I jumped on board with Paleomedicina’s Paleo Ketogenic Diet plan three weeks ago. It has been rather uneventful in my mind. I haven’t seen hair regrowth at all. Sadly, they didn’t seem to give me much hope that the hair will grow back. In fact, Dr. Clemens did mention she had two other alopecia universalis patients who hadn’t had regrowth after a few months.

My seizures have not returned, so that is great. My seasonal allergies seem to be subsiding a bit. Although, I should mention that a couple sneezes once or twice a day never really bothered me. When I was younger, my eyes would water and it would be awful.

The theory behind the Paleo Ketogenic diet is to fix intestinal permeability. I think my problem may have been in keeping dairy in my diet, but I did NOT want to give up butter. I discovered that bacon could help me overcome some of my butter cravings. Bone broth was great at providing me with plenty of nutrients and satiation. It is also the foundation of the GAPS diet.

It did feel like a bit of a hassle to fill out the ketone, glucose and weight measurements every day and follow up with Paleomedicina’s nutritionist. However, they were able to give me some insight on blood glucose fluctuation and how it can put me at risk of seizures. That was very beneficial.

Pros:

• Very easy to implement once you adjust to the amount of food intake.
• Meat and fat is very delicious!
• Keeps you satiated.
• Less expensive than buying produce and grains.
• Eating for survival rather than entertainment.
• Lost all cravings for junk foods.
• I look forward to my bacon and burgers.

Cons:

• Makes social events difficult. (Implementing during COVID is the perfect timing!)
• Holidays won’t include some of my favorite foods.
• I still don’t like organ meats, but have been enjoying liverwurst.
• It can be annoying to measure every gram of food.

Improvements:

• Blood sugar normalized below 80 in just a few days.
• Ketones remain above 2.0.
• Great energy
• Great sleep
• Slight improvement in nail ridging (this is a symptom of alopecia universalis, so maybe there is hope!)

Symptoms:

• Complete hair loss
• Occasional seizures that occur during menstrual hormonal fluctuation (will take more time to see if these improve)
• Seasonal allergies
• Loose stool during PMS

What’s Next?

So, now that I have been on the paleo ketogenic diet plan for 3 weeks, it is time to do some blood work. Specificially, they want to check out my vitamin D levels. Apparently, people with epilepsy and alopecia universalis (really most diseases) tend to be low in vitamin D. I’m hoping to be in the normal range. My last vitamin D test was about 27. Normal starts at 30.

While I didn’t supplement with vitamin D, there is vitamin D in pork lard and some in the meat. I tried to consume a bit more of the pastured pork lard this week to get my levels up. Also, without carbohydrates and fiber it should be easier to absorb the vitamins and minerals from the foods.

I’ll keep you posted on my blood test results! Stay tuned…

I have been struggling with staying on the ketogenic diet which has mostly kept my seizure under control without medication. The problem is that I cheat. A LOT. Luckily, cheating once or twice doesn’t trigger a seizure unless it is during the time my hormones fluctuate.

Another reason that I want to implement the paleo-ketogenic diet is because I don’t have ANY hair. I lost my hair to an autoimmune condition called alopecia universalis. Losing your hair as a woman just sucks.

Now, this isn’t my first attempt to cure my illness. I started with the medical community and took prednisone for a while, but there were issues with that. It made me fat and pimply and then the doctor told me I had to take a break from it to get an accurate blood test. Needless to say, my regrowth fell out during that break.

I have tried a variety of diets with no success. I started with the vegan diet, moved on to the AIP diet and the GAPS diet. But it was very difficult to commit to strict dietary guidelines when there is no hair regrowth.

Enter the Paleo Ketogenic Diet

I started hearing about the Paleomedicina group about a year ago. The diet eliminates all grains and dairy in addition to putting the body in a ketogenic state. This is incredibly difficult to start out.

My biggest issue was BUTTER. In my family, butter is a beloved ingredient. My grandfather liked both cold butter and warm butter on his oatmeal. We liked to slather butter on toast and put it on vegetables.

I rationalized that there wasn’t much lactose in butter and I rarely ate dairy. Still, I didn’t have any hair regrowth.

I finally broke down and signed up for a consultation and follow up with the Paleomedicina clinic.

My Consultation with Dr. Clemens

I loved the fact that I could consult with the doctor from my bedroom over Skype. It was very comfortable. She explained to me that the lactose in dairy is one of the worst things for autoimmune conditions.

The doctor was firm, but encouraging. I didn’t like being told that I would have to eat liver and 35 grams of fat for every 100 grams of protein. That sounded quite gross, but I had been eating liver before. I knew that I could do it.

I already knew from looking around on the internet that I would be giving up fruits and vegetables initially as my gut healed.

After the consultation, I felt confident in the mentoring that I was receiving. I felt that with the follow up that I would be able to achieve success.

Getting Started

I bought 4 pounds of ground beef and stocked up on liver and suet at the farmer’s market where they sell local, pastured beef. I fashioned the ground beef into patties and tossed them in the freezer for some easy meals.

The suet has to be cut and measured. I hate the taste of raw suet. I have seen vloggers talking about how wonderful it is to eat straight and I’m convinced that they have lost their minds. I have figured out that if you heat it up a bit and salt it, it becomes more palatable. It almost tastes as good as bacon. ALMOST is the keyword there.

The first few days, I felt very hungry because the amount of food that she recommends is less than I normally eat. However, I added some bone broth into the diet. That seemed to tide me over a bit.

I still don’t want to give up butter, but after 5 days on the diet, I’m feeling more comfortable with it.

Monitoring My Blood

Prior to working with Paleomedicina, I did the ketogenic diet without much measurement. This was definitely a mistake. I justified it because I knew that getting out of ketosis from time to time wouldn’t trigger a seizure. I was also lazy. I didn’t want to prick my finger and measure my blood glucose.

Well, they told me I had to do it. Now, I’m doing it!

The targets for blood glucose are below 80 and for ketones are above 2.0. My first blood glucose measurement was taken after I ate and it was 86. This is actually a “normal” blood glucose. (My sister is a diabetic and I watched her monitor her blood for years!) At 86, my ketones were 1.7. Not bad, but missing the mark.

The second day was much better. I tested before eating and had a glucose of 80 and ketones of 2.1. By the third day, my blood sugar was 73 and the ketones were 3.5. This is where she wanted me to be, but I’m a little concerned. Diabetics are advised not to have blood sugars below 80 due to problems. Maybe if it is just below 80, it will be okay.

We shall see!

I am using the keto-mojo meter because it was recommended to me. Dr. Clemens said the strips were less expensive. The whole kit was around $50, so I felt it wasn’t a huge expense.

Adjusting Side-Effects

The side effects of adjusting to the ketogenic diet were similar to a seizure aura. I can’t really describe it well. I felt “off.” I was paranoid that I would have a seizure. I worried about more things than usual.

This lasted for the first three days. On the third day, I made up a pot of broth and drank that to suppress some of the hunger that I was feeling. I think that it helped to replace some of my electrolytes. When you lower your carbohydrates, you can start to lose water weight quickly and that can cause some issues.

I feel like one side effect may be that I’m experiencing more seasonal allergies, but that could simply be due to the weather.

By the 5th day, the hunger signals have settled down. I’m feeling full after eating and can go many hours before my second meal.

What’s Next?

I get to consult with their nutritionist tomorrow! The Paleomedicina group has added a nutritionist 2 weeks follow up to ensure success with the diet. I’m pretty confident that I can stick with eating burgers and bacon for two weeks. But it is nice to check in with someone and make sure that I’m on track.

Dr. Clemens said that in 3 weeks, I will a complete blood panel. She wants to test my vitamin D, cholesterol, TSH, glucose, magnesium, potassium and a bunch of other things. This will give her an idea whether I have stuck with the diet and whether my levels are normalizing.

The follow will definitely help me to stay on track. Now to see if it helps my hair grow back!

There are many misconceptions about how much protein is required on a ketogenic diet. Just this morning, I was listening to a podcast where someone claimed that the ketogenic diet is a high fat and high protein diet. This is not the case. In fact, too much fat will actually kick you out of ketosis when your body starts to produce glocuse through gluconeogenesis as it breaks down the protein. 

How Much Protein Should You Eat

Each person has a different body size and their needs will be different. Your goals for your body will factor into how much protein that you need. 

To determine your protein needs, you can use a nasic calculation of your weight in pounds multiplied by 0.6 to get your minimum protein needs. For example, if you are 140 pounds, you would multiple 140 x 0.6 = 84 grams. 

The maximum intake can be calculated by multiplying your weight by 1. For example, 140 x 1.0 = 140 grams of protein. This gives you an ideal protein range. 

You can use cronometer to calculate your ketogenic macros and track your progress. It is quick, easy and can help you keep track of the foods that you eat. 

Ideally, you want to have the percentage of your protein 20-30% of your calories to stay in ketosis. 

Benefits of Protein

The big emphasis of the ketogenic diet is a high fat intake. There are many benefits to consuming protein and making sure that you get enough into your diet. 

1. Protein helps keep you satiated. 
2. Protein increases muscle mass. 
3. Protein helps to increase bone mass. 
4. Protein helps to reduce cravings. 
5. Protein will help to boost metabolism. 
6. Protein will lower blood pressure. 
7. Protein helps the body repair after injury. 

Great Ketogenic Sources of Protein

When you are following a ketogenic diet, it can be difficult to come up with new keto food ideas that fit your macros. When doing the ketogenic diet, you want to stick with the healthiest foods for best results. 

Meats.  Select the highest quality meat that you can afford. Organic, pasture-raised and grass-fed meat is optimal. Meats can be consumed in moderate quantities. 

Opt for meats with more fat. Some fatty meat options include:

• chicken legs
• whole chicken (with the skin)
• pork shoulder
• bacon
• salmon
• tuna
• hamburger
• chuck roast

Dairy. Dairy is acceptable on the ketogenic diet. Some people do have sensitivity to dairy. Milk and soft cheeses may have higher carbohydrate counts that don’t fit into a ketogenic diet, so make sure to check the carbohydrates. 

• Cheddar cheese
• Colby Jack cheese
• Parmesean cheese
• Swiss cheese
• Greek yogurt
• Heavy whipping cream

Nuts and Seeds. Nuts and seeds can be a great source of protein on a ketogenic diet. Nuts and seeds can be hard to digest for some people, so test them out to see if you tolerate them. Keep nuts and seeds in moderation. 

• Pecans
• Almonds
• Macadamia nuts
• Walnuts
• Hazelnuts
• Peanuts
• Sesame seeds
• Hemp seeds

First and foremost, let me put it out there… I am not a doctor. But if I was, you may not want to take my advice. Doctors don’t study virology. They study medicine. They write prescriptions for medicine. Sometimes, medicine can harm you. So, it may be a good thing that I’m not a doctor. I don’t have a bias towards harmful drugs which provide temporary relief.

This is going to be advice on simply staying healthy and avoiding getting sick. I don’t think there is any possible way to avoid exposure to the virus at this point. But I do believe that you can avoid the awful symptoms if you are exposed to it.

Let me explain.

Boost Your Immune System

From my limited knowledge of the immune system, if it is healthy, you will fight off viruses and bacterial infections like a pro. If your immune system is compromised, you will come down with every flu and cough that is going around.

Boosting the immune system’s health will help you to avoid getting the covid-19 virus symptoms. It may also decrease the intensity of any symptoms that you feel.

It is unlikely that you’ll be able to avoid the virus altogether. But consider who is telling you to avoid the virus. Politicians. And do you really trust them? Yes, they have their advisers who are well-paid by the pharmaceutical companies who create the vaccines.

If your immune system doesn’t work, it won’t matter how great the vaccine they create is going to be. Your immune system needs to be functioning properly to create antibodies. Otherwise, the vaccine is going to cause more harm than good.

So, we should all be ensuring that our immune system functions. To do that, eliminate the processed foods in your diet. Forget about eating any sugar. That depletes your immune response by 50%.

Eliminate Toxins

One of the things that stresses out the immune system’s response is an overload of toxins. This can be anything from the chemicals in your cleaning products to the pesticides on your foods.

Throw out cleaning products that are not organic. Buy a spray bottle and fill it with a solution of apple cider vinegar and water to clean windows. Dilute some bleach and use it to sanitize surfaces in the bathroom. Look for products that are organic and only have a few ingredients to clean your home.

Stop using non-stick cookware. The chemicals that make it non-stick often start to come off within a few months of use. The ‘poly- and perfluoroalkyl’ substances used in cookware are linked to thyroid disease, infertility and organ damage. Instead, opt for cooking with a cast-iron skillet.

“Eat Clean”

I’m sure you’ve heard this advice before. Eat clean. But what does that even mean? Many people go vegan. There are hundreds of diets out there promoting good health.

I will tell you what it means to me. It means eating foods that are unprocessed and unpackaged. I focus on buying pasture raised beef and eggs when I have the money. During the summer months, I grow a garden and will eat some of the vegetables out of there.

Avoid packaged and processed foods. Cereals, breads, and pastas. Packaged foods tend to have preservatives in them. Do you really want your organs preserved or well-functioning?

Buteyko Breathing

I learned the Buteyko Breathing technique years ago. It is a method of correct, diaphragmatic breathing through your nose. Apparently when you breathe through your mouth, you don’t tend to get enough oxygen for your body to function properly.

Buteyko noticed a correlation between disease and the rate of breaths per minute. As people became sicker, they often increase the number of breaths they took per minute. He taught people to slow down their breathing and breathe through their nose. Patients started to eliminate their health conditions as they did this.

As a substitute teacher, I was able to observe many students in a variety of classes. I noticed that the students in honors classes often breathed through their nose with their diaphragm. In non-verbal autism classrooms, the students were often mouth breathers who rarely relied on nasal breathing.

Get Fresh Air

We are being told to stay indoors, but the indoors has many environmental toxins. There is off-gassing from carpets, chemicals that we use to clean, and some places even have mold. The more you connect with nature, the better you will feel.

Sunshine provides you with vitamin D, which is an essential hormone for many bodily functions. Vitamin D has been shown to fight off respiratory infections that are similar to the Coronavirus. While sunshine is the best way to get your vitamin D, you can also supplement with it.

Scientists also believe that breathing in the airborne chemicals produced by plants known as phytoncides increases our levels of white blood cells. This in turn helps us to fight off diseases and infections.

While none of these recommendations will help you completely avoid covid-19, each of them may better equip you to handle the virus when you do come in contact with it. As you incorporate these into your life, you may discover that your health and overall happiness improves!