Hi, lulu12:
In her book she stated that those that are helped by the diet are usually HLA +. So, am I wasting my time if I was negative?
The word "usually" should be emphasized!
Ebringer did ALL of his studies exclusively on B27+ individuals to avoid confusion. He has since found many AS+/B27- individuals who respond to diet, some right here in this forum.
I believe that there is one cause and one mechanism for all AS cases, with different 'triggers' and different presentations (Hippocrates observed this a few years ago, too), depending upon the individual.
And diet is a complex issue; some things cannot be easily explained. One of our members had reduced symptoms by fasting, but that is impractical, long-term: Everything he ate caused increased symptoms. But it was the key--FOOD; eventually he found out he had very high heavy-metal levels and, after some chelation, the NSD began working for him. This is a very rare case, but how many of us have amalgam tooth fillings?
If a person is REALLY B27 negative (through ELISA or Fc tests; the serological test is too unreliable), and definitely has AS, it only means that they possess a different Osp structure which has a similar structure to B27; the disease mechanism (molecular mimicry) is identical.
The NSD has worked for B27 individuals (>90%) and MANY B27 negatives with AS.
I know that cooked carrots and cauliflower can trigger AS, but cannot find in Carol's book where she complains about broccoli and kale: Can You provide a context or page number? Some people react to things which are not starchy for unknown reasons; we just don't have the explanations yet, but in general certain food combinations can also be provocative ("Food Combining for Vegetarians," by Jackie LeTissier).
I hope that You can find something that works for You, and it might be worth pursuing an antibiotic protocol in addition to diet; this made all the difference for me.
HEALTH,
John
