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Living with a chronic condition can leave you feeling lonely and helpless, yet recovery is possible.
By: Sina McCullough
“There’s nothing more we can do,” my doctor said.
I was in my 30s and struggling to get out of bed most days due to debilitating pain and weakness. After seeing countless doctors and undergoing endless tests for over two decades, I was told the symptoms were “in my head.” But I knew something was really wrong, and I refused to believe healing wasn’t possible.
So my husband and I became co-detectives, scouring scientific literature and theorizing that my health issues stemmed from a “leaky gut” triggered by gluten and manmade chemicals like genetically modified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, and herbicides. Switching to an organic, gluten-free diet, I tried protocols like Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), paleo, elimination diet, and the candida diet, but the symptoms worsened, and the food sensitivities grew so severe that even healthy foods like apples and bananas made me sick. Despite cooking everything from scratch and eating exclusively organic, my health continued to decline.
At rock bottom, I spent most days lying on the floor, too weak to climb stairs or stand long enough to wash a single dish. My body ached so intensely that I couldn’t wrap my hand around a cup. My ribs felt like they might break with each breath, and I had begun muscle wasting, losing 15 pounds in a single month despite eating almost constantly.
I knew I wouldn’t live to see my kids graduate from high school or get married if I couldn’t stop the deterioration, and Western medicine didn’t have any answers—except medication. So I surrendered to God.
He led me to a functional medicine doctor who diagnosed me with an advanced stage of autoimmune disease—rheumatoid arthritis—accompanied by arsenic poisoning, leaky gut, and life-threatening nutrient deficiencies.
The diagnosis felt like a death sentence, branding me with the label “autoimmune disease” forever. With conventional medicine offering only symptom management and no hope for full recovery, it was a crushing reality to face.
So I changed my perception by refusing to let a label define me. I also believed that if my lifestyle choices had contributed to the illness, those same choices held the power to heal me.
Today, over nine years later, I’m not just in remission; I am fully healed and bursting with more energy than I had in my 20s!
Healing Is Possible
While conventional medicine excels in treating acute trauma, it often approaches chronic and autoimmune conditions as lifelong sentences to “manage” largely through medications—rarely offering the possibility of true healing. Yet, the scientific literature tells a different story, with numerous case studies and clinical trials demonstrating that chronic conditions can, in fact, be reversed.
Arthritis
I reversed rheumatoid arthritis through lifestyle changes, including a high-fat, grain-free diet, and a positive mindset—without relying on medications. Nearly a decade later, I remain completely free of the disease.
Dietary changes can play a powerful role in reversing rheumatoid arthritis. A 2021 clinical trial in Nutrients reported significant pain reduction and improved physical and mental health in rheumatoid arthritis patients after three months on a gluten-, lactose-, and meat-free diet.
A 2014 review in Cell Metabolism highlighted fasting as a method to reduce inflammation and pain. Combining fasting with a vegetarian diet has also demonstrated success in alleviating symptoms, according to a two year clinical trial.
A 2002 clinical trial reported reduced pain, better physical function, and increased vitality following a Mediterranean-based diet compared to a Western diet.
Cancer
Spontaneous tumor regression, wherein tumors shrink and disappear without conventional treatment, and tumor reversion, wherein cancer cells revert to normal cells, have been observed in humans for centuries, according to a 2024 review in Cancers. Fasting and fever were noted as potential triggers for reversal.
A 2011 review in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine affirmed that spontaneous healing from cancer “is now accepted as an indisputable fact” and is not rare. The review noted that during 2002, more than four articles every month were published in medical journals documenting healing.
Heart Disease
A landmark clinical trial in 1998 demonstrated that lifestyle changes can not only halt but also reverse coronary heart disease. The randomized controlled trial divided patients with moderate to severe coronary heart disease into two groups: a usual-care control group and an experimental group undergoing intensive lifestyle modifications, including a whole-foods vegetarian diet containing 10 percent fat, aerobic exercise, stress management, smoking cessation, and group support.
After five years, the group receiving standard care demonstrated increased blockage of coronary arteries, which can lead to chest pain and heart attack because the coronary arteries feed the heart. In contrast, those engaged in lifestyle changes demonstrated a reduction in the blockage of coronary arteries and fewer cardiac events.
Recent trials on the Mediterranean diet suggest that healthy fats may play a more significant role in preventing cardiovascular mortality and heart disease than traditional low-fat, low-cholesterol diets, according to a 2020 narrative review in Nutrients.
Depression and Anxiety
A 2024 retrospective case series published in Frontiers in Nutrition documented the reversal of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder in three adults following a ketogenic diet. Complete remission was achieved within 12 weeks.
A 2023 umbrella review reported that exercise reduced mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety in adults, matching or slightly surpassing the effectiveness of standard medications. All forms of exercise studied—resistance, aerobic, yoga, and a combination—were beneficial. Aerobic exercise was also shown to reduce depression in a 2024 review.
Exercise helps improve depressive symptoms through multiple mechanisms, such as boosting the levels of “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin and norepinephrine, decreasing systemic inflammation, and helping to balance hormones, according to the umbrella review.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Cognitive decline in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed, according to a 2016 study published in Aging.
Using a personalized, holistic therapeutic program, some patients experienced significant cognitive improvements, with some regaining normal function and returning to work.
In one case, a patient’s brain volume in a key area called the hippocampus (which involves memory formation and learning) increased from below average (17th percentile) to above average (83rd percentile) in just 10 months. This was associated with improvements in memory and thinking.
Single drugs have not been able to reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, combined treatments targeting stress, diet, physical activity and environment may hold the key, according to the authors.
A 2023 review also reported cognitive improvements in early-onset Alzheimer’s through a personalized, holistic approach.
Type 2 Diabetes
A 2019 review of 99 studies published in Nutrients reported that Type 2 diabetes was reversed or reduced through carbohydrate restriction, low-calorie diet, or bariatric surgery.
One study showed both a very low-carbohydrate diet (less than 20 grams of carbohydrates daily) and a low-calorie diet improved blood sugar levels (HbA1c) and weight loss and eliminated the need for diabetes medication in patients with obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
While both dietary plans proved effective, the low-carbohydrate approach was more effective, with over 95 percent of participants stopping or reducing their diabetes medications after 24 weeks, compared to 62 percent in the low-calorie group.
Lupus
A 2016 study published in Arthritis Care & Research examined the occurrence of complete remission in lupus patients over a 32-year period. Nearly 15 percent of patients achieved complete remission for at least three years, while 4.3 percent sustained remission for a minimum of 10 years. Complete remission was defined as living symptom-free, with normal lab results and no need for medication.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
A 2016 study published in Neurology analyzed data from 3,132 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and found that 7 percent experienced a plateau in disease progression over 18 months, while fewer than 1 percent showed a reversal. While the latter number is small, it demonstrates reversal is possible. Since then, Dr. Richard Bedlack, lead researcher of the study, has confirmed 62 cases of ALS reversal—including individuals breathing independently after using ventilators, running after requiring a wheelchair, and speaking unaided after relying on speech devices.
Parkinson’s Disease
A 65-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease was serendipitously prescribed 250 milligrams of niacin daily to treat high cholesterol. While his blood cholesterol levels improved, his Parkinson’s symptoms also showed unexpected improvements in motor function, cognitive performance, and sleep quality, with no side effects. Researchers suggest that niacin might potentially reverse Parkinson’s disease due to its anti-inflammatory effects.
The Parkinson’s Recovery Project provides case studies of people who have recovered from this condition.
Asthma
Remission of asthma is common in children, with many outgrowing the condition as they age. In adults, remission is also possible, with rates varying widely between 2 percent and 52 percent, according to a 2022 review. Some participants in the studies achieved complete remission, characterized by no symptoms, no need for medication, and normalized lung function.
A 2007 clinical trial reported significant improvements in asthma symptoms and lung function after 8 weeks of alternate day calorie restriction. Participants alternated between eating freely on one day and eating less than 20 percent of their normal calorie intake on the next.
The Best We Can Do?
Disease reversal isn’t just possible—it’s happening all around you. Science shows there’s more than one way to do it. The key is finding the approach that works for you. But the journey begins with a crucial first step: believing reversal is possible—a mindset often overlooked in today’s medical system.
For example, despite mounting evidence that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed, “achieving reversal is not commonly encouraged by our healthcare system,” and reversal interventions are “not first-line standard of care,” according to the 2019 narrative review in Nutrients.
If reversal is not the goal, then the Western standard of care is not the best we can do.
Health, Hope, and the Pursuit of Wellness
God gave me a second chance at life, and I believe the same is possible for others.
This column will bring you practical solutions to reverse chronic diseases, nourish the body naturally, and thrive without life-long dependence on medications.
Think of me as your personal wellness detective; if you have questions or feel lost in the sea of health information, reach out. I will dig into the research and offer insights to support your journey.
A scientist by training and journalist by nature, Sina McCullough offers facts and insights about how to live healthy, happy, and free.
