E23 - Dr. Terry Wahls MD, IFMCP, FACP: Reversing Chronic Illnesses with Diet and Functional Medicine

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This week we have the honor of speaking to Dr. Terry Wahls, a functional medicine practitioner with an inspiring story of overcoming MS. She opens up about her experience with getting diagnosed with MS, rapidly decreasing in the condition, and fighting it through food. She shares about 'The Wahls Protocol', which she has since developed to support others with their health conditions. She and Dr. Ramsey tackle other important topics such as finding the right diet for you, bringing play into medicine, and supporting family members struggling with health conditions.

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0:00 Intro

2:30 Dr. Wahls Story: Facing MS

9:00 Taking Care of Depression

10:34 Emotionally Facing the Diagnosis

15:08 Improving Her Condition Through Food

27:18 The Wahls Protocol for MS

29:35 How to Integrate More Vegetables Into Your Diet

31:38 Are Plants Toxic?

38:02 Understanding Insulin Resistance

39:23 Finding the Right Diet for You

46:20 Helpful Ways to Make Changes

48:41 Facing Discrimination for Being Gay

53:56 Supporting a Family Member with a Disability

59:21 Bringing Play into Medicine

1:01:41 Mastering Your Inner Life

1:06:03 Conclusion

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Dr. Terry Wahls is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner and conducts clinical research using functional medicine principles in the setting of multiple sclerosis. In 2018, she was awarded The Institute for Functional Medicine’s Linus Pauling Award for her contributions in research, clinical care, and patient advocacy. Dr. Wahls has secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, which confined her to a tilt-recline wheelchair for four years. Dr. Wahls restored her health using a diet and lifestyle program she designed specifically for her brain and now pedals her bike to work each day.  

She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine - https://www.amazon.com/The-Wahls-Protocol-Progressive-Principles/dp/1583335218/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?tag=mind0a3-20

The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles (paperback) - https://terrywahls.com/about-the-wahls-protocol/

And the cookbook The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life: The Revolutionary Modern Paleo Plan to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions - https://terrywahls.com/wahls-protocol-cooking-for-life/

Learn more about the current study, Efficacy of Diet on Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis, at https://terrywahls.com/msstudy/

Pick up a one-page handout for the Wahls™ Diet - https://terrywahls.com/diet/

Follow her on Instagram @drterrywahls and on Facebook/Twitter at @TerryWahls

Sign up to receive her weekly research updates - https://terrywahls.com/email/

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