Dr. Anthony Chaffee interviews Rebekah Bavry, an army wife, mother to autistic twins, nurse, and certified ketogenic nutrition specialist. Rebekah shares her personal journey into the ketogenic diet in 2018 for autoimmune reasons, specifically Hashimoto’s and Sjögren’s, from which she had been suffering despite conventional medical treatments. Inspired by her brother, she initially adopted a “dirty Atkins keto” approach, which significantly improved her health, allowing her to come off multiple medications, including antidepressants, pain management, blood pressure, and anti-anxiety drugs. This positive experience led her to delve into the science of ketogenic nutrition and become certified in 2019.
Currently, Rebekah is pursuing further education to become a low-carb provider, a path encouraged by Dr. Barry. However, she highlights the challenges of learning within a system where textbooks are heavily influenced by organisations like the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the American Medical Association (AMA), whose recommendations often contradict current scientific understanding. She notes that even on topics like thyroid health and HbA1c levels for diabetes, the information taught is outdated and often driven by financial interests from food and drug companies sponsoring these private organisations. Rebekah expresses her frustration with having to provide “book answers” that she knows to be incorrect to maintain her academic standing.
The conversation then shifts to the rising prevalence of autism. Rebekah, a mother of autistic twins, shares her observations and suspicions about potential environmental contributors, referencing Dr. Seneff’s work on glyphosate. She recounts her personal experiences with her children’s gut health issues from birth, including antibiotic use and formula feeding, and questions the impact of early exposure to substances like glyphosate in processed baby foods. Dr. Chaffee supports the idea of multiple contributing factors, with diet likely playing a significant role, and points to the dramatic increase in autism rates compared to previous generations.
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around the concept of autoimmunity. Rebekah and Dr. Chaffee express their scepticism about the traditional understanding of the body attacking itself. They propose an alternative theory, suggesting that autoimmune conditions are the body’s appropriate immune response to external toxins and antigens, such as lectins found in plants and glyphosate, which can cause damage and trigger an immune response that may inadvertently affect the body’s own tissues. Dr. Chaffee explains that during immune cell maturation, cells that react to the body’s own antigens are eliminated, making true “self-attack” unlikely. They draw parallels with conditions like coeliac disease, where removing gluten leads to healing despite the continued presence of antibodies.
Finally, they touch upon the positive outcomes observed with ketogenic and particularly carnivore diets in managing various autoimmune and neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, with anecdotal evidence of symptom reversal and lesion reduction. Rebekah discusses her work with Healing Humanity, a project documenting such recovery stories. Both emphasize the importance of community support for individuals adopting these dietary approaches, who may face scepticism from conventional sources. Rebekah also mentions her ketogenic workbooks available on Amazon as resources for those starting on a low-carb or carnivore journey.