The Moony Protocol - A Potential Strategy for Rapid Autoimmune Reversal
Version 1.3 - Updated March 15th, 2024
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not intended as medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any new health protocol. The author disclaims responsibility for the results of any actions taken based on this information.
For those who don’t like reading, the TL;DR is at the bottom. Here are some handy links to help navigate the article:
About Me
Please feel free to ask questions on the Moony Protocol subreddit or reach out to me directly at rasheemo@gmail.com
The Moony Protocol aims to cut down the time to reverse autoimmune issues from years to months.
This is the story of what I’ve tried, what I’ve learned, and what finally worked.
How it all began
When I was around 15 years old growing up in “the Garden State” of New Jersey, I had the great misfortune of developing some terrible spring allergies. You could not imagine the utter misery I felt nearly gouging my eyes out from how itchy they were. Congestion, intense fatigue, and constant sneezing sucked the color out of life, but I was grateful that Zyrtec took care of the majority of the suffering.
Within a few years however, Zyrtec became less effective, and I went on to try Singulair, Allegra, Claritin, and then finally graduated to steroid injections (Kenalog-40). It didn’t take long for the seasonal allergies to develop into year long allergies, and not long after that I had developed Hashimoto’s disease, falling into a difficult spell of depression and anhedonia. Life felt truly hopeless.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
I had nothing else to live for than to figure out how to feel normal. Researching like a madman lead me to learn about a lot of emerging theories related to autoimmunity:
Hygiene Hypothesis: Blame your mom for cleaning too much or not being exposed to enough bacteria to build a proper immune system
Genetics: Maybe you were just born this way
Poor Microbiome: Years of antibiotic use destroyed your gut flora and now your body is always overreacting.
In line with the first and third theories, I stumbled upon a quirky community of radical sufferers that were incubating a species of hookworm from human feces (yes bear with me) and intentionally inoculating themselves with it. The idea was that we co-evolved with this species and have since lost touch with our wormy buddies due to our sterile lifestyles.
I had nothing else to try and nothing to lose, so on I went.
Infecting myself with worms at 16
Spoiler alert: It didn’t work too well
Necator Americanus, a type of hookworm, modulates the immune system by promoting regulatory T cells, shifting the immune response towards a Th2 dominance, influencing anti-inflammatory cytokine production, and altering the gut microbiota composition. These actions collectively dampen inflammatory responses and could potentially protect against autoimmune diseases by suppressing excessive immune reactions. Sounded like a dream to me, sign me up for some poop worms!
At around 16 years old I dropped my entire life savings at the time, nearly $3,500, to order these worms from some insufferable man in the UK. After several failed attempts at successful inoculation I eventually was able to feel that coveted itch on my arm, indicating that I had finally received a viable sample (they often die in transit).
After a very long settlement period of about 8 months, I had a marked reduction in allergy symptoms. I would say it improved it by around 70%, enough to give me a new sense of hope for life, but not enough to reduce the everyday tension and stress of constant sniffling and itchy eyes. My allergies eventually came back with a vengeance as I was unable to keep up with the recurring inoculations due to financial reasons and the difficulty in ordering them from shady sources.
At this point my thyroid issues were exacerbated and I shifted my focus to Hashimoto’s treatments.
Condensed history of everything else I tried
Eventually I went on to try several supplements, including:
Vitamin C (up to 6,000mg daily)
Vitamin D (10,000 IU daily)
Iodine (over 100mg / day, yes you read that correctly)
Zinc
Spirulina
Fish oil
N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
Methylated B-Complex
Every probiotic brand you can think of
Homemade kombucha and kefir
Vegetarian/Vegan diets
Low FODMAP diets
Gluten free diets
Hypoallergenic pillows
Giving up and getting worse
Once I (barely) graduated college, I started to feel like life was a blur. My memory was awful, chronic fatigue wouldn’t go away, and my endocrinologists told me that everything was textbook “normal”. I more or less accepted my fate and dragged my feet through life.
Turning Point
One day I stumbled upon an interview between Jordan Peterson and Joe Rogan. JP chronicled his daughter’s timeline of insane autoimmune issues and how they eventually found relief by eating nothing but meat. It sounded absolutely ridiculous, so of course I had to try it.
I’ll spare you the details, but after 5 weeks of pretty grueling cravings, I felt reborn. My morning sniffles completely disappeared and I no longer felt like I needed naps in the middle of the day. My chronic fatigue continued to improve until I forgot I had it at all.
I wrote a eulogy for the box of oreos I kept at my office desk and stuck with the meat only diet for several months. I eventually had some strange symptoms that made me realize that I was a probably little overmedicated, but they eventually went away.
In spite of this glimmer of hope, I still had some lingering problems. My hormone levels still were not recovering, my memory was still horrible, and I would still have many days where the fatigue was unbearable.
Side note: The most common mistake people make on carnivore is not eating enough fat.
You cannot go from a high carb diet in which 70% of calories are a source of energy (ie. carbs) and then go to a high protein low fat diet. You WILL crash and some people even stop losing weight. Protein is a building block, and it is very expensive for the body to convert it to glucose.
Contrary to popular belief, ketone levels DO matter for everything that matters: muscle recovery, cognitive function, energy levels, etc. Aim for ketone levels above 1.8 mmol/L but keep it less than 4.
“When carnivore isn’t enough”
This was the title of a video I stumbled upon as I perused Youtube one day. It was an interview between Dr Judy and a patient who never felt normal until they treated a condition called CIRS.
CIRS stands for Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, and it essentially treats those who have been exposed to mold and other biotoxins.
Sufferers of CIRS are usually genetically predisposed in a way that prevents natural elimination of these biotoxins
CIRS is a multi-system multi-symptom illness that takes a long time to reverse
I’ve always wondered whether I had any sort of mold issue but testing is very expensive. Thankfully there is a free eye test you can do on your computer that tests visual contrast sensitivity, which correlates strongly with neuroinflammation and mold toxicity.
The VCS test is based on the principle that toxins, including biotoxins associated with CIRS, can affect the capillaries and nerves in the eye. These effects can lead to a decreased ability to see fine distinctions in shades or contrasts. It is not a definitive to diagnose CIRS.
So here was my first test:
The second component of cheap testing is to see how many symptoms you have across a set of unique clusters:
If you have symptoms in more than 6 boxes, and you score positive on the VCS test, there is a very strong chance you have CIRS. If you have the money, there are also a plethora of other blood tests and genetic tests that can narrow it down, but I didn’t have that kind of money.
The shoemaker protocol
The shoemaker protocol is a grueling 12 step protocol intended to rid yourself of the biotoxins and reset your immune system so that it’s not always activated.
I won’t go into detail but you can read up on the 12 steps here.
The following is critical towards understanding why autoimmune treatment is so elusive.
The shoemaker protocol removes inflammatory biotoxins, eliminates antiobiotic resistant bacteria from sinuses, corrects hormones, and then restores vasoactive intranasal polypeptide (VIP), which has the side effect of restoring Vitamin D levels without supplementation or sunlight. This is important for later so keep it in mind.
Step 1 is ridding yourself of the biotoxins, which is done by taking a strong binding agent (CSM, Welchol are the most popular), which bind to bile and are excreted along with biotoxins that have been wreaking havoc on your immune system.
So I got my hands on some Cholestyramine (prescription medication) and took 16g / day for 45 days. I tested my VCS 10 times throughout these 45 days, and saw a linear progression in my score, until I finally passed!
Now it was time for step 2, which involves using nasal sprays to eradicate MARCoNS (Multiply Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus) which live in your sinuses and are produced as a result of the biotoxins.
Where everyone gets stuck
In the groups I frequented it seemed that everyone had trouble eradicating MARCoNS. They would take the prescribed nasal sprays and either test positive for Staph Aureus (which prevents marcons from showing up on the swab), or they would continue testing positive for MARCoNS. I myself had staph aureus and was hesitant to use stronger antibiotics and more expensive swabs to get through this process.
I had already started feeling a lot better since I completed the 45 days of Cholestyramine, and I had a lot going on in my life, so I gave things a break. And that is when I stumbled upon the Coimbra protocol.
Enter the Coimbra Protocol
The Coimbra Protocol is a treatment strategy developed by Dr. Cicero Galli Coimbra, a Brazilian neurologist, for autoimmune diseases, notably multiple sclerosis (MS), but also including conditions like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. The cornerstone of this protocol is the administration of high doses of Vitamin D3, significantly above the daily amounts usually recommended.
The protocol aims to inhibit the parathyroid hormone (PTH), which opposes vitamin D's actions, thereby improving vitamin D activation and reducing resistance. This approach includes a low-calcium diet, high water intake (2.5L per day), and supplementation with magnesium and B vitamins to support the methylation cycle, enhancing vitamin D activation.
Though Hashimoto’s was not one of the autoimmune diseases that Coimbra doctors treated, my gut told me that Vitamin D was an important foundation of any autoimmune protocol.
I want to note that I’ve had “good” vitamin D levels before, and I never noticed a difference in my antibodies or the way I felt, so I was skeptical at first.
But the premise behind this protocol is that those suffering from autoimmune disorders have impaired Vitamin D Receptor function. Bacteria, inflammation, oxidative damage from high blood sugar and other things can all reduce the affinity for Vitamin D to bind to the receptor. This then leads to impact on gene expression.
Those generally on Coimbra take a mega dose of Vitamin D for the rest of their lives, but some start on a high dose (100-200,000 IU/day) and then reduce to around 80-100k IUs. Doing so has allowed MS patients to go symptom free for many years, which is a remarkable feat considering the failure of mainstream pharmaceuticals.
It occurred to me that these Vitamin D receptors do not seem to repair themselves, otherwise these patients would not need to be on the high dose forever.
Another clue
In my research, I came across a pivotal paper by Dr. Eduardo Beltran, who initially adopted the Coimbra protocol in his clinical practice. However, he soon encountered cases where this approach alone fell short. He identified that conditions like dysbiosis, SIBO/SIFO, and resistant biofilms could lead to resistance against vitamin D. To counteract this, Dr. Beltran implemented an anti-inflammatory diet devoid of gluten, dairy, lectins, and sugar, which significantly benefited his patients.
Additionally, he utilized oregano oil, a natural biofilm disruptor, enhancing the immune system's capability to eliminate these persistent sources of low-grade infection. This combination of 50,000 IUs of vitamin D daily to bolster the immune response and oregano oil to "extinguish the fire," alongside a diet aimed at reducing inflammation, formed a comprehensive strategy that worked for his patients.
Furthermore, Dr. Beltran's exploration into supplementary methods like GI mapping and genetic testing uncovered other contributing factors to treatment resistance, such as fungal overgrowths. The success of oregano oil as an antimicrobial agent underscored the necessity of addressing chronic infections and dysbiosis to achieve better treatment outcomes.
Putting it all together - evidence of reversal!!
After combining and tinkering with all of these protocols, I finally saw major success in the reversal of my Hashimoto’s antibodies. Take a look for yourself:
For the first time since my diagnosis 20 years ago, my TPO antibodies finally started to drop below 900 (the lab’s upper limit). Throughout this period I was strict carnivore, except in late November where I went on vacation and indulged in whatever I wanted to eat, carbs gluten and otherwise.
After going back on carnivore, I saw my antibodies drop again. Reintroducing carbs without gluten slowed down the progress (12/15 to 1/23 test) but did not seem to elevate the antibodies.
I’ve since had to reduce my medication several times, going from 275mcg of levothyroxine to now 125mcg after my TSH has come back showing hyperthyroidism.
It is likely that the decades of damage to my thyroid may prevent me from completely coming off medication, and I’ve accepted that. However normalizing autoimmunity means I reduce the chance of developing other autoimmune disorders, and likely has implications on “inflammaging”, wound healing, and a host of other benefits. I certainly feel like a new person already!
The Secret Sauce
What does the carnivore diet, the Coimbra protocol, and the Shoemaker protocol all have in common? Vitamin D!
They all restore vitamin D to varying degrees in different ways. However they are each missing a small component that would accelerate the healing.
Carnivore and Shoemaker rely on slow healing to re-establish vitamin D levels, taking up to a year or longer to get to adequate levels.
Coimbra does not address the renewal of impaired Vitamin D receptors, brute forcing absorption through ultra high doses.
Combining all 3 and taking a more moderate approach to Vitamin D supplementation allows simultaneous healing and elimination of toxins that inhibit recovery.
TL;DR: The Moony Protocol
Note: I’ve put this together as a generic plan, not specific to any autoimmune disorder. You and your doctor will need to adjust as necessary.
Step 1: Baseline blood tests
Establishing a baseline is mandatory. You can use your doctor, ultalabs, or various other sites to order labs yourself.
Required:
PTH w/ ionized calcium
Calcium should be in normal range
PTH baseline will likely be close to mid-range or higher
Antibodies relevant to your autoimmune condition (eg. I did TPO antibodies for Hashimoto’s)
Ab count will be abnormal
hsCRP (measures inflammation)
Depending on any underlying infection or high blood sugar, this could be moderate-high
Fasting insulin
Good fasting insulin in my opinion is less than 5 mIU/L
Nice to have:
Lipid panel
Most important is a triglyceride/HDL ratio under 2
Iron panel
Note that the reference range is laughably wide. Optimal ranges from what I’ve seen are the following (note men should be on the higher end of these ranges)
Iron: 110- 130
%sat: 34 - 39
TIBC: low 300’s
Ferritin: 70-110
Renal panel
Other potential deficiencies (iodine, b12, etc)
And last but not least:
Visual Contrast Sensitivity (VCS) Test - Note: This is free. You don’t need to contribute unless you’d like to donate, and you can skip the assessment after the eye test.
Step 2: Prepping your immune system
Begin the following supplements, again with the assistance of your doctor:
Vitamin D3 - 50,000 IU /day
Magnesium 1000mg /day
Vitamin K2
Methyl-B complex - 1 cap per day
Water - 8-10 cups per day
What we are doing here is priming your immune system by providing the necessary methylation factors and improving Vitamin D status so that when we start the clean up phase, your body will be strong enough to eliminate the threats without them lingering. Many people struggle eradicating antibiotic resistant bacteria and other lingering infections because they’ve only added the nasal sprays or antimicrobials without strengthening their immune system. We need to take a two-pronged approach.
Step 3: Clean up the diet
I am partially convinced that you can still make progress without too much dietary restriction, but if you want lightning fast results, then cutting out carbs and eating a high fat ruminant animal-based diet will do wonders for your healing. I urge everyone to at least do a solid 60 days of a high fat carnivore diet while you do all of this. It will increase the effectiveness of every phase of this protocol.
Note: The Shoemaker and Coimbra protocols both have dietary restrictions related to calcium and amylose, so the carnivore diet combines all the recommendations and drives inflammation to near zero.
I personally did a high fat carnivore diet. I would buy ribeye from Costco for around $14/lb, and would split a pound between 2 meals along with a few tablespoons of butter. This yielded about 2,500 calories and kept me satiated.
Even better was when I went to a butcher (even your local shoprite, Kroger, HEB, etc can do this!) and asked for untrimmed ribeyes. You can check apps like Flipp for ribeye deals and freeze them for months.
But at a very minimum you should adopt a paleo-friendly diet. Avoid sugars, seed oils, lectins, gluten, and other common inflammatory foods, and minimize calcium and amylose (starches).
In time you’ll find that your staples will become:
Eggs
Red meat
Butter
Simple seasoning
Low calcium dairy (if you tolerate it*)
Some veggies and fruit
* Note about dairy: I made progress despite drinking a decaf latte made with heavy cream every day, but many people react negatively to dairy. It’s best to exclude it until you have some data points, and then you can experiment with reintroducing it.
I know that this is the hardest part to adhere to, but it makes a huge difference, especially if you have markers of metabolic syndrome (high fasting insulin, blood glucose, high triglycerides, etc).
Step 4: Cholestyramine (CSM) treatment
Next we need to eliminate all the biotoxin buildup that might be hampering your immune system. If you scored positive on the VCS test and have many symptoms on the cluster diagram above, then this step will be extremely important.
Mold and other biotoxins present a continuous source of inflammation and mycotoxin byproducts that keep you sick. Breaking the cycle means beefing up your immune system (Step 2) and then eradicating the little inflammation factories sitting in your guts.
16g per day of CSM or equivalent can be prescribed by your doctor for a period of 30-60 days.
During this period continue taking the other supplements and cleaning up diet.
Feel free to retake the VCS test throughout this period. You should notice a linear progression. Once you are negative on the VCS test, you can stop the cholestyramine treatment or reduce to a maintenance dose of 16g per week for another month.
Step 5: Retest at day 60
Get a second baseline at exactly 2 months. By now you should be done with the cholestyramine and well under way with your supplementation and diet.
PTH
A Coimbra protocol doctor will often target a PTH at the bottom of the lab range, or even under it. As long as you are taking the co-factor supplements and drinking the minimum water (2.5L/day), you should be in good shape. As long as calcium levels are normal, low PTH is not necessarily dangerous. Your coimbra protocol doctor will help you make the call.
Ionized Calcium
Should be in normal range, even if close to the top of the range.
Fasting insulin
Should be closer to 3 if you are doing things correctly. Mine was around 2 mIU/L when I was doing everything correctly.
hsCRP
Should be close to 0 indicating minimal to no detectable inflammation
Antibodies
May or may not have started to drop, be patient as years of buildup takes time to reverse. If you are not seeing quick enough results, check your diet first.
Step 6: Introduce phase 2 supplements
Continue taking the aforementioned supplements, and add the following:
Oil of oregano
ACS Silver Nasal Spray (twice daily in each nostril)
Xlear nasal spray (twice daily in each nostril)
DHA (Omega 3s)
Take the nasal sprays away from each other. The purpose is to disrupt biofilms in the sinuses to allow proper elimination of MARCoNS. Oil of oregano disrupts biofilms in the gut.
Cholestyramine can decrease the intestinal absorption of fat and fat-soluble vitamins, hence the introduction of bio-available DHA.
You will take these additional supplements for 60 days while maintaining your previous supplement regimen.
Step 7: Third baseline test at end of 4 months
By now you are no longer taking CSM, have just finished the nasal sprays and oil of oregano, but still taking the Vitamin D and other co-factors.
If you don’t see reduction in antibodies at this point, it is almost certainly diet holding you back, but there may be other acute infections (eg. Lyme, EBV, etc), or another situation holding you back that would require additional testing.
Regardless, doing these steps will clean up a LOT of the issues contributing to your vitamin D resistance and you should be feeling significantly better by month 2-3 and seeing results by month 3-6.
Again your mileage may vary and you may need to tweak with your doctor accordingly.
From here, continue testing every 2 months and observing your antibodies and how you feel, being careful not to develop hypercalcemia. This protocol, when done under the supervision of a medical professional, is perfectly safe.
Maintenance Protocol
I will complete this section as I learn more. For now I am maintaining diet along with 50k IU of vitamin D with cofactors and nothing else, and my progress is steady.
I’ve tried coming off the Vitamin D for a period of time and still saw reduction in antibodies, but seeing progress slow down and toenail fungus return encouraged me to stay the course for now.
I will update as I learn more, but please feel free to ask questions on the Moony Protocol subreddit or reach out to me directly at rasheemo@gmail.com
About Me
Hey there! I'm Aimann, calling New Jersey home. I'm all about diving into the realms of technology and health with an unwavering passion. You'll often find me tinkering with new ideas, constantly pushing boundaries to uncover fresh insights and innovations that we can all share and grow from.
Got something on your mind? Don't hesitate to drop me a line at contact@aimannrasheed.com.