Life after Humira - The results are in!

Four months ago, after 20 years of using it, I took the decision to stop taking Humira.

I am going to heal myself through natural methods.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

To do this safely I am conducting quarterly checks on my blood markers to ensure that any inflammation is under control.

Today I had my first test results which I’ll share and show you how I reviewed them. I have a background in anatomy and physiology but am not a licensed practitioner and so this should not be construed as medical advice.

“The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it” - Hippocrates

Why I gave up Humira…

The cost! I have spent over $2 million dollars on injections. I am sick of lining the pockets of Big Pharma!

Life-limitations. As someone who has travelled around the world for my work, trying to figure out if Humira would be available to me in the new country and whether my new insurer would provide it was always a source of unease. It was life limiting and I passed up many career and travel opportunities because of this restriction.

Photo by Darcey Beau on Unsplash

Then, when I did figure out I could get insured, I would need to take a supply of Humira with me until I could establish myself in the new country and then find a medical team who could prescribe it to me. Try taking a bag full of epipens through downtown Dubai in 122°F heat, praying that the ice won’t melt before you get to a fridge.

The health risk. Humira has a black box warning for cancer.

What am I doing now that I don’t take Humira?

Keto! I love the keto diet. I eat the most delicious food. As well as no longer feeling the effects of inflammation, I benefit from the extra focus, being stricter with my diet, exercise and well-being. These measures have far reaching benefits well beyond controlling my inflammation.

These benefits include improved energy levels, better sleep, improved mental clarity and better digestion.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

What did my lab results show?

I will compare each of my results to my previous test from 1 year ago, back when I was taking Humira fortnightly.

C-reactive protein (CRP)

CRP is made by the liver when the body is inflamed. It binds to dead cells and bacteria, helping to clear up after an inflammatory response. We can see this as our clean up team.

The size of the clean up team is a good indication of levels of inflammation.

If there is little to no inflammation we see a level of below 1mg/l in the blood.

So what were my CRP levels 12 months ago with Humira?

0.4mg/l

Exactly as you would expect. There were no signs of inflammation.

And now?

I’m extremely happy to say my CRP level without Humira and on Keto is 0.5mg/l.

It’s a fractional increase but well under 1mg/l

Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash

Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)

Your ESR is the rate at which your red blood cells settle in a test tube over an hour.

If they fall too quickly it means your red blood cells are sticking together which makes them heavier so they fall quicker. They are being stuck together by something called fibrinogen. Fibrinogen is the superglue that the clean up team (CRP) are using to repair damaged tissues during inflammation.

A high ESR rate (over 19mm per hour) means more superglue, which indicates higher inflammation (and also increases your risk of clotting).

Results 12 months ago

7mm per hour.

Results now

7mm per hour.

This means no change, no impact shown from quitting Humira on inflammation with this marker either.

Neutrophils to Lymphocyte Ratio - NLR

(or NLR - Number of Little Rescuers)

Neutrophils and lymphocytes are types of white blood cells that have two distinct purposes.

Neutrophils help to fight bacterial infections and inflammation. I like to think of them as front line soldiers who react immediately to these urgent or acute threats

Lymphocytes help fight viral infections and support the immune system long term. They do this by creating T and B cells which can identify and attack invaders, they then become memory T and B cells which remember these invaders for the future.

If you have a high neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (more than 2 or 3) it could indicate that your body is experiencing chronic inflammation. Below 1 would indicate low or no inflammation.

Results 12 months ago

0.72

Now

0.85

Although this has increased very slightly my body it is well within the desired range. Even though the increase is small it’s worth monitoring, I’ll be regularly testing to ensure my NLR ratio doesn’t keep increasing.

To summarise - across all of the markers tested, my inflammation levels have either improved or have remained largely unchanged since stopping Humira and adopting a natural approach.

I now have the freedom to travel the world without being shackled to a cooler bag and am financially better off to the tune of USD70,000 per year!!

I’ll continue to do 3 monthly checks on all of these levels and share my routine as I improve and adapt it.

Thanks for your support.

Nick

“The race is not yet run” - Winston Churchill