Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Help to get out of a flare

Hi Mab

In our salads we mainly have cucumber, celery, raw onion (red is nice and sweet) and/or spring onion, capsicums (bell peppers) and tomatoes. We love mesculan salad and also cos lettuce salads.

I've had a hard time finding non-starchy tomatoes around here but they are usually fine. And if you can tolerate dairy then add a little hard cheese. Jon can tolerate a bit of cheese but if he starts eating it every day it seems to cause problems.

Coleslaw is also a good idea and you can make it more interesting by adding more things. We have green cabbage, red cabbage, some grated carrot (can usually get away with raw carrot as long as not too much), finely sliced celery, coriander, red onion or spring onions. I use either Aioli (garlic mayonaise) or Best Foods Real Mayonaise - read the labels on commercial dressings like this. Steer clear of any with "thickeners" added. Additives in the 1400 range are starches.

I've heard of some people having problems with onions - esp if caramellised as this tends to make them hard to digest. Jon has them raw or lightly cooked with no problems.

I guess if you are worried about adding so much new stuff at once you could start with a base salad and just add a new ingredient each day and see how you react.

Hope this helps. Don't give up, you're doing so well and it's a lot to take in all at once. It took Jon about 3 months just to get it sorted what he could and couldn't tolerate.

Chelsea

Hey, MAB:

As to the salads, I have found something important, albeit it takes more time to prepare, but I chop some things up quite fine--especially onions (these can be 'riced' using a cheese grater...may make the grater unsuitable for other stuff later), and even the garlic is razor thin, tomatillos, cilantro, parsley, chives, celery, basil, etc...I nearly liquify these by chopping so fine. Then, EV olive oil, and apple cider vinegar (superior to all others except lower acidity, so use more) can be mixed with a small amount of grater hard cheeses esp myzithra, parmesan, asiago, ricotta, etc, to make a nice combination. Even balsamic vinegar can be made by aging the vinegar with some raisins, tarragon, and counter bitter and sweet herbs (I use cardamom and dill, and press out the raisins when done).

Raw, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, etc have never been a problem. Sometimes flour and even talc is added to salt and pepper to keep the grains from sticking together. It is tastier to grate the peppercorns upon use, anyway, and some sea salts do not have the adulteration.

Real (Best Foods/Hellman's) mayonnaise is Ok to eat. Mayonnaise, however, can be a 'trap' for bacteria and if you mix this with any starchy product there is a risk.

I kept improving over a year after starting the diet (and I was also taking antibiotics to speed things up), and my costochondritis took about six months to totally go away. I just ate some starch to test my tract and (this is a fine line for me, since I am right on the edge of iritis too often) I had only minor pains in my back, just about my hips on both sides. One excursion is enough for quite a long time, but I also wanted to see how long this mini-flare lasted (about 3 days).

bon appetit,
John

Hi Dragonslayer
I did a search for candidiasis on this site and read some of your extensive responses. I would like to ask you a question about it: I have only just read about it for the first time in my search for the root of my problem, and I have the feeling that chronic candidiasis could be the answer to all my health problems, including AS. I have long thought that AS is a name used by western medicine for a condition that is not fully understood, and having done a some research it seems to me that candidiasis might not just be a complication but actually the whole problem, ie. if you can eliminate candidiasis and achieve the natural balance of yeast in your intestine you will halt the blood poisoning that is basically causing the inflammation. Is this oversimplifying in your view? From what I have read there seems to be some debate as to whether candidiasis is the cause of automimmune disease or the product of it. Have you had to eliminate candidiasis through antifungal treatment? If so, what effects did you notice? Could AS be chronic candidiasis in disguise? You seem to be more knowledgeable than most on this.
I have an appointment with a naturopath on Tuesday and I'm hoping to start treatment for candidiasis, because from what I've read I clearly have it quite bad. What I'm hoping is that it will also be the end of my AS...
I look forward to your reponse, thanks in advance for your time,
All the best
Barney

Hi, Barney:

Quote:

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if you can eliminate candidiasis and achieve the natural balance of yeast in your intestine you will halt the blood poisoning that is basically causing the inflammation. Is this oversimplifying in your view?

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This might be oversimplification, since AS is more complicated in long-standing cases, especially, but the statement is very insightful.

What I believe is that candidiasis is the cause of about 20% of all AS and a complicating factor in fully half of AS cases. It is complex, since it takes a very long time to reduce this fungus to the extent we need to and then rebuild the intestinal mucosa.

I admit limited experience with candidiasis; I have failed the spittle test repeatedly (happily), but I am very aware that all the antibiotics I have taken to eliminate AS symptoms could lead to this complication, so I have taken garlic, colloidal silver, caprylic acid, and oregano oil, but not the conventional anti-fungal drugs like diflucan and a newer even more effective one.

The protocol I developed for myself includes many days of not taking any antibiotic, and after many years now, if I am very strict with my diet, I do not need to take antibiotics at all, but on occasion I eat too much ice cream or rice and the monster begins to flare, then I take the antibiotics and get religion again.

You are welcome to write to me for my protocol (attachments are not accepted by our PM system), and I wish you all the bet--beliving that you are on the right track--in recovering from the AS nightmare,

John