You Cured What?!

Doug Wright shares his story of how he reversed his depression, allergies, and lost over 150 pounds and how he gained excellent health.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/dougwright[1:45] Doug grew up as a football player and lived at a high weight.

[2:20] Doug was suffering from depression, borderline type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and he also just got sick more than the average person. He also had dry skin, bloating, and he got sunburnt very easily.

[3:00] Most of the aforementioned problems went away as he underwent a journey of changing his diet. This journey started when Doug adopted a ketogenic diet. After that, he started eliminating foods that caused him problems and added more high-quality animal foods.

[4:00] Doug first eliminated seed oils, nuts, and any highly-processed plant foods (“if it comes in a bag or box”) that he could. Then he started adding animal foods like steak, eggs, and liver.

[4:45] Doug has noticed additional benefits at each step: from standard American diet to keto. From keto to carnivore. And even more small benefits from carnivore to raw carnivore (yes, that’s raw meat!). Now he hasn’t been sick in years.

[6:30] Doug looked at the root cause of his health problems instead of just treating the symptoms. In doing so, he lost well over 150 pounds. And once he started feeling better, he felt more like exercising.

[8:50] Starting at age 20 or 21 (he is nearly 27 as of recording), Doug began eating a ketogenic diet for about 4 years. He had good results. But he then began experimenting and noticed additional benefits from removing many plant foods.

[10:20] Doug considers the removal of sugars, grains, and seed oils very important to his health.

[12:00] In 2017, Doug experimented with Protein-Sparing Modified Fasts. He lost a lot of weight but did not feel optimal. He feels this was not addressing root cause of his health issues.

[13:45] Doug challenges others to find health for themselves and to look at root cause instead of symptoms.

[16:00] Doug understands that eating a raw carnivore diet sounds radical, but he doesn’t push everyone to eat that way. He just found health for himself in that way.

[17:40] Doug has been eating a raw carnivore diet for nearly 2 years.

[18:00] Doug and Joe discuss a book they both learned a lot from: Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price

[25:15] After changing to a ketogenic diet (and eventually to carnivore), Doug doesn’t need to eat as much food. He feels more satiated now that he has cut highly processed foods out of his diet.

[27:15] Doug’s blood sugar is now stable.

[30:00] Doug provides a bit of background about the depression he used to suffer from.

[32:00] No one ever told Doug that depression and his other conditions were reversible. He had to dig into that himself.

[34:40] Doug used to be allergic to basically “everything”. This includes a serious cat allergy. He does not suffer from allergies anymore. Also, he does not sunburn nearly as easily anymore.

[39:00] Doug shares some of his recommendations for other people looking to address the root cause of their health issues.

[48:00] How has Doug’s doctor reacted to his change in diet and in health?

[50:15] How has Doug’s family reacted to his change in diet and in health?

[52:15] Doug is a moderator of the World Carnivore Tribe Facebook group, which has nearly 50,000 members.

[56:50] Does Doug consider himself cured of his conditions?

[59:00] Now that Doug has improved his health, what’s one thing he enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

Siobhan Huggins is a fantastic nutrition and health researcher, but she got her start from a personal experience transforming her own health. Here, she shares her story of overcoming depression, anxiety, hypertension, and many more ailments.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/siobhan[2:45] Siobhan was an active, athletic child. At six years old, she had a six pack. However, she became depressed at the age of 10 or 11. After that, she started gaining weight and stopped many of the physical activities she used to enjoy.

[3:50] By the time Siobhan turned 18, she was obese, hypertensive, and suffering from depression.

[5:30] At 18, Siobhan was 5 feet, 1 inch tall, and she weighed 240 pounds.

[6:15] Siobhan had tried using exercise to ameliorate her depression, but the depression remained.

[7:30] Siobhan views her depression as having metabolic origin. “I was likely depressed because I wasn’t unhealthy.”

[8:15] Siobhan tried calorie restriction, but it did not work well for her.

[9:30] In late 2016, Siobhan’s mother suggested trying the ketogenic diet.

[10:45] In two months on a ketogenic diet, Siobhan lost 20 pounds and her joint pain went away.

[12:05] “It was the food which had put my depression into remission.”

[12:25] “I’ve lost 80 pounds since I started the diet. I’m no longer hypertensive. I’m no longer depressed. I no longer have joint pain. My skin is so much better. Like, everything is just better.”

[14:00] Siobhan describes some of the social anxiety she used to have, including specific conversations with her father which triggered negative emotions.

[16:00] Siobhan grew up looking at depression as something genetic and inescapable.

[18:00] Siobhan noticed that as her depression lifted, it gave her the opportunity to meet many other friends, as it enabled her to move away from negative self-talk and get to know others (specifically, at keto conferences).

[21:00] Siobhan sometimes notices aspects of her depression returning if she accidentally eats certain foods. She took that to another level with a High-Carb Experiment.

[22:15] Siobhan did a High-Carb Experiment. For the experiment, she ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat (the opposite of her typical low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic carnivorous diet). She ate all whole food carbohydrate sources. The experiment was hyper-caloric. The effects of this experiment were very negative physically and mentally, and the after-effects lasted for months after the experiment. “It took two months to get back to normal.”

[27:45] Siobhan’s experiment had a remarkable impact on her frame of mind and her physical health. And the only thing that changed during the experiment was the food she ate.

[34:00] What foods did Siobhan start eating to initiate her positive health transformation?

[41:10] Siobhan initially started eating a carnivore diet as an experiment, but she had such great results from it that she has stuck with it for approximately two years now.

[43:00] What were the timelines for Siobhan’s improvements in depression, joint pain, skin health, and hypertension?

[47:00] Siobhan also has had a great improvement in her menstrual cycle and greatly reduced cramping.

[55:45] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Siobhan enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before?

Siobhan Huggins is a fantastic nutrition and health researcher, but she got her start from a personal experience transforming her own health. Here, she shares her story of overcoming depression, anxiety, hypertension, and many more ailments.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/siobhan[2:45] Siobhan was an active, athletic child. At six years old, she had a six pack. However, she became depressed at the age of 10 or 11. After that, she started gaining weight and stopped many of the physical activities she used to enjoy.

[3:50] By the time Siobhan turned 18, she was obese, hypertensive, and suffering from depression.

[5:30] At 18, Siobhan was 5 feet, 1 inch tall, and she weighed 240 pounds.

[6:15] Siobhan had tried using exercise to ameliorate her depression, but the depression remained.

[7:30] Siobhan views her depression as having metabolic origin. “I was likely depressed because I wasn’t unhealthy.”

[8:15] Siobhan tried calorie restriction, but it did not work well for her.

[9:30] In late 2016, Siobhan’s mother suggested trying the ketogenic diet.

[10:45] In two months on a ketogenic diet, Siobhan lost 20 pounds and her joint pain went away.

[12:05] “It was the food which had put my depression into remission.”

[12:25] “I’ve lost 80 pounds since I started the diet. I’m no longer hypertensive. I’m no longer depressed. I no longer have joint pain. My skin is so much better. Like, everything is just better.”

[14:00] Siobhan describes some of the social anxiety she used to have, including specific conversations with her father which triggered negative emotions.

[16:00] Siobhan grew up looking at depression as something genetic and inescapable.

[18:00] Siobhan noticed that as her depression lifted, it gave her the opportunity to meet many other friends, as it enabled her to move away from negative self-talk and get to know others (specifically, at keto conferences).

[21:00] Siobhan sometimes notices aspects of her depression returning if she accidentally eats certain foods. She took that to another level with a High-Carb Experiment.

[22:15] Siobhan did a High-Carb Experiment. For the experiment, she ate high-carbohydrate, low-fat (the opposite of her typical low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic carnivorous diet). She ate all whole food carbohydrate sources. The experiment was hyper-caloric. The effects of this experiment were very negative physically and mentally, and the after-effects lasted for months after the experiment. “It took two months to get back to normal.”

[27:45] Siobhan’s experiment had a remarkable impact on her frame of mind and her physical health. And the only thing that changed during the experiment was the food she ate.

[34:00] What foods did Siobhan start eating to initiate her positive health transformation?

[41:10] Siobhan initially started eating a carnivore diet as an experiment, but she had such great results from it that she has stuck with it for approximately two years now.

[43:00] What were the timelines for Siobhan’s improvements in depression, joint pain, skin health, and hypertension?

[47:00] Siobhan also has had a great improvement in her menstrual cycle and greatly reduced cramping.

[55:45] Now that she has improved her health, what is one thing Siobhan enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before?

Cynthia Wellington used to suffer from chronic migraines; she got one basically every day for years. She no longer gets migraines. Here, she shares how she did it.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/cynthia[1:30] Cynthia describes that migraines are different from regular headaches.

[2:45] Cynthia’s norm was to be less than 100%, and she felt “somewhat muted”.

[3:45] Cynthia tried several medications for her chronic migraines.

[5:30] Someone recommended DietDoctor.com to Cynthia.

[7:30] Cynthia started getting migraines around age 17; she is 46 at the time of recording.

[8:45] Cynthia used to get cluster migraines too; she described how painful these are.

[10:00] Many of Cynthia’s family members also get migraines.

[16:00] Cynthia never used to diet because she wasn’t obese.

[17:40] Due to her migraines, Cynthia felt she was missing out on her life; she was not able to be present.

[19:40] After trying a low-carbohydrate diet, Cynthia noticed that the amount of time between migraines was increasing.

[21:00] Cynthia used to center her life around snack foods, especially sweets.

[22:00] Now, Cynthia mainly eats meat.

[25:00] Cynthia describes some of her changes in diet that helped her avoid migraines.

[27:30] Cynthia used to be addicted to sugar, which initially made the transition to a ketogenic diet difficult.

[28:40] As of recording, Cynthia has been following a ketogenic diet for about three years.

[30:30] After accidentally having sugar-laden salad dressing, Cynthia had her first migraine in a long time (two hours after eating the dressing). This made it hit home that the migraines really were a result of what she was eating.

[33:40] Cynthia describes what a prodrome is.

[38:15] Does Cynthia know anyone else who has attempted a low-carb diet for migraines?

[40:15] Cynthia notes the importance of sodium for people who suffer from migraines. She learned the importance of sodium from Angela Stanton’s book Fighting the Migraine Epidemic.

[43:20] Cynthia mentions that Angela Stanton has helped thousands of migraine sufferers with her protocol. "The protocol 100% works when you follow it."

[45:40] Migraine expert and author Angela Stanton is very engaged on Twitter; she is always looking to help others stop their migraines.

[47:30] Cynthia’s migraines went away gradually. They started happening less frequently and less painfully until they finally went away completely.

[48:40] Does Cynthia consider herself cured of chronic migraine disorder?

[52:30] Now that she has regained her health, what is something Cynthia enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before?

Cynthia Wellington used to suffer from chronic migraines; she got one basically every day for years. She no longer gets migraines. Here, she shares how she did it.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/cynthia[1:30] Cynthia describes that migraines are different from regular headaches.

[2:45] Cynthia’s norm was to be less than 100%, and she felt “somewhat muted”.

[3:45] Cynthia tried several medications for her chronic migraines.

[5:30] Someone recommended DietDoctor.com to Cynthia.

[7:30] Cynthia started getting migraines around age 17; she is 46 at the time of recording.

[8:45] Cynthia used to get cluster migraines too; she described how painful these are.

[10:00] Many of Cynthia’s family members also get migraines.

[16:00] Cynthia never used to diet because she wasn’t obese.

[17:40] Due to her migraines, Cynthia felt she was missing out on her life; she was not able to be present.

[19:40] After trying a low-carbohydrate diet, Cynthia noticed that the amount of time between migraines was increasing.

[21:00] Cynthia used to center her life around snack foods, especially sweets.

[22:00] Now, Cynthia mainly eats meat.

[25:00] Cynthia describes some of her changes in diet that helped her avoid migraines.

[27:30] Cynthia used to be addicted to sugar, which initially made the transition to a ketogenic diet difficult.

[28:40] As of recording, Cynthia has been following a ketogenic diet for about three years.

[30:30] After accidentally having sugar-laden salad dressing, Cynthia had her first migraine in a long time (two hours after eating the dressing). This made it hit home that the migraines really were a result of what she was eating.

[33:40] Cynthia describes what a prodrome is.

[38:15] Does Cynthia know anyone else who has attempted a low-carb diet for migraines?

[40:15] Cynthia notes the importance of sodium for people who suffer from migraines. She learned the importance of sodium from Angela Stanton’s book Fighting the Migraine Epidemic.

[43:20] Cynthia mentions that Angela Stanton has helped thousands of migraine sufferers with her protocol. "The protocol 100% works when you follow it."

[45:40] Migraine expert and author Angela Stanton is very engaged on Twitter; she is always looking to help others stop their migraines.

[47:30] Cynthia’s migraines went away gradually. They started happening less frequently and less painfully until they finally went away completely.

[48:40] Does Cynthia consider herself cured of chronic migraine disorder?

[52:30] Now that she has regained her health, what is something Cynthia enjoys doing that she couldn’t do before?

Joshua Gaines shares his story of reversing decades of Crohn's Disease.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/joshua[2:00] In 1991, at 29 years old, Joshua was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Josh’s medical providers indicated that Crohn’s was "your thing that you’re going to have to deal with for the rest of your life."

[8:20] There was an expectation that Joshua would require a number of intestinal surgeries over the course of his life.

[14:00] Josh had an experience with his son that made him realize food could have an impact on health.

[15:30] An integrative physician suggested a no-added-sugar, no-artificial-flavor diet for Josh’s son, who had been diagnosed with Tourette’s, with tics getting progressively worse over time. In six weeks on this diet, his tics went away.

[22:00] In February 2013, Joshua adopted a gluten-free diet. 80% of his Crohn’s symptoms went away, but scans still showed Crohn’s activity and gallbladder issues.

[25:50] In 2017, Joshua started on the ketogenic diet. He describes the foods he ate.

[30:15] Joshua describes the differences he began noticing from the ketogenic diet. His symptoms were 90-plus percent gone.

[32:40] He mentions that he had to find these helpful dietary strategies on his own; he did not get help from the doctors he went to.

[34:10] He describes that prior to the ketogenic diet, he had tried medications (Humira, for example) without benefit.

[36:10] Based on online research he had done, Joshua decided to try a carnivore diet.

[36:50] For 14.5 months, Joshua’s diet became 90% beef. He also ate 6 eggs per day and occasionally had other types of meat (seafood or otherwise), and he had coffee.

[37:40] Joshua’s blood markers (from his lipid profile) after eating this diet are markedly improved.

[39:30] On the carnivore diet, Joshua noticed his longtime cravings for sweets had disappeared.

[41:40] Joshua found a great deal of benefits from adopting this carnivorous diet, and he started to help his mother (in her mid-80s) find some of the same benefits.

[43:49] Joshua’s most recent scans show NO Crohn’s activity in his large intestine, and he has another scan coming up on his small intestine coming up soon.

[46:55] Joshua has a perfect “0” on his Coronary Artery Calcification scan. Having a 0 score is typically indicative of good heart health (especially for a 58-year-old, as Josh is at the time of recording), as it means there is no detected calcification.

[50:10] Joshua is now experimenting with adding a small amount of the following foods back to his diet: hard cheese, a few beans, avocados, and vegetables.

[53:00] Joshua has nearly perfect digestive health now. No gas, no pain.

[53:40] Joshua used to have approximately 5-6 bowel movements per day. The number has gone down and the quality has gone up.

[56:10] Joshua’s exercise recovery is greatly improved now on his carnivore diet.

[1:01:40] Now that he’s improved his health, what’s one thing Joshua enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

Joshua Gaines shares his story of reversing decades of Crohn's Disease.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/joshua[2:00] In 1991, at 29 years old, Joshua was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. Josh’s medical providers indicated that Crohn’s was "your thing that you’re going to have to deal with for the rest of your life."

[8:20] There was an expectation that Joshua would require a number of intestinal surgeries over the course of his life.

[14:00] Josh had an experience with his son that made him realize food could have an impact on health.

[15:30] An integrative physician suggested a no-added-sugar, no-artificial-flavor diet for Josh’s son, who had been diagnosed with Tourette’s, with tics getting progressively worse over time. In six weeks on this diet, his tics went away.

[22:00] In February 2013, Joshua adopted a gluten-free diet. 80% of his Crohn’s symptoms went away, but scans still showed Crohn’s activity and gallbladder issues.

[25:50] In 2017, Joshua started on the ketogenic diet. He describes the foods he ate.

[30:15] Joshua describes the differences he began noticing from the ketogenic diet. His symptoms were 90-plus percent gone.

[32:40] He mentions that he had to find these helpful dietary strategies on his own; he did not get help from the doctors he went to.

[34:10] He describes that prior to the ketogenic diet, he had tried medications (Humira, for example) without benefit.

[36:10] Based on online research he had done, Joshua decided to try a carnivore diet.

[36:50] For 14.5 months, Joshua’s diet became 90% beef. He also ate 6 eggs per day and occasionally had other types of meat (seafood or otherwise), and he had coffee.

[37:40] Joshua’s blood markers (from his lipid profile) after eating this diet are markedly improved.

[39:30] On the carnivore diet, Joshua noticed his longtime cravings for sweets had disappeared.

[41:40] Joshua found a great deal of benefits from adopting this carnivorous diet, and he started to help his mother (in her mid-80s) find some of the same benefits.

[43:49] Joshua’s most recent scans show NO Crohn’s activity in his large intestine, and he has another scan coming up on his small intestine coming up soon.

[46:55] Joshua has a perfect “0” on his Coronary Artery Calcification scan. Having a 0 score is typically indicative of good heart health (especially for a 58-year-old, as Josh is at the time of recording), as it means there is no detected calcification.

[50:10] Joshua is now experimenting with adding a small amount of the following foods back to his diet: hard cheese, a few beans, avocados, and vegetables.

[53:00] Joshua has nearly perfect digestive health now. No gas, no pain.

[53:40] Joshua used to have approximately 5-6 bowel movements per day. The number has gone down and the quality has gone up.

[56:10] Joshua’s exercise recovery is greatly improved now on his carnivore diet.

[1:01:40] Now that he’s improved his health, what’s one thing Joshua enjoys doing that he couldn’t do before?

The host of You Cured What?!, Joe Kalb, gives a quick preview of the podcast and the background of why he created it. Diseases are reversible!

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/previewTranscript

Welcome to You Cured What?!. What is You Cured What?!? Why do I keep saying "What"? You Cured What?! is the podcast of reversing the "irreversible".

Every episode features a real-life story where the guest has overcome a health condition that most people would think they'd be stuck with for life. The guest shares how they overcame that health problem and what they learned along the way.

So who am I? I’m your host, Joe Kalb. I’m just a random guy. Through podcasts and social media, I stumbled onto information many people would want to know. Diseases are reversible! There are whole communities of people online who have learned how to heal from many diseases that are typically considered chronic and progressive. I cannot unsee what I’ve seen. Now I’m passionate about getting the word out to others in the hope that they can take control of their own health and in doing so, that they can find more joy in their lives.

We have recorded several episodes already, covering health conditions such as migraines, Crohn's disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.

The guests have been the stars of this podcast; they have been eager to spread the positive effects that they've felt in their lives. Their stories are helpful, educational, and inspirational.

So if you want to learn how someone overcame a specific health problem, or if you just want to hear an inspiring story of a real person overcoming a substantial obstacle, tune in for the next episode of You Cured What?!.

Thank You

Thank you to Curtis Brause for the podcast's theme music. And thank you Josh Taguiam for the podcast logo!

The host of You Cured What?!, Joe Kalb, gives a quick preview of the podcast and the background of why he created it. Diseases are reversible!

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/previewTranscript

Welcome to You Cured What?!. What is You Cured What?!? Why do I keep saying "What"? You Cured What?! is the podcast of reversing the "irreversible".

Every episode features a real-life story where the guest has overcome a health condition that most people would think they'd be stuck with for life. The guest shares how they overcame that health problem and what they learned along the way.

So who am I? I’m your host, Joe Kalb. I’m just a random guy. Through podcasts and social media, I stumbled onto information many people would want to know. Diseases are reversible! There are whole communities of people online who have learned how to heal from many diseases that are typically considered chronic and progressive. I cannot unsee what I’ve seen. Now I’m passionate about getting the word out to others in the hope that they can take control of their own health and in doing so, that they can find more joy in their lives.

We have recorded several episodes already, covering health conditions such as migraines, Crohn's disease, type 2 diabetes, and even depression.

The guests have been the stars of this podcast; they have been eager to spread the positive effects that they've felt in their lives. Their stories are helpful, educational, and inspirational.

So if you want to learn how someone overcame a specific health problem, or if you just want to hear an inspiring story of a real person overcoming a substantial obstacle, tune in for the next episode of You Cured What?!.

Thank You

Thank you to Curtis Brause for the podcast's theme music. And thank you Josh Taguiam for the podcast logo!

Barbara Kendrick shares her story of overcoming chronic kidneystones, IBS, fatty liver disease, losing 170 pounds, and more.

For complete show notes, visit http://youcuredwhat.com/podcast/barbara[1:10] Barbara details her health history. She was overweight dealing with hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, edema, chronic kidneystones, and more.

[3:35] Barbara’s highest weight was 367 pounds.

[5:10] Barbara would pass a kidneystone about once a month. She had multiple surgeries for this, and her medical team was unsure what was causing these kidneystones.

[6:00] Barbara found out she was also becoming diabetic (Type 2) around the time of her 40th birthday. (As of recording, Barbara is 44 years old.)

[7:00] Barbara is now off all medications and has not had a kidneystone in two years. She no longer has IBS, high blood pressure, or fatty liver disease.

[8:00] Barbara lost 170 pounds in the process (“a nice side effect”) of getting healthy.

[12:00] Barbara saw her health problems as being connected to insulin resistance, which she addressed by adopting a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet.

[15:00] Barbara describes what it felt like to transition from the standard American diet to a ketogenic diet. It was a difficult transition for a couple weeks.

[17:50] Barbara describes what kept her going through the rough transition (the “keto flu”).

[20:55] Barbara still had a few kidneystones in her first year on the ketogenic diet. And her blood pressure remained elevated for her first year on the diet. Her blood sugar came down right away and her IBS went away quickly.

[27:15] Barbara’s doctor is fully supportive of her ketogenic diet, asks her questions about it, and has even recommended it to other patients.

[28:30] Barbara describes a lot of the foods she eats on her ketogenic diet: she usually eats less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Strict keto through the week, “dirty keto” on the weekend. She eats eggs, cheese, burgers, bacon, seafood, and veggies (among other foods).

[32:00] Barbara did not count calories for her first couple years on the ketogenic diet. Now to break a plateau, she has begun tracking the calories she’s eating.

[34:00] She has found there is such a thing as eating too many ketogenic foods.

[35:50] Barbara’s husband (her “swole-mate”) lost 60 pounds and her daughter lost 125 pounds. Both did so eating ketogenic diets.