After Having A Stroke, This Physician Reversed Her Lupus With A Plant-Based Diet

This physician was able to reverse her lupus with a plant-based diet after she had a stroke. My doctor gave me six months to live when I was 16 years old and told me that was all I had left. During my last visit to the hospital, my kidney function had progressed to stage 4 due to systemic lupus, which causes lupus nephritis. Because it was so severe, my physician informed me that the best possible outcome with the standard treatments would be dialysis, and the worst possible outcome would be that I would die away.

My terrible arthritis and incapacitating migraines had plagued me for a few years before this diagnosis, but a rash prompted me to seek medical attention. I was told that I had lupus. It was a rash that looked like a butterfly, spreading from one cheek to the other. Although my family and I suspected something was wrong, I had no clue that the news would be so devastating.

Every test for lupus came back positive for me. Chemotherapy was a kind of treatment that was considered experimental back then but is now considered the norm. Since lupus is an autoimmune condition, they felt that administering chemo, which suppresses the immune system, might be beneficial. In a way, it worked. I began receiving chemotherapy when I was 16 years old and continued it once a month until I was 18. (These days, individuals with lupus only take it for a considerably shorter period.) It was a trying and trying period. After each treatment, I would spend the next week feeling sick and terrified to eat. My family was kind and supportive of my good fortune, and they helped me get through it.

Focusing On The Future

Even though I was still in high school, I concentrated on what I could do. I didn't know how much more time I had on this earth, so I wanted to do something worthwhile with it while I had it. That was the area that I concentrated on. I felt compelled to alleviate the pain and suffering of others. Because I was deeply interested in the natural world, I chose to pursue a medical career. I was already considered a "nerd" because I spent much time at home recovering from my injury and reading and researching before the injury happened.

My goal was to attend Carnegie Mellon University, and I successfully obtained a scholarship there. My first day of college was exactly one week after I finished my last chemotherapy treatment, and it was a great moment. During my time in college, my cancer was in remission. Although I had a positive result for lupus on every test, my condition had improved to the point that my kidneys were no longer failing. I still need to be cautious and undergo consistent blood testing. I could not go out in the sun and had to pay extra close attention to how I slept and cared for myself. If I didn't get enough sleep, I'd get bad headaches, making me throw up. At that time, I was taking a minimal amount of medicine, and my doctor had prescribed something to aid with the discomfort in my joints.

I made sure I took care of myself, and the result of my undergraduate studies in genetics was that I graduated with honors. Things started going wrong when I was in medical school, and they only got worse from there. Because of the adverse effects that stress and a lack of sleep may have on your body, it is typically advised by medical professionals that persons who suffer from autoimmune illnesses do not enroll in medical school. On the other hand, I was resolute in pursuing my goal.

Medical School Stress Sleep Deprivation And Stroke

Students in their third year of medical school face grueling classes and clinical schedules, and I put in a total hundred hours of work per week, which was exhausting and quite stressful. During the fourth year of my treatment, I had a severe relapse. I had been experiencing double vision until I suddenly passed out in the clinic one day. I found myself in a state of Sleep Deprivation and confusion as I drove home alone after waking up. When I woke up again after having slept at home, I had the impression that something severe was amiss.

My blood tests indicated that I had newly developed antibodies, which were the cause of my blood clots. These blood clots made their way into my brain and produced a transient ischemic attack and double vision. This kind of incident is also referred to as a mini-stroke. My medical professionals warned me that I would have a permanent and significant risk of suffering a massive stroke for the remainder of my life and that it was doubtful that I would reach 50. People with lupus believed to be a chronic condition that worsens with time, often get this diagnosis. In addition, my medical professionals cautioned me that having children would be my death sentence and that I would be required to self-administer a blood thinner for the rest of my life.

The Next Chapter

I lamented the remainder of my life for two weeks. After that, I decided to enter a state of thankfulness. I am thankful that there is a medication that can once again ensure that I will not pass away. And since I was so close to completing my medical education, I decided to return. I decided that I would have a good attitude and would not allow anything to prevent me from achieving the goal that I had set for myself.

That is how I got to know my future spouse, Thomas. We were so quickly swept off our feet by love. After a month had passed, he proposed marriage. At that time, I was obligated to give him the news that I had been diagnosed with lupus. I explained to him that if we were married, it was unlikely that I would live a long life, that I would be unable to have children, and that he would be responsible for taking care of me. He said that if he had to choose between a long life with me or a short life with anybody else, he would choose the former. He gave it his best. Once again, I was in a state of rejoicing and thankfulness as I was enjoying my life.

My spouse was a quick physical transformation expert and worked as a celebrity trainer for MTV at the time. As an intern, I constantly consumed hospital cuisine, which is the most fantastic way to become ill and gain weight. I wasn't exactly in the best condition either. I wanted to look as impressive as his MTV clients did when we were married in Maui, so I requested him to train me and develop a dietary plan for me to follow. Because I have compassion for all living things, I became a vegetarian when I was young. My diet, however, was far from healthy; I was a cheesesatarian who consumed many processed foods, resulting in my being overweight.

At that time, he included some meat into the dietary regimens that he created for his customers to facilitate quick weight loss and fitness changes. On the other hand, he devised a diet for me that included significant quantities of raw plant foods, dairy products, and meat and was devoid of processed foods. I was an unhealthy vegetarian until I switched to a raw food vegan diet.

The events that followed were nothing short of amazing. In only four months, I went from wearing a size 11 to being in the best shape of my life and wearing a size 3. More significantly, I did not suffer from joint discomfort or migraine headaches for the first time in my life. In addition, I felt beautiful and was brimming with energy, all of which were present even though I worked 30-hour overnight shifts many times each week at the hospital. Only four months after making adjustments to my diet, I went in for a blood test right before my wedding, and the results of my lupus testing returned negative. The results of my tests to measure how quickly my blood clots were just slightly above average. My physicians speculated that there may have been a mix-up at the laboratory.

Goodbye Lupus

After my honeymoon, I had another round of blood tests done. My blood tests continued to come back clear for lupus, and in addition, both my cholesterol and blood pressure had decreased. It was a spectacular remission that had never been seen before, so no one understood what had caused it. Until now, there has never been a known case where lupus has been unable to go into long-term remission; however, blood tests will always confirm the presence of this autoimmune disorder, regardless of whether or not it gets into remission. The medical professionals were at a loss for an explanation. One day, my rheumatologist told a medical student that he was accompanying him that he "supposedly" believed I had lupus. After another round of testing each month for a whole year, I stopped taking all my medications. This happened in the year 2006. Since then, I have not needed any drugs, and my healthy blood work has improved over the years.

Following the remarkable turn of events, I made the decision that I wanted to have a family. The physicians were concerned and informed me that giving birth would cause lupus to flare up, ultimately resulting in my death. My mother and my closest friend volunteered to carry the baby for me since they worried about the rest of my family and friends. I could conceive, go through with the delivery, and not have any flare-ups of my lupus. After another four years, I gave birth to another kid. Both times I gave birth, I was in good health, as was each of my children. Simply by staying at home and breastfeeding my infants, I could get back into my pre-pregnancy clothing in less than two weeks each time. My body's primary goals are to be healthy, robust, and toned.

My diet is still entirely plant-based and whole foods, including cooked and raw items. My entire household adheres to a high raw diet consisting mainly of green smoothies and an unrestricted quantity of raw fruits and vegetables. Dinners that need cooking, such as soups, stews, and black bean burgers, are what we often have in the evenings.

All my consultations with patients and customers take place over the phone or using video conferencing applications like Skype or FaceTime, as well as the traditional internet method. In this manner, I can spend time with my husband and children and take family vacations together. To host conferences and educate patients, physicians, and hospitals on creating a healing diet low in inflammation by utilizing foods readily available in supermarkets, we spend considerable time traveling to host conferences and educate these individuals.

I have earned board certification in psychiatry and neurology and a nutrition certificate based on plant-based diets. In California, I treat patients with mental health issues and cure inflammatory disorders using Skype and the phone. I also use Skype to consult with customers interested in nutrition and located anywhere in the world. This manner of practicing enables me to treat ill patients situated everywhere on the globe, regardless of where I am located on the planet myself. This allows me to disseminate the message of health and healing, as well as the power of plants, to the most significant number of people possible.

My book Goodbye Lupus, published in 2015, discusses lupus With a Plant-Based Diet to help those who cannot travel to see me speak or who cannot afford to pay for a private session gain access to helpful information. It was already a top seller on Amazon before it was even launched, and I am thrilled every day to get comments and reviews from individuals who are improving as a direct result of the knowledge I present in the book. I think everyone should have access to quality healthcare as part of their fundamental human rights, and I will never stop working to ensure this belief is realized.