Four months of Cimzia was enough for me to recognize some serious side effects. Six weeks after starting the loading doses last August, I got COVID and subsequent respiratory infections through the end of the year. I had to skip one dose. In February I had a random mouth/gum ulcer that took weeks to heal. And right after my March dose the respiratory issues started again. So I decided to experiment with taking half a dose (200 mg) and changing the spacing to approximately every 3 to 4 weeks. It seems to have helped with the respiratory issues. Although I did get COVID again in June but that was a direct close exposure from a friend.

The other big change for 2024 is that I’ve decided to try hormone pellets. I noticed an immediate boost in energy and the low back pain disappeared. So this begs the question…do I need the Cimzia? This will be the 2024 question and possible experiment.

I’ve gained about 5 pounds and I’m struggling to do another fast, even a mini 3-day fast, but I can’t find the discipline to do the 5-day fast and 21-day elimination diet that started this journey in 2019. A fast would reset my immune system and I would feel so much better, but I think I have to hit rock bottom before I have discipline to do that again.

I still incorporate some of the things I learned from previous protocols. If I have diarrhea or digestive distress, I use Slippery Elm Bark Tea in the morning, American Yellow Saffron Tea at night, and L-Glutamine morning and evening from Healing Psoriasis by John O. A. Pagano. MaxasorbD3 helps if I have an inverse psoriasis flare. Vitamin B12 helps with muscle twitches. I completely removed Sodium Lauryl Sulfate from all lotions, detergents, shampoos, etc. as recommended from the ALCAT testing with PreviMedica. I go into more detail about this in my 2023 Food, Exercise and Symptom Diary

To fully understand why I take each of these supplements you’ll want to review my posts on the progression of my disease and the diet and elimination protocols I have tried over the years.

January-August 2024

Minor adjustments are noted each month.

• Amino Acid Complex by Kion, take 1 scoop in the morning paired with brushing teeth. Tastes better than Thorne version. OR Clearvite-CLA by Apex Energetics. Use Clearvite when I want to detox as well as supplement.
• Magnesiuim Glycinate 120 mg by Douglas Laboratories.
• Iron-C 15 mg iron, 175 mg Vit C, 1/day
• Arctic Cod Liver Oil for Omega 3’s. Cod better source than sardine for me.
• B6 Complex 100 mg B1, 15 mg B2, 110 mg Niacin (B3), 200mg B6, 667 mcg Folate(B9), 1000 mcg B12, 400 mcg Biotin, 100 mg B5, 12 mg Choline, 25 mg Inositol by Pure Encapsulations. She recommended this one because it also has choline, which I need.
• 5000 IU D3/100mcg K2 1/day by Upnourish
• N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine 500 mg by Klaire Labs. Can boost glutathione levels.
• Saccharomyces Boulardii probiotic supplement 273 mg. I had a moderate reaction to candida albicans and this probiotic can help with that. I was also encouraged to take it while traveling.
• Zinc L-Carnosine–16 mg zinc, 75 mg Zinc-L-Carnosine, 59 mg L-Carnosine, when I looked back on bloodwork, I was on this when Alkaline Phosphatase (ALKP) was within normal range. It’s a little low. No doctor is concerned but they also can’t explain why it is low. So just experimenting.
• Magnesium Citrate, 400 mg, at night with Progesterone to see if it helps with sleep
• Slippery Elm Bark Powder Tea in the morning when needed
• American Yellow Saffron Tea in the evening when needed
• L-Glutamine, Using 3-5mg /tsp powder under my tongue morning & night when digestive distress
• Cimzia TNF inhibitor, 400 mg February 1, March 8, 200 mg April 7, May 2,
• January until pellets in March: Rapid dissolve tablet with progesterone, testosterone & estrogen. B/P/T .75 (50:50) 100/2MG RDT-TP.
• Progesterone 200 mg at night, got as high as 600 mg briefly to stop the bleeding
• 12.5 mg Estradiol, 125 mg Testosterone pellets on March 19, by Farmakeio
• Zinc note from Adrenal Transformation Protocol book by Isabella Wentz: Low Alkaline Phosphatase in blood can be indicator of zinc deficiency. My doctor did not know what it meant when my health was failing. Recommendations from book: doses of no more than 30 mg a day. Zinc supplementation above 40 mg may cause a depletion in copper levels. If choosing to take zinc, you may also want to take a copper supplement. Usually 1.5–3 mg of copper should be sufficient. (General recommendations are to take 1 mg of copper for every 15 mg of zinc.) Caution: Zinc can cause depletion in copper and iron.

June 2024

Got COVID again so added some supplements that might help with recovery and symptoms.

• REDUCED: 10mg Estradiol, 100 mg Testosterone pellets June 12, by Farmakeio
• INCREASED: Progesterone 400 mg at night
• ADDED: Quercetin Immune by Garden of Life, 500 mg
• ADDED: Zinc Picolinate by Bluebonnet, 50 mg
• ADDED: Sambucus Black Elderberry by Nature’s Truth, 2000 mg
• ADDED: Vitamin A, 32000 IU for first week, reduce to 24000 IU after that

July 2024

• REDUCED: Progesterone 200 mg at night
• FINISHED: Quercetin Immune by Garden of Life, 500 mg
• gradually running out of all the supplements I added because of COVID

August 2024

• FINISHED: Zinc Picolinate by Bluebonnet, 50 mg, still taking Zinc L-Carnosine, may want to add more zinc in the future after switch to Life Extension supplements.
• FINISHED: Vitamin A, 32000 IU for first week, reduce to 24000 IU after that
• FINISHED: Clearvite CLA-will return to Kion supplement
• ADDED: L-Citrulline, 1500 mg by Nutricost–some have had success with it helping their PsA.

September 2024

For most of the month I experimented with taking only the following while traveling. I probably only remembered my vitamins 75% of the time but it was enough to keep me feeling generally healthy.

• Life Extension One-Per-Day multivitamin
• Life Extension Once-Daily Health Booster-which covers the Vitamins E, K & the macular degeneration supplements.
• Saccharomyces Boulardii probiotic supplement 273 mg.
• Magnesium at night when I remembered

October 2024

Will run out of these 2 by the 2nd week of October. Still have some B6, Magnesium, D3, probiotic & Black Elderberry. Re-evaluate at that time if I switch to Life Extension or continue to use up these other supplements.

• N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine 500 mg by Klaire Labs. Can boost glutathione levels. Will run out by 2nd week of October.
• Zinc L-Carnosine–16 mg zinc, 75 mg Zinc-L-Carnosine, 59 mg L-Carnosine