Sunday, September 25, 2005

Oranges and Grapes

I have a similar reaction to grapes as I do with oranges

2005.09.25

Ate 3 or 4 oranges.
Effects: itchy skin, feeling hot and perhaps mildly feverish, mild depression and malaise, headache
Conclusions: sensitive or allergic to oranges (salicylates?), possible effects of raised liver enzymes
Posted by zarkme at 01:04:29 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Low Starch Diet lowers IgA levels

About Alan Ebringer
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/kis/schools/life_sciences/life_sci/ebringerR.html

from : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/

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

Clin Rheumatol. 1996 Jan;15 Suppl 1:62-66.
Ebringer A, Wilson C.
Division of Life Sciences, King’s College, London.

The majority of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients not only possess HLA-B27, but during active phases of the disease have elevated levels of total serum IgA, suggesting that a microbe from the bowel flora is acting across the gut mucosa. Biochemical studies have revealed that Klebsiella bacteria, not only possess 2 molecules carrying sequences resembling HLA-B27 but increased quantities of such microbes are found in fecal samples obtained from AS patients and such patients have Crohn’s like lesions in the ileo-caecal regions of the gut. Furthermore AS patients from 10 different countries have been found to have elevated levels of specific antibodies against Klebsiella bacteria. It has been suggested that these Klebsiella microbes, found in the bowel flora, might be the trigger factors in this disease and therefore reduction in the size of the bowel flora could be of benefit in the treatment of AS patients. Microbes from the bowel flora depend on dietary starch for their growth and therefore a reduction in starch intake might be beneficial in AS patients. A “low starch diet” involving a reduced intake of “bread, potatoes, cakes and pasta” has been devised and tested in healthy control subjects and AS patients. The “low starch diet” leads to a reduction of total serum IgA in both healthy controls as well as patients, and furthermore to a decrease in inflammation and symptoms in the AS patients. The role of a “low starch diet” in the management of AS requires further evaluation.

Publication Types:
* Review
* Review, Tutorial

PMID: 8835506 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Posted by zarkme at 01:01:08 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Sunday, September 4, 2005

Brain Fog

People with AS often have difficulty with their concentration (’brain fog’). Several factors can be compunded to make this symptom severe ie: drug side effects, high white blood cell count (just consider how hazy your head is when you have a bad flu), and poorly controlled blood sugar levels.

Foods that have a high GI ratio are my main problem at the moment. The more slowly a food converts to energy the less severe the blood sugar spikes, and this leads to improved concentraion. So here are some links with info on Glycemic Index, etc

Forum threads

Vitamin B12 may help some people

Quoted from http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=118756

One thing that could be causing your brain fog is a vitamin B-12 deficenicy. Have you noticed any tingling in your fingers/toes and/or fatigue? I have Crohn’s Disease also, and it’s very common for CD patients to have a B-12 deficenicy to to poor absorption from damage to the intestines. I started taking 2000 mcg B-12 a day about 6 months ago and my brain fog cleared up pretty much immediately, along with the tingling. I’ve tried to cut back to a maintenance dose of 1000 mcg, but that doesn’t really cut it for me, I guess I’ve had too much damage to my bowels.

Feeling better after eating meat/cheese would make sense if you have a B-12 deficenicy, animal products are the only sources of the vitamin (aside from supplements). Might be something to consider.

Things That Help

  • Taking a short walk
  • Exercise: walking, jogging, yoga, etc
  • Cold showers
  • Water flush - ie: drink 2 cups of water on an empty tummy.
  • Coffee. Although I try to avoid this as it causes me grief (brown urine - looks like tea, also candida due to depressed immune sytem, ..).

Excellent Meals
Here are some of the foods and meals that I find lift my brain fog:

  • Greens and vegetables. Very effective. eg: snack on carrots.
  • Seaweed. Very effective
  • Raw nuts. eg: almonds, walnuts, etc. Very effective. Seems to work even better when freshly roasted.
  • Meat and protein.
  • Tuna and seaweed soup. Very effective. Tastes better than it sounds hehe ;)
  • Brown rice with tofu skin and pear. I have this for breakfast as it gives me the energy I need without triggering my Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Terrible Meals
Some foods that worsen the brain fog:

  • Sugar. The prime culprit. Perhaps due to blood sugar spikes, or Candida
  • Sweets : chocolate, candies, etc.
  • Dried fruit
  • Fresh fruit. Safer than dried fruit.
Posted by zarkme at 13:46:00 | Permalink | Comments (5)