I will admit, the title of this post is a little on the click-bait side. Hate on me if you like, but I really want you to read this. It is a well-known fact (at least within the Low Carb community) that as people begin a Low Carb/LCHF/Ketogenic protocol, exogenous insulin will need to be reduced to prevent low blood glucose or hypoglycemia.

The exception where dietary carbs are necessary is if a person is currently taking diabetes medications associated with the risk for hypoglycemia such as insulin or a sulfonylurea. In this case, dietary carbohydrate reduction has to be closely coordinated with the reduction or withdrawal of these drugs under expert medical supervision.

Virta Health

The point is that a very low carbohydrate diet is a powerful intervention that normally requires pharmaceuticals to achieve. Dr. Eric Westman often speaks about reducing insulin or even remove patients from insulin within the first week of the dietary protocol.

One page food list and protocol

The Ketogenic Protocol that I follow

• Consume
• Eat fatty cuts of meats and non-starchy vegetables until satiated
• Do not eat when not hungry

I am not a medical professional, nor do I give medical advice, but in my opinion, the following would be smart. Even if you are not a Type 2 Diabetic, it is probably a good idea to check your blood glucose before eating, two hours after eating, and before you take in any calories in the morning. It is good to have a baseline of where you stand when you begin and to see how your blood glucose trends in the future. This would be true even if you aren’t on a low-carb protocol. You will learn so much about how food affects you.

But low carb and Ketogenic protocols don’t just impact blood glucose. I know several people whose blood pressure started trending too low as they had not adjusted their hypertension medicine. As I mentioned, this is a powerful intervention.

My own personal hell

In 2001, I was officially diagnosed with two Autoimmune disorders: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Of course, the pain didn’t start then, it followed years of going to different doctors and chiropractors looking for relief. The diagnosis was both a blessing and a curse. The blessing: my condition had a name. The curse: I would require harsh medications for the rest of my life and would still be guaranteed debilitating progression. The combinations of medications that provided me maximum relief were Humira, Methotrexate, and Tramadol.

Methotrexate, in higher doses, is used to treat cancer. It’s objective is to suppress the immune system. The side effects are legion. I would often skip doses because of nausea. Tramadol is an opiate with its very own set of scary side effects, including addiction. Humira is considered an injectable biologic whose main function is to block Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) while suppressing the immune system. TNF is highly correlated with chronic inflammation.

Despite the cocktail of immune-suppressing medication that I was on for over 15 years, my immune system remained strong (Too strong). I rarely got sick. My immune system continued to hammer away at my joints over the years and my mobility was shrinking as well. Unwittingly, my efforts to keep moving crashed hard into less mobility. By 2018, my future consisted of assisted walking or even a wheelchair.

Elephant in the room

As my mobility faded, my waistline ballooned. After years of failure via calorie deprivation and intensive exercise, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. In 2018, my line in the sand was the prescription of exogenous insulin. I already had to inject myself with Humira (bi-weekly) and Methotrexate. I had already attempted a low fat, vegetarian diet (for 3 years), which proved unsustainable and did not move the scale or reduce my HBA1C. On August 1, 2018 I began my Ketogenic journey in earnest, primarily for weight loss.

To be honest, I had lost as much as 60 pounds via calorie deprivation and intensive exercise. So, the fact that I lost 35 pounds in 3 months was not all that strange to me. It was nice, but the difference was in how much better I felt. I visited my Rheumatologist in October. She was amazed at my weight loss and overall improved symptoms, even though I was still on the same medications.

Amber overcomes 4 decades of weight issues

Something wasn’t right

In November 2018, I experienced a severe respiratory infection. After recovering, I was immediately slammed with another one that nearly required hospitalization. Respiratory infections are a known side effect of Humira. In 15+ years I had almost zero respiratory infections. Suddenly, I was beginning to experience a medication failure. I asked to be removed from Humira until we could find a medicine with fewer life-threatening side effects. I also ceased Methotrexate and would only take the Tramadol as needed for pain. The question that I had to ask myself: Was Keto negatively impacting my immune system?

Unexpected results

Over the years, I found myself dependent on my medications. If there was ever a gap, my pain would become unbearable. My expectations were to face a major flare after the cessation of these life-changing medications. A month passed. I still felt amazing. 2 months passed then 3. 6 months passed and I hadn’t taken a single Tramadol and rarely an Aleve (after working out). My past 2 visits to the Rheumatologist have shown no further progression of the disease. In fact, my posture has improved along with my stamina. It is now May of 2021 and I remain autoimmune medication-free (and diabetic medicine-free).

What happened?

I am not a scientist or researcher, but I can deduce from my own experience and published articles as to why my health improved and, perhaps the poor reaction to medication after dietary modification.

• Chronic Hyperinsulinemia (AKA Insulin Resistance) drives chronic inflammation
• Less chronic inflammation, less autoimmune damage
• Reduced inflammation leads to reduced TNF-alpha

Humira’s primary role is to block TNF. With the TNF problem reduced, the Humira swapped from blocking TNF to its other function: Immune system suppression. After Humira/Methotrexate/Tramadol removal, my immune system resumed its normal capability and inflammation remained normal. So, did Keto negatively impact my immune system? No, without autoimmune suppressing pharmaceuticals, my immune system was no longer suppressed. Once again, the Ketogenic protocol proved to be a powerful health intervention. It also demonstrates the importance of monitoring medication while changing your diet.

Your health improved because you lost weight

I hear this claim far too often. I do not dispute that weight loss improves health. However, weight loss alone is ineffective at significant health improvement. For example, as a low-fat, calorie-deprived vegetarian, I lost 60 pounds but still retained my high HBA1C and inflammatory markers. With my Ketogenic protocol, I was still morbidly obese. But observed my HBA1C and inflammation improved within a few weeks. My weight loss followed my improved health. Three months into my Ketogenic journey, my focus changed from the number on the scale to my ever-improving ability to stand, walk, and sleep. The fact that the scale kept moving favorably was an added bonus.

Not Anti-Pharma

I do want to be clear. I am not Anti-Humira or any other particular pharmacological option. All medicines carry inherent risks along with their benefits. Drugs like Humira and Enbrel allow people like myself to function and have improved the quality of life for millions of people. However, I found a way to improve my life without pharmaceutical intervention. I do not claim that everyone will have identical results. Every person is different. But, the N=1 evidence of people that have been able to reduce or remove their dependence on autoimmune medicines is stacking up. Our own Keto for Autoimmune Diseases Facebook Group now exceeds 2.6K people. Many report similar experiences.

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