Blood Work For Ankylosing Spondylitis

[2manybugs]

I have a relative who suffers from AS for a really long time and I was wondering what lab tests would he need to do in order to get a status of his calcium metabolism and inflammation. He has a fusion of one of the hip joints, which prevents him to fully extend his leg and causes him to stay bent. Today he told me that he has pain in the problem area, which provoked me to look deeper into his condition. I believe that PTH, thyroid status, Ca and Vit D will be on top of the list but some inflammatory and rheumatoid markers are needed to form a more complete panel.

 

[Diokine]

You are absolutely correct looking at PTH and Vitamin D status, there is also surely some degree of serious intestinal inflammation that will need to be addressed.

 

[Diokine]

Essentially what is happening in AS, chronic inflammation (generally from the intestine) changes the metabolic state of the tissues, along with the tone of the nerves and the tissues ability to interpret what they are saying. Acetylcholine is unable to be cleared, and the nerves essentially tell the tissue to stay in an "on" or excited state, and with enough time they will eventually crystallize into this state. Therapy involves normalization of the nervous tone as well as proper metabolic support and removal of allergenic triggers.

Vagus nerve stimulation: A new bioelectronics approach to treat rheumatoid arthritis?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1521694214000977

Autonomic functions and their relations with disease activity in ankylosing spondylitis
http://www.actareumatologica.pt/oldsite/conteudo/pdfs/ARP_2012_3__08_-_AO_ARP2011-129.pdf

 

[2manybugs]

The thing is that my relative is 100% convinced that he has impecable gut health because he's eating copious amounts of onion, garlic and very spicy foods. And he feels that he doesnt have any sign of gut inflammation eg diahrea, constipation, pain etc. I guess small intestine bacteria doesnt manifest itself so obviously.

 

[Trix]

I think AS is related to 'starch' metabolism.

 

[Ella]

I think AS is related to 'starch' metabolism.

Yes, that is correct and a low starch diet is recommended for AS.

The use of a low starch diet in the treatment of patients suffering from ankylosing spondylitis. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[2manybugs]

Starch avoidance is absolutely necessary for recovery from AS as well as arthritis, but my research shows that the problem is with resistant starch which feeds gram negative bacteria and promotes intestinal inflammation. There are people who recover form AS by eating glutinous rice, which is very low in RS.

 

[Noni]

After reading posts on this thread I felt compelled to share how I made a full recovery from the pain of AS. I suffered for 5 years before diagnosis, finally learning what I had 2 years ago, and at that time I was exhausted and at my whits end wih pain and fear. When the doctor read me the blood work results she firat told me I had lupus, then said no... I have ankylosing spondylitis. She told.me in was an inherited autoimmune disease, drew a pie circle listing other AI diseases in the family, and said I would likely be in a wheel chair by the age of 60. When I asked for more information she told me to google it. My parents died young, so I had no reference point and believed her at first. I read about mainstream treatments using immune suppresents, steriods, side affects, and continued long term degredation in spite of the drugs. No thanks! Then I read about AS sufferers healing by eating paleo, and in some cases cutting out solenaceae plants too (tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum etc). I tried this but experienced no noticable change. I knew I had to find the source of my inflammation but what was it? My job was stressful, so I asked for less responsibility but met resistance, so I quit. Changing jobs aleriated the pain a little, but not significantly. So then I knew stress was a contributing factor! I started reading broadly about stress and inflammation and read about stressed people whos nervous systems were stuck in 'fight and flight' mode. Then I read about the vagus nerve (aka rest and digest nerve), and how a to tone/exercise this nerve and restore balance and remove inflammation. Based on that article I started practicing deep breathing three times a day in order to tone my vagus nerve.... it worked!!!.... I have been pain free for 10 months and living life fully without any physical limitations.

The message that I want to share here is you have to find what is triggering your inflammation, and that it wont be the same trigger for everyone. I still eat healthy dont get me wrong, but starch does not trigger AS for me, working a stressful job does. And when I worked in that stressed state for too long my nervous system weakend and became out of balance. Breathing deeply until my lungs filled my entire chest cavity, for 5+ minutes three times a day is what healed me. I hope my story helps someone who has found diet is not triggering their AS.

 

[lollipop]

After reading posts on this thread I felt compelled to share how I made a full recovery from the pain of AS. I suffered for 5 years before diagnosis, finally learning what I had 2 years ago, and at that time I was exhausted and at my whits end wih pain and fear. When the doctor read me the blood work results she firat told me I had lupus, then said no... I have ankylosing spondylitis. She told.me in was an inherited autoimmune disease, drew a pie circle listing other AI diseases in the family, and said I would likely be in a wheel chair by the age of 60. When I asked for more information she told me to google it. My parents died young, so I had no reference point and believed her at first. I read about mainstream treatments using immune suppresents, steriods, side affects, and continued long term degredation in spite of the drugs. No thanks! Then I read about AS sufferers healing by eating paleo, and in some cases cutting out solenaceae plants too (tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum etc). I tried this but experienced no noticable change. I knew I had to find the source of my inflammation but what was it? My job was stressful, so I asked for less responsibility but met resistance, so I quit. Changing jobs aleriated the pain a little, but not significantly. So then I knew stress was a contributing factor! I started reading broadly about stress and inflammation and read about stressed people whos nervous systems were stuck in 'fight and flight' mode. Then I read about the vagus nerve (aka rest and digest nerve), and how a to tone/exercise this nerve and restore balance and remove inflammation. Based on that article I started practicing deep breathing three times a day in order to tone my vagus nerve.... it worked!!!.... I have been pain free for 10 months and living life fully without any physical limitations.

The message that I want to share here is you have to find what is triggering your inflammation, and that it wont be the same trigger for everyone. I still eat healthy dont get me wrong, but starch does not trigger AS for me, working a stressful job does. And when I worked in that stressed state for too long my nervous system weakend and became out of balance. Breathing deeply until my lungs filled my entire chest cavity, for 5+ minutes three times a day is what healed me. I hope my story helps someone who has found diet is not triggering their AS.

WoW! This is powerful. Thank you for sharing @Noni. Bumping this so hopefully EVERYONE will read...

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

After reading posts on this thread I felt compelled to share how I made a full recovery from the pain of AS. I suffered for 5 years before diagnosis, finally learning what I had 2 years ago, and at that time I was exhausted and at my whits end wih pain and fear. When the doctor read me the blood work results she firat told me I had lupus, then said no... I have ankylosing spondylitis. She told.me in was an inherited autoimmune disease, drew a pie circle listing other AI diseases in the family, and said I would likely be in a wheel chair by the age of 60. When I asked for more information she told me to google it. My parents died young, so I had no reference point and believed her at first. I read about mainstream treatments using immune suppresents, steriods, side affects, and continued long term degredation in spite of the drugs. No thanks! Then I read about AS sufferers healing by eating paleo, and in some cases cutting out solenaceae plants too (tomatoes, potatoes, capsicum etc). I tried this but experienced no noticable change. I knew I had to find the source of my inflammation but what was it? My job was stressful, so I asked for less responsibility but met resistance, so I quit. Changing jobs aleriated the pain a little, but not significantly. So then I knew stress was a contributing factor! I started reading broadly about stress and inflammation and read about stressed people whos nervous systems were stuck in 'fight and flight' mode. Then I read about the vagus nerve (aka rest and digest nerve), and how a to tone/exercise this nerve and restore balance and remove inflammation. Based on that article I started practicing deep breathing three times a day in order to tone my vagus nerve.... it worked!!!.... I have been pain free for 10 months and living life fully without any physical limitations.

The message that I want to share here is you have to find what is triggering your inflammation, and that it wont be the same trigger for everyone. I still eat healthy dont get me wrong, but starch does not trigger AS for me, working a stressful job does. And when I worked in that stressed state for too long my nervous system weakend and became out of balance. Breathing deeply until my lungs filled my entire chest cavity, for 5+ minutes three times a day is what healed me. I hope my story helps someone who has found diet is not triggering their AS.

This is a very encouraging thread as my husband is dealing with very similar stuff. How are things going for you now, 3+ years later?