ps. my n=1 conclusion:

"this is how being healthy feels like."

cheers,

Great post. Good points.

On the prescription front- I wonder how many of the prescriptions (at least in the younger groups) are oral contraceptive pills... Not that they're "paleo" (and there's a ton of arguments to be made for and against, and I won't get into them now), but they're not exactly a treatment for a disease (though some might argue they're a preventative measure for a parasitic infection...)

@Beowulf: Yes, I do "get the gist." Along the lines of your #5 and #6, I'm guessing that another factor is that doctors are understandably concerned about making recommendations too far from the "consensus."

No doubt, another thing contributing to the increase in drug use is that drugs often beget the need for other drugs -- additional drugs to counteract the side effects of the original drugs.

What's even more bizarre to me is people who have or have had major health problems refusing to give paleo a try. When I first went paleo it was just an experiment on the basis of the science involved and I expected it to be temporary, like other diets. But the results were so dramatic in such a short amount of time that I found I simply no longer wanted to consume neolithic foods. So when I hear, "it's too restrictive" I just don't get what a month-long trial is going to cost you. I've stopped trying to convince anyone, though, because I think I come off as evangelical. At some point, everyone has to take responsibility for their own health. Fortunately, I don't live in America so the health care debacle isn't really my problem.

Does anyone else ever wonder how it can be that people are taking more and more drugs alleged to reduce risk of heart problems, yet we never hear "it's working!" ??

@Jen W,

i have found Todd Hargrove's series on pain
very enlightening,

they really helps me to recover for soreness & minor strains.

http://www.bettermovement.org/

take good care,

(most people seem to believe that aging = pain. i don't believe that anymore. i don't run as fast or as long; i don't jump as high; but that does not mean i have to live in pain.)

I have been eating Paleo for about three months now. I have seen many improvements.

1. I now go five or six hours without being hungry after a meal.
2. I rarely feel ups and downs in energy levels after eating and though out the day.
3. My mental clarity is much better and I don't struggle for words like I used to when talking.
4. I'm more outgoing which is rather hard to quantify but I feel happier and that comes out in my behavior towards others.
5. My energy levels are much higher and I don't feel sluggish mid afternoon.
6. I'm eating all this great food and having a blast cooking it. My meals never tasted soooo good!!
7. The biggest surprise is I've lost 30lbs in three months without even trying.

I feel great, have more confidence, better mental clarity and the stresses of the day just don't seem so stressful anymore.

Sincerely thankful, John aka AtomicHipster

I too have a little story to tell regarding my next level. Now I wasn't exactly fine before I went paleo, we'd been raw vegan for nearly a year, I was on asthma meds, my allergies were terrible and I was heavy. It's true that when we went low carb (3 months or so) and then switched to paleo after that, that I saw my allergies dramatically lessen and my asthma completely go away, which was awesome. My allergist thinks I am insane but all it takes is a beer or two or some milk and I start wheezing (it's the worst when I have dairy AND wheat, my wife says it sounds like I'm sawing wood all night).

That said... that isn't the most remarkable thing I've experienced since my switch to Paleo. That would be the creative awakening I've had. Now, I've always been an odd guy who had a lot of ideas for things to write and draw and think about, but those ideas always tended to fizzle out before they got anywhere. But after the Paleo switch I've now written six short stories, two books, and completed numerous drawings and paintings. It's just exploding out of me. I have so much energy and focus, it feels like I can finish any project I start. My biggest problem now is which thing to pursue! I don't know if it was the elimination of the dairy and gluten that was clearly causing me problems or the addition of the quality fats (we bought an entire organic cow last year from a local farmer, plus I take cod liver oil daily)... but I just know that I love it. I never ever want to go back.

Oh and regarding the potato thing, I am a low potato guy. I can stomach maybe a single plantain or a half a sweet potato a day but more than that and I will start to see the scale grimace uncomfortably (ok, actually I do that when I see the lbs pack on.) However if I just cut back to one potato every couple days soon I'll be back to normal. That may change this summer as my wife has us planned to run a couple of half marathons.

Talk to the gnoll he'll tell you to grow,
to walk and to talk and to live paleo.
Eat things you love and play like you mean it.
Soon you'll feel so great your friends won't believe it.

-Tim

Jen W,
A comment from a physical therapist; Sometimes, like Neal said, increasing the protein can help. I resolved my tennis elbow problem by stopping being a vegetarian (many years ago). But if your tennis elbow problem isn't responding to tennis elbow treatment, it may be a nerve problem coming from either your shoulder or neck (it doesn't matter if you don't have a problem either place). Find yourself a good physical therapist.
Chris