When dealing with an autoimmune disease, you need to take many tests. One of them that helps your overall system are antioxidants. On a molecular level, they rid your body of free-radicals which promotes oxidative damage which leads to the deterioration of your body. But how can you measure your antioxidant levels? An increasingly popular scanner within the medical community measures this through the Pharmanex BioPhotonic Scanner. Listed below are my various antioxidant test results:
Pharmanex BioPhotonic Scanner Results from 2008 – 2013The average score is around 20,000 which is considered a low antioxidant level.
2/2/08 – On Enbrel (Autoimmune suppressor but relieved most of my symptoms before I started getting infections) with moderate diet. My score was 41,000.
10/6/2011 – On Enbrel but learned how to eat healthier and supplemented. At this point I was about to get off Enbrel as I was developing infections. My score was 65,000.
5/28/2013 – Off Enbrel for over a year, but still battling my Crohn’s Disease which leads to my autoimmune disorder. At this point I am eating very healthy without supplements that would affect my antioxidant levels. My score was 47,000.
Even with moderate diet & supplementation, you can have an above average antioxidant score while on Enbrel (since you’re not battling symptoms everyday). When you are off Enbrel and other medications while battling the root cause (Crohn’s / IBS / UC), absorption plays a huge role in your antioxidant levels. With Crohn’s, you can eat the best foods available but they don’t fully absorb within your system. Along with my other history of tests, these tests confirm that the body is healing itself, but there are components missing from getting back to the levels I want to be at. Until those are met, I will have poor absorption as this is the best I can do without supplementation.
I admit it, I’ve plateaued and know it’s time to start doing some serious testing again. In the next couple of months, I will be taking a lot of tests to determine the root problems I cannot currently see. From there, I will have a program of supplementation that will boost the levels I am lacking right now. It is my hope that this will be my last major push to get me to full remission.
Ranked by WebMD, here are the 20 common foods with the most antioxidants:
Total antioxidant capacityper serving sizeYellow & Orange Antioxidants – Contains lots of vitamin A that boosts our immunity from bacteria. Cook carrots whole so nutrients cannot escape. Bananas ripened bring out more antioxidants.Green Antioxidants contain Isothiocyanates - act like soldiers and take away the free radicals. Prep broccoli by cutting them & waiting 5 minutes before lightly steaming them. Buy fresh parsley & when eating cabbage, enhance the iron in it by combining with Vitamin C products like OJ or strawberries.Purple Antioxidants contain Anthocyanins - prevent damage & heal the damage already done by the cells. The more deep the purple hue, the better. Cabernet wine (1/day women, 2/day men max), prunes, plums, and berries are all deep hues.Most important Antioxidant – Green Antioxidant – studies from cultures who use vegetables mainly in their diet were less likely to get cancer and have a healthier & longer life.