Ana was in her midforties and felt worn down and much older because of a growing list of health problems. She was overweight and prediabetic and had high blood pressure, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, rosacea, gastric reflux, and morning aches and pains. Ana was taking seven different prescription drugs that had marginal, if any, benefits— but that did zap her energy levels.
Her life wasn’t getting better, it was getting worse. And as she looked at her parents and older sisters, she could see her future: a debilitating combination of diseases that forced her parents into early retirement and that led to long-term disability for her sisters. Tough-minded and tenacious, Ana didn’t want to follow in her family’s footsteps.
Get a free trial of Dermasis psoriasis cream. and Read the Quick Action Plan to cure psoriasisAs she searched for a solution, she found a nutritionally oriented physician who understood that eating habits had a strong bearing on health and disease risk. He ordered Ana to undergo blood tests for nutrient levels, food allergies, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), an indicator of chronic low-grade inflammation. His diagnosis stunned Ana. Her vitamin C and D levels were low, she was sensitive to wheat and dairy products, and she had high blood levels of hsCRP. Chronic inflammation was underlying most of Ana’s health problems. “I was a disaster—and an even bigger disaster waiting to happen,” she said.
The doctor explained how Ana’s health problems were related to one another, and he outlined a new approach to eating that focused on high-quality proteins (such as fish and chicken) and high-fiber, nonstarchy vegetables (for example, salad greens and steamed broccoli and cauliflower). He suggested that Ana avoid all packaged foods containing wheat and dairy products. On the doctor’s advice, Ana began to take a number of supplements, including vitamins C and D, anti-inflammator yomega-3 fish oils, and an anti-inflammatory plant oil called gammalinolenic acid.
By the end of the first week, Ana’s energy levels were higher than they had been in years, and her general sense of well-being had increased considerably. By the end of Ana’s second week on the anti-inflammatory diet and supplements, she had lost seven pounds and her gastric reflux had stopped. Even though it was springtime and the height of allergy season for Ana, her nasal symptoms were relatively mild. After one month,most of Ana’s symptoms had either diminished or disappeared, and,working with her doctor, she was able to cease taking most of her medications.She also continued to lose weight.“I’m a new person,” she said. “I had forgotten what it was like to feelgood and energized about life.”
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