Ketoacidosis is a major acute metabolic complication of diabetes.  It mainly involves fats in your body that are spoiling.  These fats can become toxic and dangerous in the bloodstream.  It is a major complication of insulin-dependent diabetes.   A diabetic in ketoacidosis smells bad.  Breath and body produce a very unpleasant rotten yeast odor. 

 From Harper’s Biochemistry, “The liver plays a regulatory role in removing excess free fatty acids from the circulation.”  Also from Harper’s Biochemistry, “However in the face of an increased influx of free fatty acids, an alternative route, ketogenosis, is available that enables the liver to continue to retransport much of the influx of free fatty acids in a form readily utilized by extrahepatic (non-liver tissues) tissues under all nutritional conditions.”  Also, “as more fatty acid is oxidized, more forms ketone bodies and less forms CO2. (Ref. Robert K. Murray, MD, Ph.D., Daryl K. Granmer, MD, Peter A. Mayes, Ph.D., D.Sc., Victor W. Fodwell, Ph.D., Harper’s Biochemistry, 25^th Edition, Appleton & Lance, Stanford, Connecticut, 2000, Page 302).”  The key points are excess fatty acids can lead to increased amounts of ketones in the bloodstream.  Also, more oxidized free fatty acids lead to more ketones forming.  

Formation of ketones is a serious condition for diabetics.  It is a condition that should be cared for by a doctor.  The doctors are very good at helping a diabetic in serious stages of ketoacidosis, the formation of ketones.  However, some doctors do not seem to have too many ideas how to prevent ketoacidosis. 

Dr. Bob is mentioned many times on this web site.  He was a M.D. internal medicine, orthomolecular doctor, M.D. psychiatrist, chiropractor, and healer 65 years.  He was a diabetic who lived to 108 years and had only 1 side effect 2 years before he passed away.  He treated diabetics over 50 years.                                

There are many methods of orthomolecular medicine to improve metabolic problems such as ketoacidosis.  Orthomolecular medicine is a system of medicine using natural substances, non-toxic, and safe in a wide range of dose.  The following ideas are orthomolecular methods Dr. Bob used to decrease ketone levels rapidly, sometimes in a few weeks.  There are other ideas to decrease ketones, but these usually take about 3 months, and often this is too long a period for a person starting to form many ketones.  So the following ideas are the fastest ways that Dr. Bob found to decrease ketones, using only natural substances, mainly nutrients. 

Dr. Bob advised the following: 

1.      Consider using 2-4 grams of acetyl-L-carnitine daily: Carnitine is essential for fat transport in the body.  When carnitine levels are low, fat transport may be slowed or come to a standstill.  Supplementation of carnitine can raise carnitine levels and make transportation of fats more efficient.  Improving the efficiency of fat transportation can result in more effective utilization of fatty acids.  This can help decrease fatty acid levels in the blood stream, by making more fat available for utilization by cells.  The form of carnitine that Dr. Bob recommended was acetyl-L-carnitine.  He recommended divided doses.  You can consider laboratory analysis to check carnitine levels.  There may not yet be reliable laboratory testing for carnitine. 

2.      Consider using 60 mg for women and 100 mg for men of CoQ10: CoQ10 has many functions in the body.  One vital function, it is involved in helping to burn fat in the mitochondria of cells.  Mitochondria are the power plant of the cells.  The fat is converted to ATP, the chemical energy of the body.  COQ10 helps increase energy production.  This can result in more burned fat, which can lead to decrease in ketones. 

3.      Consider using a multivitamin and mineral: carnitine, along with enzymes work to transport fats.  Enzymes are substances in the body that start chemical processes and speed them up to normal.  Enzymes are composed of protein and cofactors, such as minerals and vitamins.  Enzymes need cofactors and a high quality multi can provide the cofactors.  

4.      Consider using a total of 800 I.U. of dry vitamin E or natural E each day, in divided doses, or use 1600 IU of synthetic E in divided doses, each day.  Vitamin E is an antioxidant in fat tissues.  Antioxidants repair and heal the body and vitamin E can work to repair oxidized free fatty acids, which form ketones.  Vitamin E can help slow down or reverse the rotting fat process that can often increase ketones.  Dr. Bob said dry E is the most effective.  Also, many vitamin E supplements are oils. Oils can become rancid.  Dr. Bob did not like to use them unless you used a high quality oil such as fish oil in conjunction with the vitamin E in oil.  Rancid oil can add to free radical accumulation.  The high dose of vitamin E is required because it is needed to counter the damage going on from the stress of toxic fats in the bloodstream. 

5.      Consider using 10 grams or more total of buffered vitamin C powder each day, in divided doses, preferably an ascorbate C with minerals such as calcium and magnesium: Vitamin C is usually not needed in large amounts in the body.  However, in a serious condition such as ketoacidosis in the bloodstream, which results in free radicals and other conditions, vitamin C can be used in large amounts as an electron donor for antioxidants.  Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and do this by donating or losing electrons.  Vitamin C can donate electrons to antioxidants that have already donated or lost electrons.  This allows these antioxidants to be recycled and neutralize additional free radicals.   

In other words, vitamin C refuels antioxidants, allowing them to work harder and longer.  There are many instances in orthomolecular medicine where doses of 100 grams or more of vitamin C daily was not toxic, because it is a water-soluble vitamin that excretes excess vitamin C out of the body.  When you have watery stools, after taking high doses of vitamin C, the watery stools indicate you have reached your maximum need for vitamin C for a twelve-hour period, this means you have reached bowel tolerance.  Bowel tolerance is the amount of vitamin C you can supplement before getting watery stools.  Consider high doses of vitamin C while ketone levels are high. 

6.      Consider eating low glycemic foods: There is an article on the web site explaining the glycemic index.  Some carbohydrates enter the bloodstream rapidly and others enter slowly.  The rate of speed that carbohydrates enter the bloodstream can determine your insulin production.  Carbohydrates that enter the bloodstream rapidly can result in excess insulin production and carbohydrates that enter the bloodstream can slowly result in more steady production of insulin.  High glycemic foods are the carbohydrates that enter the bloodstream rapidly and low glycemic enter the bloodstream slowly.  Eating low glycemic foods will reduce or stop blood sugar spikes that can lead to insulin spikes.  You want to reduce blood fats when your levels of ketones are increasing and reducing insulin levels leads to lower levels of fats in the bloodstream.  This is one known to many physicians. 

7.      Consider using milk thistle A.M. and P.M. for the liver: The liver is your regulatory organ, which removes excess fatty acids that can result in reduced ketones. Milk thistle will aid the liver and can also heal and repair it from damage from the stress of diabetes. 

8.      Avoid constipation: Toxic fat is eliminated by bile made from the liver and out of the body through feces.  If you do not have regular bowel movements than the bile can be reabsorbed into the body along with the toxic fat!  The toxic fat can kill you so you cannot afford it being reabsorbed.  You need 2 or more bowel movements a day when you have high ketones.  If the ketones are dangerously high, Dr. Bob wanted 3 bowel movements each day.  Depending on how serious the levels of ketones, Dr. Bob had diabetics do the following.  

1. Consider adding 5 grams of multi-fiber 3 times a day to meals, totaling 15 grams per day.  He advised multi-fiber, since the body uses many different fibers.
2. If you were still not having 2 or more regular bowel movements he increased your multi-fiber to 10 grams, 3 times a day, totaling 30 grams.
3. Dr. Bob would build the fiber dose up to 80 grams total a day if necessary to produce 2 or more bowel movements daily.  He found this would decrease blood sugar levels as well as aiding bowel movements.
4. Drink lots of distilled water with the fiber, to prevent constipation. 

If the ketones were serious Dr. Bob would build the multi-fiber levels up within 1 to 2 weeks.  If the diabetics were still in safe ranges he would build up the fiber levels at a comfortable rate for the patient. 

9.      Consider using 500 mg of no-flush niacin in the AM and PM.  Niacin has been proven in many studies to flush fat from the bloodstream.  Reducing fat in the bloodstream will reduce ketones in the bloodstream.  From Harper’s Biochemistry, “Free fatty acids are the principal substrates for ketone body formation in the liver (Page 302).”  Free fatty acids influence ketogenosis.  You can use niacin to flush out free fatty acids. 

If you have constipation, you must clean out your insides before adding fiber.  You should have at least 5-10 days of rapid bowel evacuation before adding fiber.  To make this rapid bowel evacuation period easier, Dr. Bob advised a method called 80% bowel tolerance.  You can read about 80% bowel tolerance, in the article, “Constipation,” on www.restoreunity.org web site.   

Warning - When you are constipated and add fiber, you can create a greater amount of constipation than previously.  So start adding fiber after you have unplugged yourself with at least 5 consecutive days of rapid bowel movements.  

In conclusion, Dr Bob found that the above-mentioned substances could often drop ketone levels within weeks.  High levels of ketones is a serious condition, be sure to consult with your doctor about ketones.  Dr. Bob often said, "good luck and may heaven's blessings be yours."    

Note – In order for these anti-aging ideas to be successful, you must use supplements of the highest quality. Dr. Bob often said, "almost all supplement companies produce poor quality." You can consider the product page of this web site. Almost all the products met Dr. Bob’s approval. Since he passed away we have attempted to keep the same high standards.

WARNING:  DO NOT STOP ANY TREATMENT OR MEDICATION YOU CURRENTLY USE.  CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTS. 

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