In a new interview, actor Brian Austin Green opened up about "stroke-like" symptoms he says he spent over four years recovering from. The '90s teen idol guested on the podcast Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, hosted by Dancing with the Stars pro Cheryl Burke. (Green competed on the reality show and is in a relationship with DWTS dancer Sharna Burgess.) Speaking to Burke, the actor claimed that it took a long time for medical professionals to figure out what was causing his intense symptoms, since he hadn't actually had a stroke. According to the Beverly Hills, 90210 star, he could not read, speak, or write for some time and was periodically bedridden. Read on to find out more, including what dietary choices he now believes led to the illness.
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Green recalled not being able to speak.
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic via Getty ImagesAs reported by People, on the Oct. 2 episode of Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans, Green listed the symptoms of his mysterious illness.
"I’d spent four and a half years recovering from stroke-like symptoms without ever having had a stroke, but I couldn’t speak," he said.
The actor explained that he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and vertigo and was bedridden for three months.
He continued, "These neurological things started happening after the vertigo, and that was—it was four and a half years of my life. I got to the point where I shuffled like I was a 90-year-old man. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t write." He added, “I had such brain fog that I reintroduced my best friend of, like, 25-plus years to my sister who he had also known for 25-plus years."
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He says his diet was behind his health issues.
Kevin Winter/Getty ImagesGreen went on to explain that he took "over 190 blood tests" and had two MRIs, none of those tests resulting in a concrete answer. So, he started to explore outside of the realm of Western medicine.
"It was all undiagnosed by Western medicine, so I ended up having to finally find a doctor that is much more into, like, kinesiology and Eastern medicine," the 50-year-old said. A new practitioner told Green that he had "internal inflammation from gluten and diary" and that stress was also contributing to his symptoms.
Burke asked Green if his 2014 car accident was determined to be a factor, and Green claimed that his issues were "completely dietary" despite reports in the press that stated otherwise. "It's a confusing story," he admitted.
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Green's diagnoses can lead to many possible symptoms.
Kathy Hutchins / ShutterstockAccording to the Mayo Clinic, ulcerative colitis "is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers (sores) in your digestive tract." Symptoms include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain and cramping, weight loss, fatigue, and fever, among others. The Mayo Clinic explains that the course of ulcerative colitis varies by individual and that some patients go into remission.
"The exact cause of ulcerative colitis remains unknown. Previously, diet and stress were suspected. However, researchers now know that these factors may aggravate but don't cause ulcerative colitis," the Mayo Clinic site reads.
As for vertigo, the Mayo Clinic explains, "Vertigo is the false sense that your surroundings are spinning or moving." Vertigo can happen for various reasons, including migraines, fluid buildup in the inner ear from Meniere's disease, infection, and more.
Green also dropped a lot of weight unintentionally.
Green previously opened up about his health issues, including in a 2022 Good Morning America interview alongside Burgess.
"I've dealt with ulcerative colitis a few times. It’s a real rough experience," Green said. Burgess added, "I didn't realize how debilitating it was until I saw him and watched weight drop off him." Green shared that he lost 20 pounds. Burgess said of watching her partner go through this, "Not having experienced this type of thing before, and still learning, I was supportive and loving and, 'I'm here for you,' and internally fearful for how long does this go on for?"
As in the more recent interview, Green told Good Morning America that dietary changes made a difference. "I try and avoid gluten and dairy as much as possible," he said. "It's really just dietary, like, as long as I can keep things within my system that my body doesn't think I'm poisoning it with, then it doesn't fight back. I would eat food, and literally it was like, my body didn't process any of it. So then, when you start playing catch up with, like, staying on top of being hydrated enough. That's such a battle."
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