with sleep apnea. [16:50] Every 15 seconds or so during his sleep, Vic’s breathing was stopping. He was put on a CPAP machine. [19:35] What did Vic change at age 55 (at a weight of nearly 300 pounds)? He started cutting out starchy foods. [21:00] After some success by cutting starchy foods, Vic’s son mentioned the ketogenic diet to him. [21:50] Vic started following Doctor Tro online and learned a lot from him. [25:30] What was the timeline like for Vic’s transformation and reversal of high blood pressure, GERD, and sleep apnea? [26:40] Within two months of adopting a ketogenic diet, his blood pressure normalized. He had to reduce his blood pressure meds, and eventually went off them altogether in about 6-7 months. [28:30] It took about eight months of the ketogenic diet to be able to come off his CPAP machine. [33:50] From nearly 300 pounds, Vic got his weight down to about 180 pounds. He has maintained 180-185 pounds for approximately a year and a half as of recording. [35:00] What types of foods make up Vic’s ketogenic diet? [46:00] What was Vic’s doctor’s reaction to Vic being able to come off thirty years of blood pressure medication? [50:15] Vic got a lot of his family to improve their diets even if they didn’t all go full-on keto. [51:15] Vic’s wife eventually went full-on keto and lost 35 pounds. [52:00] Vic helped two of his friends lose 100 pounds apiece. [53:15] Vic is now a keto coach; he does it out of passion. [56:30] Does Vic consider himself cured of hypertension, GERD, and/or sleep apnea? [57:45] Vic used to have eczema on his fingers and he has seen a large improvement in that. [58:45] Now that Vic has improved his health, what is one thing he enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

Scott Riley shares the fascinating journey of mind, body, and spirit that helped him cure his rheumatoid arthritis and depression. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/scott[2:40] Scott provides his background dealing with rheumatoid arthritis. [3:40] Scott tried some immunosuppressant drugs for his autoimmune condition: rheumatoid arthritis. [5:10] Scott found one pharmaceutical drug which helped for about six months. But then it stopped working and this was very discouraging. [5:55] Scott describes his rock bottom point. It was in June 2014: his joint pain made it difficult to open doors, brush his teeth, and to go up and down stairs. [6:50] Scott also started to feel very isolated and withdrawn. [8:40] Scott lacked any hope and had what might be described as suicidal depression. "I certainly did not want to be here." [11:05] After researching people who had success with autoimmune conditions online, Scott came across the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. In the documentary, the main person Joe Cross, healed from an autoimmune condition by going on a 60-day juice fast. [12:30] Scott decided a 60-day juice fast would be worth trying. He decided to combine the approaches of two juicing documentaries: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (by Joe Cross) and Super Juice Me (by Jason Vale). [14:30] Six months out from January 2015, Scott booked a trip to the Peruvian Amazon to be treated by tribes there with plant medicines. [15:30] In the Amazon, Scott was treated with wachuma, ayahuasca, and bobinsana. Scott originally heard about the idea from Aubrey Marcus on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. [17:45] What was Scott's experience like on the juice fast? [23:45] What were some of the tangible effects of the juice fast that started to show up about four weeks in? [28:00] Between the 60-day juice fast and his trip to Peru, Scott's diet was "clean" and consisted mainly of steamed veggies, chicken, and fish. No refined sugar, processed foods, or added salt. [28:45] What was Scott's first solid food meal after his 60-day fast? [30:45] Booking the trip to Peru was key for Scott in his healing and for him sticking to his juice fast. [31:25] The place Scott went to in Peru is Sprit Quest Sanctuary near Iquitos. [32:45] The treatments (the plant medicines mentioned earlier) have a psychoactive component. [40:30] Scott describes the setup of SpiritQuest Sanctuary at his arrival. [45:20] Scott recommends Michael Pollan's book How to Change Your Mind as a good Western look at psychedelic/psychoactive drugs/medicines. The book describes some of the neuroplasticity that can be achieved by psychedelics. [50:00] Scott describes the start of the Peruvian treatment and the focus placed upon setting intentions. "Whenever you set the intention to actually take the medicine, it begins working." [54:30] This (ayahuasca) was Scott's first experience with psychoactive medicine. [1:00:00] Ayahuasca treatments were every other night at SpiritQuest Sanctuary. [1:04:20] Part of the healing process involved the entire SpiritQuest group (approximately 20 people being treated) getting together and sharing their experiences the morning after ayahuasca treatments. [1:10:00] The ayahuasca portion of treatment was challenging; the wachuma portion was uplifting. Scott had set two intentions in Peru: to help others improve the quality and circumstances of their lives, and to find other likeminded people to connect with. [1:14:30] Scott found out about the Wim Hof Method and took the 10-week course: it took him from a prevention mindset (keep the bad symptoms away) to an optimization mindset (as in, "I'm capable of so much more than I realized"). [1:17:00] Scott became a certified Wim Hof instructor. The Wim Hof Method has 3 pillars: breathwork, cold immersion, and mindset. It helps train your nervous system to go from "fight-or-flight" to "rest-and-digest"; it helps you downregulate from stress. [1:19:30] Joe and Scott discuss some of the science behind the Wim Hof Method (including their ability to be injected with an endotoxin with greatly reduced negative impact compared to a control group). [1:21:40] "Obviously, the control group felt terrible... and of course in the Wim Hof Method group, they were all feeling awesome, loving life, and not suffering from the inflammatory effects of the endotoxin that was injected into them." [1:22:20] "In the 21st century, basically everyone is walking around in a state of chronic stress purely by being born into a world that we haven't really evolved for. And the Wim Hof Method is just a method of training your nervous system how to come out of the stressed state which is basically always switched on by 21st century living." [1:25:15] "It creates a lot of self-belief in people when you can show them that they are can do way more than they think that they're capable of doing. It can be a great tool for helping people to go on and change their life once they can see that they are capable of a lot more." [1:27:10] What does Scott consider the root cause of his healing? [1:28:50] About six months prior to recording, Scott gained more understanding on how to go deeper into simple practices with authenticity every day: good sleep, cold exposure every day, active breathing every day, getting into nature every day. [1:30:30] Through his Causeway Living health coaching company, Scott has recently rolled out a new six-week program (SixWeekShift.com) to help others improve their life quality and circumstances. [1:33:30] Does Scott consider himself cured of rheumatoid arthritis and depression? [1:35:15] Now that Scott has improved his health, what's one thing he enjoys doing that he couldn't do before? [1:38:00] Where can listeners get in touch with Scott? He is available at CausewayLiving.com, twitter.com/CausewayLiving, and instagram.com/CausewayLiving. Also, SixWeekShift.com.

Debra Scott shares her story of reversing Type 2 Diabetes, a condition that has afflicted her and many of her family members. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/debra[1:45] Many of Debra’s family members have suffered from Type 2 Diabetes, including her late mother. [2:45] Debra describes many of the negative side effects of diabetes that her family members have dealt with. [4:15] A couple years ago, Debra was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes herself. [5:25] Debra’s HbA1c reading was 62 (7.8%). [6:30] Once she was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, she was not given any way to do blood glucose testing. She compares the situation to crossing the road blindfolded. [7:45] Debra was prescribed Metformin. Debra was concerned about taking any kind of medications due to potential side effects so she decided to do some research on her own. [8:40] Debra did some research at home; at the time, she didn’t even know what a carbohydrate was. [9:30] Debra learned about low-carbohydrate diets and healthy fats. [10:30] Debra went to the forums at diabetes.co.uk. She transitioned to a low carb diet (approximately 30 grams of carbohydrate per day). [11:30] Debra’s official advice, provided to her in booklets, had been to eat 50% of her foods as starchy carbohydrates. But she was learning from the diabetes.co.uk forums, she was learning that people were having a great deal of success by cutting these starchy foods out of their diets. [13:15] Debra found in her research that prior to 1980, guidelines had promoted low carbohydrate diets, but that changed due in large part to flawed research of Ancel Keys which promoted low-fat diets. [16:45] Debra describes the starchy foods she avoids on her low-carbohydrate diet and she describes some of the foods she replaces them with. [23:30] From December 2017 to February 2018, after adopting a low-carbohydrate diet, Debra shocked her diabetic nurse: her HbA1c dropped from 62 to 47 (7.8% to 6.5%). The nurse had never seen such a dramatic improvement before, so quickly. Debra’s latest test, in November 2019, came back with an even further improvement to 36 (5.4%). [29:15] Debra hadn’t been given a low-carbohydrate option by her medical care providers; she had to Google it. [30:15] She wants to get the message out there that Type 2 Diabetes doesn’t have to be a chronic, progressive disease. She wants people to know that “you can do this” [32:45] Debra recommends searching the web for videos about low carb and “reversing diabetes”. [34:15] The low-carb diet keeps Debra full for longer. [38:00] Debra was 55 at the time of her diagnosis (she is 57 as of recording). [40:45] Debra knows someone who had an HbA1c of 125 (13.6%) and was able to bring it down to 33 (5.2%) using a low-carbohydrate approach. [43:30] Debra describes the improvements she felt beyond just her blood sugar numbers dropping. [46:15] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Debra enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before? [47:30] Debra’s husband has also adopted a low-carb diet. He lost 28 pounds and improved his blood pressure in doing so. [49:40] Debra is passionate about getting the word out about how much low-carbohydrate diets can help improve people’s lives even though she doesn’t get paid a penny for anything about diabetes or low-carb diets. [52:10] Debra has lost 56 pounds as a part of this process. [53:15] Does Debra consider herself cured of Type 2 Diabetes? [1:02:25] Debra’s sugar cravings went away with her low-carbohydrate way of eating.

David Smith shares his experience overcoming decades of depression, bipolar disorder, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and many other ailments. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/david[1:40] David shares his health history. He marks his conditions largely by carbohydrate addiction and exercise addiction. [4:50] David describes his background with bipolar type 2 disorder. [6:55] David went to psychiatrists for depression and hypomania, and he tried medications for them, with limited success. [9:00] David’s depressions were cyclical. [10:00] David recently scored a 0 on a depression questionnaire for the first time. [11:00] David has not had any depressive episodes since he began eating a ketogenic diet about 4.5 years ago. [13:00] For nearly four decades between graduating college and learning about the ketogenic diet, David suffered from cyclical depressions at least every year. He describes some of the medications he tried during this long stretch of time. [17:00] David now eats 10 egg yolks per day. [19:00] David used to have a low body temperature, tingling in his fingers, and tooth decay to go along with his depression. [19:30] David’s tinnitus, skin tags, and brain fog also went away with his dietary change. [22:00] David has experimented with wearing a continuous glucose monitor to see the effects different foods have on his blood sugar. [26:50] What were the changes in David’s diet that helped lead to his major health improvements? [27:35] David initially did “lazy keto” or “dirty keto”. Now he eats largely carnivorously (meat, eggs, fish as staple foods). [29:20] David recommends against eating seed oils (e.g. vegetable oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, etc). [31:15] David used to be very sensitive to sunburn. He no longer gets sun burns. [33:50] “If you don’t address root causes, you are asking for trouble.” [38:50] How did David hear about the ketogenic diet? [41:20] David discusses Dr. Christopher Palmer’s work noting that Palmer uses the ketogenic diet like a medication: this holds true to the idea that it can even be dangerous for Palmer’s patients to discontinue the diet cold turkey. [41:50] David can make his gastroesophageal reflux disease come back in a few days by changing what he eats. [47:20] David does intermittent fasting effortlessly now. He feels enhanced energy and mental clarity. [49:00] David used to be addicted to carbohydrates; he ate a lot of Ben and Jerry’s! [50:40] David has experimented with hyperthermic stress exercise. [52:20] After a hyperthermic exercise experience, David noticed a cessation of his carb cravings. [55:00] David has noticed leg cramps are related to electrolyte intake. [56:45] How have doctors, family, and friends reacted to David’s change in diet and in health? [1:07:15] Now that he has improved his health, what is one thing David enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

Barbara Kendrick shares her story of overcoming chronic kidneystones, IBS, fatty liver disease, losing 170 pounds, and more. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/barbara[1:10] Barbara details her health history. She was overweight dealing with hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, edema, chronic kidneystones, and more. [3:35] Barbara’s highest weight was 367 pounds. [5:10] Barbara would pass a kidneystone about once a month. She had multiple surgeries for this, and her medical team was unsure what was causing these kidneystones. [6:00] Barbara found out she was also becoming diabetic (Type 2) around the time of her 40th birthday. (As of recording, Barbara is 44 years old.) [7:00] Barbara is now off all medications and has not had a kidneystone in two years. She no longer has IBS, high blood pressure, or fatty liver disease. [8:00] Barbara lost 170 pounds in the process (“a nice side effect”) of getting healthy. [12:00] Barbara saw her health problems as being connected to insulin resistance, which she addressed by adopting a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet. [15:00] Barbara describes what it felt like to transition from the standard American diet to a ketogenic diet. It was a difficult transition for a couple weeks. [17:50] Barbara describes what kept her going through the rough transition (the “keto flu”). [20:55] Barbara still had a few kidneystones in her first year on the ketogenic diet. And her blood pressure remained elevated for her first year on the diet. Her blood sugar came down right away and her IBS went away quickly. [27:15] Barbara’s doctor is fully supportive of her ketogenic diet, asks her questions about it, and has even recommended it to other patients. [28:30] Barbara describes a lot of the foods she eats on her ketogenic diet: she usually eats less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Strict keto through the week, “dirty keto” on the weekend. She eats eggs, cheese, burgers, bacon, seafood, and veggies (among other foods). [32:00] Barbara did not count calories for her first couple years on the ketogenic diet. Now to break a plateau, she has begun tracking the calories she’s eating. [34:00] She has found there is such a thing as eating too many ketogenic foods. [35:50] Barbara’s husband (her “swole-mate”) lost 60 pounds and her daughter lost 125 pounds. Both did so eating ketogenic diets.

Doug Wright shares his story of how he reversed his depression, allergies, and lost over 150 pounds and how he gained excellent health. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/dougwright[1:45] Doug grew up as a football player and lived at a high weight. [2:20] Doug was suffering from depression, borderline type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and he also just got sick more than the average person. He also had dry skin, bloating, and he got sunburnt very easily. [3:00] Most of the aforementioned problems went away as he underwent a journey of changing his diet. This journey started when Doug adopted a ketogenic diet. After that, he started eliminating foods that caused him problems and added more high-quality animal foods. [4:00] Doug first eliminated seed oils, nuts, and any highly-processed plant foods (“if it comes in a bag or box”) that he could. Then he started adding animal foods like steak, eggs, and liver. [4:45] Doug has noticed additional benefits at each step: from standard American diet to keto. From keto to carnivore. And even more small benefits from carnivore to raw carnivore (yes, that’s raw meat!). Now he hasn’t been sick in years. [6:30] Doug looked at the root cause of his health problems instead of just treating the symptoms. In doing so, he lost well over 150 pounds. And once he started feeling better, he felt more like exercising. [8:50] Starting at age 20 or 21 (he is nearly 27 as of recording), Doug began eating a ketogenic diet for about 4 years. He had good results. But he then began experimenting and noticed additional benefits from removing many plant foods. [10:20] Doug considers the removal of sugars, grains, and seed oils very important to his health. [12:00] In 2017, Doug experimented with Protein-Sparing Modified Fasts. He lost a lot of weight but did not feel optimal. He feels this was not addressing root cause of his health issues. [13:45] Doug challenges others to find health for themselves and to look at root cause instead of symptoms. [16:00] Doug understands that eating a raw carnivore diet sounds radical, but he doesn’t push everyone to eat that way. He just found health for himself in that way. [17:40] Doug has been eating a raw carnivore diet for nearly 2 years. [18:00] Doug and Joe discuss a book they both learned a lot from: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price [25:15] After changing to a ketogenic diet (and eventually to carnivore), Doug doesn’t need to eat as much food. He feels more satiated now that he has cut highly processed foods out of his diet. [27:15] Doug’s blood sugar is now stable. [30:00] Doug provides a bit of background about the depression he used to suffer from. [32:00] No one ever told Doug that depression and his other conditions were reversible. He had to dig into that himself. [34:40] Doug used to be allergic to basically “everything”. This includes a serious cat allergy. He does not suffer from allergies anymore. Also, he does not sunburn nearly as easily anymore. [39:00] Doug shares some of his recommendations for other people looking to address the root cause of their health issues. [48:00] How has Doug’s doctor reacted to his change in diet and in health? [50:15] How has Doug’s family reacted to his change in diet and in health? [52:15] Doug is a moderator of the World Carnivore Tribe Facebook group, which has nearly 50,000 members. [56:50] Does Doug consider himself cured of his conditions? [59:00] Now that Doug has improved his health, what’s one thing he enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

Siobhan Huggins is a fantastic nutrition and health researcher, but she got her start from a personal experience transforming her own health. Here, she shares her story of overcoming depression, anxiety, hypertension, and many more ailments. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/siobhan[2:45] Siobhan was an active, athletic child. At six years old, she had a six pack. However, she became depressed at the age of 10 or 11. After that, she started gaining weight and stopped many of the physical activities she used to enjoy. [3:50] By the time Siobhan turned 18, she was obese, hypertensive, and suffering from depression. [5:30] At 18, Siobhan was 5 feet, 1 inch tall, and she weighed 240 pounds. [6:15] Siobhan had tried using exercise to ameliorate her depression, but the depression remained. [7:30] Siobhan views her depression as having metabolic origin. “I was likely depressed because I wasn’t unhealthy.” [8:15] Siobhan tried calorie restriction, but it did not work well for her. [9:30] In late 2016, Siobhan’s mother suggested trying the ketogenic diet. [10:45] In two months on a ketogenic diet, Siobhan lost 20 pounds and her joint pain went away. [12:05] “It was the food which had put my depression into remission.” [12:25] “I’ve lost 80 pounds since I started the diet. I’m no longer hypertensive. I’m no longer depressed. I no longer have joint pain. My skin is so much better. Like, everything is just better.” [14:00] Siobhan describes some of the social anxiety she used to have, including specific conversations with her father which triggered negative emotions. [16:00] Siobhan grew up looking at depression as something genetic and inescapable. [18:00] Siobhan noticed that as her depression lifted, it gave her the opportunity to meet many other friends, as it enabled her to move away from negative self-talk and get to know others (specifically, at keto conferences). [21:00] Siobhan sometimes notices aspects of her depression returning if she accidentally eats certain foods. She took that to another level with a High-Carb Experiment. [22:15] Siobhan did a High-Carb Experiment. For the experiment, she ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat (the opposite of her typical low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic carnivorous diet). She ate all whole food carbohydrate sources. The experiment was hyper-caloric. The effects of this experiment were very negative physically and mentally, and the after-effects lasted for months after the experiment. “It took two months to get back to normal.” [27:45] Siobhan’s experiment had a remarkable impact on her frame of mind and her physical health. And the only thing that changed during the experiment was the food she ate. [34:00] What foods did Siobhan start eating to initiate her positive health transformation? [41:10] Siobhan initially started eating a carnivore diet as an experiment, but she had such great results from it that she has stuck with it for approximately two years now. [43:00] What were the timelines for Siobhan’s improvements in depression, joint pain, skin health, and hypertension? [47:00] Siobhan also has had a great improvement in her menstrual cycle and greatly reduced cramping. [55:45] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Siobhan enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before?

Cynthia Wellington used to suffer from chronic migraines; she got one basically every day for years. She no longer gets migraines. Here, she shares how she did it. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/cynthia[1:30] Cynthia describes that migraines are different from regular headaches. [2:45] Cynthia’s norm was to be less than 100%, and she felt “somewhat muted”. [3:45] Cynthia tried several medications for her chronic migraines. [5:30] Someone recommended DietDoctor.com to Cynthia. [7:30] Cynthia started getting migraines around age 17; she is 46 at the time of recording. [8:45] Cynthia used to get cluster migraines too; she described how painful these are. [10:00] Many of Cynthia’s family members also get migraines. [16:00] Cynthia never used to diet because she wasn’t obese. [17:40] Due to her migraines, Cynthia felt she was missing out on her life; she was not able to be present. [19:40] After trying a low-carbohydrate diet, Cynthia noticed that the amount of time between migraines was increasing. [21:00] Cynthia used to center her life around snack foods, especially sweets. [22:00] Now, Cynthia mainly eats meat. [25:00] Cynthia describes some of her changes in diet that helped her avoid migraines. [27:30] Cynthia used to be addicted to sugar, which initially made the transition to a ketogenic diet difficult. [28:40] As of recording, Cynthia has been following a ketogenic diet for about three years. [30:30] After accidentally having sugar-laden salad dressing, Cynthia had her first migraine in a long time (two hours after eating the dressing). This made it hit home that the migraines really were a result of what she was eating. [33:40] Cynthia describes what a prodrome is. [38:15] Does Cynthia know anyone else who has attempted a low-carb diet for migraines? [40:15] Cynthia notes the importance of sodium for people who suffer from migraines. She learned the importance of sodium from Angela Stanton’s book Fighting the Migraine Epidemic. [43:20] Cynthia mentions that Angela Stanton has helped thousands of migraine sufferers with her protocol. "The protocol 100% works when you follow it." [45:40] Migraine expert and author Angela Stanton is very engaged on Twitter; she is always looking to help others stop their migraines. [47:30] Cynthia’s migraines went away gradually. They started happening less frequently and less painfully until they finally went away completely. [48:40] Does Cynthia consider herself cured of chronic migraine disorder? [52:30] Now that she has regained her health, what is something Cynthia enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before?

Joshua Gaines shares his story of reversing decades of Crohn's Disease. For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/joshua[2:00] In 1991, at 29 years old, Joshua was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Josh’s medical providers indicated that Crohn’s was "your thing that you’re going to have to deal with for the rest of your life." [8:20] There was an expectation that Joshua would require a number of intestinal surgeries over the course of his life. [14:00] Josh had an experience with his son that made him realize food could have an impact on health. [15:30] An integrative physician suggested a no-added-sugar, no-artificial-flavor diet for Josh’s son, who had been diagnosed with Tourette’s, with tics getting progressively worse over time. In six weeks on this diet, his tics went away. [22:00] In February 2013, Joshua adopted a gluten-free diet. 80% of his Crohn’s symptoms went away, but scans still showed Crohn’s activity and gallbladder issues. [25:50] In 2017, Joshua started on the ketogenic diet. He describes the foods he ate. [30:15] Joshua describes the differences he began noticing from the ketogenic diet. His symptoms were 90-plus percent gone. [32:40] He mentions that he had to find these helpful dietary strategies on his own; he did not get help from the doctors he went to. [34:10] He describes that prior to the ketogenic diet, he had tried medications (Humira, for example) without benefit. [36:10] Based on online research he had done, Joshua decided to try a carnivore diet. [36:50] For 14.5 months, Joshua’s diet became 90% beef. He also ate 6 eggs per day and occasionally had other types of meat (seafood or otherwise), and he had coffee. [37:40] Joshua’s blood markers (from his lipid profile) after eating this diet are markedly improved. [39:30] On the carnivore diet, Joshua noticed his longtime cravings for sweets had disappeared. [41:40] Joshua found a great deal of benefits from adopting this carnivorous diet, and he started to help his mother (in her mid-80s) find some of the same benefits. [43:49] Joshua’s most recent scans show NO Crohn’s activity in his large intestine, and he has another scan coming up on his small intestine coming up soon. [46:55] Joshua has a perfect “0” on his Coronary Artery Calcification scan. Having a 0 score is typically indicative of good heart health (especially for a 58-year-old, as Josh is at the time of recording), as it means there is no detected calcification. [50:10] Joshua is now experimenting with adding a small amount of the following foods back to his diet: hard cheese, a few beans, avocados, and vegetables. [53:00] Joshua has nearly perfect digestive health now. No gas, no pain. [53:40] Joshua used to have approximately 5-6 bowel movements per day. The number has gone down and the quality has gone up. [56:10] Joshua’s exercise recovery is greatly improved now on his carnivore diet. [1:01:40] Now that he’s improved his health, what’s one thing Joshua enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

The host of You Cured What?!, Joe Kalb, gives a quick preview of the podcast and the background of why he created it. Diseases are reversible! For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/previewTranscript Welcome to You Cured What?!. What is You Cured What?!? Why do I keep saying "What"? You Cured What?! is the podcast of reversing the "irreversible". Every episode features a real-life story where the guest has overcome a health condition that most people would think they'd be stuck with for life. The guest shares how they overcame that health problem and what they learned along the way. So who am I? I’m your host, Joe Kalb. I’m just a random guy. Through podcasts and social media, I stumbled onto information many people would want to know. Diseases are reversible! There are whole communities of people online who have learned how to heal from many diseases that are typically considered chronic and progressive. I cannot unsee what I’ve seen. Now I’m passionate about getting the word out to others in the hope that they can take control of their own health and in doing so, that they can find more joy in their lives. We have recorded several episodes already, covering health conditions such as migraines, Crohn's disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression. The guests have been the stars of this podcast; they have been eager to spread the positive effects that they've felt in their lives. Their stories are helpful, educational, and inspirational. So if you want to learn how someone overcame a specific health problem, or if you just want to hear an inspiring story of a real person overcoming a substantial obstacle, tune in for the next episode of You Cured What?!. Thank You Thank you to Curtis Brause for the podcast's theme music. And thank you Josh Taguiam for the podcast logo!