EXCLUSIVE – 38-year-old woman whose undiagnosed Lyme disease left her ‘minutes to death’ reveals how a vegan diet almost ruined her body

• Angela Leroux, 38, of Los Angeles, stopped eating most meat and fish in 2013
• She started fainting up to 20 times a day and had anaphylaxis
• Angela learned her diet was killing her after she was diagnosed with Lyme disease

A woman who was advised to follow a vegan diet after being diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy has spoken of how avoiding meat nearly killed her while she was suffering from undiagnosed Lyme disease.

Angela Leroux, 38, of Los Angeles, stopped eating most meat and fish, and subsisted mainly on vegetables and colorful salad bowls for three years after she underwent surgery in 2013.

But instead of feeling better, she began fainting up to 20 times a day, had hives and rashes, and was experiencing increased anxiety and anaphylaxis. She became very swollen, and looked pregnant.

The Reiki teacher was told these were post-cancer diseases, but her symptoms were actually caused by undiagnosed Lyme disease, which she had been unknowingly battling for over 30 years.

After doctors broke the news to her in 2021, she gave up her massive vegetarianism and followed a meat-only diet, and her health improved.

Now Angela is keen to help others who may be suffering as well.

“Growing up, I always had random allergies, neurological issues, asthma and digestive issues, but I was never diagnosed with anything,” Angela told MakeTheHeadlines.co.uk.

“I thought eating mostly plants would make me better, but it actually makes my condition worse.

Most plants are high in histamine, salicylates, and oxalates, and when the intestines and liver are weakened, the body cannot properly digest them and the chemicals can create a slew of autoimmune health issues, leading to more inflammation and histamine responses in the body.

“My liver was unable to digest plants, so throughout my life I suffered from hives, breathing problems, rapid heartbeat, burning skin, anxiety, joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, rashes, swollen throat, and other autonomic imbalances.

“A carnivore diet starves the bacteria and parasites in our gut that cause these diseases and gives the body the space it needs to get back into balance and heal.

“I went from being bedridden and needing help standing up, to doing yoga every day and going for long walks several times a week.”

After a childhood of ailments including bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic sinus infections, acid reflux, food allergies, and undiagnosed chronic streptococcal infections, she didn’t start getting answers until 2013.

In January 2013, Angela was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic autoimmune disease of the esophagus. She was also told that she had dairy, gluten and soy allergies in addition to the seafood allergy she had always had.

A month later, she noticed blood coming out of her right breast.

“During the MRI, my breasts lit up like a Christmas tree because of the cancer,” she said. “I had to have a mastectomy at Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Hills two months later. Then my doctors wanted me to be mostly plant-based.

“I did that and really focused on health and nutrition — juicing, making smoothies, cutting out as much meat as possible. I would eat a palm-sized serving of chicken or turkey once or twice a week.

Angela’s bloating worsened, she developed skin problems such as hives, and her neurological problems, including severe dizziness and loss of movement, returned during the three years she followed a mainly vegetarian diet.

The doctors told her that all her symptoms were from post-cancer syndrome, but she was convinced it was something else because she had not received chemotherapy or radiation during her treatment.

In January 2015, Angela trained to become a Reiki practitioner. The following year, she quit her modeling job to open a treatment clinic. She “tolerated” her symptoms because no one could provide her with answers.

But the pain in her left arm returned and was gradually getting worse. Eventually, she was unable to lift her arm at all, and lost all her strength and grip to the point where daily chores such as washing her hair became difficult.

Angela visited several specialists and increased her plant-based foods, believing that this would help her heal the inflammation.

But in 2019, Angela started noticing sharp pain in her shoulder. She lost feeling in her fingers and her hands went numb.

She underwent an MRA with a neurologist in Long Beach, California, and results revealed a compressed artery between her collarbone and her upper rib and a stent was being placed in her artery.

In April 2019, she underwent a cervical ribectomy at the University of California, Irvine, to remove the rib, with devastating results.

“The surgeon made a mistake and thought he had punctured my lung, but it completely collapsed during the operation,” she said.

“It sent my heart rate up into cardiac arrest and so they left me under anesthesia until my heart rate went down.

“What was supposed to be a two-hour surgery, ended up being eight hours.”

Angela was given a chest tube to remove the excess air, and told she only had 30 minutes to live. She was placed in the intensive care unit for 10 days while her lungs were drained of fluid.

Two weeks later, when she went home, her neurological symptoms returned in force. She fainted every time she stood up. She could hardly stand, and could not walk without out of breath.

Angela, who had adopted a low-histamine diet at this point, was eating at a restaurant in November 2019 when she developed an allergic reaction and had to call an ambulance.

She also experienced severe brain fog, her digestive system stopped working, and she developed gastroparesis.

“My leg was covered in bruises, and the doctors called me a ‘zebra’ because they had no idea what had hit me,” she said.

“My driver’s license was revoked, my German Shepherd was trained as my service dog, my throat became chronically narrow, and I was diagnosed with vocal cord dysfunction.”

She added that she “lost 30 pounds in six months.”

By the time Angela returns home to live with her mom in Pennsylvania in 2021, she’s only eating Brussels sprouts, green cabbage, beans and kale with white rice and a small amount of skinless chicken.

All of the doctors in California listed the problems she was having in diagnosing her autonomic dysfunction. But she knew it was more than that, so she continued her search for answers.

“By coincidence, a family friend called me while I was having an allergic reaction. He asked if I had been tested for Lyme disease,” she said.

“It hadn’t been mentioned before, so I made an appointment, and three weeks later the results revealed that I had late-stage Lyme disease.

“My doctor said to me, ‘You are my sickest patient in 30 years and I don’t know what to do with you because you are so sick. If I give you an antibiotic, it will kill you.”

Lyme disease, which is caused by the Borrelia bacteria, is a bacterial infection that can be transmitted to humans by infected ticks. Without treatment, it can cause long-term effects, including arthritis and problems with the organs and nervous system.

Angela is also told that she may never walk again.

After going through her medical history and blood tests with a Lyme doctor, Angela learned that she had been infected since she was five years old.

Angela is determined not to give up, and shares her story and tips on her Instagram page Meat based mediumI started researching and found the carnivore diet.

Although she feels she is going against the advice of medical professionals, Angela finds research that shows how the lion diet – also known as the “ultimate elimination diet” – can reduce inflammation.

She believes this is because ruminant meat, fat, and organs contain most of the bioavailable nutrients that the body can absorb and use as energy. Eating more protein also helps rebuild muscle.

Lyme bacteria feed on gluten, grains, and sugar, and when they are consumed, they cause inflammation in the body.

With nothing to lose, Angela decides to give it a try, and in February 2021, she replaces her low-histamine Paleo diet with bison, veal, lamb, and venison.

She claimed that many of her symptoms disappeared within three months of eating meat alone. She stopped fainting, her mobility improved, and she was able to walk farther on her own.

“I’ve been diagnosed with Lyme disease, Babesia, and Bartonella that have gone undiagnosed for 30 years,” she said.

“After eliminating the vegan diet that was slowly killing me, I became stronger and better able to handle Lyme treatments.”

In April 2022 I started Lyme and Babesia treatments using the Desbio homeopathic brand relief kit for 30 weeks.

Then, in October 2022, I started treatment for Bartonella as well for 30 weeks. She finished treatment in March 2023.

“I still have bouts of Lyme, but I do yoga and take long walks regularly,” she said.

“I can barely hold a knife to chop vegetables, now I feel good and I’m even helping others using light carnivore training with Reiki to reverse their symptoms too.

“I’ve gone from being on death’s door to having a new lease on life and I’m determined to help others.

“I am seeing life with a new light of hope and enjoying getting out of bed and being out in nature with my loved ones. I now have more strength, vitality and energy than I have ever had or could ever imagine having again and all my chronic nervous and digestive issues are in order.” calm.

I have made it my mission to turn my pain into purpose and I believe this journey through illness happened to me, not me.

“We may think that eating vegan is the answer, but in reality our bodies may need meat because of our health issues. My body did and I’m so glad I listened.