149: Keto For Type 1.5 Diabetes, Myasthenia Gravis, Keto For Cancer Support, Period Carb Cravings, Female Balancing Testosterone While Keto

After being gone for several weeks as Jimmy and Will have dealt with the busyness that comes with summer, we’re back for a couple of months before Jimmy heads off for his much deserved six-month sabbatical (more on this coming up). In this episode of Keto Talk, Jimmy and Dr. Will Cole answer your questions about Keto For Type 1.5 Diabetes, Myasthenia Gravis, Keto For Cancer Support, Period Carb Cravings, Female Balancing Testosterone While Keto, and more! “It’s not always the goal to produce higher and higher ketones, you should be at a therapeutic level for you.” Dr. Will Cole Why do we have to be “at war” over our food choices?  Welcome to the 2020 diet wars HOT TOPICS: Why do I have pain in my kidneys when I am in the midst of doing intermittent fasting? Why are my blood ketones low when I am intermittent fasting, but then go higher when I eat dietary fat? Are there any concerns about having much higher blood ketone levels in the 5-8 range while extended fasting? Is it worse on the body to do a 2000-calorie OMAD vs. spreading out the food over a couple of meals in a feeding window? Why do I get major diarrhea whenever I take any dosage level of magnesium in supplement form? Paid advertisement “My goal would to have a blood ketone level of zero, but all the benefits of nutritional ketosis. I want to use up all of the ketones I make.” Jimmy Moore HEALTH HEADLINES: PBFA and Upton’s Naturals challenge Mississippi law restricting plant-based and cell-cultured ‘meat’ labeling Carbs: How low can we go? Comparisons to Soda Reveal Unexpected Consequences of Drinking Fruit Juice A cancer researcher who’s been keto for 6 years thinks our modern diets are an ‘axis of illness’ — here’s what he eats instead Pompe disease STUDY: Low-carb diets like keto ‘reduce diabetes and stroke risk even without weight loss’ Paid advertisement Your Questions: – Is engaging in fasting or a low-carb/keto diet a prudent nutritional strategy for someone with Type 1.5 diabetes? Hey guys, My question is about my mom who is in her 60s and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes a few years ago. Her diabetic nurse jokes she is a Type 1.5 because her pancreas is not producing much insulin. She eats a low-carb diet but still has trouble controlling her blood sugar. It’s not out of control but higher than ideal. She says there doesn’t seem to be any discernible pattern to it.  Her diabetic nurse has her on a consistent low dose of insulin daily. At her last check-up she was spilling a little protein into her urine. I encourage her to try eating less veggies to lower carb count because she eats tons of them. But she does eat lots of eggs, cheese, and nuts. I think those are her main staples apart from the veggies. She eats healthy fats but maybe not enough of them and some berries as well.  I know she’s not a big fan of eating meat—no pork or chicken. She used to drink a glass of wine at night but I think she’s cut back on that. She tried fasting but it didn’t agree with her. I’m now wondering if she’s fat-adapted. She says sometimes she is lightheaded in the morning which makes me think her blood sugar or blood pressure is low at that time. Or maybe she needs more electrolytes like salt. I’m wondering if because her pancreas doesn’t work well whether fasting or low-carb/keto are still a good treatment protocol.  Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated as she gets frustrated and scared and I don’t know what else to suggest. Thanks for taking the time to read this!   Nicole – Will eating a ketogenic diet cause the condition Myasthenia Gravis to become worse? Hey Keto Talk dudes, My ears perked up when I heard Jimmy mention that his mom suffers with Myasthenia Gravis (MG) in a recent episode. I have been searching for MG and keto information, but there doesn’t seem to be much connection with them. I had been low-carb off and on for years, but this past January decided to try a more strict keto plan to “clean up” after an indulgent holiday season. Within a week I woke up with an odd drooping eyelid and a few days later started suffering from intermittent but terrible double vision. After several visits to the eye doctor and a neuroopthalmologist that included an expensive MRI and inconclusive blood tests plus other weird symptoms of intermittent but profound weakness in my legs and neck, he thought I had MG. Of course, he blamed keto for bringing it on. But now he’s got me wondering if keto is doing more harm than good with this condition. I’m willing to take any supplements or do other strategies to help with this so I can stay on my keto diet. Thanks for helping me with this,   Louise – Where can you turn to find quality information and professional support for treating cancer with a ketogenic approach? Hey Jimmy and Dr. Cole, I have been doing a ketogenic/LCHF diet for three years on my own after reading Keto Clarity and listening to your podcast. Now my mother has been diagnosed with lung cancer and her functional medicine doctor is encouraging her to begin keto. I know there is a difference between what I am doing and what is necessary for therapeutic levels of ketosis for something like cancer. My question is where can we find information on or get guidance from someone who can guide her through starting this diet correctly? Every cancer center has dieticians available, but none of them know anything about keto or fasting or anything remotely useful other than “drink Ensure” “don’t lose weight” “eat plenty of calories” etc. Where do you find someone with real knowledge? Lee – How can I control the major carb cravings that overcome me during my time of the month? Hi Jimmy and Will,  I started listening to your podcast in the Fall and began seeing a Naturopath which has changed my life! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started taking supplements to balance my hormones and heavy painful periods. I began taking desiccated thyroid about a month ago and it has made a huge difference to my energy and mood levels. I have not eaten sugar in over 6 weeks which I have found to be very helpful in balancing my hormones and moods. My periods are not as heavy but still very heavy and I struggle with major carbohydrate cravings right before my period starts. I usually end up caving in and eating pizza or something very carby then feeling terrible the next day. Any helpful suggestions for managing this? Do I need to up my fat or protein intake around this time of the month?  Thank you very much,    Christine  KETO TALK MAILBOX: – How can I effectively balance my testosterone levels as a woman without resorting to a hysterectomy or oral contraceptives? Hi Jimmy & Will, I could use some ideas from you about balancing testosterone. I am 36 years old, have been keto for almost a year, and dropped 35 pounds effortlessly. I have PCOS and stopped taking oral contraceptives after 20 years of use. I cannot tell you how much better I feel off of them. However, my testosterone levels are now quite high. I have used the at home Everlywell hormone testing and it measured at 159ng/dl (normal 16-55). The hair on top of my head is very thin, my cycles are unpredictable with a lot of mid-cycle spotting, and I have painful large zits on my face, neck, and chest. I found an article on PubMed referencing licorice root as an aid to lower testosterone in women. So I started taking a conservative dose to start (1g, recommended was 3.5g). What else can I do to help this? When I went to my OBGYN with my concerns, his options were to have a total hysterectomy so I don’t have to deal with periods, get back on oral contraceptives, or an IUD. The only lab work he wanted to run was a CBC to make sure I wasn’t anemic from all the bleeding.  I have made so much progress with keto so far eliminating pain from the cysts and getting my blood sugar and weight under control that I refuse to believe I have to take hormones to make this better. The only other lab markers that were off was my end of day cortisol at 3.4ng/ml (n=0.4-1.0), and my progesterone:estradiol ratio at 49 (n=100-500). My estrogen was previously low so I started supplementing with a phytoestrogen. I think stopping that will bring this ratio back down. I am reluctant to spend my time going to another MD if those are my options. Thanks,   Nicole