AIP - 30 day results

To quickly recap: a month ago, I decided to do 30 days on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol, to see if this would improve my platelet count. I've got a low platelet condition going on because there are anti-platelet antibodies floating around in my bloodstream.  Nobody really knows why this happens, but it's a relatively common side-effect of glandular fever, and I had a bad dose of that beastie five years ago.

So... did it work?

Nope. In terms of platelet numbers, there has been no change in the last month.  Of course this news made me a bit moody and I had to rebel so hard after all that effort:

There's balsamic vinegar on those courgettes.  I'm such a dietary bassass.

I wouldn't say the month was a wasted effort though.  For a start, I feel fantastic.  I'm off caffeine, waking up with energy and get through the afternoon without a slump.  I feel calm, clear and far less anxious.  That's all very good.  

My weight is about the same and, of course, the bruises are gone.  That, I think, is due to ditching the coffee.  I read that there is an alkaloid in coffee that inhibits platelet function. It's not the caffeine that's to blame either, so switching to decaf coffee wouldn't have helped.

As for why there was no change, I've got a few theories. It may be that it just takes longer. Healing an autoimmune condition is generally a long-term project that takes months, if not years. It may be that this was the wrong protocol or it could even be that there is no nutritional fix for anti-platelet antibodies.  I'm not quite ready to surrender to that idea yet, but I'm not going to be hard on myself if I can't achieve a DIY recovery.

It's quite nice to know that, as regards diet, I can relax a bit.  Seeing as there was no noticeable effect, I doubt that any of the things I excluded are causing the problem.  It's a relief actually. I was already anticipating a lengthy reintroduction process, but that won't be necessary.

The going forward plan is to add back a few things that I've been missing (nuts, parmesan, eggs..). I'll aim to keep the vege consumption high and continue researching as well as attending to lifestyle issues (time management, stress, sleep, exercise..).

It's not the end of the autoimmune recipes though. Tomorrow: AIP apricot chicken.  It's a goodie!