Posted by Alex on January 19, 2010 at 9:25 am
Dear Alex:
I thought I would just drop you a line to let you know that I gave birth to a baby girl a week ago… a couple of years ago I picked up your book (The Great American Detox Diet) in Scotland and read it all the way home to New Zealand… you helped me with my vegetarian wedding menu ideas and with some ideas for good nutrition during my pregnancy. I thought it would make you smile that it was the talk of the hospital that this strict vegetarian girl was the most healthy they had seen! I had a massive post partum bleed which needed surgery to fix, but because my iron levels were so high I didn’t need a blood tranfusion. It turns out after losing 1.5 litres of blood, my haemoglobin levels were still in the “normal” range which is almost unheard of, they were still higher than lots of pregnant women’s levels that don’t lose 25% of their blood! So go you, thanks for setting me up for a more successful result than it could have been!
- Emily, New Zealand
Posted by Alex on November 2, 2009 at 9:12 am
Beth from Cleveland Ohio wrote to me last week about how following my dietary advice has greatly improved her life:
“Dear Alex,
I wanted to send you a letter to tell you how much I absolutely admire your passion and love for healthy eating. It’s so inspiring!
I have suffered from migraines since I was 10. I remember the first one I ever had, the pain was unbearable and my mom ended up taking me to the ER. Over the past 22 years (I’m 32) I have learned to just “deal with them”, avoid triggers and take my prescription meds from my neurologist and accept my inherited condition (my father gets cluster migraines).
Even though I come from a medical family (mom is a nurse, dad is a doctor) I never like taking prescription drugs. When I would go to my neurologist and talk about my migraines she seemed frustrated when I told her I wasn’t taking my pills that I would try rubbing peppermint oil on my temples, burning apple candles, drinking lots of water or tea, and doing yoga to try and get rid of my migraines. I really wanted to take a holistic approach to “curing” myself because I always felt the body is very powerful and can heal itself with the help of the little things. All I ever got were the “doctor look and lecture” of when you get a migraine take your pills. Period.
When I saw you on Super Size Me I really felt inspired to eat healthier. Not necessarily vegan at first, but getting rid of a lot of junk from my diet. Your husband definitely got me to stop eating ANY fast food so a big thank you to him. I went out and bought your book The Great American Detox Diet and couldn’t put it down! I was taking so many notes and writing all in the book; it became my “bible.” Everything I read made sense, but just because I read something doesn’t mean its true, right?! So I decided to make small changes and see what happens.
Within the past 5 months or so I have lost 30 lbs and my migraines have pretty much ceased. I went in to see my neurologist for my bi-yearly visit last week and she was very pleased and I think shocked that I no longer needed my prescription. I went from having 3-4 migraines a week, soemtime more during my menstrual cycle to 1 in the past 5 months!! I have never felt better and I actually encourage others to eat healthier. It’s a great feeling.
I look forward to reading your newsletters and looking forward to purchasing Living Vegan for Dummies. Thank you so much for inspiring me and helping me become a healthier, happier person.
Best regards,
Beth, Cleveland, Ohio”
