Dianne Has Maximum Health & Minimum Rheumatoid Symptoms

We discuss in this interview:

How the Paddison Program has enabled Diane to feel better than ever before, and inspire her whole community into better living
Going plant based shifted her ESR from 65 to 5 mm/h
CRP is now 1.4 mg/L
How she has gotten through COVID lockdown so successfully
The biggest food trigger of all is vegetable oils
How to combat stress, which is the ongoing challenge for many of us
Her husband has gotten off several medications by following her lifestyle, including statins for heart disease and long-terms asthma puffers
How she went through a knee replacement without taking any drugs

Clint – Ok, everyone, thank you for joining me today. We have a guest who’s going to share her story about dramatic improvements with her rheumatoid arthritis. She’s coming all the way from a little town in Ontario, Canada. Her story is going to involve some of the following highlights, how she has managed to survive through the challenge of one of the most strictest lockdowns on Earth over the last few months due to the COVID situation, how she had the most incredible results from a total knee replacement, how she has been able to reverse all but just a tiny little bit of remaining inflammation in her body using dietary changes and eventually settling on the Paddison program. Also a whole bunch of other lessons that we can learn around how she responded and flared, so to speak, from taking nonsteroidal and inflammatory. So it’s going to be a really interesting discussion and inspirational for us all. So welcome, Diane.

Diane – Hi Clint!

Clint – Now, you and I connected on Facebook, you kindly have been putting nice comments under some of our podcasts that we’ve released and shared on that social media platform. And you’ve said, oh, this is great, I’ve had great results, too. I love sharing positive stories, I reached out to you with a little message and said, Diane, would you like to share your story? And you kindly accepted it, thank you for doing this.

Diane – Not a problem.

Clint – Let’s talk about when you first got diagnosed and how your body was feeling leading up to that. I believe that just takes us back about 2, 2 1/2 years or so.

Diane – Yeah, I got diagnosed in January of 2018, that’s when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid.

Clint – What was your body feeling like at that point? Where were the symptoms and where was your mind that with what you thought you had?

Diane’s Symptoms

Diane – I had pain from the shoulder down of my hands, I couldn’t bend my fingers, I couldn’t walk, I was walking with a cane. I would scream and pain, couldn’t figure it out, it was just right through. I couldn’t get in my bed because I couldn’t get out of my bed, so I had to sleep on a lawn chair, gravity lawn chair so I can get up and get out. I live by myself, so I had no one helping me. I couldn’t cook, my son lucky enough live close, they would cook my meals and bring in and deliver it to me. I was in terrible shape, it was the worst thing ever.

Clint – Now, what was going through your mind, and what were your family members saying? I mean, set the sort of emotional and social scenario for us at that time.

Diane – You know, I would tell my sons I have two sons and I would tell them and I don’t think they quite understood it. And I think a lot of people could not, like I went to a couple of different doctors and GP’s and they just said, you got arthritis, go home and take some Tylenol you’ll be fine. So I went to several and actually it was my son’s doctor, he took me there and they were the first ones to actually do a blood test to find out and to send me, they sent me to a pain specialist. And he is first one said it sounds like rheumatoid arthritis, but you better go get a blood test and find out what your inflammation is, and then maybe go see a rheumatologist.

Clint – Yes. So I’m sure we’ve got a lot of people nodding at the moment, this is the process. You find out that it’s looking like that you’ve got the symptoms, the GP or the primary care says go and go to the specialist, get the blood work done. So you’ve come and done that. And what then happened?

Diane – Well, I went to see the rheumatologist and he told me they have some wonderful medication for me. They’re going to be able to help me, I will be out of pain, everything’s going to go great. But I’m the type of person that I’ve always said I am not going I need prescription drugs for my senior years, I’m going to be 70 this year, by the way. So I do not want to go on it, no prescription drugs. He was not happy with me, he leaned forward to me and he said, diet does not work, none of that works. And I said, I’ll tell you what I said, give me six months. I said, I’ll try the diet, if it doesn’t work I’ll come back. He said, no it doesn’t, and he just was really at me until the point I was in tears. But and then because I wouldn’t give in, he walked out.

Clint – He walked out?

Diane – He walked out. Then the next day I got a call from their pharmacist and she called and said, she’s got this great medication I could go on. And I said, I told you, I’m not taking it, I’m not doing it. So I wouldn’t do it, I never heard back. And I proceeded then I got that was January 23rd and February 1st, I started the Paddison Program.

Clint – Wow, OK. No pressure at all on the program. This by the way isn’t that uncommon, I went through the same discussion with my rheumatologist now 15 odd years ago. And I tell the story that he said, I suggest we could take methotrexate, it’s got severe side effects, it’ll make you very nauseous. It creates quite a lot of fatigue so you’ll be tired all the time. And whilst you’re on this drug, you won’t be able to have children. I said, well, sounds very attractive. Are there any negative aspects and sort of try to joke about the situation? But in all seriousness, I then spent 12 months without the Paddison Program. I had no idea what I was doing back then it was, no one knew anyone else who had done really well. Who got the watch stories like yourself on the Internet. And so I was still eating incorrectly and not exercising sufficiently and et cetera, et cetera. For me, that did not work well because I had no plan to go on. At the end of the 12 months, I sort of crept back in with my tail between my legs and and went on the methotrexate. So I’m very curious to see what happened next with yourself, with the right approach.

Diane Started Following The Paddison Program

Diane – Well, big difference. Like I said, my ESR when I first got diagnosed at the end of 2017, it was 65. Before I started the Paddison Program, I should let the audience know that I did a blood test for food sensitivity and that give me clues on which foods my body did not like because dairy was a big one and gluten I found out. So there were quite a few different foods, so I knew I had to eliminate those. But I started your program I went right back to square one and start off that. It was hard, it was really hard and I got to admit that but it was the best thing because I could see the changes as I was going through, because I am having less pain, I could start to move. I would say within that month I was feeling quite good. I was feeling really good, and that’s when I realized, hey, food does make a difference wow. I just couldn’t believe it, and I think the next blood test, by March 24, I had a blood test. Like I said, my ESR was at 65, but it went down to 5.

Clint – Awesome.

Diane – You can say food makes a difference, and after I did your program, I stuck to the foods that I was told not to eat and I gave myself what I said to myself is, if this works, I’m going to give myself one year. I’m going to go on a plant-based diet and I’m going to give myself a year and see how it goes. And I’m still on a plant-based diet. I’m not going off of it because I’m not going to do something. I don’t want to go back to that pain ever.

Clint – Yes, that’s right. Pain is a great motivator, isn’t it? And experiencing wellness is the biggest way to develop a taste for compliance or consistency with what you’re eating. Your story highlights say, this is a feeling of success and you’re like, I want more of that. It’s like almost life taste buds kick in and they’re like, more please, more please, I want to feel better and better. I wonder if I can get rid of pain and in that joint as well, and it feels less. The momentum is what kicks in so that’s why getting an early win is important. And that’s why I have two days cleanse at the start incidentally. That two days cleanse at the start, that doesn’t actually do that much in terms of healing or changing your gut permeability. What it really is, is an early win because we feel so good normally after two days, so much less pain it’s like a euphoric drug, I want more of that. So that’s one of the main reasons that it’s there and it builds faith in the program that there is this gut, food, pain connection.

Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Diane – Definitely. And like I said, so by March I was feeling quite good. And then in June, I was told I have to have I knew I had a bad right knee, and I had to have a total knee replacement. But I was feeling great, and went to see my orthopedic surgeon. I said, I just want to know I’ve been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, she said, Oh, and what medication are You on? I said, I’m on medication. And she said, What do you mean you’re on no medication? I said, no. I said, I just do it by through food, I just changed my diet. I did some programs. I found the program and I’m doing to buy food. And she said it doesn’t work just like the Rheumatologists said the orthopedic surgeon said the same thing. It doesn’t work, and she said when you have your operation, your rheumatoid arthritis is going to flare up so bad. And she said, you’re going to be in so much pain. I was scared again, I left there crying and but I stuck to it. I wasn’t going to change. I had the operation, I absolutely had no pain. I don’t know this is weird I’m in my late 60s, I had no pain at all. I got up out of the bed the following day, they said, here are the walkers. I don’t need the Walker, crutches are fine, did the exercise (inaudible). You don’t have to stay, you can go home. Here’s a prescription for all the painkillers, I never took one, I never had to take even a Tylenol. I didn’t have to take anything, I was fine. I healed really fast, did all the exercises they told me to do. To this day, my orthopedic surgeon can’t believe how well I healed and how well I can bend that leg and I could do everything.

Clint – That is extraordinary. What month was that?

Diane – That would have been June, June 6th of 2018.

Clint – Ok, and before I tell my short comparative story, you went into that with a knee that I imagine had been bad for many years.

Diane – Oh yeah. It was originally when I was in my 20’s I had a motorcycle accident, so I had several surgeries already before that. As a result, I had osteoarthritis really, really bad in it. I had to torn (inaudible), and I had a baker cyst. Though it was already a really, really bad shape so when rheumatoid arthritis hit, it just exploded.

Clint – Wow. Your knee resumé sounds exactly like my left knee, so I don’t want to still the focus on you in this episode. But likewise, as I told on Lighting the Path documentary series with Gabe Golden, I had a knee replacement last year as well, just like you. It started with a traumatic anterior cruciate ligament tear back in 2006. That happened the same week that I was diagnosed with rheumatoid. I went to seek repair surgery on my ACL and the surgeons too would not operate on it because of the rheumatoid arthritis activity. They said you got to get that under control. And then as I mentioned earlier, I spent 12 months trying to naturally improve before I took meds, and then the meds helped but didn’t get rid of it entirely. It took years until that inflammation in that knee got under control, which is a whole another story. And then for 10 years, I was on a bone, on bone, knee, osteoarthritic knee in three chambers. That was bone on bone behind the kneecap and left and right chamber. But through my Bikram yoga and through stationary bike and through careful physical activity without running and a few other things. That needed nearly 11 years completely acceptable, not keeping me up at night and walk as far as I want. But then, through yet another traumatic incident and a few other little things going on, which I’m going to share in another focus on me type episode that required a knee replacement as well. My recovery from that, it’ll be 12 months in a few weeks has been slow but very, very steady and the knee just feels wonderful.

Clint – So we’re completely alike, however, the comparative part about recovering from the surgery. I was on oxycodeine for about 10 days and high dose of Tylenol. Those drugs caused me some extremely dry eyes, so I wanted off the drugs because my eyes just dried out like I had no moisture in my body. I saw an ophthalmologist back here in Australia who drew the connection between those medications and dry eye. And it was also another ophthalmologist in the US, actually explain the connection as well. So I had that side effect from those meds, but I needed them, my muscle wastage in that leg was significant, and I was in excruciating pain before the surgery. So I’m going to do a whole podcast on knee replacement, and all of the worries, concerns, recovery strategies, and everything in the future, but I just wanted to draw a comparison and say again from personal experience, yours is certainly unique and to not take a pain med after a total knee replacement unheard off.

Diane – Yeah, I know. Like I said, my orthopedic surgeon can’t believe it.

Clint – I mean, when you think about what you went through, we’re talking about a 12-inch wound on your knee.

Diane – Yeah. It was from the top of the knee to below and those metal clips.

Clint – Yes, that’s it, and they get in there with a saw. And you just get up the next day and walkout like have nothing happen.

Diane – Yeah, I don’t know and I can’t even explain it. I tell everybody it’s because I had reduced really low inflammation because I really believe it’s the inflammation that causes all the pain, so that was my theory. If my blood rate was showing up so low, like I said in March my CRP was just 1.4. To me it’s saying, OK, I got low Inflammation, that must be the only reason. Definitely, everybody else had pain because when I go to physiotherapy, everybody would had of look at me I was the weird one with no pain.

Clint – Yes, it’s extraordinary, it truly is. I mean, if no one has any idea, this would be like having a major motorcycle accident and creating massive lacerations in your skin, damaging bone, and then having no pain like it’s extraordinary. That’s fascinating. So you recovered from that like world record sort of style, and now that takes us back a couple of years. What has happened in the last few years? Have you maintained your progress with inflammation reduction to the point of where are you at now?

How Diane Sustained Her Progress?

Diane – Ok. I continue with the plant-based. I sort of went back to a little bit maybe I always say 20% vegan diet because then what would happen is so if I went out to eat or whatever at night I might have, I’ve had oil. I know personally over the years, if I start to feel that stiffness first thing I always say, what did I eat? What did I have that could flare this? Usually, you could kind of figure it out there must be something that I had processed foods for sure, a lot of times of flare it up. Not that I’m in bad like I was, you just know there’s a difference of feeling stiff. So I just have to be always aware of what I’m putting in my mouth. Also exercise is really, really important, that’s why I’ll be so glad we’re finally open up in our gyms are going to open up again. Exercise, keep the body got to keep stretching, you’ve got to keep the body moving, that’s really a big key. And keep that stress level, you’re going to really keep yourself calm. Stress, I know for sure, flares it up. When I searched as much, do you have a lot of information in your book when you do the program, and then I just search online what is the best route and what foods?

Diane – It’s hard, and I’ve shared your program with other people. Most people will always say it’s too hard. And I have someone that I knew was 20 years younger than me being on the same medications, really bad, got her off, shared the book, told her what to do. She would got off right just medication, but she said it was too hard to stay on the diet so she’s back on medication. So a lot of people I’m going to assume I don’t know if you find that, but a lot of people will try it, but it’s really hard to make that switch. Like I said, I was in my late 60s to make this big change of diet, that’s no meat, dairy, and I also I’m gluten-free, so it’s difficult. But you know what? I just really want to share with people, if you do the diet, you do the program, do stay on the diet. It is hard, but there are lots of recipes. There are thousands of recipes. And like you said, a lot of talks you’ve had Mexican, Indian, and there’s a lot of different foods you can eat. It isn’t that you’re going to starve, I don’t starve. I’m not really, really skinny.

Clint – Now, that’s great. And you’ve given us lots to talk about for the rest of this episode. We can talk about stress, we can talk about your exercise, I want to learn more about that. Talk about oils, we’ll talk about what you’ve done during lockdown, and we’ll talk about this or I’ll speak to now this concept of hard and just give those who are sort of still wondering if this is something that they can go ahead and try. So let’s talk about hard first. Specifically, it’s a two day cleanse where you don’t eat for two days, followed by ten days of eating pretty much the same stuff every day just to really, really reset to the lowest possible pain levels. And then you reintroduce a food every day. If you are quite unresponsive to the foods, which, by the way, are chosen to be quite unresponsive, then you can have 30 different foods in your diet after day twelve. By then, that’s quite a lot of food and you’re starting to get back into a conventional, moderately diverse, plant-based diet after just a month and a bit a week, a month and 12 days. That’s not that bad, where it is hard is if we start reintroducing foods and we hit inflammation, and we reset, and then we hit inflammation. Look, if that’s the case, then that is the set of cards that we’ve been dealt, and we’re going to have to decide whether or not we want to continue to play the card game.

Diane – That’s right. That’s exactly, we all have choices.

Discipline vs Regret

Clint – It’s the pain of discipline versus the pain of regret. Now that does not throw shade onto the medication in use and medications are there as our support system. If all the dietary exercise stress reduction stuff isn’t adequate, we need the meds because we can’t continue to have high inflammation. (inaudible) I’m just speaking to our audience. That that handles the topic of hard. Is it that hard? Well, you don’t eat your favorite foods for like 30, 40 days and you get in there. Well, that’s up to you, everyone’s definition of hard’s different. Some people jump into freezing water for fun and other people say, I couldn’t do that if my life depended on it.

Diane – That’s right. That’s exactly it.

Managing Stress

Clint – OK, now let’s talk about the stress. Someone inside from our support forum, just yesterday made a very good point that even positive stress can have a negative impact. So even things like a promotion at work, which is an exciting career progression sort of thing, but can actually have negative consequences on our health. She made a great comment that she’s never really taken stress seriously enough. It isn’t that a good point that we think, oh, I do all this other stuff. I’m stressed out, but it’s not what I’m eating. But it does we need to try and be mindful of what we’re loading our lives with. Can you talk about how you work this important aspect into your plans?

Diane – And how to deal with the stress, well stress is hard. When it comes to stress, I was determined to exercise and try to do a little bit of meditation, that’s basically what I do if I’m stressed out. I always go out and feel the fresh air during this COVID time right now. I’m finding it for me because I’m a senior, so I have worked for a long time. So it’s been locked in like here in Ontario, where my area wherein I am living, we’ve been a lot of heavy duty lockdown since the beginning of December. And they’re telling us don’t leave the house, only leave for essential services, don’t go near anybody, not see family and friends, the mask, and the social distance. The whole thing is just too much and there’s so much stuff out there that I can get myself really worked up. Don’t listen to the news, just stay calm. We’re going to get through that and you got to have a really positive attitude, and that’s what I’ve always said, just be positive. The exercises and the breathing, a lot of deep breathing really helps me.

Clint – And have you developed exercise routines at home due to the strict lockdown?

Diane – I do a lot of mostly stretching because I can’t go to the gym right now, but I’ll be back. I do work with someone, so I’m excited about that. I just have a mat and I have some stretch pants, so I just use those. I just work with a routine of making sure you’re bending all your joints and your muscles. Always keep them lubricated and also keep them moving. We tend to want to sit a lot because they don’t know what else to do, right? We’ve got to keep moving, get up and keep moving those joints because I found that when I did sit for a long periods of time. I am close to seventy years old so when I get up, I’m already stiff. With that, you got to keep moving and keep the joints lubricated, drink lots of water, lots of water, definitely lots of water. That’s a key one. I’m a water drinker so I drink lots of water.

Clint – These are great tips, great stuff. I just had a consultation with an eighty year old man the other day and he said that he contacted me for his shoulders, his shoulders are bothering him. And we talked about his lifestyle and he gets up each day, he goes down to a local community hall or something similar, and he also helps them with constant repair jobs. All the stuff around this big community hall, he’s eighty and he walks into their little town and he does it all the time. He would be in a terrible shape with his health, but he’s been doing that his whole life. I’m like, well, eighty and like, crushing it constantly and the solutions I gave him for his exercise and he’s excited about it. They all involve sort of physical therapy kind of stuff and you write like, those who do best move most. But when I did a podcast with Dr. Gregor, who’s a plant based doctor sort of famous guy, he’s on a treadmill while he does every interview because he says the human body, it’s meant to move all the time. We are meant not to sit still we are meant to move.

Diane – My neighbor is in his 90’s and he still snow plows his driveway. He still cuts his grass, he walks his dog three times out of a day, and he’s in his 90s. He walks sometimes with his walker because we’re in wintertime and he walks down the street with his walker walking his dog. And he said, if I stop moving, that’s it game over.

Clint – My dad’s birthday is actually tomorrow. I think he’ll be seventy four and he says it’s better to wear out than to rust out. He just keeps going all the time and we really know that it’s important, isn’t it? I’ve heard you’ve got this excitement in your voice when you talk about seeing your personal trainer again at the gym. What do you do at the gym? Do you do cardio and weights?

Diane – No actually, she’s worked with this kind of like a (Inaudible) machines and it’s been a lot of work stretching for her and I am great at working with the resistance bands. So she works a lot more that way and I don’t do with her at the gym, I go to her house. So she’s a personal trainer, but I work at our house and so she works that way with me. I tried it with a personal trainer at the gym and I thought it was a little too hard for me personally. So I do much better with resistant bands and more stretching that way for me. And again, a treadmill for the cardio and that kind of thing.

Clint – Absolutely awesome. Then you mentioned and this will be the last question I have for the moment, and then we might do sort of seek your wisdom about some tips and things. You mentioned oils when it comes to your first concern, when things don’t feel right. This is a messy job obviously said for a decade. But your sensitivity, is it greatest from oil consumption, accidental or deliberate than anything else?

Diane’s Tips

Diane – That’s where I personally think it is, I really do between oil and processed foods. Those are big because sometimes you think you get tired of the vegetables and you want that quickie or you’re out somewhere and you get that veggie burger or whatever they have is processed food, any of that thought process. So that to me, I am fine it will do it. But then it could be the oils in they way the cook, what’s in there too. I remember when I started your program and get the emails on that, and I think I emailed at one point and don’t forget, it’s the oil so stay away from it. So that’s right on my ass, stay away from the oils. Now have a partner, I have a man in my life and when I met him, he was on five medications for heart, diabetes and acid reflux he is now off of everything. He was off within a year, he was off of everything. I talked to everybody and it works, you got to do it. So I got him doing exactly my diet, no oil.

Clint – How is his sort of compliance level, is he a reluctant plant based person or is he an advocate?

Diane – He was right on board and he even took a course in how to (inaudible) plant-based foods. He’s right in and when I said, when I’m out of here, just change to be a vegetarian. So he was just coming off of me and I said, no, I’m way over here, I’m on plant base. And he went and it was a little bit of a struggle, well he didn’t say anything. And then I said, you’ve got to get off those medications. And his doctors were really but they kept doing the tests, the tests were getting better and better and better. And his cardiologist said, I don’t know what you’re doing but you’re doing great. He was on statin drugs then right off at all. We even had asthma while I was taking those steroids puffer

Clint – The puffer one’s are interesting. I’ve had a client or two over the years who’s had asthma for their whole life and no longer need to have the puff. So I’m not suggesting that’s typical, but it has happened. But how long had he had those asthma puffers for?

Diane – I think he’s had them for two or three years.

Clint – Goodness may, want a different trajectory he now has in his life with this current situation compared to previous. You saved his life, Diane.

Diane – What was good for me is, now I have a partner that eats the same idea because that really helps too. And it really helps just what the people I deal with if I’m trying to get them to change the way they eat. For example one partner said, nope, not going to give up the meat or not going to give up certain foods and then the one partner wants to go. So it’s really hard when you’re both not on the same page, but if you can get both on the same page, then that makes I can understand that much easier.

Clint – Now I heard you say the words that I am working with, does this mean that you’re on a little bit of philanthropy activism here to try and help a few people you know to improve their lifestyle?

Diane – I talk to everybody from the person that’s in the lineup while I’m waiting at the grocery store. I talk to everybody and I even with the orthopedic surgeon, I’ve got her talking about diet. I’m so excited about it because that’s an expression with the (inaudible). I do a lot of posting about some of the foods I make, about what you should be taking supplements or anything to help you to boost your immune system. That’s what’s going to keep you going and keep you strong.

Clint – Oh, yeah, no doubt about it. Let’s just before we find out if people can follow you online somewhere or if you have a blog or whatever. Tell us what would be your words of wisdom to two categories of people who watch this show. People who are on the program who are hoping to get closer to the situation that you’re at or people who are also thinking about making lifestyle choices, who watch like a thousand of these before they finally decide that they will do the Paddison program and go down this path. Can you give some some words of insight to both people or both groups?

Diane – I always say once you get these different health issues, I look at it this way, you can either have the disease take control of you or you can take control of it and that’s what my morals is. Take control you’ve got the choice to take that control. Just get on a program, start go on the Internet, just learn about everything and do the Paddison program, because at least that’s a start and that’s what it was for me. I learned a lot of information before that, but I just didn’t know how to get started. How do you get started so that you can start the healing process and then from there you can continue on, which you need to start. I say do the start and like I said, I’ve told other people that I meet, that I have arthritis somehow through social media. And I don’t know how people get in contact with me and they’ll say, you’ve got rheumatoid arthritis, what do you do? Go to the Paddison Program, I tell them all I don’t know whether they do or don’t because I don’t know them.

Clint – What about to those people who are doing it and maybe have hit a few hiccups and they’re thinking, oh, should I get back on it? Or maybe they’re feeling like they’re stuck. What would you say to them?

Diane – You know what, that’s really common because we are all human and we all do things that sometimes. I know when the COVID hit, I was getting some bad, not good food. And then I started to have a flare up, so I just went right back to the start of what your program was and did that for about a week just to get back on track. When things don’t go right, you could always start towards a new day to start another day or start right now. I think the biggest thing is you need a reason for what or why you’re doing it. And I think for you, you want to have children, you wanted to run or be able to run, move, and everything else. I think having that reason is why you want to do this and you really got to have that in your head all the time. And for me, it was to be in no pain and not be on any prescription drugs going through my senior year. So those are my motivations and that’s what you need that motivation to keep going?

Clint – You’ve had that objective for a long time though, haven’t you? You took that objective, into your meeting with the rheumatologist, it wasn’t a result of the diagnosis.

Diane – Yeah, it was long before and I’ve always been. I always thought I ate healthily, but I didn’t know there were certain foods that were irritating my gut. I didn’t know anything about that and I didn’t know anything about that kind of thing. But I just know that the people that are on the prescription drug, you end up going on another one and another one, and just watch your body deteriorate. So what quality of life you want as you’re going into your senior years. You want to be the one that’s just sitting in the chair and you can’t move or do you want to be that active one? Just like my neighbor that’s going out there and keeps active. My grandmother lived to one hundred and five and she kept active, so that’s the way to do it. I guess that’s why I knew what she was like and that was my motivation.

Clint – When you’re speaking, listening and thinking about what you’re saying. I’m realizing the interpretation of the situation, that is so pivotal in the decisions that we then take. So your interpretation of your diagnosis is that it’s more motivation to be as healthy with my diet, as healthy with my exercise, and as healthy in my mindset as I can be so that I don’t develop more symptoms. And I can stay, in your case without any dependency on meds into your senior years. And a different interpretation might be, oh no, I’ve got this disease, I need to follow all of the regular medical approach and listen to every word that is said. These are just interpretations and there’s no right or wrong. But my interpretation of it is what an opportunity to be as healthy as I possibly can across my whole lifestyle. How can I interact with others in a healthy way? How can I sleep the most healthiest way? How can I exercise for best joint preservation and for strength building? How can I have the healthiest diet and just a healthy life? And let’s see how little my symptoms remain as a consequence of that, it’s very similar to your approach. Let’s do all these things with motivation because of a diagnosis that’s a big stick behind us saying, hey, if you’re not careful, I’m going to whip you hard. Well, OK, I’m getting out there and I’m going to do all these things because that’s motivating.

Diane – But in one way, I’m thankful in the sense that they are keen because by going in this direction of the health, it wasn’t just RA I resolved. I had digestive problems my whole life. I was taking digestive enzymes and everything, trying to be able to digest. I don’t have any of that problem anymore, I don’t have the bloating and I don’t have anything. I had bladder infections my whole life and I was always on antibiotics at least two to three times a year but I don’t have any problem anymore. My bladder works as good as it was when I was like 20 years of age, it’s fantastic. I had brain fog and I just couldn’t get it together, I couldn’t remember a thing. But my memory is so good now, I sleep better now. So it’s not just RA there many, so it fix a lot of problems, not just one but several. And I think a lot of people we tend to think we don’t realize we’ve got all these other issues because we tend to just say, yes, you got little tummy ache or whatever, it’s going to go away. But you know what? Your body is telling you there’s something wrong. They did this Paddison Program, get up and eat right. Don’t be surprised at how many other probably issues that they probably have and didn’t realize that result.

Clint – It’s funny you say that, I used to think that it was normal to have digestive problems in your 20’s. I thought it’s normal if you eat, say, ice cream for me. And that’s normal if you eat ice cream and then you just basically feel bloated and sick for a few hours. I was so stupid but as if you wouldn’t eat ice cream. You eat ice cream that’s normal that you got hurts like hell for a few hours.

Diane – I used to have the diarrhea problems or the stomach problems but, no more it’s fantastic. I get so excited when I talk about this.

Clint – You really do put a wonderful energy out there when you speak about this and there’s a spark in your eye. And you can see that this is you, you’ve hit bull’s eye with the way that works for you. And also a message that you can share to clearly everyone around you, from surgeons to the neighbor and that’s a wonderful thing. Wow, I feel so happy after having spoken with you, I feel so much more energized than what I did at the start, we started at 8am our time here in Sydney, and I had kids running around everywhere. And now I’m just so pumped after talking to you. Thank you for coming on this episode and congratulations on all that you’ve achieved. And thank you for spreading such a wonderful word about lifestyle and its impact on our health.

Diane – Ok, and you’re welcome. Any time that’s for sure.

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