Any of you have advice for my father? (autoimmune)

autoimmune
arthritis
#1

Hey lovely keto folks,

My father (78yo) has always been in decent health except for arthritis since his 50s. He started a fairly relaxed paleo (meat, vegetables, fish, some fruit and rice) maybe 10 years ago and is active and clear-headed.
He recently strained a shoulder ligament and it seems to have sent his system into an autoimmune tailspin - he’s in constant pain, can’t sleep, every joint hurts, he’s exhausted.
Dr diagnosed “pseudo gout” and put him on titrated doses of some kind of steroid for two weeks, which helped beautifully with the pain but of course now that he’s no longer on the steroid, the joint pain is back just as bad as before.

He tried an autoimmune protocol (so no nightshades or rice, left out his occasional beer) for about a month, and it didn’t seem to make any difference except that he dropped 10 pounds (that he didn’t really need to lose). I could probably talk him into keto but I don’t know if that’s what he needs, since he doesn’t really have any metabolic issues, and I’d hate to see him lose any more weight.

Recent bloodwork looks fine except for very high CRP levels (no surprise) but I haven’t actually seen the results so I don’t know what the doctors checked. He’s weak, exhausted and discouraged.

I think the next step is a functional medicine doc to do more intensive lab work but I thought I’d check with all of you - any suggestions or ideas?

(Marta Loftfield) #2

@Madeleine Keto would probably help but I have really good luck with Tumeric for severe joint pain caused by Tamoxifen. It is a major anti inflamatory.

#3

Thank you! I’ll get him some turmeric.

(Marta Loftfield) #4

@Madeleine I like the Gaia Herbs Turmeric Supreme Extra Strength. No stomach upset with this formula

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

If he doesn’t have any excess fat, keto is not likely to cause further weight loss. It is highly likely, however, to reduce his systemic level of inflammation and make his joints feel a lot better. It certainly worked that way for me!

Good luck to your dad. I hope he finds a regime that works for him.

#6

Thank you, Paul! Might be time to try keto for him. I’ll talk with him today.

(Ken) #7

I recommend a strict Paleo pattern. Not “Faux Paleo”. A 60/35/5% macro pattern, two thirds meat, one third fat, with only incidental carbs. Elimination of grains, beans, and dairy, along with Cruciferous and Nightshade veggies as well. Try this for at least two weeks to see if symptoms reduce, as they should. After that, you can adjust macros according to body composition goals, and start experimenting with adding foods back in to see if they have negative effects.

He’s a good candidate for a “Steak & Eggs” pattern.

(Todd Gamel) #8

My mother that was diagnosed with Lupus (autoimmune disease) swears the turmeric helps her with joint pain as well. Now on to the science…

Two different studies in 2006, and 2010, showed turmeric was more effective at preventing joint inflammation than reducing joint inflammation. So we know it has anti-inflammatory properties. In the 2010 study, it was tested on 100 patients with osteoarthritis and the results indicated that it provided long-term improvement in pain and function.

In addition, a study in 2012, looked at BCM-95 (a curcumin product) that reduced joint pain and swelling in patients with active Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) that seemed to be more effective than diclofenac (Voltaren), a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The only problem here is that the amount of curcumin found in turmeric varies between 2 – 6 percent, so it is important to check the specific concentration of the curcumin in the turmeric. If it dosen’t say on the bottle, you have no way of knowing what you are actually getting.

So when it comes to turmeric, curcumin seems to be the key chemical component that provides it’s medicinal affects. So products with higher concentrations of curcumin should be more effective. A typical dosage seems to be 400 to 600mg turmeric three times a day for osteoarthritis (OA) and 500mg twice a day for (RA). Having said that, with some medications you get no added benefit once you surpass a certain dosage. At that point you are simply wasting your money.

One thing that you did not mention is whether or not your father is on any blood thinners. This is important because in addition to causing stomach upset in some people, turmeric can act as a blood thinner. So it should be avoided it your are taking blood thinners such as coumadin (warfarin). It should also be avoided if you are pregnant (which of course he isn’t), or you have any pending surgeries because of the risks for thinning your blood which increase your risk of bleeding.

#9

Thank you, Ken! I’ll pass this on to him.

#10

Todd, thank you so much!

(David Stevenson) #11

I would also try Ginger. I feel it helped. The capsule work but I liked the taste of rear in my smoothies. And if course fish oil supplements. I have rhumitoid arthritis. These supplements worked and did not conflict with my medicines. I am slowly coming off the medicines now. My advice get on the medicine then go Keto then evaluate the benefit/side effects of the medicine. And adjust dosages.