Sheryl's Story

I have multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2006.  My initial treatments were Copaxone injections every day for a year.  After these treatments my body was deformed with indentations. From 2007 to 2010 I had Tysabri infusions once a month.  Each time I had a treatment it cost my insurance company $10,000.  I had to sign off every treatment because the infusion could cause the PML virus (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy), a brain disorder that could infect my body which could result in death.

In 2010 I had to go on disability from work.  My MS doctor suggested I see a neurologist to further treat my condition because Tysabri was being linked to new studies suggesting one in fifty people who have the injections for more than three years die.  At this point I would have preferred to die than go back in to my “mental MS state.”  I was devastated.

In 2011 my rheumatologist had me on tons of pain medications as my insurance denied the requests for Rituximab infusions (chemotherapy) that my MS doctor requested.  So the rheumatologist put me on Methotrexate and folic acid. Fortunately, after several months the insurance company finally approved the Rituximab infusions as the Methotrexate and folic acid were not effective. In 2012 I was administered the first Rituximab infusion that lasted six hours and I thought I was going to die.  It took my body three days to recover.  I had a follow up secondary infusion two weeks later which lasted  three hours, not as bad as the first, but still horrific.  This prescribed treatment was supposed to be effective for six to eight months, but four months later I needed an additional unscheduled infusion.  That was in February 2013.

Then, in April 2013, my company Whole Foods Market sent me to a week-long Immersion Program with Dr. Fuhrman. There I learned all about his Nutritarian diet program and went on his plant-based diet about 90 to 95 percent of the time. The other 5 to10 percent I eat chicken and fish with some oils.  This occurs when I go out for dinner to restaurants that can accommodate some of my dietary restriction.

Today I am totally pain free, my hands and joints are normal.  I was fearful that the monsoon season of 2013 would trigger the symptoms I have had in the past, but nothing has caused a negative reaction in my body. More importantly, I have reached this point with no further medications or treatments.   I am convinced that my diet has turned the tide against the previous afflictions I have had for the past seven years. I hike and bike on a regular basis and this is the first time in the past twenty years that high humidity during the summer months, which previously had caused severe discomfort, has not affected my joints.

These days I like to share my story with customers at Whole Food Market.  I hope my success story inspires just one person to take action and change their diet drastically to combat similar medical conditions.

Results may vary.