Ankylosing Spondylitis and Other Autoimmune Conditions Erich Assuncao

Based on my experience with Ankylosing Spondylitis, an autoimmune inflammatory condition that is extremely debilitating, and after much research, prayer, trial and error, I’m summarizing the lifestyle that allows me to have 100% control of this disease. Since autoimmune conditions and allergies are related to intestinal problems, like leaky gut, the treatment consists of two main elements: eliminating the cause and repairing the damage already made. Eliminating the cause It is important to live an overall healthy lifestyle that includes enough rest, exercise, healthy eating habits, mental and spiritual health. However, the greatest measurable cause of autoimmune diseases is the Genetically modified foods (GMOs) and other foods that, even though they’re not genetically modified, contain Monsanto’s pesticide RoundUp, which is also used on GMOs. RoundUp contains glyphosate, which is highly prejudicial to the lining of the gut and also prevents gluten from being properly digested. The main genetically modified foods are soy, corn, canola, cotton (oil), beet. These should always be “Non-GMO”, preferably organic, and that includes processed foods containing ingredients like corn syrup, beet sugar, vegetable oil, etc. http://www.ewg.org/ is a useful tool for food and cosmetic safety. Check their GMO shoppers’ guide, that although from 2014 is still useful. http://www.ewg.org/research/shoppers-guide-toavoiding-gmos#.WbdSxK0ZNsM www.fmtv.com has many great documentaries on GMOs and autoimmune conditions. Unfortunately, it is not enough to just stop eating GMOs because there is a lot of foods that contain glyphosate, the chief troublemaker that’s in genetically modified products. - Almost every grain that’s not organic contains RoundUp : ( , including, but not limited to, wheat, rice, rye, barley, millet, popcorn, buckwheat. - Even sugar cane has glyphosate! So, everything that has RoundUp has to be organic, especially if you have an autoimmune disease. This website is very helpful and gives more detailed information on what contains glyphosate: http://janeshealthykitchen.com/avoid-these-foods-with-monsantos-glyphosate/ I do want to mention that I am vegetarian (almost vegan). Since I’ve been vegetarian for a long time, even during my inflammation crisis, I don’t know by experience how much it’s related to autoimmune conditions, but it’s important to note that animals are fed GMOs, so glyphosate is in the meat and other animal products. Even fish are fed GMOs, plus there’s also GMO salmon! Also, milk itself is related to allergies and autoimmune conditions. Therefore, my first recommendation would be to transition to a plant based diet. If you don’t, the animal products

you use should be organic as well. Forks Over Knives is an excellent documentary about plant based diet. Repairing the damage To help with the healing of the gut, I used three supplements: 1. L-Glutamine 20g/day (10g morning, 10g evening) for 30-60 days depending on the patient. People with heart problems usually can’t take glutamine, so they take arginine instead. 2. Slippery Elm in capsules (just follow the recommendations on the bottle). Take it during the period that you’re taking the L-glutamine. 3. When you’re done with the two above, take the best probiotic you can find. I can’t remember the brand of the one I took. It was in capsules. By the way, it’s good to take probiotics regularly. Medication I do have to say that most drugs are harmful to the gut and the balance of its microbiota. That’s why I chose not to take any. It’s strongly recommended to get out of medication to experience the best results. Now, this can be very complicated and unsafe to a lot of people, so please do it safely, gradually, and consulting your doctor. I am not a doctor! Please see your physician to make sure that my recommendations are safe for you. Last but not least, if you want to be healed and get your life back, you have to take it very seriously. So let’s be radical about it, at least until you recover, and your body builds up tolerance to the harmful foods that I mentioned, which happened in my case, allowing me to have a normal social life : ) May God grant you wisdom, perseverance, and the self-control that you need to be successful!