Q & A #3: How long did it take for AS symptoms to subside after starting a starch-free diet?

Everybody is unique and everyone responds to lifestyle and diet modifications differently. Each individual presents different symptoms and manifestations of Ankylosing Spondylitis. Some people have been feeling the effects of the disease for decades while others have only recently discovered their diagnosis. Everyone’s disease journey is varied and, in the same way, their healing journey will look different also. There is no set time by which someone is guaranteed to feel better. Healing is non-linear and true healing from the inside out takes time (often months, not days or weeks).

So, while I cannot give a timeline for healing, I can share my experience.

My Story

I started with a strict starch-free elimination diet. It took several weeks of cravings and withdrawals to detoxify. I felt worse before I felt better, which is common when making drastic changes to a diet.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t until a few months into the starch-free lifestyle that I eliminated trace starches. I noticed significant improvement soon after removing starchy supplements from my diet.

Six months after starting a starch-free diet I saw my rheumatologist for an initial intake appointment. By that time, I felt well enough to pass on a prescription medication for pain. Improvement continued to the point where my ‘no pain days’ far outnumbered my ‘pain days.’

I am now several years into this starch-free lifestyle. I am unmedicated and free of pain 95% of the time. I believe external factors, such as weather, stress, and lack of sleep, are often responsible for the remaining five percent. When my diet is strictly starch-free I usually feel as though I have no ankylosing spondylitis. I feel better now than I have in decades past!

Lastly, I chose to give the diet a full six months before deciding whether or not I would continue with it. It took that long to see significant improvement. Naturally, it takes time to heal the gut and to nurture and build an army of good gut bacteria. This natural process of healing cannot happen overnight.

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