by DaveUK » Tue Jan 01, 2019 3:11 pm
I'm 64 year old and have kept fit for most of my life, enjoying a wide range of sports, never smoked, not a big drinker, not obese. Two years ago I had what I thought was a heart attack. It had what I thought were similar symptoms: tight chest, extreme pain etc. After admission to hospital and further tests, it transpired that I was having an attack of gall stones; these were trying to pass. It was recommended I had the gall bladder removed and this was completed a couple of months later.
After the operation I asked my consultant if I needed to change my diet in any way "oh no", he said, "you can carry on as normal, you can survive quite ok without it, you may notice some loose stools but it will settle down in time". So, I carried on as normal and he was right, my stools were looser. But they stayed that way, and also, they were moving after every meal. After two years, I was getting fed up. I thought that my body must have a problem dealing with the fat in my normal diet due to the gall bladder being missing. Logically, I thought, if I eliminate the fat then things may improve.
I did some research and stumbled across Dr Mc Dougall's and his peers' work and thought I'd give a plant=based diet a shot and eliminate meat and dairy and associated foods. I was a bit sceptical as I had tried a few other fad diets including the demon Atkins many years earlier. The effects 8 weeks ago were immediate:
Within a few days my body felt more relaxed and lighter, the stools started to return to normal. Job done I thought
After about 2 weeks all niggling joint pain, including a painful right shoulder disappeared (unexpected effect).
Fart smells were less unpleasant (unexpected effect)
I started to loose weight judging from what I see in the mirror (unexpected effect)
After about 4 weeks my sleep patterns have improved and now sleep without waking and can sleep on that shoulder (unexpected effect)
After about 6 weeks I noticed my life long athletes' foot started to disappear (unexpected effect)
The fungal infections on my toe nails is decreasing (you guessed it: UE)
Started walking faster (UE)
Started running further, doing more reps in the gym (UE)
Resting heart rate 48-50 bpm (UE)
Sense of smell has improved (UE)
Amount of heat dissipated from body has increased, feel warmer, heating costs lower (UE)
My squelchy inner right ear has disappeared and there is less mucus in the throat. (UE)
Tinitus levels have reduced (UE)
Urine flow rate has improved (UE)
The unexpected effects list seems to go on. With all these effects there is no way I'm going back; I would just have been happy with the normal stools. I haven't even had had my blood pressure tested yet!
Here in the UK our National Health Service (NHS) is crippled with excessive demands from the obese and all its derivative disorders. The NHS's growth relies on people becoming sicker and sicker, attracting more and more money from the government. Although it's a public service it acts like a business and thrives on people becoming sicker in order to grow. This is a frightening scenario and could bankrupt the government. I can see how Dr Mc Dougall et al are on an uphill struggle with their nation's health, the profession just does not want to know.
All I can do is go and get my blood and bp tested and explain to my doctor why they have improved.
Thanks Dr Mc Dougall for all your work, the results for me have been nothing short of miraculous, and I don't believe in miracles.