Very interesting post.
I believe Kleb and leaky gut play a major role in all this. The genes as well. But, I don't think they represent all the answer.
If lots os people with B27 postive don't have AS, it can't be "just" that. There have to be condition for the disease to settle in.
Bad diet is one of them. Not every food is good for us, and we all react diferently to diferent food. So a change in diet can have a great impact.
But what about a change in attitude? In my case, I found out that there were other things other than diet, things that "science" as we know it don't explain, that can be helpin AS to settle in. Like having a repressed pain for a bad relation with my father, like for years after years having a low self-estem, being in a state of almost cronic stress, for no aparent reason, like if i was constantly fighting with myself.
We all have our moments, I know, but along the way I learned meditaion and other techniques that made me realize that the way I was seeing and building up "reality", the world around me, was bringing a response that was not very positive. As if I was not into full contact of what I was suposed to be. Does it make any sense?
What I mean is...the science explains some things, but there is much more to AS, a psicological/spiritual imbalance at the first place.
Only recently I believe I am changing my atitude, being more confident, believing more in myself, trusting my intution to overcome fear, searching for my roots and make them grow strong (with strong roots it's harder to fall, you have better guts eheh), trying not to give so much importance to pain, not feeling so overwhelmed by the fact that life can be so hard sometimes.
AS is not a very nice friend, i know, but then again, I believe that the disease can be a friend indeed, an ally, someone that is trying to tell us something, but only if we stop seeing it as "something that is wrong".
So, yes, I believe the starch connection is true, but that the human body it's too complex and there can be, and there are, loads of others factors.
As for the flares, I think they can have to do with different things other than starch, but they are a part of the healing process. Small steps at a time, cose Rome wasn't built in a day...
Very strict NSD until it feels right to try LSD, exercise, patience, confidence and faith, that's my actual recipe. Will it work? I have no freakin clue, but future will tell
