Prurigo Pigmentosa – The Ketosis Rash Nobody Warned Me About

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

Prurigo Pigmentosa 1In early December, about a week and a half into my nutritional ketosis experiment I started to develop a rash on my body.  It began in my abdomen, near my collar bones, and my lower back.  It was only slightly itchy (I’ve attached a few pictures that I took from that time showing what it looked like as it was beginning).

Over time it gradually spread to cover much of my trunk (unfortunately I didn’t take pictures of this), but it looked like this.

I thought it might’ve been related to a viral infection or something (even though I never felt sick), because I know that
sometimes certain virus’ can give you rashes (the general term  for this is a ‘viral examthem‘).… Read More

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Great Documentary on Helvecio Penna, a De La Riva Blackbelt

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

A really well done documentary from JITS Magazine about Helvecio Penna.  While I’ve never heard about him before, after seeing this, he’s someone that I’ll never forget.

A 50+ year old black belt under De La Riva who still competes and was able to give a world champ like Xande Ribeiro a run for his money which while amazing still pales in comparison to everything else he does for the community in Rio.  He’s a true inspiration.

Just goes to show, you’re only as old as you let yourself think you are.  … Read More

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The Effect of a Ketogenic Diet on Thyroid Hormone

Posted on by BJJ Caveman

ThyroidDuring my most recent cholesterol blood work, I also checked my thyroid hormone levels in an effort to figure out why my cholesterol has gotten so high while I’ve been in nutritional ketosis.

One of the possible explanations was that:

Chronic low carb -> Hypothyroidism (low T3) -> Decreased expression of LDL receptors in the liver -> Higher serum cholesterol

Background – Here is an oversimplified explanation of thyroid physiology

  • Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) – This is the hormone your brain sends out telling your thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone.  
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