Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; NSD- All Success?

My husband has a severe case of AS (two total hip replacements by the age of 21- now age 39). We are starting the kickas no starch diet. I have seen alot of testimonials as to it working well. This makes me very optimistic! Have you all found it to be helpful pretty much across the board? Are there any out there that it didn't help?

Did you dive in with absolutely NO STARCH or did you do it more gradual like in the NSD book (start with removing grains and legumes)?

I feel so at a loss and I really want to help my husband... and my son (age 7 showing early signs of AS).

This is my first post. Will do a more thorough introduction as time allows in the next few days. Just had to get this question out there immediately as we are starting the NSD this week...

Thanks!
jaz

This is my first post.

it's my considered opinion that this is sold as a one size fits all panacea...it's not.
there is nothing that works for everyone, everything all the time without fail.

back in the 19 century you could buy mother mcreas' tonic...cured digestive problems, rheumatism, 'feminine distresses', sleeplessness, headaches and worked as horse
linament and sheep dip too...
best of luck

Hi and Welcome to Kickas - I hope your husband can find success with the diet. I did. I was in Chronic Pain for about 2 years, and had been diagnosed for 6 months, when I found and started NSD. I was 42 years old. I had some episodes of pain throughout my life, but nothing chronic. So my damage is not nearly as severe as your husbands.

In my experience, only 100% NSD worked. That means all trace amounts of starch had to be weeded out. But I was determined, and was pain free and off all meds within 10 days. I will still flare if I do have starch. Starch is in your meds, supplements, pre-sliced/shredded chesses (this amazed me!), processed foods, etc.

I also had a fungus over-growth which seems to be common among AS sufferers, which was causing pain, fatigue, PMS, etc. So I had to eliminate sugars, including dairy and fruit as well, so now I eat mostly Meats (and fish), Oils (coconut, butter, olive), Vegetables, and Eggs (M.O.V.E.)

Today I am 100% symptom free from AS and Candida (fungus). The candida was causing more problems then I knew, until they were eliminated after following the diet. What my rheumy had diagnosed as arthritis, is now gone. PMS is gone (and it was severe). Chronic Fatigue is gone (it was severe).

I urge you to research these web sites for natural healing through diet help:

http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/

http://www.mercola.com/

http://www.westonaprice.org/

Best of success to your family!

Jazzy - I started in July as a LSD and have had great success. I do not even come close to NSD. I have had AS for 38 years and this is the best I have been able to do in decades. I just added Klonopin and this has made my life even better.

Brian

WELCOME, jaz:

There is only one cause of AS, but many approaches and some can be used in combination with diet--but diet should be the primary focus.

A person with long-standing AS disease, as I was when I began the NSD, will have less obvious and immediate results than another who has not had AS for as many years. This results in considerable subjectivity, and some lack of faith in the dietary approach. Fortunately, diet requires no faith to allow it to work, but it certainly does require dedication and self-discipline.

Looking at the ESR charts for people doing Ebringer's LSD, it was rather daunting that it could take over two years to finally get the ESR low enough to attribute even a strict diet to some minor disease remissions.

Yes, I believe that everyone with AS can benefit from at first both total starch and total dairy elimination, but it is finding the lifestyle--long-term--that we can each live with after we get into natural remission that is the key to avoiding relapse into severe pains, and avoiding the damage that will never go away.

One of the things that drove me to strict starch restriction was iritis. Although I knew that I had terrible skeletal damage, and later broke my back from AS-induced osteoporosis, it was and is saving my eyesight that keeps me on the straight and narrow. I had kidney stones, and would live with an occasional stone, provided I could eat starches again. The problem is that these stones are an indicator that our bones are losing calcium and other minerals, and the iritis is another sign that AS is out of control and still working on our skeletons, so I would say that the PAIN is the least of my worries. Although I could put up with the pains, ignoring their warning signals (pain killers, NSAIDs, steroids, meditation, etc) is the wrong approach, and even if I could become accustomed to the pains, eventually my eyesight would be gone and my skeleton reduced to dust: Eating starches would turn me into a blind slug!

Everyone with AS has a unique level of activity, and some do not require such strict adherence to starch reduction. I was an unhealthy vegetarian for too many years, all the time taking NSAIDs that only accelerated the disease process; the combination was almost fatal. By the time I learned of the pathogenic connection with AS, I was in no position, nor did I have the patience to wait very long for the diet to work for me, so although I had some minor improvements, initially. I therefore decided to combine the diet with my own antibiotic protocol and achieved very rapid and quite considerable results. Everything I did absolutely supported Ebringer's work and I knew that the entire medical establishment was so far behind the scientists that actual elimination of AS would require a patient-by-patient debunking. In about 9 years not only have I had correspondences with over 200 other AS patients also achieving great results with either diet alone or in combination with antibiotics, but I have had wonderful personal results--no iritis, costochondritis, plantar fasciitis, TMJ, bursitis (hip or shoulder), periostitis, renal calculii, etc, etc; no typical AS symptoms. Diet, of course, did not fix my severe kyphosis (hunchback) and I have had a broken back and severe neck issues, especially from a fall but results were worse due to advanced AS, but I have had little or no active AS since starting on the strictest diet, and now my symptoms are almost totally controlled by diet and even less-strict, since my tract has healed enough to tolerate some dairy and even natural starches to an extent.

We ALSO tolerate, and even appreciate, alternative viewpoints, but when it comes down to our personal health and safety it is RESULTS that have mattered--opposed to well-meaning physicians with out-dated (or even up-dated) recycled nonsense, or fellow sufferers who don't yet know they have fallen off the cliff because they have not yet hit bottom or not recognized it when they have. Results--everything else is just useless banter.

Your husband has a difficult road ahead, and although there will be many people willing, if only through ignorance, to turn him from the diet by telling him what he wants to hear, it will be his own honesty with himself and dedication to the diet that will give him his own victory over AS--especially as an example to and for your son.

It will especially be your own role in helping him, which is why I have taken the time to share some of my story with you, that makes all the difference in the world,

Best to You, and to your family,
John

Hi Jaz,

Glad you found Kickas and I hope you can take something away from here to help your husband in his battle with the monster!

I have been on the diet for over 6 yrs and seen many posters start diet... for some unfortunatetly it did not help. Some may have not been strict enough, some may not have AS and for some it merely may not work. When I started, I recall a fellow that started at the same time 6 years ago (Ken). We exchanged a lot of Personal Messages as to what we were doing and how we were feeling... supplements we would try and just plain motivation as well. The diet worked for me, it did not for Ken.

But you will never know if it works for your husband unless you give it a try. Talk with your doctor... I have talked with all of mine in the states regarding and none told me not to do the diet, but many said it had no support to its effectiveness. Well, I am living proof of its effectiveness.

Many ways to approach... if taking meds, I would not discontinue, but would compliment the two approaches (diet with meds). If husband feels better, slowly reduce meds after talking with doctor.

Some start full no starch (as I did), some slowly reduce starch. Pros and cons to each...

No Starch - see results faster but requires a lot of discipline
Low Starch - may take a long time to see results if ever but can keep some comfort foods around and level of discipline is not as precise

Hope this helps and you find answers,

Tim

Hello Jaz, welcome to this wonderful group of people. I'm pretty new here too and like you am assisting my husband who is in very early stages of AS. We started doing the nsd diet 10 weeks ago and just recently also eliminated dairy.
I've found that you have to be quite dedicated and it does take more time. But getting your son used to it at his young age will be very beneficial.
Stay in touch. This forum has helped me immensely and we don't feel so alone.
Best wishes to you and your family
Jude

Thank you so much. I already feel at home here. :-)
jaz

I don't know if this is how to reply to all or if I have to do it each individually...

But I wanted to thank everyone for your help and support. We have decided to start off with the slower method. I am pregnant now and also am allergic to eggs and dairy, which limits the recipes we can do as a family. But I figure every bit helps so we are eliminating grains and legumes to start off with. We'll see how it works out! Will be going to Caleb's doctor soon and will talk it over with her. Why didn't she tell us of this long time ago??? (frustrated)

Thanks again!
jaz

Hi and welcome, just to add my view: it has helped me so much that I am determined to make it my diet for life. There are so many absolutely delicious foods as part of this way of eating, that it is an absolute pleasure. There are wonderful recipes and lots of simple ideas, too! Bon appetit and best wishes for the best health for you and your whole family.
Jan