Over 50 million people have an auto-immune disease with 80+ variations, 3.1 million people have axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), I have a variation of it called Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) and I’m curing it without life-altering medicines like Enbrel. Here’s how you can too:
Steps to Cure Autoimmune / Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)
- Step 1: Understanding
- Step 2: Research
- Step 3: Get Tested
- Step 4: Exercise and Chiropractic Care
- Step 5: Create a Game Plan
- Step 6: Document Your Experience
Step 1: Understanding
An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. In patients with an autoimmune disorder, the immune system can’t tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy body tissues and antigens. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues. This response is a hypersensitivity reaction similar to the response in allergic conditions. [MORE INFO]
What is Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)?
Step 2: Renew Your Mind & Research
When a disease like Ankylosing Spondylitis comes around, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. An autoimmune disease (like AS) isn’t the problem – it’s the warning system. Although western medicine is the best for emergencies and quick fixes, it’s only taking care of the symptoms, not the causes. Because they focus on the symptoms, we rank behind in quality of health compared to many other countries.
To remedy the situation, you need to start over. Start over with the idea that doctors are the final word in your health. Start over with the cure-all multivitamin. Start over with the idea that your genes cannot be managed. All of this is fixable, but you’ve got to do the work. Below are my list of places I do most of my research:
Although quite controversial, “No Starch Diet” NSD or “Low Starch Diet” LSD solution has worked for many out there with AS and other auto-immune diseases.
- Why Does Ankylosing Spondylitis Happen & What’s the Fix?
- The NSD Forum – Kicking AS to the Curb
- What You Can / Cannot Eat on the No Starch Diet (NSD) | Patient Example
- NSD Success Stories
Other Diet Protocols
- Detoxify (my 21-day food reboot or learn about other juicing methods)
- After detoxification, avoid certain types of foods and understand why organic is important. Your goal here is that the right food replaces medicine.
- Watch food documentaries like “Food matters“, “Food Inc“, and “Forks Over Knives” are all popular and are on Netflix.
- After getting tested (review step 3 below), use supplements recommended by professionals and those you trust to rebuild your body in the deficient / problematic areas. Take supplements one at a time and test for (at least) 4 days to ensure they are safe for your body. Once your condition is under control, use the supplements as needed.
- Watch your sodium intake and drink lots of water as processed / refined salt triggers your autoimmune system.
Step 3: Get Tested
One of the most important steps in the discovery of food is what your body can tolerate. Food intolerance tests and vitamin deficiency tests tell you what foods react badly to your body and what essential vitamins / nutrients you are missing. Included below are two tests (marked with an *) I suggest everyone should take. And I suggest taking them as soon as you possibly can.
- *Cyrex Test (array 1-4) – measures gluten cross-reactive foods (food intolerance). SEE MY TEST RESULTS
- *Metametrix Test – Vitamin & nutrient deficiencies that need to be explained by your doctor. This was the main test that told me I need to stop the low-starch diet and eat starches; I saw immediate improvements. SEE MY TEST RESULTS
- *Comprehensive Blood Test While on Enbrel | Off of Enbrel | Test 8 Months Later – Another important test to see where your body currently stands. Note the high SED rate + C-Reactive Protein (both markers of inflammation). I suggest taking this test multiple times throughout the year.
- Other Tests: Through the 3 tests listed above, I was able to take in-depth tests to find specific issues and found my my autoimmune medical breakthrough.
Step 4: Exercise and Chiropractic Care
Why Use a Chiropractor?
Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis tend to move their head and shoulders forward plus their spine starts to fuse (review video in step 1). Chiropractic care readjusts that alignment. More importantly, it’s creating the correct curvature of the neck (a.k.a. the “Arc of Life”), disks in my spine are not compressing on each other and sending the correct flow throughout my nervous system.
When choosing a chiropractor, make sure you find one that promotes traction. Traction are exercises specifically made before and after the chiropractic adjustments that “hold” your correct posture. Without traction, you are only unlocking the body with the adjustment.
IMPORTANT: Only use chiropractic care and traction if you can manage your flare-ups and/or have a decent SED rate (measurement of inflammation). Otherwise your body will be flared up even more and create stiffness in your neck & back.
Exercise
By far the best exercise for me was water exercises / swimming. It allowed me to do my exercises without gravity being hard on my joints. Here are the exercises I did in chronological order:
- Aqua Fitness Jogger – jog at first & then doggie paddle
- Speedo Gloves
- Tricep dips on steps
- Push-ups on steps
- Pulling myself up/down on the ladder (increase strength in thighs, butt, and shoulders)
- Doggie paddle or other ways of swimming back & forth without the Aqua Jogger
- Tread Water
As I became stronger, I introduced other exercises like Nautilus equipment & free weights at the gym, walking, ballroom dancing, and power plate (with a fitness trainer).
Step 5: Create a Game Plan
Now that you’ve read step 1-4, create your game plan before you begin treatment. I was on Enbrel for almost 9 years and got off “cold turkey”. I paid the price, but eventually got through it. Since everyone is different, here I suggest doing step 1-3 first and then start tapering off any medicine you are taking. And when needed, take an anti-inflammatory that your doctor suggests to curb the pain and inflammation.
Most important, make sure you have a support group and educate them on what you are doing. I was blessed with wonderful close friends and parents through my worst times. And God was always there with me…
To learn more information, review my current and past daily routine game plans.
Step 6: Document Your Experience
Documentation is extremely important while going through the healthy lifestyle change. It tells you progression/regression, what works (supplements, food types, etc.), and a historical resource for anyone else going through the same situation. Out of all the options, I found that a blog like WordPress can offer many solutions to finding information on your documentation. If you’re not too big on technology, simply writing down a daily journal is sufficient. Whatever you do, document your experience!
MY RESULTS: View my 6-month or 1-year review and my daily routine.