Tag Archives: advil

I’m No Superman

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As I write this post at 4:50am, I am reminded of the pain and suffering I continue to go through during my rehabilitation.  I have an auto-immune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and have been medicated with an auto-immune suppresor called Enbrel since 2003.  While Enbrel has carried me through these 9 years, it has only masked the symptoms, but never treated the cause.

In January of 2012 I discovered a holistic way of treating the cause by not eating starches, or commonly known as the Low Starch Diet (LSD).  I’ve sought out multiple nutritionists and focused mainly on fruits, veggies and nuts.  Additional research lead me to understand supplements to heal the areas of my body that have been severely damaged by AS.  A little over a month into the program, I stopped taking Enbrel completely, but I paid the price.

I have been on the LSD diet for 2 1/2 months while being off Enbrel 1 1/2 months.  During that time, I have fought pains, stiffness, and swelling in areas I’ve never dealt with before.  I’ve relied on my parents helping me out of bed when I could not do it myself.  I’ve come out of the chiropractor’s office shaking and bewildered due to (much needed) the spinal and neck adjustments.  And my sleep continues to be intermittent – I wake up 2-3 times per night knowing that my body is desperate for full nights of sleep.  I put up with a lot, but I’m no Superman.

As of last week I’ve decided to improve my quality of life and become more functional by allowing Ibuprofen into my diet and use as much as I need to get me through the rest of the days/weeks/months until my body heals itself.  Up until this point, I’ve always convinced myself that any time of medication will somehow stop the process of healing my body.  Only a few days into this regiment, I found out how much I was wrong.  When healing the body from AS, you need to always be moving, sleep as much as you can, and take in quality whole foods (no processed junk!).  With Ibuprofen, I take my normal draining days and reduce the pain & inflammation by 80%.  In turn, I sleep longer.  I move more.  I function.  And now I’m taking less naps during the day, I’m able to bend and be more flexible, and I’m getting longer nights of sleep.  So the recovery time the body needs is getting met whereas before I couldn’t due to all the pain and inflammation.  And when the body gets enough days to recover, I will ween off my Ibuprofen as it only stays in the body for a short period of time with no major side-effects.

If you’re ever feeling guilty of taking low-dose NSAIDs like aspirin, Ibuprofen, Advil, etc., consider your recovery time over your fear of medication.  While we’d all like to be Supermen and kick AS ASAP, we need to remember that pain and inflammation don’t need to follow you while you’re fixing your body.  Keep up the good fight and God bless you on your journey to 100% health.

Day 22 to 6 Months – Week 9

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Although I normally post on Tuesday, week 6 was definitely not a normal week.  While I found bouts of feeling “normal”, I also had inconsistent sleep (usually got up 3 times per night, every night), my body locked up one night while laying on my side (had to be pulled up out of bed by someone else in order to get out of bed…at 3:30am), developed a Canker Sore (probably due to my immune system), a swollen / sprained foot, trying to gain weight, difficult chiropractic visits (once finished I felt like I got done with a boxing match), and LOTS of information to sift through.  Without further ado, here are some of the things I found out:

Advice I’ve Received in Week 9

  • Is it better to eat vegetables raw or cooked?  VIDEO from Dr. Furhman
  • Proteins, calories & fat – increasing the healthy way (great advice for athletes who question a whole foods diet):  VIDEO from Dr. Furhman
  • Adding meats back in my diet, I need to remember what organic vs. natural means.
  • Inspiration:  The latest video, “Hungry for Change” from the “Food Matters” team is free to watch until the end of the month.
  • What’s the right balance of food?  Besides Furhman’s “Eat to Live” & the low-starch diet (LSD), I’ve learned about the GAPS diet (discussion on NSD forum).  GAPS have emphasis on fermented foods including yoghurts and vegetables and bone broth.  It also allows for starches such as certain types of beans, also bananas (ripe only), and some root vegetables.  There are others (vegan, vegetarian, etc.), but these nutritional lifestyles seem more appropriate for my body type & lifestyle.

 My 1st Desert Since the Diet – Chocolate Azteca (Mi Pueblo)

Mexican Chocolate Mousse Tart drizzled with macadamia cream and garnished with berries.  It was delicious & (I think) no flare-ups!

Other Foods Tested & No-Flare-Ups:  Small cup of chili (ground beef) with black beans, yogurt, soybeans / edamame, fish & chicken.

My Health in Week 9

  • I Have Hypoglycemia:  Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, uses hormones to keep your blood sugar in a normal range. But a long-term health problem that needs treatment can cause blood sugar to drop too low.  I usually refer this as a sugar drop – I get jittery, the sweats, achy (inflamed), short-tempered and sometimes nervous.  DEFINITION & SYMPTOMS It’s also an adrenal disorder that has too much/little cortisol that increases inflammation.
  • Hypoglycemia Test & Fix:  First, I know I’ve had sugar drops in the past + my mom has it, but never knew it could lead to chronic inflammation until my consultation with Dr. Jeremiah Joseph.  On 3/16 I switched my diet – breakfast was my normal smoothie (1/2 fruit, 1/2 veggie) and was still quite inflamed.  During lunch, however, I had a large 12 oz. portion of salmon along with 2 sides of broccoli.  Afterwards I felt much better than breakfast.  Dinner consisted of fajitas (w/o the wraps) – again more meat & veggies.  Two things happened here:  my blood sugar normalized and I introduced more protein in my diet than I did for almost the whole week.  Not only does this follow the Hypoglycemic diet, but the low-starch diet (LSD discussion).
  • Modifying the Diet:  Although I don’t have it all figured out yet, I need 20% of my diet in meat, find more protein sources, and combine meat while decreasing the dosage of the smoothie.  Currently, here is my list of protein sources (keep in mind I also need to maintain / increase my weight):
  • Almond butter – 7g protein, 180 calories, serving size: 2 Tbsp
  • Salmon – 34g protein, 241 calories, serving size: 6 oz.
  • Beans – List of Protein (will start trying beans in the next week or two)
  • Edamame (Soybeans):  12g protein, entire bag contains 3 servings.
  • Kale, Spinach, & Swiss Chard – 1-2g protein, serving size: 1 cup (look up other veggies)
  • Enbrel:  It has been 4 1/2+ weeks since my last shot
  • My lowest weight was 138 lbs. and a BMI of 19.28.  To gain weight, I need to gain healthy fats.  Here are the things I need to do:
  • Daily calories 2220 X .20 (min) or .35 (max) = 444 (min) – 777 (max) calories of fat.  To get grams of fat, divide by 9.  444/9 – 777/9 = I need 49g – 86g of fat per day.  MORE INFO
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil on salads & edamame.  Contains 14g fat per Tbsp.  Look for organic and/or from one country producing it.
  • One Avocado contains 14.66g fat (9.80g monounsaturated / good fat)
  • Supplement Modifications:  Need to add in:
  • Magnesium Glycumate – 6-800mg. It will strengthen bones, muscle, and helps with 300 reactions per cell.  Individuals suffering from malabsorption conditions like celiac and Crohn’s disease will benefit from this form of magnesium.  AS has similar gut issues as Crohn’s.
  • Vegetable-based protein powder (can contain hemp or quinoa)
  • Apex Energetics Proglyco-SP 90 (regulates hypoglycemia’s blood sugar & adrenal glands).  Take 2 in the morning, 2 whenever during the day & 2 before I go to bed.
  • Removed Organic India’s Fiber Harmony Orange Flavor as the protein / meat is binding “things” just nicely.
  • Advil:  I stressed again that I need 2-4 Advil to keep me asleep over the night. While the ND would suggest not taking any medications, he mentioned that the recovery from sleep outweighs the issues with taking Advil.
  • TH1 vs. TH2 Immunology: Still reviewing the theory.  But a correct balance can reduce / remove the inflammation.
  • Daily chiropractic work:  Using the Denny Roll 1X/day should be sufficient as I progress.  I can add more once I get better.
  • Papaya Seeds:  I have been taking them everyday for 1 1/2 weeks with no effect.  Although it may not work for me, it could work for anyone who has intestinal worms in their system (no one knows if they do unless they take a probe to see or test).  The ND is fine with doing this.  MORE
  • Blue Fingers:  I’ve heard it before, but the ND confirmed I have Raynaud’s Syndrome.  It’s quite harmless and I only get cold quickly in air conditioned rooms.
  • Hair Thinning:  This could be due to my Thyroid, but mostly due to my Hypoglycemia / blood sugar issues.

What allergy tests should I take and how does insurance work?

  • Cyrex Test (array 1-4) – measures auto immune & cross-reactivity.  At this time, Cyrex Laboratories is not contracted with any insurance provider, including Medicare. Patients are given invoices/statements, which can be sent to their insurance provider for possible reimbursement.
  • Metametrix – Comprehensive testing – I choose what to test for (heavy metals for example).  I pay up front, they send the bill to insurance, and whatever Golden Rule covers is the money I would get back.  Their providers they deal with are Blue Cross / Blue Shield. 
  • Diagnostechs (Saliva Test) – SIGA test, cortisol & DHA levels.  Since Diagnos-Techs is a non-contracted provider with all insurance companies except Medicare, some insurance companies will send the reimbursement to the member. In this case, the patient will be responsible for forwarding the insurance checks to us or they can submit payment in the form of check, money order, or credit card.
  • The 25-hydroxy vitamin D test
  • Cholesterol Test – should be around 200 MG/DL
  • Thyroid – All panels, TPO & Anti-throid globulan