Originally posted by Dr. Davis on 2015-11-27
on the Wheat Belly Blog, sourced from and currently found at: Infinite Health Blog.
PCM forum Index of WB Blog articles.

Matthew’s incredible Wheat Belly transformation

Remember Matthew? I previously shared his story and photos, including his 80-pound weight loss and change in cholesterol values.

But there is much more to his story that he has been sharing on the Official Wheat Belly Facebook page. Because the changes he described were so extensive, I’ve collected his comments here. Put together, Matthew’s health transformation is nothing short of astounding. He previously told us that hypertension and pre-diabetes have reversed with now normal blood pressure and blood sugars. But just read on and see how much more happened.

Matthew’s experience is a terrific example of how the healthcare system has “medicalized” the consumption of wheat and grains. Encourage the public to eat more wheat and grains, put them in virtually all processed foods, then stand back and let multiple facets of health deteriorate, then step in and “treat” it with prescription medications and procedures.

Ignore such awful advice and, not only can you reclaim control over weight, as Matthew did, but you can also reverse an impressive number of chronic health conditions and be freed of all the unnecessary treatments. And Matthew’s weight continues to drop off of him. At his most recent update, he says “Today, down 83 lbs! At 202. This is what 202 looks like. [photo above]

Gastrointestinal:
“I have lived with chronic burning indigestion and heart burn since I was about 19. I have had indigestion so bad that it would hurt all the way up into my jaws and my mouth. The burning sensation was like my insides were on fire. I was subjected to all sorts of tests and invasive procedures for years with no satisfactory explanation. At one time, I consumed an entire 400 count bottle of Tums per week! Sometimes it would cause such horrific esophageal spasms that I thought I was having a heart attack.

“I have had horrible fluctuations between debilitating stomach cramps with diarrhea and then, a day later, constipation. That cycle was rampant for 15 years. I would sometimes get such horrible cramps that the only relief was a heating pad on my belly. I missed several days of work a year.

“I was diagnosed with spastic colon disease and spastic duodenal bulb disease when I was 21 or 22. I was diagnosed with irritable bowel disease when I was in my early 30’s. I was diagnosed with gastric reflux disease when I was 38. I was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagitis 10 years ago and told that is a pre-cancerous condition. I have had benign polyps in my large colon 2 times in the last 20 years. So as a result, I have to be scoped from both ends every so often.

“For the last 15 years, I have been on a regimen of Prilosec (or Prevacid or Nexium) 2 times daily. And even then, I would need a Tums. For a period of time, the night time reflux was so bad that I took two in the evening to make it through the night.

“Since i began Wheat Belly, ALLLLL of these symptoms are gone. No cramping, no diarrhea, no constipation, no esophageal spasms. I have had indigestion ONCE in 6 months, likely due to eating a meal too late in the evening and laying down too soon. But have had NO gastro-esophageal reflux related symptoms in 6 months.

“I have eliminated the 3rd Prilosec all together. And about half the time, I forget to take the evening one and don’t think about it until morning–I am not waking with reflux symptoms. I am close to being able to actually reduce to one a day.”

Joints:
“In April of this year, and for 18 months preceding, I had chronic pain in my feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back. My feet felt like I was walking on broken glass all the time, especially at night if I got up to go to the bathroom. My ankles ached and would sometimes be swollen like a sprain. My knees hurt and ached nearly 100 percent of the time. On a scale of 1 to 10, it was only a 2 or 3, but was constant and relentless. I could not sit for long periods of time without getting uncomfortable and riding for more than an hour or so in a car was painful. My hips likewise hurt nearly all the time. I would wake every hour or so in the night and have to turn to find relief. My lower back ached nearly all the time.

“I walked most of the time with a slower, almost shambling, gait of a man 80 years old. I felt old before my time. I was depressed from the constant pain and discomfort. I lived on Motrin and Tylenol.

“Today, after 6 months plus of grain-free living, I ache no more. The only time I hurt is if I overdo a workout. And I can actually exercise! I brisk walk or jog 3 days a week, I cycle 3 days a week, I am up to a 6-mile brisk walk or 25-mile bike ride.

“I don’t wake in the night hurting. I can sit for longer periods without my knees feeling like they are on fire. Instead of feeling 80 years old, I am 57 and feel 40!”

Skin:
For the past 10 years, I have had ongoing issues with my skin. Dry, chapped, itching, eczema, etc.

“On several occasions, I would just break out with a large, dry, itching patch of eczema that would get red, irritated, and not go away with any form of treatment. Once, it was on my stomach at my belt line, about the size of my fist. It lasted 6 months and I went through several prescriptions of topical steroids and prednisone. Another time, a large patch on the sole of my foot would crack and bleed and itch like it was on fire. That one took 6 months to gradually go away. Most recent was a place on my left elbow about the size of a half dollar, took 9 months to go away.

“But worse was the last 6 to 7 years, my hands would dry, crack and bleed, the fingertips of all my fingers would hurt and bleed. Doctor tried anti-fungals, steroids, etc., nothing worked.

“Six months into the Wheat Belly lifestyle, ALL of these symptoms are GONE completely. I have noticed lately that my hair actually seems to be getting less gray in it. And dandruff is nearly nonexistent.

“But weirder is that I have had a number of large, ugly, unsightly skin tags along my neck and nape of my neck for years. Have had to see a dermatologist to have them removed a couple times. I was looking in the mirror the other day and was shocked to see that they are getting smaller and actually disappearing!

Allergies and asthma:
“Since I was a child, as far back as I can remember, I had severe year-round allergy issues, worse in spring and fall but horrid year-round. Runny nose, constant sneezing, severe congestion leading to bad snoring issues and breathing problems. Itchy watery eyes and constant sore throats from the post-nasal drainage.

“I remember taking Dimetapp and Drixoral daily back when it was a prescription drug, along with Sudafed. And during my worse periods supplemented with Benadryl. As I got older and those became ineffective, it was Seldane, Zyrtec and a host of others almost daily year-round.A year ago the Dr put me on Nasocort as well. For a few years, I have used two different asthma maintenance meds daily to control my asthma and carried a rescue inhaler which I would have to use several times a day. Exertion would make me wheeze and short of breath and need to use rescue inhaler. Outside, cold weather would cause wheezing and shortness of breath.

“I walked around in a fog most of the time just from the drugs.

“Now 7 months into Wheat Belly, I have not taken a SINGLE pill or prep for allergies in 5 months or more: no Nasocort, no Sudafed, no Benadryl, no Zyrtec–nothing! My breathing has improved so much. I have stopped needing the rescue inhaler and have only used a couple times a day and have not needed at all with exertion or out in cold. More recently, I have realized I was using it more from habit than need. In the last couple weeks, I have noticed that I only use it at bedtime and upon waking. And it has slowly dawned on me today that I didn’t need it even then. This morning I reached for it and thought ‘what am I doing?’ and put it down!”

Wow. Isn’t that quite a story? But experiences like Matthew’s show us how modern medicine so often views joint pains, acid reflux, diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, depression and other common conditions as bad luck, bad genes, or “idiopathic”–without known cause. Yet they are, in their many myriad forms, nothing more than the outward manifestations of consuming these awful things called wheat and grains that humans are simply not equipped to consume.