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Six Month Review

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Auto-Immune / Ankylosing Spondylitis Six Month Health Review

Major Milestones

On January 18th, 2012 I started, by faith, a diet that would not only eradicate my Ankylosing Spondylitis / Auto-immune disease, but start the process to 100 Percent Health (reaching the potential God has for my life).   Included is a listing of all the things that happened from 1/18/12 – 7/18/12:

  • 21-Day Reboot  (January 18th) – 3 week start of the “no starch diet” (NSD) + transition to being a vegan.  I lost over 10 pounds during the reboot and I ate the most food I’ve ever eaten in my life.  NSD was the only diet I knew that would fix my auto-immune disease.
  • Traveled to Venice on February 4th – April 12th .
  • Last day I took Enbrel  was on February 7th.  This is the medication that stops the auto-immune disease from attacking the body.  Lots of side effects  and only takes care of the symptom, not the cause.  The auto-immune diet was made to replace Enbrel & take care of the root cause of my condition.
  • Autoimmune Disease and Inflammation Treatment Seminars on February 27th.  Saw immediate improvement after taking Gut Repair 1 & Pyloricin.
  • Height of my inflammation & unbearable pain was mid-March  (click “next” to review each week of progressive pain). Compounding the issue was not going to the chiropractor enough.
  • My 1st dessert  from a restaurant was on March 16th.
  • Added more meat (protein) to my diet, s witched to the “low starch diet” (LSD), and modified supplements  after nutritional consultation on March 16th.  MD suggested to add more meat due to muscle / weight loss on April 12th.
  • 1st encounter with starch  on April 22nd – no effects.
  • Results (see “Off of Enbrel” blood test below) from my D.O.  on May 2nd revealed high inflammation and elevated / depressed levels other other test markers (to him he was not concerned).
  • Costa Rica!  May 4th – 11th was able to zip line & act like Superman…for a minute  and enjoy the Pura Vida lifestyle .
  • Food Intolerance List from the Cyrex Test and balancing immune system (Th1 / Th2) on May 22nd.  I’ve been eating eggs for 15+ years and learned they were damaging my body.
  • Started Ibuprofen regimen instead of taking as-needed on June 7th.  Without it, I could not control the inflammation & pain & do my work, sleep as much, and do daily activities.
  • Anointed at church on June 10th.
  • Started wearing  Sole Support orthotics  on June 13th.
  • Metametrix Test and Hair Analysis results were in and on June 19th I discovered that I NEED STARCH .  It took me 5 months to realize that my initial diet was over with and I changed.  I made a daily journal to confirm switching form NSD / LSD to approved starches (rice & potatoes) from my Cyrex test on 6/18 – 6/26.
  • Chiropractic X-Ray review on 6/19 showed my lower back (where Ankylosing Spondylitis starts fusion) disc spaces increased!  This result is not typical and confirms what I am doing (chiropractor & nutrition) are on the right track.
  • Lowest weight reported at 129.5 lbs. and BMI of 18.12 on 6/26.  Before starting the diet I weighed 156 lbs./ BMI of 22.07 .
  • Took a Segway Tour on 6/30 testing my physical limitations.  Although fun, it took me 2 days to recover.
  • Finally able to start an exercise regiment (chiropractor, swim, walk) on 7/2, details of 1st week results 7/10.  It started allowing me to bend over and pick things off the floor with my fingers, not my feet.
  • Added potatoes (my other big starch) to my diet , corn starch + adding variants of rice (rice pasta, rice milk, etc.) on 7/10.

Tests I Took

Out of all the tests I took, the ones that made the most difference in my life were the Cyrex and Metametrix tests.  Click on the name of the test to see the company’s web page or click “SEE RESULTS” to see my test results.

Symptoms / Diagnosis

These past six months have been the hardest on me physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Listed below are most of the symptoms and diagnosis from the past six months.

What I’ve Learned

Live, eat & breathe nutrition / health and you pick up on some good information.  Listed below is what I’ve learned and (in some cases) how it applied to my life over the past six months.

Where Do I Go From Here?

At this point, I cannot consider taking Enbrel again knowing what I know and feeling better each week.  While my lifestyle is not 100 percent, I make gains each week.  I will continue to report 2 to 3 times per month based on any new developments in my health and learning.

Simple phone call “check-ups” to diagnosing my conditions, I deeply thank those who have helped me from the bottom of my heart and spirit.  If you know anyone with an auto-immune condition, please pass this blog post on to them.  You might just save a life…

With Love,
Brian

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Day 22 to 6 Months – Week 19

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What I Learned in Week 19

Overall:  The 1st week where I stopped using eggs among the many other foods that I cannot eat.  At the same time battling with my left hip for over a week, limping every day.  Days were spent mainly at home by myself and just existing, except on my birthday.  A very good friend came by and helped me out, spent quality time and made my birthday special.

  • Food Intolerance Tests – If you don’t know already, food intolerance tests tell you whether a food works with or against your body.  Some tests cover a small, but thorough, range of food intolerance while others cover a vast amount.  Food allergies can be triggered by even a small amount of the food and occur every time the food is consumed. People with food allergies are generally advised to avoid the offending foods completely. On the other hand, food intolerances often are dose related (SOURCE).  Listed below are some of the tests you can choose from:

    • Cyrex Test (Array 4)       – Recommended by Dr. Joseph (my ND / Chiropractor up in Venice), I took this test and found out I was allergic to eggs, milk, milk-based products, and most of the grains listed.  The video above explains why the Cyrex test is much more comprehensive than other food intolerance tests.  It took almost a month to get the results back, but has since really helped increase my energy levels.  I personally recommend this test.
    • Mediator Release Test (MRT) – A much wider spectrum of food intolerance testing that claims 94% accuracy.  It tests 150 different foods and food additives and is able to detect specific food chemicals which the ELISA IgG test is not able to do.
    • Do It Yourself / Anti-Intolerance Lab Tests:  As stated on their site:  The correct way to assess a suspected food allergy or intolerance is to begin with a careful record of food intake and symptoms over a period of several weeks. Symptoms such as swollen lips or eyes, hives, or skin rash may be allergy-related, particularly if they occur within a few minutes (up to two hours) after eating.  Although nearly any food can cause an allergic reaction, a few foods account for about 90% of reactions. Among adults these foods are peanuts, nuts, fish, and shellfish. Among children, they are egg, milk, peanuts, soy, and wheat.

My Health in Week 19

  • Overall:  From 5/20 and on I’ve been fighting (what I think is) a pinched nerve with inflammation in my left hip.  It’s made me limp every day, it’s quite painful (shooting pains) and it makes me very tired.  The removal of eggs has helped somewhat, but nothing noticeable since the hip pain is so bad.  The pain was so bad that on Friday 5/25 I went for an X-Ray on both my hips.  Thank God there are no fractures.  On 5/30 I was fitted for Orthotics in hopes that will help relieve the pain long-term and received a “mirror image” adjustment from the chiropractor.  On 5/31 that was followed-up by another adjustment and I’m happy to say that it’s really helped me out.  I don’t limp nearly as much, but still have to deal with pain & fatigue (especially at night).  Plus the removal of eggs has given me more energy and mobility.  I’m still not there, but gained ground after this difficult week.
  • Tests:  On 5/29 I’ve re-submitted my Metametrix test and added a hair analysis test for heavy metals that could be in my body.
  • Current Areas of Concern:  Right side of neck (still improving but not there yet), left hip has been really bad this week (but quickly improving after 5/30),  swollen ankles are still there and my feet feel like lead sometimes, I still cannot get a full night of sleep and get exhausted after 7pm.
  • Areas of Improvement:  I’m starting to remove the ibuprofen during the day and use it from 7pm throughout the night.  As stated above, I’ve seen gains this week and hopefully throughout the weekend I can exercise some more to build up strength.
  • Supplements:  My supplements now only consist of Probiotics, Vitamin D3, Magnesium (Gluconate), HCL (1-2 times per week), digestive enzymes, and Maine Omega-3 fish oil.
  • Enbrel:  It has been 14 1/2 weeks since my last shot.
  • My lowest weight was 132 lbs. and a BMI of 18.49.

Week 18 – Healthy Cooking Oils, Food Intolerance Cyrex and Immunity Balance Tests

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What I Learned in Week 18

Overall:  On Tuesday, 5/22, I received the majority of my tests back and in this post I will be sharing a few (there’s too much information to go through this week).  Also, I was talking with my neighbor about cooking oils and did some research for the healthiest / best cooking and non-cooking oils to use.

  • What are the “healthy” cooking oils to use?

    Before you shout EVOO!, consider when you’re cooking and when you’re adding on to your favorite dish.  When oil is heated to a high temperature, it reaches smoke point. The bluish smoke that can then be seen means the oil is close to burning and is the temperature at which fats and oils begin to break down. Nutrition and flavor degradation occur at these temperatures. The chemical composition of the oil changes, sometimes with effects that are harmful to health. A low smoke point means the oil should not be cooked with at all, or only slightly. A high smoke point oil should be used for cooking at higher temperatures, for example pan frying (SOURCE).

    For those on the no-starch diet, they prefer to use coconut oil when cooking.  When not cooking, EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) works quite well.  However, you should always consider alternatives based on the heat of what your cooking.  Here’s a list of cooking oil smoke points that range from high temperatures of 200 to over 500 degrees without degrading the oil.

  • Purchasing the right type of oil can get tricky too.  For one, don’t pick an oil that has come from more than one country.  If it has, there’s some additional processing and reduces / removes the healthy benefits.  If you don’t know, just pick an oil with the USDA Organic label on it.  Also, try to find olive oil stored within a glass container and not plastic as plastic leeches chemicals into the oil.

My Health in Week 18

  • Overall:  In the beginning of the week I was was getting around 7 hours of sleep and now I’m able to get back to my 10 hours on average (along with mid-day naps).  Symptoms from the previous week have changed slightly and the swelling of my feet have decreased.  Combination of travel and taking a long walk (for me) have really hurt my left hip this week.  Chiropractor suggest special orthotics that contour to my feet while standing and walking.  Because the arches of my feet are out of line / not strong enough, these shoe inserts will provide the correct posture and correct the feet, ankles and pressure on the knees and hips.  I start getting my feet scanned on Tuesday.
  • Tests: In this post I will focus on my Cryex Test and some results of my TH1 & TH2 (immunity) tests. In a nutshell, the Cyrex test measures gluten-associated  sensitivity & cross-reactive foods.  Included below are the foods that I react to.  Get ready, it’s a long list:

Cyrex Test – List of Reactive Foods

  • Cow’s Milk
  • Casein (Alpha & Beta) – Basically any dairy product.  Bye-bye butter, ice cream, etc.
  • Oats
  • Yeast
  • Coffee
  • Sesame
  • Buckwheat – Grain / Cereal
  • Sorghum – from what I can tell initially, it can be used as a substitute for Gluten.  If you know more about this, please comment below.
  • Millet – cereal/grain used as a flour and in some beers.
  • Hemp – Grain / Cereal
  • Aramanth – Grain / Cereal
  • Quinoa – Grain / Cereal
  • Tapioca – In breads & puddings / shakes.
  • Teff – Grain / Cereal
  • Eggs – SHOCKER!  I’ve eaten eggs almost every day for 15 years.
  • Corn

Cyrex Test – List of Acceptable Foods

Overall:  Being on the Low-Starch Diet, I have avoided all these foods (or had small quantities) except eggs.  For me, I switched my morning breakfast of eggs with ground turkey.  This one switch not only removes the food intolerance, but an 8oz. chicken/turkey chub / roll gives me almost all the protein I need for the day.  I cook it with spinach / kale / swiss chard / leafy vegetable I have along with tomatoes and sweet peppers in oil.  The ND told me that removing the list above should give me more energy and less inflammation after a week / maybe two weeks.

Th1 & Th2 – Balancing the Immune System:

Without going into details, there is scientific proof that your body’s immune system can be balanced with foods.   For now, I need to focus on Th1-based foods.  They include:

Th1 Foods/Substances

  • Echinacea
  • astragalus
  • licorice root
  • beta-sitosterol (found in avocado and pumpkin seeds)
  • ashwaganda
  • panex ginseng
  • mushrooms
  • chlorella
  • grape seed extract
Th2 Foods/Substances
  • Green Tea/Black tea
  • resveratrol – red wine (can’t have due to yeast), red grapes, cocoa powder, dark chocolate
  • pycnogenol – Only buy as a supplement.  A natural plant extract from the bark of the maritime pine tree which grows exclusively along the coast of southwest France in Les Landes de Gascogne.
  • genistein (fava beans and soy beans)
  • quercetin (found in capers, apples, red onions)
  • curcumin (found in Indian Spice Turmeric)
  • Current Areas of Concern:  Right side of neck (still improving but not there yet), left hip has been really bad this week, lower spinal area and shoulder blade area is negligible, and swollen ankles are less.
  • Areas of Improvement:  I can get up out of bed without my rope but it’s been harder this week than last and I’m able to sleep on a harder bed.  Also I’m taking less ibuprofen (especially during the day).
  • Supplements:  My supplements now only consist of Pylicorin (will end next week), Probiotics, Vitamin D3, Magnesium (Gluconate), HCL (1-2 times per week), digestive enzymes, and Maine Omega-3 fish oil.
  • Enbrel:  It has been 13 1/2 weeks since my last shot.
  • My lowest weight was 131 1/2 lbs. and a BMI of 18.43.