3 things I do to control the AS disease

I feel great! I am beginning to notice improvements here and there.

For one, I can toss and turn in bed pretty easily now. The pain and stiffness that used to make me hold on to the edge of the bed so I can turn to my side are gone. And I don't miss it at all.

But a few minutes ago, I did something that really made me feel the difference. I sneezed.

And it was okay. I did not feel that painful aftershock on my lower back which used to make me dread sneezing or coughing.

This prompted me to write this post and at least share what I have been doing differently the past few months.

I have been doing three things: eating, drinking and moving.

No drugs, except for the occasional Ibuprofen (last time I took one was two weeks ago). No supplements, except for salmon oil (last time I took it was also two weeks ago).

So here's my current diet: low starch, high protein, with a glass of chardonnay.

The low starch diet did not make me feel better overnight. I almost gave up on it after weeks of not feeling any relief at all. But I lost 8 pounds! And I wanted to lose a couple more pounds so I stuck with it. I'm glad I did.

Whenever I would feel back pains worse than usual, I also drink a glass or two of white chardonnay. Sometimes, I get carried away and drink more. But that's just me. Let me be clear on this though: I do not drink it everyday, okay? Only when I feel stiffness and pain creeping back again. And then I continue on with low starch diet.

Since I started feeling better, I started moving around more. I try to get up from my computer chair every hour and walk around a bit. I'm also using my elliptical trainer more these days. My husband looked for a low-impact workout equipment and this is what he bought it for me. Knowing him, who has all the patience in the world to read reviews and compare product features and prices, I'm sure this is a good one.

As you can see, there really is nothing special to it. The low starch diet was only hard in the beginning. Now, I think I have pretty much nailed it. And I will try to post some of my recipes to make it easier for you too.

Until then, stay healthy!

NSAID alternative?

I was looking for more information about alternative medicines to treat the AS disease when I came across Dr. Michael Eades blog. He talked about experimenting for himself a very interesting combination of krill oil, curcumin and ProOmega to obtain the same anti-inflammatory effect of NSAID pills.

"I take two ProOmega caps made by Nordic Naturals along with two krill oil caps (all krill oil originates in one place–Neptune Technologies–so they are all the same. Mine comes from Thorne.) along with a 500 mg curumin capsule (curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory derived from turmeric). This combo I take the same way as I did the Advil: before if I remember; after if I forget. If anything it works better for me than the 800 mg ibuprofen without the potential for GI problems or heart attack. And not only does it not have the potential for causing these problems, it actually prevents these and many other disorders, so healthwise it’s really a win/win."

Right now I am already taking 4g of Salmon Oil. I will try to add ProOmega caps and curcumin to the mix and see how it goes. Hopefully, this will make me stop reaching for those bad bad Ibuprofen pills.

Drink up!

The more I read about Ankylosing Spondylitis, the more I feel disheartened.

I feel like it will take some major, major sacrifices and lifestyle changes to keep this condition under control. So imagine my delight when I came across this study from the American Society for Microbiology!

Wine actually kills Klebsiella pneumoniae which is the major suspected pathogen causing Ankylosing Spondylitis.

And to be specific, it's been observed that the white chardonnay seems to be the most effective, mainly because of its acidity. 

Now this is a therapy that I will certainly try.