Hey, Darryn:
Glad to see You have not left us, and especially that the NSD works so well for You!
We have tried hard to alienate this bunch before, but they keep hangin' on! This approach doesn't work when our fellow ASKickers are so tough they can endure AS and words just off like water from a duck's back. But thanks for tryin'; everyone here is certainly worth the effort.
Some think the hour glass has run out, others want to find a drug/some have mild enough symptoms to treat with drugs and decided not to do too much starch restriction--it is all a personal choice. I try and hit the newbies once and if they show interest direct them to the NSD Forum but otherwise there is plenty of other stuff to share here.
We used to have "starch-wars" that I was at the center of mostly but as people began trying the NSD they found their voices--so much so that I was once compelled to ask Professor Ebringer why going starch-free changes our personalities so much! I would say that KickAS has actually banned very few people, but it is usually done only after great angst of the moderators and egregious errors on the part of those banned, but oddly I would suspect the overall majority of those banned were NSDers!
We have some frustration, doing NSD, since it is so inconvenient and so much of our food is adulterated with starches. And there are few products that are starch-free but satisfying the way starchy things are; is is overall a tough-as-nails regimen. It turns a (capital "L") "Liberal" into a conservative: The lessons of personal responsibility and observation about the world (it just ain't fair!) make us appreciate the truth ("TRVTH;" written in stone) instead of empty campaign promises.
And while I am certain that the cause of AS is the same for everyone, I do know several people who have diligently followed NSD and not had results. One had to get chelated before the NSD began working. I have had chelation and years ago the amalgam removed from my teeth but I never thought these things had any influence on why NSD worked for me. And I can understand why (as an EX-vegetarian) people would want the NSD to not work for them. But in a Liberal world, everyone needs an "out," so we know that NSD does not work for everyone (5%), and 25% of the people want to be in this group; just the way things are. Some turn their backs on it to the extent of not even doing LSD in combination with other conventional therapies, which is what Ebringer suggests in the first place.
It is our goal that everyone with AS become informed about the NSD and make their own choices, day-by-day. We don't want to shame or bully anyone or even make them feel unwelcome here--because no matter what they do about their own treatment they are always welcome and can always contribute something and we appreciate every person here, whether actively posting or just learning if lurking.
I'm glad that You have chosen to remain a part of the group, but would appreciate some less provocative tone; we've been through it all before and I don't want to have to constantly be on the lookout for threads to move into other forums!
HEALTH,
John
