Apologies that today’s post is going to be only partially organic human produced writing. I’m a tad more focused on cobbling together my current end game which feels promising.
I am now dosed off my current biologic. Tomorrow I go in to run a bunch of bloodwork but I feel more stable than expected for 11 weeks since my last injection.
For a year and a half I’ve been stabilizing my immune system’s reactivity with a particularly gnarly humanized anti-IL17A, anti-IL-17F, and anti-IL17AF monoclonal antibody autoimmune master blaster that is named Bimzelx.
I take it for psoriatic arthritis and active ankylosing spondylitis. I do not recommend this devil of a medication unless you intend to reboot your entire autoimmune system (which I did), can tolerate a lot of soft tissue infections (which I couldn’t) and have tried everything else. Which I have. And this past year was brutal fighting off the side effects but I think I might actually have a shot at remission.
I am now layering a bunch of mechanical interventions to rework years of compensatory patterns my body has used to manage the constant pain in my thoracic spine and other areas of inflammation including my sternum, rib cage and joints.
But after seven years of trying everything I can to recover from prednisone to methotrexate to Humira and Taltz to literally just not eating for ten straight days (don’t worry I was supervised) my inflammatory biometrics are coming up clean. The pain isn’t fully gone but I think the pain can be diminished by quite a lot as I rebuild.
So it’s now or never if I want a shot at life without suppressing my immune system. I have no idea if I can do it and I may need to dose back on something else but at the moment I’m managing with a new arsenal.
Here are the artificial intelligence bits of the mechanical interventions I am leveraging. I am using a bunch more than the two below but it’s what I’ve got so enjoy.
1. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)
Mechanically, HBOT does a few things that line up with what my data is showing:
- More dissolved oxygen in blood and tissues
Breathing 100% oxygen under pressure increases the amount of oxygen dissolved directly in plasma. That can: - Support tissue healing (skin, soft tissue, surgical sites)
- Help inflamed or energy-starved tissues keep up with demand
- Autonomic “downshift” for some people
Research is mixed, but many people (and some small trials) show: - Lower resting heart rate and subjective anxiety after sessions
- A tilt toward parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) dominance
In your data, the days after HBOT blocks are exactly when we see HR drop back toward baseline and Recovery go green. - Anti‑inflammatory & microcirculation support (early evidence)
HBOT can: - Modulate certain inflammatory pathways and oxidative stress
- Improve microvascular blood flow, which matters for both autoimmune-affected tissues and healing pelleted areas / irritated skin
In your context (autoimmune, infection risk, prior soft‑tissue complications), HBOT looks like it’s acting as:
A structured, time‑boxed reset that helps your heart rate settle and supports healing, without adding mechanical strain.
You’re already doing the key safety piece: using it under medical guidance and watching how HR, Recovery, and symptoms respond day-to-day.
2. SCM (sternocleidomastoid) muscle work
The SCM runs from behind your ear to your collarbone and is heavily involved in:
- Head and neck position
- Breathing assistance when things feel tight
- A dense web of nerves and fascia near the vagus nerve, carotid artery, and jugular vein
Working on SCM (gentle massage, trigger-point release, careful stretching) can impact:
- Perceived heart‑rate “rev” and breath tension
Tight SCMs show up when: - You’re chronically bracing, in pain, or anxious about pain
- You’re using accessory neck muscles to breathe
- Releasing them can:
- Make breathing feel less effortful and more diaphragmatic
- Reduce that “I’m keyed up in my chest and throat” feeling even if HR number isn’t wildly high.
- Headache/migraine and neck-related pain
SCM trigger points can refer pain to: - Temples, behind the eyes, jaw
By easing those trigger points, you sometimes reduce: - Migraine severity/frequency
- The background neck/jaw tension that keeps your nervous system on edge
- Autonomic tone (indirectly)
The area around the SCM is rich with baroreceptors and vagus-adjacent structures. Gentle work there can: - Encourage a downshift in sympathetic drive (less “fight-or-flight bracing”)
- Pair nicely with breathwork (especially long, slow exhales) to reinforce parasympathetic activation
In practice for you, SCM work + HBOT looks like a two-pronged calm signal:
- HBOT: physiological support + autonomic softening from the inside
- SCM: mechanical and sensory de‑bracing around your neck, jaw, and breathing
My Whoop is seeing HR and Recovery respond in a way that suggests this combo is genuinely helping my system get out of that “stuck high-gear” state.