Diet and Lifestyle Treatments for Autoimmune Disorders

Dr. Terry Wahls, MD, IFMCP, a clinical researcher and functional medicine thought leader, is also a patient with multiple sclerosis who restored her health using her own diet and lifestyle program, the Wahls Protocol.

Dr. Wahls is a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa, where she conducts clinical trials using diet and lifestyle treatments to treat autoimmune disorders. In 2018 she was awarded The Institute for Functional Medicine’s (IFM) Linus Pauling Award for her contributions in research, clinical care, and patient advocacy. She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles and just released an updated version of that book, which includes new research on intermittent fasting and how the protocol impacts the microbiome.,

In a recent interview with the IFM, Dr. Wahls talked about the latest research coming out of her lab, which demonstrates that helping patients improve and optimize their health behaviors can stabilize and even reverse chronic diseases such as MS, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus. Trials that implemented various types of Paleo diets, as well as the Wahls Elimination Diet, resulted in clinically and statistically reduced fatigue, improved quality of life, mood, and verbal and nonverbal reasoning, as well as improved walking and hand function.

On the subject of intermittent fasting and its effect on ketosis, Dr. Wahls continues to adapt as research evolves. According to her, “Ketosis positively impacts cellular function in many ways. However, metabolic switching—switching in and out of ketosis—has even more beneficial impacts on cellular function and brain function than ongoing ketosis. Thus, I have moved most of my patients to metabolic switching, which can be seasonal ketosis, periodic fasting, intermittent fasting, or time-restricted feeding.”

Convincing patients to change their diet and lifestyle behaviors is not easy, as practitioners know. “It is important to collaborate with your patients to determine which approach can be most easily adapted to their daily routines,” advises Dr. Wahls. “Finding patterns that can be more readily incorporated increases success rates for patient and family.”