I read this article today “How One Woman Deciphered Her Own Genetic Mutation“, and just had to share!!!
I love her attitude and perseverance! … and this has nothing to do with diabetes or paleo. It’s about taking responsibility for your own health. She does choose to eat real food however. :)
A lady self diagnosed her disease and created her own successful self-treatment? It’s an example of why we must… We must take responsibility for our own health! … we fail to do so at our own peril.
On with the article. I’ve included excerpts but I urge you to read the entire story… another TRULY amazing story. :)
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The subject of the article was a veteran ‘iron man’ athlete. She knew her way around intense, strenuous exercise.
She cycled, ran, climbed and skied through the Rockies for hours every day, and was a veteran of Ironman triathlons.
So when her limbs started glitching, she did what high-level athletes do, what she had always done: She pushed through. But in the summer of 2010, years of gradually worsening symptoms gave way to weeks of spectacular collapse.
At one point she could not even pick up a pen ….
After four days of tests, Kim’s neurologist told her that she had Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a genetic disorder that affects the peripheral neurons carrying signals between the spinal cord and the extremities. It’s rare and carries a varying suite of symptoms, but Kim’s are typical, starting at the feet and heading upward.
… I can only imagine how devastating this would be for anyone … but especially someone with her activity level. Worse, she was told that there was no cure for Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Worst yet, the disease was degenerative… the symptoms would only get worse… and worse.
Imagine being told … THERE IS NO CURE! You could not even pick up a pen to write with… and it was ONLY going to get worse.
How many of us would ‘give up and give in”??? But not her…
“My reaction to things that I have no control over is to find out as much as I can about them,” she says.
BAM!!! This is what others have done and ARE DOING!!! We are taking charge of our own health.
Granted there are many charlatans pimping and promoting pills, lotions and potions… sadly most of them have initials before or after their names with titles such as doctors, nutritionists, diabetes educators and dietitians….
The lady (Kim) has such a truly impressive story… you really should read the entire article.
The shortened version, Kim actually figured out what was causing her health problems. Her team of doctors were surprised and said things like, “She’s unique”, “She’s one-of-a-kind” and “She is extraordinary”. … the implication is that others could not do what she did.
Kim’s reply?
“Bullshit,” says Kim. “I hear this all the time: that I’m an exception. That the patient of the future is not going to do what I did.” She bristles at the very suggestion. “I almost take offense when I hear that what I’ve done is exceptional.”
Can you see what I LOVE THIS LADY AND HER STORY!!! … :)
Through trial and error she has found what works for her…
Kim isn’t cured. Her LMNA discovery offered her peace of mind but it did not suggest any obvious treatments. Still, she has made a suite of dietary changes, again based on her own research, which she feels have helped to bring her nervous symptoms under control. Some are generic, without much hard science behind them: She eats mostly organic fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and avoids processed food.
Whether her choices are directly slowing the progress of her diseases or triggering a placebo effect, she is fit and happy. …. And, of course, she still exercises constantly.
She did her own research, through trial and error found out what works for her AND she is successfully self-treating her disease with diet changes.
I beg each and every one of you who suffers from a disease or illness. Please take responsibility for your own health.
Question EVERYTHING! Especially if someone profits from it…
I did… and I AM NEVER LOOKING BACK!