Hi Sue,
Thanks for the interesting links. What started making me wonder if starch was actually my worst enemy or not was the fact that I can still eat potatoes, whole grain bread, rice, whole grain cereal, saltine crackers, and things like that, with no affect on my AS. Some breads do harm me, but I believe that was either because it was too refined or a little on the stale side. I never could go strict NSD because I end up with some very painful stomach/GI problems, and I have been wondering if that was because I was removing too much of the K.Pneumoniae (I also suspect a secondary condition and getting checked out soon.) High levels of starch could have an effect on me (which is also the over processed foods), but a reduced amount starch from basic healthy foods help my digestion problems, which in turn helps my AS because it's not reacting to stomach issues. The end result is my unusual version of the LSD.
Later I discovered on the internet that there are numerous things out there that could effect the way our immune systems react. One is K.Pneumoniae (and several other unwanted bugs, infections) and the other is how well our immune systems have been upkept though nutrition intake. I have a notion that for some of us, our AS may have started when our immune systems were shut down or dysfunctional and then the immune system responded in a defunct way. As a kid I used to eat basically what the average person would generally consider healthy (95% homemade meals), but as I look back, I remember that as a family we often ate the same old thing every day, making it not very healthy as far as getting all of the nutrition I needed.
So this year I have been trying to double up on my nutrition intake by good wholesome sources of nutrition, and have been experimenting with whole food type of supplements (to make up for what I can't get by eating) and have also been avoiding food allergies and food sensitivities. My diet, (or should I say my preferred diet), is made up of only unprocessed foods; meat, fruit, and vegetables... with grains and dairies treated more as small side dishes or deserts. I still do eat things I shouldn't, but I try hard to limit it or avoid it. I have even given up all but two condiments. I have also made the switch between pop and natural sparkling water and I found that corn syrup (along with other processed sweeteners) is very bad for me. I feel avoiding processed foods also reduces the risks of eating tainted foods, which could mean serious trouble for AS'ers since AS doubles as a reactive arthritis.
I'm not taking any anti-rheumatic meds anymore which is so nice for a change, but I still am still taking 'anti-inflammatory' types of supplements, along with my whole food /green food types of supplements which help nutrition. I'm beginning to believe (through my own experience) that immune system response can be corrected and that would also help control any harmful bacteria within us.
Take care,
James.
Last edited by JamesB; 09/11/08 11:49 PM.
