In September 2003, I began to experience severe neck pain while on vacation. The pain radiated up into the back of my head, along with a sensation of intense heat. My blood pressure was 196/150. My family doctor just advised me to take 4 Advil for the pain.

When I returned home from vacation, I went to physical therapy sessions, but did not experience any relief from the pain. In fact, my illness became progressively worse. In October 2005, I was no longer comfortable driving my car because I was losing my balance and experiencing tremors in my extremities. I was still experiencing severe neck pain, further complicated by numbness in my fingers and toes that caused me to drop things. My weight was 186 pounds (84.5 kg).

I received medical advice from five physicians and underwent multiple medical tests. I continued to not only experience the pain and the existing symptoms, but I also had numerous adverse reactions to the muscle relaxants and medications that were prescribed for me. I even experienced a gastrointestinal bleed and severe dizziness that required an emergency room visit.

The 5 physicians diagnosed me with spinal stenosis, cervical radiculopathy, occipital neuralgia, degenerative disc disease, osteopenia, myelopathy, hypertension and sarcopenia. I felt horrible.

Thankfully, I had the great fortune of reading Eat For Health. Now as a Nutritarian I am 97% pain free and my blood pressure is within the American Heart Association’s recommended limits. I am walking approximately 2 miles (3.22 km) a day and am not taking any pain medication — not even a Tylenol! My weight has dropped to 136 lbs. (61.8 kg)—50 pounds (22.7 kg) lighter.

Irene