UPDATEIt's been awhile since I posted but I wanted to share that my 'weed and seed' protocol really seems to be working!! NSD is amazing for holding the line and getting early relief, but I'm now convinced that it needs to be combined with some kind of antibiotic therapy to achieve actual lasting improvement. By doing both I've been able to 'graduate' from strict NSD to LSD without any increase in pain and stiffness.
After last posting about my very cheaty Christmas, where I ate copious amounts of starchy food and found myself back in daily pain, I have since done two more rounds of 'weed and seed' with some really positive outcomes:
- My finger pain is 0 most days, and a scant 1 at most. Even when I occasionally eat something starchy, I don't go above 1. I also have no lingering joint pain. I can hardly believe it.Â
- My daily starch tolerance continues to improve. I'm able to eat more low starch foods without consequence than I could just six months ago: nuts, figs, dates, apples, dark chocolate are all staples again. I also eat a small amount of cheddar everyday now, which was unthinkable this time last year.
- When I have a massive starch cheat (this week was pizza and donuts for a work thing) the impact is minor and short-lived. Some minor stiffness and bit of puffiness the next day or two. That's it. So I no longer worry about occasional big cheats.
However I am not cured. If I push it too far, as in too many cheats in a short stretch, then my fingers swell up and the pain starts to linger. And if i keep going, then my tendons flare and my neck stiffness and headaches come back.
'Weed and seed' protocolI've modified the protocol a bit in the last few rounds, from what I originally posted. During the 10-14 day weeding phase I now:
- use more than one herbal antibiotic, so along with the berberine I take peppermint oil or caprylic acid or oregano oil to increase the killing power
- consume small amounts of starch based on my new pet theory that bacteria that are active are easier to kill than starving ones that have gone dormant. (this is a big turnaround, I used to stay strict NSD....but it's just a pet theory)
- keep taking a probiotic pill a day when it won't overlap with the herbal antibiotic
To be clear, I still regularly eat very low starch, I'm just not as strict as I had to be early on when even carrots would cause me pain. It's really nice to freely eat figs and apples and squash and dark chocolate again and I have no doubt that's all because of the protocol.