Feeling a bit down

(Cathrine Helle) #1

As I’ve mentioned in previous threads, I’m mainly eating carnivore to simplify my life. However, there is also the hope that it might finally get me over the autoimmune issues I struggle with. It’s nothing life threatening or anything, I suffer from a skin condition called Pompholyx that I’ve had since early childhood. I also have some joint pain.

The last three months of carnivore has definitely helped my skin, and I’ve been off the steroid creams. But two days ago I started feeling inflamed again, and I’m currently experiencing a flare up that will need treatment with steroids.

I know that healing takes time, and I know that it’s too early to draw any kind of conclusion. I’ll keep eating carnivore anyways, but I am feeling this as kind of a setback. I guess it just brings me down that NOTHING seems to be able to fix this - and it doesn’t matter what I eat, or what I’m exposed to. My body is doing this to me, for whatever reason.

Sorry about the whiny post, just needed to vent a little I suppose.

#2

Sorry for your issues, but hope you keep experimenting to see if you can find something that helps you in some way. I had to look it up to see what it is myself, but hopefully someone on here might be more familiar and could provide some advice on this? :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #3

Thank you @Digital_Dave :cherry_blossom:

It’s one of those things I’ve been told all my life that I’ll have to live with, and as far as my experience goes, that’s accurate. However, there’s a part of me that refuses to accept this. As this is (as far as I know) a disease of inflammation, lowering inflammation in general should help me.

I’m sure there’s other factors as well, like stress hormones (cortisol) and environment. I flare up when it’s hot / warm weather - luckily I live in Norway where summer is short :stuck_out_tongue:

I’ve swallowed the bitter pill and started steroid cream again, hopefully it’ll give me relief soon. I would really like to limit the use of this, as the kind I’m prescribed are extra strong and have som nasty side effects when used over extended periods of time. Luckily it’s usually very effective, and I’ll get by on just a couple of days of use (fingers crossed).

(Nicole) #4

I hear you.vi would love for the diet to fix everything, and in some lucky people it may, but for me, carnivore just helps a lot, which is better than it was before.

For me, this woe is not a cure, but more if an effective treatment. :wink:

(Cathrine Helle) #5

Can I ask what you struggle with @nvmomketo? If you’re uncomfortable sharing publicly in here that’s perfectly fine, I’m just interested :slight_smile:

(Nicole) #6

I started Keto to help with IR and AI (autoimmune) issues. I am a celiac with hashis, and ITP, but I also have AI arthralgias as well as early OA in my hips that started in my thirties (which I think must be at least partially AI related). I was pretty active so lack of mobility is hard. I also have low BP and had reactive hypoglycaemia (IR related probably) and Keto helped with that a lot.

I let my carbs creep up to upper Keto levels and just low carb after a couple of years and many of my problems came back stronger, especially joint pain. It was not completely gone with Keto, but a bit reduced. Higher carbs let it come back. I have now been almost zero carb for a while and find that it helps, but I keep hoping to go back to veggies because I like them more than meats. Sugars and refined carbs cause flare ups almost every time, but I tend to do that to myself every few months… Getting better as time goes on. Lol :wink:

#7

Cmon girl, KCKO.

#8

@Camomilla

I get it. I really do. It is a bit frustrating when people get massively wonderful results within a short time.

But when I went absolutely gluten free (maybe 3 yrs ago) it was a slow process. Took months. And odd little things improved that I would never have imagined were gluten-related.

So I guess i am saying that patience pays off. Eventually. Sometimes.

I do think that ZC is good for autoimmune issues, and I’ve been reading some stuff (Paleomedicina) that links AI with gut permeability and talks about 3 years as an expected time frame, if the protocol (paleoketoZC), no dairy. Obviously, I can’t say if this will work, but it fits with my experience of going GF taking much longer than just a few months…

#9

I’m wondering if your stress levels went up, that will wreck havoc on your system. Personally, I’m of the mindset that the human body needs some veggies everyday. Hope you feel better

#10

In my opinion, the “bible” on using diet to improve autoimmune disorders is The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls, a physician living with MS. It focuses on improving mitochondrial health. In its strictest form it’s low carb, but definitely not carnivore.

Good Luck!

(Cathrine Helle) #11

Thank you all for advice and encouragement :slight_smile:

I’ve decided to take the plunge and give up dairy and eggs, as those might be inflammatory foods. I’ve hung on to them due to their convenience, but I think I’ll give it a go. Dairy is my go to if the meat we’re having is too lean for me, or if we’re having fish. Eggs are usually lunch a couple of times a week. So there’s not a whole lot of it in my diet, I just need to find other solutions to replace it.

I’m not sure why I got so bummed by this flare up - this is something I’ve faced all my life. I’m just tired of it, and it’s been getting to me more the past few years. Having been low carb / keto for over eight years now, I’ve experienced a lot of health improvements, and I’m greatful for that. And I still believe that if I stick to ZC that will bring further benefits.

Thank you all again for your support :blue_heart:

(Lynn) #12

@Camomilla I’ve heard some people have no problem with organic eggs. Regular eggs have more grain in them too from what the chickens eat. Something to try if you havent already.

I also have autoimmune (alopecia) and have been hoping fasting will help. Have you tried fasting? Autophagy is supposed to help A LOT!

(Cathrine Helle) #13

Has it helped your condition? Just curious :slight_smile: I fasted quite a few times last year - the longest for 5 days. I don’t enjoy fasting, but I do believe it has benefits. As I’m only 3 months into a new way of eating with this ZC thing, I’m not in a place where I feel I can fast, but perhaps a little longer down the line :slight_smile:

(Lynn) #14

I’m only 5 mths into keto. The only carbs I do eat are pecans and avacados tho. And I gave up dairy 4 mths ago. I have seen some changes. Like hair on my arms now and my eyebrows are growing back. But my head has no change yet. I’m hoping if I just KCKO eventaully it will fix itself. Its caused by inflammation so I cant fogure out why I’m not seeing any difference there. I can tell my inflammation is down in other ways.
I’ve done a handful of fasts but nothing past 3 days. I definitely struggle with fasting so i’m not sure that i’m 100% fat adapted. I’m a sugarholic so I think that has made this a very hard journey. And I’ve heard it can take longer to be completely adapted when you are addicted to sugar.

(Elizabeth ) #15

So you’re switching to carnivore from keto? I was 2 years strict keto when I switch the carnivore and I still had about six weeks of adaptation

(Cathrine Helle) #16

Yes, I’ve been low carb / keto for eight years. And I think I’m very much still adapting to ZC. Gut feels for the most part good, but I think I’ll benefit from cutting out dairy and eggs. I should probably give up coffee too, but I feel like doing everything all at once gets to overwhelming. I’ve been ZC about three months :slight_smile:

(Jodi) #17

I’ve been coffee/caffeine free for almost 3 mos and am amazed at how much better I feel. No dragging in the morning & no need for an afternoon recharge.

I still have small inflammation issues here and there, but I figure that’s going to just take time. I don’t do dairy/eggs so I can’t speak to that.

ZC 10 weeks

(Cathrine Helle) #18

Really? That’s encouraging, I’ve always been kinda low energy and drink about 4-5 cups of coffee a day. I find them comforting too, so it’s not all about the energy boost. Already finished my second cup of the day and know that I’ll have at least one more - perhaps I can get by on just three today and take it from there :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #19

I’ve spent the weekend doing some more research and obsessing about my AI. Most info I’ve found states that the cause (and therefore cure) is unknown. Steroids are recommended for their instant relief. Almost everywhere I see that stress is seen as the no 1 trigger. Regarding diet and skin conditions, dairy is often pointed at as a culprit, but I don’t think it’s that straight forward.

For me I think it’s definitely a combination of these three factors: Emotional stress, environment (heat) and diet.

What all of them have in common is that they set the body in a mode of stress, which seems to trigger my immune respons and cause a flare up. I think the reason a low inflammatory diet might be the solution in the long run is that I imagine I’ll become more robust in time. Hopefully my body will be better at managing the different forms of stress it’s exposed to. Healing the gut will at least help with the stress caused by the leakage of nutrients that are not supposed to be there in to the blood stream.

I’ve already had three months without steroids until this flare up, and that’s pretty awesome :slight_smile:

(Cathrine Helle) #21

Thank you for chiming in @alexelcu :slight_smile:

I don’t think I have a specific food allergy, although I know I’m sensitive to a lot of stuff. Allergy is way more severe, we have a son that can get life threateningly ill exposed to some foods. My issues are more systemic - in the sense that a number of factors come in to play. I can be fine eating stuff one day, but another day it can cause issues. It’s very hard to pin point, as the reaction is very delayed (at least according to the articles I’ve read).

I’m sorry to hear you struggle with asthma, hopefully it will get better in time :slight_smile: