Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Update on alcohol

After years of virtual remission and a controllable smattering of minor symptoms i succombed to the reactive arthritis that i thought was gone forever. From left field i suddenly had a severe knee inflammation and reached for the prednisol as it always worked for me. It took more than a few mg once or twice to stop it so i was a bit rattled and KNEW it would be back in forteen days - which it was.
This was my condition and i have met no-one else who experienced it as i did, but the literature is about.
I consulted the calender and my 3rd or 4th episode would be NYE when i had planned to cycle around the city with friends so i had my pills ready and sure enough at the first tingle in my knee i had control with 12.5 mg morning and evening of the 31st.

The recurrence is (i believe) due to two things. Drinking more alcohol than advisable (1-2 stubbies late afternnon and 2-3 glasses of wine at nite) AND i ran out of access to live sauerkraut.
I slightly reduced the former, resolved the latter and on 14th January i had no inflammation so i had only suffered three or four episodes. Historically these cyclic inflammations would last 5-6 months. Naturally i also ditched marginal food and went NSD to make it all easier...
Some meals were just fish or just steak. Always with the fat.
John would probably say i had damage in my transverse colon...
Best result is i now have less neck stiffness, better eyesight/focus and feel great. I am always physically very active working as a gardener, physically loading unloading trucks (for fitness more than money) and cycling long distances regularly.

So it all just confirms the knowledge we acquired and hold - that the gut is ground plane for our disease and WE CAN CONTROL IT. So i'm back to the amount of alcohol i know i can handle - one or two glasses/stubbies only.
Go well

great news! do you make your own saurkraut? it's very easy to make & would keep you from 'running out'!

Hi Ted,

While I am not NSD but on Humira, a shot every 4 weeks (as opposed to every 2 wks) and my AS is well under control. I am basically a nondrinker for 2 yrs. In the summer I had just a couple of drinks on 2 occassions and my AS symptoms reappeared and lasted for about 2 months. I had to go back to a shot every 2 weeks which I would like to avoid if possible. My rhuemy says that small amount of alcohol is not the cause I tend to quietly disagree. Either way I have stayed away from alcolhol since then and am back to a shot every 4 weeks and my AS is again under control Now if I could just get my facet joint healed I would be laughing. I do agree that alcohol is not good for my AS!

Cheers!

Debbie

Hi Ted,

Good to see you checking in with an update. I have been making my own sauerkraut for several months now and I think it makes a big difference for me. Problem I have now it is soo warm and allowing to ferment.... place in our one bedroom that typically stays a bit cooler.

Good to hear you resolved the problem quickly.

Tim

Tim... after it ferments a few days, do you refrigerate your kraut? I'm still not used to the flavor, but it does taste way better than the canned stuff (bleck!) I really like my fermented beets... they are made the same way. I use the whey from my over-done kefir instead of sea salt.

Good to hear from you Ted. Maybe one day I will get my act together and start making sauerkraut!

I too have had reactions to Alcohol in the past. Always figured it was something to do with my screwed up liver [of course I am not certain about this]. I think I read somewhere that the liver is capable of filtering out some of the bacteria that manages to creep past the gut wall and into the blood stream.. if so alcohol could weaken this mechanism.

Hi Trudi,

Yes I refridgerate after fermenting... I usually ferment for 3 weeks per recipe I use. First batches tasted exceptionally good... this last one, not quite as good. Believe may because the heat here.

Tim

Hello Ted,
Alcohol being a major influence on the ground plane of the gut and a defense from the reality of other ground planes, I just had to ask, is the stubby a beverage originating in distiled spirits? If so, save yourself, these are particulary rude to the gut. Also , I find red, red wines can be very bad too.
A great cleanse is in order. i will start after a Super bowl party this weekend. If there was an amount of alcohol that was acceptable we might not have AS.
It is so good that you are active. This is the only thing that separates us from being totally stiff. I love cycling too. Winter weather in Illinois has kept me off my old bike and in the pool once a week.
Do take care of yourself. Go fast!
Ike

Thanks all for comments.
Stubbies are small bottles of beer. 5% or so alcohol seems fine. Wine is OK, but has to be limited, Port is dangerous and must be taken on full stomach. Spirits are simply not on.
These are my criteria and i drink often enough to watch the effects. Alcohol can strip the gut lining so it's a physical thing really.
Haven't got to make the sauerkraut for ages as it is a time and space thing. I do handle tempeh very well and just love cultured foods of all types as the semi-digested state seems to break down the molecules we do not handle well.
The biggest buzz i get from the NSD/LSD and concepts we discuss and realize is that when i err and slip back a bit i can easily, easily change my situation again by going strict NSD. I've proved it so many times and as i cannot live forever on an exclusion diet i push all the limits, then i fast and diet for a while.
Works for me.