By: Charlie Barker
In 2008 I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after a flare-up that left me very anaemic and lasted 4 months. I was prescribed steroids, which worked, and put on mesalazine long term. I thought it was all sorted, when I got another flare up about a year later. The consultant said this was quite normal and I got more steroids. However, this time, when I weened off them, the flare-up came back. More steroids, and they worked, but I came off them, the flare up came back. This went on for about a year, I was constantly on steroids. My shoulders and back were spotty, and I was tearing muscles at training. The consultant was getting concerned and gave me a big dose of steroids, and put me on Remicade, an immune suppressing drug that is reserved as a last option. This worked, and I got off steroids (a thumb tendon rupture was later blamed on steroids as well by the plastic surgeon) replaced by Remicade. This kind of worked, but I was still going to the toilet too much, and now I was very prone to rashes and tooth infections. As you can see none of this is a cure.
Then I got another flare up. At this time, a crossfit trainer called Kris told me to read ‘Lights Out’ by TS Wiley, The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and The Paleo Diet by Loren Cordain. He didn’t know I had colitis, but as I got through this reading it dawned on me that this approach could make a difference to my condition. I cut out everything that Robb Wolf suggested, legumes, grains, dairy, nuts, eggs, tomatoes… After 2 weeks, my toilet habits had calmed down. No pains, no blood. After one month, I was back to like I was when I was 15. Perfect. That was in August 2011. Since then I told a doctor that I didn’t need medication anymore. He said that it was my decision. I stopped Remicade and mesalazine instantly. 5 months later, I am fitter, stronger and healthier than I have ever been. The condition is effectively reversed. The Paleo diet has reversed a course that was going to end with my colon being removed, and it can for anyone else out who is willing to eat and sleep like we have evolved to do. I owe my health to TS Wiley, Robb Wolf and Loren Cordain. I can’t thank you enough.
Check out Charlie’s achievements and training videos on mad4training’s youtube channel!
http://www.youtube.com/user/
About the author
It works! I’m in remission for ankylosing spondylitis due to paleo autoimmune protocol and LDN. If I start eating crap again, then it’s back to agony. I’m incredibly thankful for the work of Cordain and Wolf!
thats awesome.
What does LDN stand for?
low dose naltrexone
Charlie, have you since tried returning some of the prohibited food items (nuts, eggs, tomatoes or dairy) back to your diet?
In very small amounts, I have re-introduced eggs and some nuts (walnuts and macadamias). However, with dairy and gluten, I am not willing to risk a flare up so I will probably never eat either of those ever again. I don’t miss them anyway. But yes, eggs and nuts in small amounts and if my stomach starts to get upset (which it seems to do sometimes with nuts) I cut them out again.
Another Ulcerative Colitis is here, actually was here. After Mark’s Sisson “Primal Blueprint” I started tinkering with the Paleo Diet. Rob’s “Paleo Solution” persuaded me to follow diet more strictly, and now I am almost (not 100% yet) symptom free. No blood in the stool for two years, no anemia. I donate blood every three months, and I have more muscle on than I’ve ever had!
Thanks for sharing your story Charlie – killer inspiration
UC doesn’t have to be a life sentence!
- Jordan
Awesome! I love hearing stories like this!!
Great job, Charlie! I bet it feels so good to be healthy again!
Great story. I have a family member with Crohn’s and another with diverticulitis. I try to convince them that this way of eating might be able to help out with their intestinal problems. So far, not so much luck. I’m still just the crazy(even though healthiest)family member. It’s nice to be able to show them a story like this and say “Look, here is someone who did it. I’m not making this shit up!”
Another inspiring story of paleo defeating UC. I have ried and tried to get my 16 year old daughter on to such a diet, but teens have opinions and choose pizza and pasta.
You have no idea how inspiring this is, i live and suffer with Crohn`s and have only just started with Paleo. I just hope i can have this success as its taken so much from me this past year. Great work Charlie and long may the good health last. I have tonnes of Qs, did you just follow the food guides in Robb`s book or where did u get your recipes from. This is a great start point for me, you have made me very very happy.
To be honest, I am quite spartan and rarely use recipes, I am happy to just cook meat and vegetables and eat them with some olive oil and herbs drizzled on top. So stuff like steamed broccoli and cauliflower with a grilled salmon fillet is enough for me, but there are loads of recipe books out there and websites as well, my Mum cooks some really good paleo recipes, they tend to take longer to prepare, but if its a choice between longer food preparation and flare up, I know which one I choose! I found in the early stages of reversing it, loads of omega 3 fish oils helped calm inflammation, Kris my trainer said u can take up to 10 or 12 of the 1g supplements a day to really get on top of your inflammation. I take 2 or 3 a day now.
Yea im still learning so having a few slips here and there but all in all im doing ok. I find myself eating more and more chicken and broccoli but its fine with me. Still cant handle some foods as im still at the end of this flare but hoping once it clears,it opens up more doors food wise. I wasnt aware you could take so many fish oil caps, ill get on that right away, thanks for the tip. On the steroids, did u take them when u started paleo? I havnt worked out in 7 months, lost 25kgs in muscle and every time i try to come back it just seems to make my crohns worse. Im starting to think ill never get back in the gym or on the football pitch.
Yes I was just coming off them as I started paleo last august. usually thats when it flares up again, but this time it didn’t, and then it went a step further and improved so much that I stopped taking everything. On the workout side, limit ur cardio and running to a minimum. Lift weights and do jump training. Then when ur muscles start getting stronger u can start maybe sprinting again. It’s the long lasting aerobic and cardio work that adds to the inflammation. Short bursts of super intense work like heavy weights, plyos and sprints are far less harmful in terms of their immune suppression and cortisol release and inflammation. Then the final string to the bow is 9 hours sleep a night. When u put them all together, recipe for feeling good!
Im on 40mgs a day so its kind of a middle dose. It looks ill be on them for a while so im just trying to get back for the start of my football season here in Germany. Thanks for the training advice, iv been jogging and running ladders and cones here and a lot of sprint work and havnt been doing to good so ill reverse it and start lifting. Iv seen your jump training stuff on youtube, its awesome and could really help me in my position. Ill have a look through some of your stuff and try piece together a program to start after this weekend.
Honestly thanks a million man. Next time im in the UK ill buy you a steak.
Darragh
[...] testimonial at robbwolf.com: Paleo works better than immune suppression for ulcerative [...]
[...] By: Charlie Barker In 2008 I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis after a flare-up that left me very anaemic and lasted 4 months. I was prescribed steroids, which worked, and put on mesalazine long term. I thought it was all sorted, when I got another flare up about a year Read more… [...]
Since you’ve been symptom free, have you tried re-introducing tomatoes, eggs, or nuts? If so, have they affected you at all?