Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Drugs are not a long term solution

I was recently browsing through some forums relating to ankylosing spondylitis, and what people are doing to try and manage their symptoms. Unfortunately, it seems the majority of people are resorting to using prescription drugs and NSAID’s (Anti inflammatories) to minimize painful inflammation. It’s still widely unknown that autoimmune conditions are a disease of the gut; one that has been severely compromised and is no longer able to metabolize and digest proteins effectively. Originally, my understanding was that, if you remove sugars, processed foods, food additives and the likes, you’re gut would slowly repair itself and your micro-biome would eventually balance itself out. For some this may be a possibility if their digestive system hasn’t been severely compromised, however, in the case of autoimmune sufferers the digestive system is most likely in a state of disrepair and will need some extra work.

The main offender, in my opinion when it comes to micro-biome imbalances, is an overgrowth of candida albicans, a yeast fungus that has a tendency to overproduce when the right environmental conditions present themselves within the digestive tract. These conditions usually develop due to long term or recurrent anti biotic use and poor diet. What I find rather interesting, is that candida, once it proliferates in the gut (candidiasis) actually begins to mutate and grow stronger, where it is better able to fight off the good bacteria in our immune system. If this process is allowed to continue, these yeast bacteria are able to penetrate through the intestinal barrier allowing toxins (feces) and undigested food particles to enter into the bloodstream, the makings of autoimmune disease.

I’ve written several articles on what my own personal dietary protocol suggest for healing the gut such as; removing processed foods, grains, sugar, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners and others. These are replaced by a wide variety of fresh organic vegetables, organic pasteur raised meats and healthy fats such as; coconut oil, olive oil and avocado oil. There is an important step to eliminating candidiasis that I was omitting from my protocol; anti-fungals. The general consensus is that candida feed on sugars, so, if you remove carbohydrates from the diet, you should be able to starve out the candida, however, candida are able to thrive on ketones (fats) as well, and because the body needs to use either glucose (sugar) or ketones for energy, we cant possibly eliminate both of them from the diet. The key to eliminating candida is to remove sugar from the diet, stick to low GI foods and start going to war with the candida by dosing anti fungals, such as; oil of oregano, p’eau darco, grapefruit seed extract and olive leaf. It’s highly recommended that you start off slowly, as it’s possible to kill the candida off to rapidly, triggering a rapid die off resulting in increased inflammation in the body due to the toxins being released. Secondly, taking diatomaceous earth along with bentonite clay will help transport the dead bacteria out of your system, through the digestive tract.

Individuals who are taking prescription drugs daily need to be informed that these drugs are causing more harm then good. They have a severely damaging effect on the digestive tract, and only result in the need for stronger more intensive drugs. You will notice far more reduction in pain by improving nutrition and making good, positive lifestyle choices then you ever will using pharmaceuticals.

Thank you for the info.

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Do you have AS? Just wondering.

I was diagnosed with AS about 3 years ago, it had caused so much damage to my right hip that I ended up getting a hip replacement last year at the age of 28.. I'm back on my feet now though and feeling great, so I like to say I did have AS.

That's great! Congratulations!

Many thanks Jesse for your post. I follow NSD, of course without wheat and milk. And I recieve a wonderfull improvement in my health. But I still depend of NSAID. For your post I think for me the clue is the sugar I use 30 or 40 grms per day for my simple coffee. I think is´t to much. I don´t eat to much fruits.

Thanks for the comment!

The key to keep in mind is that dysbiosis, or bacteria overgrowth is an extremely volatile condition. In order to truly make progress we must make substantial change in the diet. Candida actually have the ability to send signals to the brain, triggering cravings for carbohydrates. This vicious cycle inevitably results in further damage to the body. It is absolutely essential to restore balance in the gut; until this has been done unwanted food particles and undigested proteins will continue to pass through the intestinal barrier causing an autoimmune response.

my question is:do the NSAIDS stop the progress of the AS?do they control how aggressive the disease is(or will be?)
my partner is on Autoimmune Protocol (worked better for him than NSD) AND HE IS NOT ON ANY nsaids. However he is refusing to go to the rheumatologist (we went 3 months ago and oh what a surprise he gave him prescription for NSAID which he refused to take).
The diet is helping him a lot however I am still having this question-that is if NSAIDS are actually helping stopping the progress of AS

NSAIDS do not slow down the progress of AS. They merely help with pain. However, there are many DMARDs that do show evidence of slowing down the disease. I'm surprised the rheumatologist did not prescribe one of these. If the rheumatologist had confirmed AS, they would typically prescribe at least one DMARD.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and the combination of two DMARDs has controlled my RA for some time.

I was told by my rheumatologist that research suggested that NSAIDs do have some benefit in reducing progression. For this reason they generally prescribe a low dose NSAID at my clinic for those on anti-tnf. This was a good couple of years ago so things might have changed since then.

That's interesting, Staffy. I understood the opposite. Curious that they would add them to anti-tnf's which are already so effective for many people.