Hi Boxer,
The stiffness in the morning is definitely because of inflammation.
If your pain and stiffness overall have improved but you are still getting morning pain it could mean you are eating foods you should not be eating. Long before I knew about AS, I realized that dairy made my joints hurt more. A few years later I realized grains were a problem. And when I stopped eating dairy and grains my pain improved a lot. Like you, I was eating a Paleo diet and feeling much better!
But, like you, morning stiffness was still an issue. It wasn't until I went starch free that I became pain free. My pain only comes back when I eat starchy food.
Paleo eliminates foods like dairy, and really high starch foods like wheat, rice and other grains. But a paleo diet can still be too high in starch for someone with AS: sweet potatoes, squash, dates, almonds, carrots, apples, etc. It wasn't until I eliminated these foods that I became pain free.
I also take a strong probiotic every day and then every 2 months I switch to a herbal antibiotic (berberine, oil of oregano, peppermint oil, caprylic acid, etc.) for 1-2 weeks. Now I find I can eat low starch foods (e.g., carrots, grapes) regularly without pain.
Last edited by Kellybells; 01/05/18 01:40 PM.
