Testimonies

Fibromyalgia/CVS/ME

I was referred by my doctor due to severe tiredness and bad quality of sleep. I used to wake up every hour every night, and therefore had my breakfast around lunch time. I used to suffer from bad headaches and itchy skin every day. Other additional complaints included huge fluid retention, severe stomach cramps, flatulence and gastric acid. It felt as if my limbs would not move and everything hurt. I also had a lot of phlegm in my throat and even talking was difficult due to excessive shortness of breath! I had been following hydrotherapy for about 4 years but not much progress was made.
During my food anamnesis with Christine we found out that I am sensitive to histamine and the lactose test revealed severe malabsorption, while minor malabsorption was revealed for fructose.
After applying my personal dietary advice I observed drastic changes after 3-4 weeks: my energy level increased and I did no longer suffer from interrupted sleep, I can now sleep 6 hours in a row and have my breakfast at a decent hour, i.e. at 9 o' clock. Headache, gastric acid, abdominal cramps, flatulence and itchy skin had completely disappeared! I can move my arms flexibly again without experiencing any pain. I have clearly lost a lot of weight (fluid) especially around the eyes, fingers and feet. The shortness of breath has very much improved and allows me to talk much calmer. When I eat something wrong now, such as soy milk, spicy food or eat later in the evening, the flatulence, abdominal cramps, stomach ache and phlegm immediately reappear. And what is also very striking is that blood draws used to be very difficult and now cause no problem at all. I feel like a different person now that I am again capable of doing all kinds of things, because pain belongs completely to the past now!

Inflammation of the oesophagus and exercise-induced asthma

I could no longer keep up with my team mates during our cycling sessions and was out of breath quicker than I used to. In addition, I would suffer from slight abdominal cramps and flatulence, some phlegm in my throat and sometimes a headache. But especially the shortness of breath (exercise-induced asthma) and cravings for sweets were striking. Inflammations of the oesophagus were painful and the medication I was taking was not helping. The exercise-induced asthma and inflammation of the oesophagus were symptoms which lasted almost a year. My weight had also increased a lot over the last couple of months.
During some periods I would be very tired, also when I was making great efforts. It was also striking that I would recover very slowly after doing exercise. And my heart rate meter always remained much too high after the effort.
I used to ride 15 hours a week during the summer (about 10,000 km a year)).
It was really incredible how my soar throat disappeared on the second day after I started to apply the new diet. I had a lot more energy and was amazed that the quality of my sleep had also considerably improved. Especially my shortness of breath was strongly reduced and I also recovered much better now after the efforts. My cravings for sweets also belonged to the past. It was remarkable that having soy drinks or desserts or sausage sandwiches would trigger all my symptoms again, I did tolerate cow’s milk and young cheeses well though.

CFS/ME

Ever since I was a child I have been having stomach problems, and I would often have a runny nose and not feel well in general. Sports was not for me, I would be exhausted at the least effort and peeped and gasped throughout gym class at school. I was simply a weak child, with no muscles and a delicate stomach.
When I was about 25, I started reacting to food in very extreme ways. Without visible cause or history my body would stop tolerating certain dishes. One day it would be chocolate mousse, the other day king prawns, and another day a pancake. Very strange, because I could not get a coherent picture. One week everything would be perfect and then suddenly everything would go wrong, especially during stressful moments. I would get a burning feeling in my stomach which seemed to “crawl” up, a pang in the chest, acid up my throat. The only thing that would help was vomiting. I underwent all kinds of tests: ultrasound, gastroscopy, stomach examination, ... I did it all and in several hospitals. They could never tell me what was wrong. I also started taking an allergy test on my own initiative, but as far as food is concerned it did not bring any answers. Then I also noticed that I started to recover less well. I got tired very quickly and it became worse and worse. No matter how much I slept, how long, how deep ... I just continued to be tired. And little by little I also started having trouble with simple physical efforts (going up stairs, lifting or moving things). As a self-employed person I was lucky to have the freedom to plan my own working hours. I would often sleep a bit longer or make my day a bit shorter. It was not really productive and I started to feel really guilty. More stress, and I slept even worse and gradually I was getting really exhausted.
I got tested and I was really amazed and relieved to finally hear a diagnosis: I have CFS. Causes: a congenital intolerance for certain food products and an infection of a tick bite which was never discovered despite the many blood tests I underwent. In the meantime my body was so weak that I turned out to have intolerances for many food products, not all of them congenital. In consultation with Christine I started on my new diet. In combination with the required food supplements and antibiotics (tick bite). After 2 weeks the result was amazing. I had a much better appetite, ate a lot more and, amazingly, lost weight. And most importantly: I had energy again! Before I started my diet the doctor had warned me that, in my condition, a part-time job would be the best I could do. Now, after 2 months, I do a full-time job with lots of responsibilities, which requires me to travel abroad often. I sleep well and wake up much more rested. In the meantime I have lost 5 kilos and eat at least 2x as much as before!
I feel human again. I function in society and I can start thinking about the future again ...

ADHD

E.C. was referred by his doctor a few years back due to asthma, eczema and possible food allergy. Additional symptoms: abdominal cramps, bloated feeling, itchy skin, lots of phlegm in the throat, cough attacks, bloody noses, pain in feet and headache up to 2 a week. Falling asleep would also be a problem, as well as night sweats. No appetite in the morning. Injuries would take a long time to heal. Very pale skin colour. Also suffering from forgetfulness and concentration disorder. Sitting still at school was impossible, he also disliked reading. Sporting was a necessity to restrain his hyperactivity. Food anamnesis revealed a histamine, acid, salicylate and cow's milk protein sensitivity. He also had a strong need for salt. After applying the new diet, the following symptoms disappeared: bloody nose, abdominal cramps, itchy skin, phlegm, cough attacks, pain of feet, sweating and headaches. He is feeling a lot calmer and his appetite increased. He falls asleep immediately. Doing his homework is no longer a problem, even for more than 1 hour at a time! He has clear reactions to tomato sauce, pork, cacao and Ice Tea (sometimes the next day) and now has an aversion to those products. By finding out his food triggers, the use of rilatin could be avoided. A few years later by eliminating the food triggers, he feels that his sports achievements and coordination when doing sports has significantly increased. He is currently taking part in the Belgian championships. If he does not take into account his food triggers, he gets hugely tired and is unable to run in a competition. Injuries also take a lot longer to heal.

I have actually always been a “healthy” person. Blood pressure always ok. No congenital or chronic diseases, no symptoms worth mentioning. The flu every now and then, and that was it.
My numerous and definitely annoying ailments were usually defined as an act by the attending physician: not sleeping well (falling asleep and sleeping through), often tired, very tired actually, night sweats, flatulence ranging from whirlwinds, flat stool, noisy stomach, blurred and double vision, black spots before the eyes ...
I had also noticed that I do not tolerate perfume or perfumed deodorants, that I run away from paint smell, do not digest red peppers very well, stayed awake from valerian, was allergic to the pill. Peanuts, right! You can learn to live with it!
A few years ago, after finding out I was intolerant to gluten and lactose, I sought salvation in macrobiotics. Very healthy and things would start getting better I thought! To the contrary, in the end I crashed. Now it was clear: something was definitely wrong! CFS specialists, psychiatrists (for the anxiety fits), physiotherapists, psychologists, massage therapists were consulted. The results of a calm, stress-free life and 30 mg of antidepressants a day soon became clear: it was getting better, slowly, very slowly. The tiredness was better but the many ailments were still there.
A friend recommended Christine Tobback’s book. I recognised so much of what had happened to me that I made an appointment immediately. Christine found some intolerances and put me on an adequate diet. Because I was kind of used to low-calorie diets I feared the excessive use of oil would soon make me gain weight. After 3 weeks I had lost 2.5 kg! And finally I felt I had something to hold onto. I did not have to be hungry and felt a lot better all at once! The invigorating sleep and my appetite had returned, the flatulence had disappeared in thin air. I felt fitter, my mind was sharper. As if the lead cloak I had been wearing all my life was suddenly torn off!
In a certain way destiny has helped me to become whole. I also started noticing that I was able to read smaller and smaller fonts and after a few days of breaking the habit of using goggles, I could read without them. My sight is much sharper and the black spots have largely disappeared. In that same period I reduced my daily dose of antidepressants, which I had been gradually reducing for quite some time, to 0. My condition had not been that great over the years, after all. But ... people adjust to situations, think they imagine things and go on and on until they have nothing left!
Finally I am the person I should always have been!

top ^