Diet is an essential component of any health goal, symptom or condition. Since Caring Medical is a pain clinic, we have repeatedly seen the benefits of proper diet to the healing of chronic pain.

Take the case of Karen, a patient who came to see us for low back pain, left knee pain and migraines. Her right sacroiliac joint had been giving her pain since 1999 when she was pregnant with her first child. She has tried a sacroiliac block, neurotomy, physical therapy, and was currently doing exercises that she had learned from her physical therapist. She also wore a lumbar support brace. Her knee pain was from a basketball injury in 1976, and she also wore a knee brace. After examination of both joints, Dr. Hauser predicted 5-10 Prolotherapy treatments with 100-200 injections at each visit. Dr. Hauser also suggested that perhaps some of her pain may be related to her blood chemistry and suggested Diet Typing, food allergy, and hormone testing. Karen had her first Prolotherapy injections and scheduled Diet Typing for her second trip to see us.

When Karen returned for a Prolotherapy follow-up visit she was already noticing some improvements in her pain and was eager to see what Diet Typing would reveal. She filled out a food diary for us and we could see that her current diet was similar to a Bear Diet Type in that she balanced most meals with protein, carbohydrates, and fat. However her Diet Typing showed that she would need to increase her protein. She was a fast oxidizer and she had acidic blood pH. Karen told our nutritionist that on top of her pain, she also had low energy and always felt cold. In fact, she was shivering during the nutrition consultation! We told her that her diet was not high enough in protein, and therefore her blood sugars were most likely unbalanced during the day, which can lead to low energy levels or energy swings. Also, her acidic blood pH could also be attributing to her low energy levels and her tendency to feel cold all of the time.

When Karen returned a month later she reported some significant changes. Her main goal of pain relief was certainly being reached – she told us she was over 50% better in both her knee and low back. She had also noticed an increase in energy and was not as cold as she had been in the past – a great sign that her blood pH was balancing. Also, she had some unexpected outcomes such as modest weight loss and greater satiety on the Otter Diet.

Karen is still following the Otter Diet and continuing to see improvements. After 5 treatments to her low back she is 90% better and noticing her back stays in place. She has had three treatments to her knee and no longer needs a brace. She walks three miles a day and is looking forward to continually increasing her activity as her joint pain keeps improving. Although Dr. Hauser predicted 5-10 treatments, it seems that the Otter Diet has helped speed Karen’s healing along.