I was just curious as to how many of you had pre existing health conditions that were helped by going on a LC diet. I have Vulvar vestibulitits and lichen sclerosis, both which cause severe severe chronic pain, I have been through multiple operations and various treatments for both with no success, after starting Atkins I have only had one minor episode of pain and it is when I fell off the bandwagon.

Good question, Pandora,

Before beginning my journey, I had nothing as distressful as your experience but it could have gotten really bad. I had migraines regularly, I had itchy skin all year 'round, shakiness from insulin spikes. These are symptoms of hypoglycemia. All of those are gone. However, I do get the auras that accompany migraines but they no longer culminate into full blown migraines. As a matter of fact they disappear all by themselves. I used to take meds to aleviate or stop the headache as soon as the auras appeared.

I had a major lower back problem that had me layed up at least one week a month. Took more Vicodins and such that I care to remember.Loosing weight took that horrid pressure off my back injury and havn't had a bad incident since. Also I allways knew when TOM was coming cause of the horrid cramps and 3 day long migraines. They were on and off till TOM began. It was odd and very painful. Theese are the 2 biggest changes.

Angel

Wow I had so many.
High blood pressure, migranes,dry skin especially in winter,acne,depression and there are probably more.
Once LC'ing they all disappeared or are way better then before.
I seem to be on an even plateau all the time no more yelling or freaking out. It is nice to live this way.
angie

I've only been lc'ing for 2 days and I feel TERRIBLE! However, I went on this diet to help the multitude of ailments I have .... and I am hoping and praying that it does just that.

I have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, acid reflux disease, gallbladder problems, and I had a quadruple bypass operation a little more than a year ago.

Even to lessen some of my 'conditions' would be great .... and to 'cure' my dry skin would be phenomenal!!

The first few days to a week are the hardest; people around here call what you have "induction flu." It gets better, Mama Mouse. (If it doesn't, check back in. There are things you can do to help.)

I had terrible hypoglycemic problems and depression. All gone now.

Like a couple of the others I had/have migraines with multiple triggers. I was having six migraines every 7 to 10 days before LC-ing [Atkins]. I've been LC-ing for just over a year and now the only migraines I get are weather related. I've reduced the incidents by 75%.

I also have adult acne [charming at 53] and LC-ing improved its condition as well ... although it hasn't been completely cured.

Interestingly, another bonus of LC-ing is that I sleep better. I used to have to get up 3 to 5 times per night ... sometimes I'd get to sleep only to wake up fully 1 or 2 hours later and I'd have to get up and read for an hour or more before I could get back to sleep. I think the disturbed sleep patterns were a result of blood sugar spikes ... after all, the general recommendation is that one have carbs to help induce sleep. Not for me ... protein does a much better job.

I had diabetic neuropathy in my feet and couldn't feel temperature in them anymore. 3 months into Atkins, I got the feeling back. I also stopped having migraines and stopped having bronchitis 7 times a year. The only cold I've had since starting lasted 1 day.

Low carbing has greatly reduced the symptons of my psoriatic arthritis which affects my knee and hip joints and some fingers. I think it's a combination of reduced weight (load) on the actual joints and reduced fluid retention. I've seen a huge decrease in the inflammation around the joints and pain is now minimal. I've stopped all my arthritic drugs.

Yes, now that I think of it I haven't had a single migraine since I started Atkins. I also have complex partial seizures and experience frequent migraines as a result. They get so bad I start speaking jibberish, go blind in my right eye, and the entire left side of my body goes numb, I have to goto the hospital to get a shot of demoral, that is the only thing that helps.

That is so wonderful that LCing has helped so many of you!!!

I didn't have any chronic illnesses before I started LCing (besides an overabundance of FAT), but I did have an interesting experience after about 6 months on LC. I wrote about this when it happened but it's worth repeating...

I started LCing in June 2003. In November of last year, I had a large (1" diameter) cyst removed from the back of my neck. I had had cysts removed previously from the same location twice over the past 10 years. My doctor said that the previous cyst removals had left a "hole" under my skin that allows new cysts to develop in the same place. Her solution was to keep the wound open after the cyst removal last November, to allow the wound to heal from the inside and keep another "hole" from forming. After the cyst removal, she packed the wound (which was REALLY big, as you can imagine) with gauze and I had to go into her office every 48 hours to have the gauze changed.

So 48 hours after the surgery I went in to get the gauze changed. My doctor removed the dressing from my wound and said, "uh oh." (Words that you do NOT want to hear when you're in the doctor's office!) The 2-inch long surgical wound, after only 48 hours, was more than halfway healed. The doctor said that she had NEVER seen a wound heal so fast, and she agreed that my high protein diet was helping the healing process. By my next doctor visit (2 days later), the wound had closed completely.

Now, this wasn't exactly GOOD news, since I'll probably form another cyst in the same area in a couple of years. But my doctor was absolutely amazed by this. And, as a footnote, after treating me she started LCing and lost 20 pounds (she told me this when I went in for my physical a few months later).

Cool.

Jeannie

JeannieM, I remember your story. It stuck in my mind because of a research article that I had read about the traditional Native diet. It was notably lc to the extreme. One of the benefits was their ability to heal quickly from really bad wounds.

My depression is MUCH better with LCing, including the SAD I get in winter. PMS has improved dramatically, as has my acne.

Jeannie, that's a neat story. Along the same lines, I've had two piercings since I started LCing and they've healed nicely.

OH BOY, could I make a list for sure!! I had a lot of things going on. My joints definitely feel much looser now.

hypoglycemia-chronic low blood sugar
night blindness due to unstable blood sugars
numbness in my hands
acid reflux which triggered vomiting
muscle aches just from eating wheat
The mood swngs from hell
waking up in pain
skin breakouts due to eczema
headaches
lack of energy
high blood pressure