Terry Wahls' Blog

The Wahls Foundation Inc. Update

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:53:00 GMT

We continue to receive donations from around the world and now have over $5,000 in the fund. Thank you! The first thing we are planning to do with these funds is to pay for analysis of the frozen blood we have on the first wave of subjects. This will allow us to begin to understand how the chemistry of the body changed as subjects adopted the intensive nutrition, meditation, and exercise program. We are very excited to be able to add these types of studies because it will strengthen our future grant applications.

If you would like to be part of the team, please consider making a donation. You may now donate online through the University of Iowa Dr. Wahls Research Fund to help fund Dr. Wahls’ research.

Those of you who wish to make a donation now can do so by writing a check to the University of Iowa Foundation and putting “Dr. Terry Wahls Research UI account” on the memo line. Checks should be mailed to:

University of Iowa Foundation
P.O. Box 4550
Iowa City, IA 52244

In health,

Dr. Terry Wahls

Bone Broth Recipe

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:37:00 GMT

Ingredients:

Bones (can be chicken carcass, pork chop bones, ribs or a soup bone with marrow in it from the butcher)
Chicken feet, shrimp tail, or clam/mussel shells (all optional bone alternatives)
½ to 1 tsp powdered kelp or dulse flakes
1 to 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
6 to 10 cups of water
This is also a great way to use any leftover vegetables from earlier in the week or in the refrigerator that may be getting stale.

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in kettle or crockpot over low heat. Let simmer without boiling for several hours or several days. Strain out the bones. Strain out the vegetables or put them through a high-speed blender. The broth is filled with free amino acids that heal the gut and all of the minerals our bones need to thrive. Anyone suffering from a ‘leaky gut’ will likely benefit greatly from having bone broth several times a day as part of a healing regimen.

Visit the Recipes page on our website to find more recipes! Visit Here

If you wish to learn more about what I did in the first year of my recovery, check out my book Minding My Mitochondria.

Do You Have an Autoimmune Problem?

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:28:00 GMT

Autoimmunity, which is when our white blood cells treat parts of our bodies as foreign invaders and attack and destroy those necessary structures, is a big problem in America. Roughly 25 million Americans have an autoimmune diagnosis and another 50 million have auto-antibodies in their bloodstream but no clear diagnosis. The symptoms of autoimmunity often occur years or decades before a diagnosis is made. Meanwhile, our own bodies are eating away at themselves, damaging our brain, our joints, our skin, and even our blood vessels.

Most doctors focus on which drug to prescribe to weaken the attacking immune cells. They rarely talk about lifestyle and behaviors as part of a treatment plan. This is despite that fact that genetics, meaning DNA, contributes only 5 to 30% at most to of one’s risk for developing an autoimmune problem.

One of the factors increasingly recognized as an early trigger for autoimmunity is a problem called ‘leaky gut.’ That occurs when the wrong bacteria species take up residence in the bowels. These troublemakers can dissolve the cement that holds the cells of the small bowel together, leading food particles to be absorbed into the bloodstream before they’ve been fully digested. That causes white blood cells to think that the proteins associated with some of the consumed food are invading germs. Immune cells then attack the food proteins, increasing the number of inflammation molecules in your bloodstream.

Two ways to remove the bad sugar-loving bacteria and help recover the cells that line your bowels are to eat more bone broths and fewer carbohydrates. Bone broth soup is filled with glutamine, the preferred fuel for the cells that line the bowels. To fully heal the gut, a comprehensive approach that removes foods that trigger allergies is necessary, sometimes including a detoxification.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can optimize your diet and health behaviors to reduce the severity of your autoimmune diseases, check out my autoimmunity and food allergy DVD lectures or the audio CD. Also, Dr. Fasano has also recently published a paper about the connection between leaky gut and autoimmunity.

Research and Fundraising Update

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:08:00 GMT

A hearty thank you to those who have been contributing to our work -- we have raised over two thousand dollars. Thank you! Since drug companies won’t fund our work, each donation helps. Consider being a part of the team, helping us do the research necessary to make using diet and lifestyle choices the recommended treatment for chronic diseases like obesity and multiple sclerosis. Your donations can be made ONLINE or via check. Checks should be made payable to the University of Iowa Foundation, with “Dr. Terry Wahls Research UI account” on the memo line.

Please mail checks to:

University of Iowa Foundation
P.O. Box 4550
Iowa City, IA 52244
U.S.A.

In Health,
Dr. Terry Wahls
The Wahls Foundation, Inc.

Implement the Wahls Diet - Online Course Coming Soon!

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:08:00 GMT

We are working on creating a course to teach you how to implement the Wahls Diet. More information on our course will come in the next newsletter. We are very excited to be able to offer this to those wanting to adopt this new way of eating and living.

Dr. Wahls has committed to donating a portion of all proceeds from the internet based materials to support doing the research needed to demonstrate nutrition’s impact on the health!

Has Your Family Been Struggling with Weight Issues?

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:21:00 GMT

One hundred years ago, most people were very lean. A few had obesity, diabetes, heart disease or other chronic health problems. Most deaths were due to infections and trauma. A lot has changed since those times. We are experiencing an explosion of obesity and diabetes. In this month’s newsletter I am going to focus on health problems related to weight.

So why are we growing fatter and fatter, all across the world? Has our DNA mutated in the last 100 years? No. Our genes don’t change that rapidly. But our environment does. Every year, we introduce thousands of new chemicals that interact with and can confuse our biology. We have shifted our diets to more and more highly refined foods. Furthermore, each successive generation is eating fewer and fewer vegetables and fruits. The result is that we are starving for the building blocks that we need to conduct the chemistry of life properly. At the same time that we are becoming increasingly obese, we are also increasingly deficient in the vitamins, minerals, and essential fats we need to thrive.

Most weight loss strategies focus on severely restricting calories without addressing the starvation that is co-occurring with the obesity. Although severe restriction of calories can lead to weight loss, it is very difficult to keep the weight off.

We have observed in our trial, and I have observed in my clinical practice, that the best way to address obesity is to address the starvation. When people begin the Wahls Diet™, feeding their bodies the vitamins, minerals, essential fats, and antioxidants needed by their cells, they often begin to lose weight with minimal hunger. Furthermore they tend to experience more energy, mental clarity and vitality. Eliminating potatoes, white flour, and sugar and eating more green, sulfur-rich, and colorful foods as well as grass-fed meat is a great place to start if you want the lean hunter-gatherer to emerge from your current self.

You can learn more about the obesity-starvation connection from lectures featured on my DVD or my CD.

Please feel free to comment on this blog post below.

Salmon Salad Kale Wrap Recipe

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:07:00 GMT

Collard greens or curly kale, as a tuna, salmon, or chicken salad wrap.

Instructions:
Steam the leaves less than two minutes. Dip in cold or ice water to cool. Place a spoonful of tuna, salmon or chicken salad in the steamed leaf. Roll like a taco or wrap around and enjoy.

One Way to Adopt the Wahls Diet™

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:18:00 GMT

One way to adopt the Wahls Diet™ is to use a phased approach:

Phase 1 = Eating 9 cups of non-starchy vegetables and berries each day (greens, sulfur, color).

Phase 2 = Going gluten free, dairy free and soy free to reduce the risk of food allergies.

Phase 3 = Going Paleo by reducing/eliminating grains, legumes and potatoes.

Phase 4 = Getting evaluated for potential food allergies, toxic load issues and more personalized nutritional needs by a practitioner of functional medicine. The Institute for Functional Medicine can help you find a provider in your area.

Many ask if a vegetarian diet that stresses grain and legumes, such as what is advocated in the China Study, is healthy or harmful. Certainly, a plant-based diet that is low in saturated fat is superior to the standard American diet. But my interpretation of the science is that a Paleo diet is likely superior. There are no head-to-head studies comparing the Wahls Diet and a vegetarian diet (grains and legumes), although I am working on a grant proposal for such a study. The risk of grains and legumes is the high level of carbohydrates and insulin needed to handle those carbohydrates. The high insulin levels lead to worsening inflammation. And too many carbohydrates leads to a greater risk of the wrong bacteria in the bowels, further increasing the inflammation and risk of autoimmune problems. For those who are vegetarians for deep reasons, I would recommend at least switching to gluten-free grains and soaking or sprouting the grains and legumes for 24 hours prior to eating them.

The problem with gluten (wheat, rye and barley) and casein (dairy) is that, in the genetically at-risk person (estimated to be 1 in 8), those proteins can sometimes be recognized as foreign invaders (bacteria) by our immune cells. Too much inflammation happens, leading to many kinds of health problems and symptoms including asthma, skin rashes, arthritis, mood problems and multiple sclerosis.

If you develop sensitivity to gluten or dairy, you are more likely to have autoimmune types of problems. If an individual has trouble with gluten sensitivity, that person is nearly always sensitive to casein as well. If you are going gluten-free, I urge you to also go casein-free (dairy-free). But don’t make the mistake of eating a lot of gluten-free pancakes, pastries and other such treats, or you will still have the sugar-loving trouble-making bacteria and yeasts in your bowels. When people eliminate sugar and white flour, they often find many symptoms reduce.

If you would like to learn more about how to design a diet that will ensure you have more of what your cells need to thrive, check out my book.

It includes recipes and sample menus to help you get started. Note that I donate half of all profits from the sales of my books and lectures to supporting my clinical research, which tests the benefits of intensive nutrition and lifestyle changes for those with multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases. These funds have allowed us to gather the pilot data, which will enable us to get funding for larger studies. The ultimate goal of all my research is to bring health and vitality to as many people as possible.

Giving up food you love to eat the Wahls Diet™ to improve your health is usually a journey. Many people make the transition gradually. Take your first step. Learn how to cook for your mitochondria.

Please feel free to comment below.

What is the Root Cause of Disease?

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:34:00 GMT

Two months ago, I presented MINDING YOUR MITOCHONDRIA at Iowa City TEDx. That video has since gone viral, reaching 259,000+ views. Since many are now beginning the journey to better health and greater vitality, I will talk this month about how to begin and sustain major behavior changes. As always, this is education, not medical advice. I recommend that you check with your personal physician prior to starting new diets, vitamins or supplements.

Root cause of disease is broken biochemistry. Too many of us have spent years, sometimes decades, failing to provide our cells with the building blocks they need to conduct the chemistry of life properly. The result is progressive loss of health and vitality. We are exhausted, overweight, moody and developing autoimmune and other health problems.

In my book, Minding My Mitochondria, I discuss the building blocks our brain cells need to make myelin and neurotransmitters. And most importantly, I review where those nutrients are in the food supply. I also discuss how to design a diet that ensures you are getting the building blocks needed by your brain cells and your mitochondria.

Many will find that the Wahls Diet™ is a major departure from their usual diet. And for most, this kind of change will come in gradual, incremental steps. For others, adopting the Wahls Diet™ in one radical swoop is easier. The approach that will work best for you and your family varies from person to person.

Stay Involved to Support the Foundation!

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

You can also support our work by sending the TEDx Talk link to your friends and family or refer them to come to TheWahlsFoundation.com for more information. Please feel free to comment on the video on how eating the way your DNA expects — meaning following the Wahls Way™ — has helped you and your loved ones.

For your convenience, here is the link to my TEDx talk to share: http://youtu.be/KLjgBLwH3Wc

If you’re looking to read something a little more technical, here is a short article about the benefits of garlic for those with dementia. Add more garlic, onions and leeks to your menu. They are best eaten raw, but still offer healthful benefits if cooked at low temperature.

Note about garlic: you lose about 30 to 50% of the nutritional benefits when you cook the garlic, more if you fry it. I have a short video talking about growing garlic here.

If you want to learn more about how easy it is to grow your food, check out the FOOD AS MEDICINE Part 5.

In this lecture series, I partner with a master gardener who delivers a wonderful presentation on how to begin to create nutritional abundance for you and your family. All you need is some sunshine to begin.

An easy way to use more garlic is to mince it finely and add it to vinegar (or lime juice) and oil (such as walnut, hemp or flax) for your salad dressing. It also makes a wonderful addition to your soups and stews. Be generous–use lots of garlic, onions and leeks. They do many wonderful things for your cells!

To Your Health,
Dr. Terry Wahls

Coconut Milk Oyster Stew Recipe

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:43:00 GMT

Coconut Milk Oyster Stew Ingredients:

1 lb of shucked oysters

¼ lb bacon

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 basil leaves

½ bunch of cilantro, minced

1 small yam

1 cup mushrooms

3-inch piece lemongrass

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

2-3 cups fish broth, clam juice or chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

Cooking Instructions:

Let onion and garlic sit for 15 minutes to stabilize. Fry bacon. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms, broth, yam, lemongrass and coconut milk. Simmer 10 minutes. Add oysters and lemon juice and simmer 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Add minced cilantro and basil and serve. You can add other fish and shellfish as another variant.

Eating for our cells and our mitochondria can be delicious and restorative.

Blog

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:32:00 GMT

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Healing Power of Color

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:01:00 GMT

As we age, our brains shrink, and that shrinkage progresses more rapidly for those with multiple sclerosis. In fact, anyone with high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease is also at a higher risk for brain shrinkage. Brain shrink occurs when brain cells die and are not replaced. As you can imagine, that is not a good thing -- it is far better to help keep brain cells healthy, thus preventing their premature death. There is more and more research about the foods that help protect our brain cells from this premature dying. Antioxidant-rich vegetables and fruits are an important brain-maintaining food category we should eat everyday.

Flavonoids, a group of compounds found in plants, have been studied extensively for their positive health impacts. In general, plants that are brightly colored have a good supply of helpful flavonoids; some of the best sources include berries, black grapes and citrus. These compounds have been shown to protect brain cells that are grown in laboratory. This article explains a bit more about how flavonoids help protect our brain cells and their effects on memory and cognition. In another study, Concord grape juice supplements improve memory function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, subjects with mild memory problems -- not diagnosable dementia -- were randomized and given either grape juice or purple sugar water. Neither the subject nor the researchers knew who was drinking real grape juice. After just 12 weeks, significant improvement in memory and verbal recall was observed in those receiving daily grape juice!

Although the precise mechanism of action by which flavonoids protect brain cells is not known, studies have shown diets rich in berries not only protect brain cells but also lower the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer.

Berries, grapes, and citrus are potent sources of flavonoids. Beets, both the tops and the roots, are also excellent sources of flavonoids and many antioxidant compounds. The greens have a lot of oxalic acid, which should be avoided by those with a history of kidney stones.

I advocate food as our primary defense to keep our brains as healthy and vibrant as possible. As you know, the Wahls Diet ™ is 9 servings of vegetables and fruit: 3 servings of green leaves, 3 servings of sulfur rich and 3 servings of bright colors. People with diabetes should rely on vegetables, but if you are not diabetic, you may enjoy berries as well. They are wonderful in smoothies, as an accent in salads or as the finishing touch to your meal.

Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Strawberry Spinach Salad Ingredients:

Spinach
Fresh strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp fruit jam
2 tbsp flax oil
1-2 tsp lime or lemon juice
1-2 tsp water (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Whir together the last four ingredients in a blender to make the dressing. Pour dressing over the greens and berries and toss.

The Wahls Foundation

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:52:00 GMT

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