Excerpt: 'Sara': A Patient of mine

Sara was always feeling stressed. She was anxious, light headed, tired, and depressed. No longer able to hold a job, she was in a doctor shopping frenzy. Sara had a history of episodic depression and fatigue as well as hay fever and other allergies. At thirty-six, she felt that life was passing her by, was rarely feeling well, and was always on the verge of overreacting to whatever challenges life presented.

Every day when waking, her level of dread and anxiety was at its highest, calming down after breakfast. Sara had always had an enormous sweet tooth; her breakfast was usually a sweet roll, juice, and coffee. She snacked on chips and pretzels throughout the day. She also liked red meat; one of her favorites was a carne asada burrito at a local Mexican fast-food restaurant. Without knowing it, Sara had multiple food allergies that we later identified though intradermal skin testing. Sara was given a detailed course of dietary and supplemental recommendations (detailed in the book).

Once these suggestions were adopted, Sara improved quickly. Her cortisol levels returned to normal. She slept more deeply and awoke refreshed. Her anxiety and fatigue during the day were much reduced. She was thrilled by a weight loss of twelve pounds over six weeks.

As many of my patients have proven, what is on the dinner plate has as much an influence on adaptation and aging well as anything else that a person can control.

To read the full story about Sara and many like her, click the link to the left to purchase the book.