Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Is the NSD gospel?

I am with Drizzit all the way. It work's for some and it doesn't for other's just like any other treatment protocol's. When it come's to our incredibly made bodies, we are each unique. You just have to find what work's for you. Keep searching and don't give up.

No, we don't all ascribe to the NSD as gospel. I live a restricted starch diet, close to low starch, nowhere near no starch. Turns out I have coeliac disease as well as a suspected wheat allergy. I'm not super-strict about being 100% gluten-free right now, but that's circumstance; however I am completely wheat free. There is a distinct difference in my pain levels, in specific spots, when I eat wheat.

That said, I am one of those that does not believe that every case of AS is caused by kleb. p., nor do I believe that the NSD is the answer for every patient. We are all chemically, hormonally and biologically unique human beings. Massage helps some and not others; biologics help some and not others; NSAIDS are fine for some, but give others ulcers; NSD helps some and not others. No two patients present alike with AS and no two patients respond the same way to the same treatment. No matter whether pharmaceutical or holistic in nature.

I believe that a mix of treatments is probably the way to go for most people. Some geared to individual symptoms, others to what is, or appears to be at the root of the specific case.

Hugs,

Hi, The_Inflammator:



The commonality is not the arbitrary assignation of "B2705;" that is a human convenience and convention describing complex Osp. Rather the mechanism of AS is the same.

Many B27 confirmed (through Fc or ELISA in addition to serological) negatives respond to the diet.

This idea that AS+/B27-s would not benefit from the diet was never promoted or supported by any of the research and subsequent results by B27- members substantiates that the diet cannot and should not be linked to the genotype. Further it provides more support for the salient mechanism: AS is AS--and to expect otherwise is disappointingly dense, (but probably not fatal).

HEALTH,
John

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. I was taking ionic silver which claims to kill the bad bacteria including klepsiella and that may have been beneficial. I wanted to know if soy lecithin was starchy since its in many of the things I eat and found out that it is some horrible [*bleep*] that no one should be ingesting. I will try to make my own salad dressings and find a chocolate that doesn't have starch or soy lecithin. I so want to go skiing with my kids this year.
Hugs Annette

I'm guessing there are numerous possibilities why NSD may not be the gospel solution for many: severe damage from long term inflammation may not be able to mitigated by diet (e.g. too much structural damage in the body already), other things than AS going on (other disease / complications / environmental factors), the NSD isn't a one-size fits all diet.

There's likely no single diet that addresses everything. However, one of the ideas that I've latched onto is not only avoiding starch, but eating foods to strengthen your immune system. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but if you believe sugar weakens your immune system, you may want to avoid sugar too. Avoid all hydrogenated oils, processed foods, toxins in general, etc...

One of the most powerful things about the diet is that it empowers the patient. If you feel you can hold onto some sort of hope / control of your environment, it can have a materially positive affect in your life. They've done studies in nursing homes where they randomly assign two different treatments for the patients - one group is allowed to re-arrange the room and personalize their room; the other group is not allowed any of those luxuries. They found a statistically significant improvement in life expectancy for the former. There are number of other of studies that focus on the power of holding onto some degree of hope / control in their environment. I'm sure I royally botched the description of the study, but you I just want to mention that it there may be other benefits of that approach.

Bottom line is that everyone is unique, and their solutions are likely to be unique (NSD, meds, etc.). Almost everyone stands to benefit from a healthier diet, NSD or not. Trade-offs exist for both a conventional approach with meds (e.g. many meds are toxic and not ideal to take long term) and diet (e.g. maddeningly inconvenient), and the decision for treatment is a personal one.

Good luck and hope you find a way to go skiing with your kids this year!

Hello Annette,

I have had great success with the diet, but as noted, not every responds to the NSD for one reason or another.

You got a good sampling of responses regarding diet.

Tim

i'd additionally look at other potential food sensitivities.

i was tested and came up very positive for dairy (casein) and a little positive for egg. so i avoid those foods.

my naturpath gave me a list of foods that are common in causing an inflammatory response in some people and a list of foods most likely to be "safe". if i hadn't had the food sensitivity testing blood work, i'd have followed this list.

food sensitivities are apparently a common inflammation trigger, especially if one believes in the whole leaky gut theory.

starch is just one possibility. gluten especially being a common trigger. i've had a lot of testing and it all comes back negative for celiac.