I’m Theo J Ellis, the founder of Health Senpai.
Little did I know some years back that many of my conditions would start to take root, especially conditions like Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
I created this website to share my journey with:
- Cutting refined carbs.
- Cutting sugars.
- Healing Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
- Putting First-Degree Heart Block into Remission.
- Improving the management of Gilbert Syndrome.
- Healing chronic constipation.
- Dealing with irregular heartbeats and palpitations (arrhythmia).
- Skin conditions like folliculitis.
- Inflammation.
Not to mention how these conditions are connected to:
- High carbohydrate diets (refined).
- High sugar.
- Gluten for some people.
- And even fibre (a carbohydrate of sorts) which makes constipation worse in many people.
In late 2021 during the pandemic, I started having heart problems.
It went from thinking it was palpitations (every night by the way), to almost dying and having mini heart attacks one of which led to the diagnosis of First Degree Heart Block.
My heart was racing like an athlete sprinting, except I wasn’t doing anything intensive. Worst of all, there is NO advice on this condition at all.
After getting through the thick of it all in 2022 while continuing to make lifestyle changes, I decided to create Health Senpai to share my experiences over the years.
Not before experiencing severe pain, chest pain, back pain, left side pain (arm, etc), pain in my hands, inflammation so strong I could barely walk because it was so painful, etc.
Without the lifestyle change, well, you can figure that one out.
This is what my fridge used to look like.
These were the foods I used to stuff my face with for breakfast, lunch, dinner, AND dessert.
It wasn’t the only food in my “bad” diet, but it was enough to cancel out any “healthy” foods I was eating like meat, fish, seafood, dairy, or certain vegetables.
During this time of my life in the images is where the Hidradenitis was pretty bad and where it began some years back.
These images were between 2019 and 2022 in ascending order. Take the picture with shades for example.
In red, if you zoom in it’s extremely bad and it makes me cringe looking at it. The other one with the purple t-shirt is visible as well, and so is the weight I gained from the pandemic (which I lost in 2022).
The other images are from 2019. You can also see how anaemic I was (my eyes were slightly yellow).
That aside, It takes sheer confidence to be able to go outside looking like I did, which is why I understand how many end up too ashamed to go outside of their homes or socialize.
Especially when people are aware and stay silent, or give you the look, etc.
In all images you can see it around my chin, mouth area, neck, each side of my face a little, and the big boil on the left side of my face (the latter being 2019).
I had it all over my scalp as well.
I had no idea what was causing it until I started experimenting around 2020-2022 (pandemic, etc).
How I look these days
A lot of my skin issues have cleared up, but NOT permanently or completely.
I’m close, and I’m here to share it all with you.
Especially those of you who are going through similar things besides just the Hidradenitis (heart disease and so on).
Walking out by the beach, nobody would even notice what was going on below the surface (dealing with the pain and severe inflammation, etc).
Keep in mind I’m in my 30s. Taking walks by the beach for my sanity was and is like therapy.
I’ve gone through hell and back, trauma and stress included, only to find out the contributors to all of my “diseases” were carb related.
Even if not entirely by itself.
- Hidradenitis Suppurativa.
- Gilbert Syndrome, Jaundice, and the Management of It.
- First Degree Heart Block, a form of heart disease.
- Chronic Constipation.
- Foliculitis.
After cutting the carbs and completely changing my diet over the years, things have only improved. And not at all by coincidence.
There is evidence pointing to the role of Carbohydrates in:
- Heart disease.
- Hidradenitis (an autoimmune disease).
- Its effects on those with Gilbert Syndrome/Jaundice (creating more fatigue).
And much more across the spectrum of health, including common issues like Diabetes in the Western world.
How my fridge looks these days.
Health Senpai is here to share evidence-based:
- Research.
- Content.
- Articles.
And more from the genuine experts, curated, dissected and presented right here for the masses to benefit from to help improve our health as a whole by cutting carbs.
Carbs aren’t purely evil by themselves. It’s the type of carb that counts (as well as sugar, the cousin of carbohydrates).
All these data points and evidence-based research (and personal stories) will be shared on this website for your benefit. As well as food ideas and recommendations to achieve better health.
And simply wishing to cut the carbs to improve health and a range of conditions you may be dealing with that are strongly associated with carbs (processed, refined), and sugars.
NOTE:
This is not medical advice and shouldn’t be treated as such. It’s for educational purposes only.