Prescript Assist for itchy bum (Proctitis)

I tried taking 4 x Prescript Assist probiotics the other night and Proctitis (itchy bum) was definitely greatly relieved. I would say an improvement of 90% or more, so it is quite a marked difference. I had tried just taking one or two before but that doesn't do anything noticeable for me. Looks like I need 3 or 4 of the pills at a time in order to get a therapeutic effect. 

There is a small chance it could also have possibly been all the chilli and fried onions I ate. This will gradually become clear with time. 

Prescript Assist is a unique brand of high quality probiotic. I was recommended this brand by Baruch who had also found that it helped with this problem. So credit goes to him :-D What's interesting about this brand is the wide selection of probiotic flora, beneficial flora that you rarely see in other probiotics, and also the high level of research and quality control from the manufacturer. If your in a medical or health professional then I definitely recommend looking into the company. 

Oh, and I note that this probiotic also contains B. Subtilis which is also found in Natto. And Natto is what I attribute my recent immune disorder remission to - I would prefer that you stick with Natto if you were looking for Ankylosing Spondylitis remission (AS). I'm just not sure if you will get enough of the B. Subtilis from this probiotic in order to help with AS. 

Molecular Mimicry

Alan Ebringer - a trail blazer who researched the relationship between
diet, Klebsiella, and Ankylosing Spondylitis.

Video - Recovery from Ankylosing Spondylitis

Recovery from Ankylosing Spondylitis
A pretty good video about diet and AS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvgjJTLrM3M

NSD Book Chapter

I have been working on this book chapter for Andrea that outlines my story, the diet I follow, a few recipes, and some other health info. Let me know if it helps you, or if you have any suggestions.

Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-Vu4xEjJ3eknqi0-An7wgMtLdiOYi5SoL6xuo5X1L64/edit?usp=sharing

Homemade Eczema Cream (Vit B3 & Coconut oil)

Homemade Vit B3 Cream

This topical cream worked well for my eczema/dermatitis, but the cream I made is very strong and not suitable for sensitive parts of the body as it will sting. This is how I made it ..

Ingredients:

• 1 part Glycerin (Glycerol) - can get this in any chemist. This helps dissolve the B3 and increases absorption 

• 2 parts B3, crushed in a mortar & pestel - I used the niacinamide form of B3

• 2 parts Virgin Coconut Oil, melted

Mix these together and place in a small glass or ceramic container. I suggest making another cream with a reduced concentration of B3 for sensitive areas (genitals, anus, face). It isn't quite as potent as the prednisolone creams but it does the job, and I prefer to use a vitamin rather than an immune suppressant. Always start by using a small amount on a small area of the body first as a test ..

Abstracts, Quotes, Etc

The quotes below are why I tried B3 (nicotinamide). Oh and found some other people were using coconut oil too..

This one shows that B3 can have an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotinamide

Skin conditions
Nicotinamide has demonstrated anti-inflammatory actions that may be of benefit to patients with inflammatory skin conditions.[4] These conditions include acne vulgaris, and the compound can suppress antigen-induced, lymphocytic transformation and inhibit 3',5'-cyclic-AMP phosphodiesterase. Nicotinamide has demonstrated the ability to block the inflammatory actions of iodides known to precipitate or exacerbate inflammatory acne.
NicAzel and Nicomide are the names of oral acne medications that include nicotinamide as their most predominant ingredient, based on this area of research. Nicotinamide is also found as part of a new adjunct supplement combination called, AzerizinTM. According to the makers of Azerizin, this adjunct is part of their prescription dietary supplement product, which they claim helps manage inflammatory skin conditions. Nicotinamide is also used topically as a 4% or 5% gel or cream - as effective as topical 1% clindamycin (8-week double-blind trial) performed at the New York University College of Medicine.[5] Unlike topical Erythromycin or Clindamycin it does not precipitate bacterial resistance in treating inflammatory acne. Nicotinamide acne treatment is also available as Nicotinamide pads and cream.

This shows that B3 can the effectiveness of neutrophil immune cells by up to 1000 times in people who have a silenced/inactive gene

Title: C/EBPe mediates nicotinamide-enhanced clearance of Staphylococcus aureus in mice

http://www.jci.org/articles/view/62070?key=a39ce7efc2f764ede04

The myeloid-specific transcription factor, CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein e (C/EBPe) is a critical mediator of myelopoiesis. Mutation of this gene is responsible for neutrophil-specific granule deficiency in humans, a condition that confers susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus infection. We found that C/EBPe-deficient mice are severely affected by infection with S. aureus, and C/EBPe deficiency in neutrophils contributes to the infectious phenotype. Conversely, exposure to the epigenetic modulator nicotinamide (vitamin B3) increased expression of C/EBPe in WT myeloid cells. Further, nicotinamide increased the activity of C/EBPe and select downstream antimicrobial targets, particularly in neutrophils. In a systemic murine infection model as well as in murine and human peripheral blood, nicotinamide enhanced killing of S. aureus by up to 1,000 fold but had no effect when administered to either C/EBPe-deficient mice or mice depleted of neutrophils. Nicotinamide was efficacious in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings. Our findings suggest that C/EBPe is an important target to boost killing of bacteria by the innate immune system.

Also, if you look here there are good reports regarding topical use of coconut oil:

http://www.earthclinic.com/CURES/natural-cure-for-eczema.html#popular

Safety

This safety note is really more targeted at people taking mega doses of Vit B3 orally, but may prove to be relevant if you use very large amounts of B3 Cream all over your body!

http://www.thedermreview.com/niacinamide/

Safety Issues
While niacinamide can be used to treat many different skin conditions, it should not be used by people with liver disease, patients with active ulcers or a history of ulcers, or anyone with gout. Also, if you drink excessive amounts of alcohol, you should abstain from using a niacinamide cream as it may react with the increased levels of alcohol in the body. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not consume more than 35 mg of niacin daily if taking a vitamin or a dietary supplement. Finally, if you use a niacinamide cream for the treatment of acne, dermatologists suggest that you start with a small amount of the cream on your skin so you can take note of any negative skin reactions. If you notice redness or peeling of the skin, you should discontinue use of the niacinamide cream and contact your skin care specialist.

Did Natto bring my immune disorder into remission?

This week I stopped eating Natto to see if my eczema would clear, and unexpectedly my sensitivity to starch returned ! I had a full blown reaction after eating some hummus. Last night I started eating the Natto again and lo and behold my Ankylosing Spondylitis is calming down again. It is now about a tenth of what it was seven hours ago, normally it would take about 36 hours more for it to reduce this much.

So it looks like Natto is helping :D

Leaky gut soup?

A colleague at work recommended a soup for treating leaky gut. Basically you throw these things together and either slow cook them over a couple of hours, or use a pressure cooker:

• Apple cider vinegar
• Bones (beef bones)
• Vegetables
• Some protein - chicken was suggested

She will get back to me with some more detailed info on this..

Remission May/June 2014

I have stopped reacting to starch lately. I had noticed about a month ago that I didn't react to some starchy food that I ate whilst in Fiji (I was hungry, and it looked sooo good). My excuse is that I was eating starch for science - to test myself and see whether I was still sensitive. Quite a valid excuse if you ask me :)

Now this happened again yesterday - we were doing a wine tour around Canberra and the pizza everyone was having for lunch looked really good. I told my fiancé I was going to try some "for science" ;) Well now, the pizza was particularly good and I didn't stop at one slice as planned. I think I ended up eating about 4 slices of pizza all up.

Within an hour or two we noticed my body temperature had improved due to starch fuelling the furnaces of my metabolism (it is much colder than I am accustomed to in Canberra at the moment). Also the wine didn't make me feel like I had been poisoned, as is often the case. Roughly 8 hours later I messaged her that the only negative thing I had noticed was a bit of mild stiffness in my ribs and neck, but no pain. The next morning I was in no noticeable pain nor increased stiffness from Ankylosing Spondylitis at all and had only very mild proctitis.. less proctitis than usual I would say. That was not expected.

Normally if I eat starch then the inevitable reaction is about 99% guaranteed. The only exception is that after long periods of very careful starch restriction the immune system becomes less reactive to the usual mal-fermentation of amylose starch. But this is only for the first time you eat starch as at that time it primes the immune system. After this initial priming, the next reaction to starch will be the usual strong inflammatory reaction.

There are three main things that I am taking regularly that could be the cause of my remission in starch sensitivity:

• Natto - I initially didn't think it was this as I only just started eating Natto in June, however I had evidence of remission going back to May and even perhaps February of this year. The remission in May would have been due to taking Lufenuron and Mountain Pepper at that time. I stopped taking Natto for a few days, perhaps a week, as soybean gives me eczema. Well, I ate some hummus and went in to full AS inflammation. So I started taking the Natto again and the inflammation was gone in 24 hours.  
• Lufenuron - Quite likely to be this. This is an anti fungal. I take 2.8g twice a day and use it for a week or two at a time. This is the only thing that I can think of that explains all periods of remission this year. I started taking this on 6th February this year and soon noticed a reduced reaction to starch (15th Feb = 20140215). 
• Mountain Pepper - Maybe. This contains Polygodial which is also an anti fungal. These days I take about half a teaspoon first thing in the morning on an empty tummy and chase it with a glass of juice (with 1 tsp ACV in the juice). I do this to fix my proctitis and sinus issues, and it seems to benefit my prostate too (my prostatitis seems to follow after proctitis by about 10-14 hours). I started taking this in early May this year, so it can't explain my apparent remission in February.
• Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) - 1 tsp once or twice a day mixed with juice. I take this to fix prostate problems and as a general tonic. I have used ACV off and on in the past and have noticed it being helpful but only temporarily and certainly not to the point that I could eat pizza without pain. So for that reason I find it implausible. Still, it may be assisting, and I am using it regularly..

Some recommended reading:

• An article from Dr Mercola:Gut Bacteria and Fat Cells May Interact to Produce “Perfect Storm” of Inflammation That Promotes Diabetes and Other Chronic Disease http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/05/chronic-inflammation.aspx
• HOW TO CURE SIBO, Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.ca/2013/12/how-to-cure-sibo-small-intestinal-bowel.html

Here are my personal notes from my phone. Sorry but they are pretty long!

----//----


NSD : Remission
Key: Ankylosing Spondylitis.

-- Notes --
Things that may have caused remission:
* Lufenuron - very likely. 2.8g twice a day with fatty food. Only thing that fits all periods of remission this year.
* Mountain pepper - maybe. Third of tsp with water twice a day
* ACV - probably not. Teaspoon with juice on empty tummy in morning.
* Natto seems less likely as it can't explain May.

--/--
20140615 : no reaction to pizza
1.30pm : Ate several slices of pizza
9pm : Mild neck and rib stiffness. No pain.
20140616 : continued ..
7am : still no AS pain. Ribs are back to normal. Neck is back to normal. Very mild Proctitis. No apparent worsening of eczema.
I did try some Natto last week but that doesn't explain the lack of reaction in May 2014
--/--
20140612 : no reactions
No reaction to tea with burnt rice AND Natto.
Likely cause: Lufenuron, Mountain Pepper (Polygodial)
* current supplementation: mountain pepper third of teaspoon mountain pepper 2 or 3 times a day. Fish oil 3-6g a day.  Before this regime I was previously using Lufenuron
--/--
20140513 : no reaction, Polygodial
* current supplementation: mountain pepper third of teaspoon mountain pepper 2 or 3 times a day. Before this regime I was previously using Lufenuron
* see Log:Polygodial & Log:Lufenuron
Ate quite a starchy indian curry yesterday whilst eating out. My partner told me it definitely had besan flour in it to thicken it up, and it reacted immediately to iodine. Decided to try it anyway, "for science!" Hehe. It was just tooo yummy to turn down?
About an hour or two later I started to get very very tired which is a classic symptom for me when eating starch .. But the painful inflammation never came! Looks like the anti fungal compounds I have been taking are keeping this disease at bay!?!

-------=:: older notes ::=------- 

Below we have my older notes from earlier in the year when I had another period of remission. At that point I had suspected Mussaman curry, which now looks unlikely to be the reason. Also of note was that the previous period of remission was NOT permanent.. it lasted about 11 days. I would say I hadn't taken enough Lufenuron at this point to 'finish the job'.

-- 20140215-17:possible remission --
Sometime around Friday or Saturday I started to notice I hadn't been reacting to restaurant food for quite a while. So I tried a small piece of a potato chip on Saturday at lunchtime... No reaction. I very often have trouble with restaurant food since the ingredients are out of my control. Now, when I talk of a remission in symptoms I am only talking here about inflammation from Ankylosing spondylitis, and this inflammation comes back in force whenever I eat even a small amount of starch.

Sunday night I was with friends and decided to try something more dangerous - some glutinous rice dumplings that also contained the added amylose starch which I react to. I ate four of them, and I definitely should have reacted. I had a modest increase in stiffness. It wasn't really painful just a tad stiff, and the next morning I was fine again! No pain in my back, ribs, hips or neck. Perhaps some minor skin issues (but maybe that was from chocolate / dairy). This is unheard of for me. I should have been in quite significant pain for at least 3 days.

What's changed? What helped? :
1. Lots of Massaman curry - almost daily (most likely what helped)
2. Lufenuron treatment (9grams, split over several days)
3. Lots of fresh air (very unlikely)

Massaman curry
Why? Well I had noticed in late December 2013 after eating some curry at the local Indian restaurant (Mantra) that I didn't suffer from the usual dehydration .. dry mouth, eyes, nose and skin that plague me most nights. This problem also causes me significant fatigue, and it has troubled me on and off for many many years.

Now I tried making my own Thai curry and found that it worked equally well (that was in early Jan 2014). I was of course using my new friend - Massaman curry paste. I would eat it and on the very same night the dehydration would go away. The following night if I ate with friends and didn't eat this curry my symptoms would return very noticeably. The following day I would resume eating this and the symptoms would go away again. This would occur again and again over the coming weeks with a pattern that was absolutely reliable.

So since this curry definitely helped one immune related symptom, I think it likely that it healed the root cause of several health problems, and that likely cause is: leaky gut syndrome.

Ingredients of curry paste:
The ingredients are: chilli, lemongrass, garlic, shallot, salt, galangal, fish paste, coriander seed, cumin, kaffir lime peel, mace, cardamom, cinnamon
I would put my money on the spices that I don't use frequently: coriander seed, cumin, kaffir lime peel, mace, cardamom, or galangal

Update 1:
Oh one more thing - I usually made the curry in my pressure cooker with bones, carrots, onions, pumpkin .. And quite a bit of curry paste


Update 2 - 20140221
It is taking more and more Massaman curry to have the same effect on my symptoms of dehydration, and it isn't lasting as long. Oh well, this happens fairly often unfortunately - these things sometimes only help temporarily. What I've noticed is that it stopped having a laxative effect on me, so maybe it was just that.. A laxative. Maybe try Epsom salts!

Update 3 20140228
Three days ago I accidentally consumed some starch (my fiancé's mother made me an omelette but looks like the ham was starchy). Today I'm finally over the pain! Just a few small niggles in my rib cage this morning, but three days of NSD and, as usual, I'm good again. BUT that means I am reacting to starch again. Haven't been making the Massaman curry for about a week (I say curry but when I make it it's more of a soup) and maybe that is why I reacted? Likewise I haven't taken the Lufenuron for two or three weeks.

Lufenuron
I started taking this on 6 Feb 2014 in order to rid myself of a recurring fungal infection. These fungi such as candida have a chitin cell wall which hides them from our immune system and protects them from antibiotics (antibiotics attack cell membranes but these are well protected within the cell wall).

When candida is in the fungal form it is invasive and can destroy tissue in its path, growing in strands of mycelium & hyphae. When this happens in the gut the lining of the intestine is compromised and allows microbes in to the bloodstream, and when this happens then the immune system becomes destabilised. This is what is called "leaky gut syndrome" and Fungi are one possible cause.

Recipe: Burmese Curry Paste

"This makes my mouth sing"

Curry paste cooked with carrots
and a side of mashed cauliflower

This recipe is still a bit rough around the edges. I received it through a friend who is of Burmese descent.

Ingredients

• 1 Large Onion. Cut fine
• 5-6 tbs Canola oil 
• 1 inch ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• Half teaspoon Turmeric powder
• Optional: half teaspoon chilli powder 
• Half teaspoon paprika
• Half teaspoon prawn paste (can skip if you dont have this, or maybe use fish sauce instead)
• 1 tablespoon crushed dried prawn (I don't have this so I would just use more shrimp paste)

Method

Crush Ginger and garlic is crushed in mortar and pestle to a paste. Start cooking onion and oil first until soft. Then add ginger garlic, turmeric and chilli 

Add paprika, prawn paste, and dried prawn last as it burns.


Use this curry paste and cook with any of the following:

• eggplant
• eggs
• pumpkin
• laksa - you can make a kind of laksa by adding coconut cream, chilli, konnyaku noodle, and prawns

I have Natto !

My kind Korean neighbours gave me some Natto to try. This is basically fermented / cultured soy beans, and it is really good for gut and immune health. Well known for its benefits in preventing heart disease. My neighbour says people also use it to treat diabetes. They suggested mixing it in with yoghurt - I tried doing that and it masks the smell and texture very well.

Iodine Testing : Examples

Rice

Above is cooked basmati rice. Below is the reaction after adding several drops of iodine. 

Glutinous Rice Flour

Above is glutinous rice flour mixed with water. Below is the same after adding several drops of iodine tincture. 

The mixture actually turns a brown colour and not the inky blue black colour that normal rice will turn (amylose). This brown colour is not actually the colour of iodine, rather this is the colour of amylopectin reacting with iodine. Glutinous rice is very unusual for a grain in that it contains no amylose at all, and instead stores carbohydrates as amylopectin. 

Curry Powder

Here is some curry powder above mixed with water only. Below is the reaction when mixed with two drops of iodine. 

The reaction was mild, not an inky blue black reaction, and so I'm not worried about it. This looks like it has some amylopectin (safe) and no significant amylose (unsafe). 

Custard apple for Prostate & Proctitis?

It is far too early to make a call on this but it looks promising. Here are my notes so far. 

Log: Custard Apple

Key: soursop

-- Observation summary --

* small brief sharp pain in prostate area

* custard apple is known to kill prostate cancer cells in the lab

20140530 Custard Apple ***

Pretty sure custard apple clearer my Proctitis. I should have reacted to the sticky rice, the sugar in the Korean sauce and also for having sweet food after dinner. 

Dinner: Custard apple (desert, lots of it). Sticky rice. Green curry fish w green beans. Pork belly w Korean BBQ sauce (ask Dave for brand). Chinese greens w ginger. 

20140521 & 23 Prostate

Twice I had some custard apple and noticed some small sharp pains in prostate region. They were brief and transient. Rather than being bad for the prostate, I'm going to run with the theory that this is a type of "healing crisis" reaction. Reason: lab tests show custard apple kills prostate cancer. Also, prostate health was very good after the pains went away, and this is unusual. 

Amylopectin, NSD and Dental Health

I find my teeth are stronger on the NSD. One thing I keep forgetting to mention - glutinous rice gives me energy and endurance, but it is as bad for the teeth as any other starch. A small cavity that had pretty much healed over whilst on the NSD had reappeared and with it a small amount of tooth pain occasionally occurred. I now am much more selective about when and how I eat my glutinous rice, and it has since started to calm down again.

Coconut Jelly Recipe

This recipe is copied from the Encyclopedia of Asian Food. I have made some minor alterations for clarity, and also many of you will want to swap sucrose for something else. 

Photo from http://asiasociety.org/

A favorite in Burma, where it is called kyauk kyaw (pronounced chow chaw), Burmese for agar-agar, or any jelly made from it.Serves 8.

Ingredients

7g agar-agar strands (or 4 teaspoons agar-agar powder)
400 ml can coconut milk
375ml water (1 and 1/2 cups)
125ml (1/2 cup) canned coconut cream
125g (1/2 cup) sugar, rose water to flavour - I use fructose or honey instead

Directions
Soak the strands of agar-agar in cold water overnight or at least 1 hour. Drain and measure. There should be 1 and 1/2 cups, loosely packed.
Put the strands with coconut milk and water into a saucepan and stir constantly while bringing to the boil. Add sugar and keep stirring and simmering 10-15 minutes or until all the strands are completely dissolved.

If using agar-agar powder, sprinkle over the coconut milk, add sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut cream.

Flavour to taste, then pour into a dish rinsed out with cold water and allow to set. Cut into diamond shapes or squares. This firm jelly is meant to be picked up with the fingers.

Recipe excerpted from the Encyclopedia of Asian Food by Charmaine Solomon (Periplus Editions, 1998)

Easy Indian - NSD Safe

Yay I found some Indian food at Coles that is safe :-D

The first one is Chicken Tikka. This one is a bit pricy, but still much cheaper than eating out. And you won't have to worry about unknown starchy additives. 

This is the second one. All the other Pataks bottles had starchy additives except this one. Make sure you read the label on the back as you will need to buy several other ingredients, ie. meat, canned tomato, minced ginger and some garlic. 

Prawn Masala (NSD, Paleo)

Ingredients:

Half a kilo prawns (shelled)

600-700g Eggplant 

1 can whole peeled tomato (400g)

1 onion, medium size, cut 

1-2 cloves garlic, cut finely

Masala spice powder to taste

2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Fry turmeric, onion and garlic in plenty of coconut oil. 

When onions are cooked add masala powder, eggplant, and tomato. Mash the tomato with your spatula. 

Cook until eggplant is very soft then add prawns last, as these cook quickly. 

Pancakes without the pain !

-- Benefits --

* less fatigue 

* weight gain - was far too skinny

* less stiffness

* possibly improved amylose tolerance
* easier to cook than the other non-starch recipes - the other ones I've tried would fall apart when I flip them, or burn before they even cook through, or be too dry.

Problem: don't overdo it or candida could be an issue. These days I cook this mainly when I know I will need to do a fair amount of physical work, such as moving house.

-- top rated recipe (modified) --

Serves : 2-3 people 

This makes great pancakes. Possibly even better than the usual wheat based ones.. And no pain! =)

1 cup glutinous rice flour

1 egg (can double)

3/4 cup water (or milk if safe 4 u)

2 tbsp butter / coconut oil melted

1-2 tbsp fructose / honey 

Half tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda, half tsp cream of tartar (original recipe doubles this)

* Beat eggs until fluffy (can skip)

* mix everything, add milk gradually 

* Leaving the batter to sit for 10-20 mins may give fluffier pancakes

* Pan is hot enough when a drop of water dances on surface 

* When bubbles start to break it is ready to turn and cook the other side

http://www.food.com/recipe/pancakes-25690

-- my own quick & easy recipe --

7 heaped tsp glutinous rice flour

1 egg

Add water slowly whilst mixing 

Optional: Salt & honey to taste

Optional: Butter/Coconut Oil/Banana

Mouth Ulcers Gone :-D (AKA Canker Sores)

I used to have a lot of trouble with mouth ulcers (you guys probably call them 'canker sores'), this was an ongoing issue for 10 years or more. Anytime I bit my lip or cheek, or even just a minor abrasion to the lining of my mouth, and I would be guaranteed to get a mouth ulcer. Tried the usual antibacterial type remedies such as topical peroxide, iodine, bicarb, salt, rinsing with alcohol. That stuff didn't work for me though.

In the end my ulcers turned out to be caused by a virus (maybe a strain of HSV), and a potent anti viral called BHT worked for me - from what I read it only works for lipid-coated viruses (fortunately the majority of viruses are lipid coated!). I took about 500mg of BHT twice a day and that fixed it. And by fixed I mean I'm practically cured, as I don't need to take a maintenance dose of BHT to keep the ulcers away. 500mg worked, but maybe 250mg would be fine too, but I know that taking 1000mg in one dose was too much for me to handle as I would get some pains in my tummy (possibly liver struggling to metabolise it).. that only lasted an hour or so.



-- Update :: I posted the following on EarthClinic.com --

BHT is what worked for me. I tried the usual antibacterial modes (iodine, salt, baking soda) and nothing would help one little bit. Any time my mouth had a little scratch it would inevitably result in a mouth ulcer that would take weeks to heal (you guys call them 'canker sores').

I eventually tried BHT thinking it might help some other immune problems (I have an inflammatory autoimmune disease). Well, only one thing changed noticeably - no more mouth ulcers. Ever since trying BHT I have been clear of this issue, and it has been a stark change. Now if I bite my lip there is no problem, yet before I would be absolutely guaranteed to have a very nasty canker sore.

Now I can't guarantee this will help anyone else, I never expected that my mouth ulcers could be caused by a virus!! (ehh sorry I mean 'canker sores) But there you go.. learned something new. I suspect the majority of folk are still caused by bacteria, but hey if iodine, ACV, baking soda and salt don't help then maybe you should try this!

You can read more about BHT here: http://www.projectwellbeing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/BHTbook-StevenWmFowkes-100903.pdf

Most important - make sure it is food grade.

Amylopectin and sticky rice

Sticky rice - well firstly it is obviously sticky :) Also called "glutinous rice", although it doesn't contain any of what we call "gluten", and Gluten intolerant people can eat this rice too of course.

It is noticeably different from normal rice. The grains really stock to each other like glue and its great for desserts. If you can find some Thai sticky rice at an Asian grocer I would recommend that, as so far that has been the best quality. 

Give it a try :) I buy the glutinous rice flour and make some pretty nice pancakes out of it. Way safer than normal rice. 

-- Don't overdo it --

Start small and work up so that your body can acclimatise to all the carbs in sticky rice. If you've been on the NSD for a while, then your body won't be used to so many carbs. I overdid it and had rampant candida .. I was making lots of pancakes using glutinous rice flour and eating that with honey.

-- But it has Gluten, doesn't it? --

Sticky rice definitely doesn't have any of the gluten found in wheat. The "Glutinous" part of the name refers to its stickiness, and that is the result of the high amylopectin content. Your body of course is the ultimate determinant. And more besides, on the NSD we are not "no gluten" (which is a protein), rather we are "no starch".

You can check here, truly it doesn't contain gluten:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice
http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-Ingredients/Page1.html

-- Update May 2014 --

Lately I have been noticing that when I haven't had glutinous rice for a while I have some very small brief stiffness if I really overdo it. For some reason my body does seem to be able to adapt to it fairly quickly. Once I am used to it again I actually seem to have less stiffness than usual? Well, definitely a whole heap more energy. The only reason I am really avoiding it at the moment is my concern about Candida / Fungal issues.

-- Related : --

Thread: Glutinous Rice
http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=500828

Freakin' fungus is causing disease

I just went through some of my personal logs and realised three health problems were all linked. They were all worsened by the same things (eg. sucrose, chocolate) and all improved by the same things (eg. high dose Lufenuron, or bicarb flush). Dammit, why did it take so long for me to work this out. Reminds me of the story of the hair and the tortoise - slow and steady wins the race. I get to the solution through sheer stubborn perseverance.

The three linked health issues which I've been battling for years are:

* Fungal infections of the skin - jock itch mainly. Also used to have dandruff which I would control by using Ketoconazole shampoo, but it cleared completely on the No Starch Diet

* Proctitis, or Pruritis.. Latin for "itchy bum" (or more literally "inflamed bum"). 

* Prostatis (inflamed prostate) - painful urination, urge to pee, and throbbing pain exactly where the prostate is

-- all three are worsened by: --

**** Chocolate - sugar & fat

**** Sucrose - particularly after eating any form of land animal fat (butter, meat, etc). Fish oils and vegetable oils both seem to be neutral. 

-- all three are improved by: --

*** Lufenuron - at high dose. I need to take about 2.8g per day and all 3 symptoms clear up. Lufenuron works by destroying the chitin armour that fungus require to survive. 

*** Water flush & bicarb. Such a simple solution..  cheap, harmless & unassuming, yet so effective. I do this first thing in the morning upon waking: Do not eat anything. Take half a teaspoon (or one small teaspoon) of baking soda and dissolve in two glasses of water. Drink this all at once. If you are hungry or have eaten it won't work as it will then react with stomach acid to form salt and carbon dioxide. 

---

-- Update April 2014 --

* I'm thinking sinusitis / rhinitis needs to be added here..? This responds to Lufenuron too, so I think it must be fungal also. 

---

-- Update May 2014 ---------------------
[posted here: http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=503203 ]

Still battling with fungi myself (Candida, etc). Have been using Lufenuron, but am keen to find something cheaper that is as effective. The number of inflammatory problems that improve greatly when I take Lufenuron is fascinating to me: Prostatitis, Sinusitis/Rhinitis, Proctitis, as well as dehydration at night, and of course the usual yeast infections of the skin. 

..Fascinating to me because of the questions that necessarily arise: how many other immune & inflammatory diseases are caused by fungi ?!? And what exactly is it that fungus does which causes this. The standard explanation would be leaky guts, but I am getting less and less convinced by this after trying Lufenuron. I actually think that certain fungus may have learnt to manipulate our immune systems and make them hyper-reactive to bacteria, and this in order that the immune system would spend less time attacking fungus.

Here is a very weird observation: 
After attacking fungi with Lufenuron I *seem* to have less of an AS type reaction to starch and more of an asthmatic type reaction. Super weird, and not sure what to make of it.

-- Lufenuron --
This compound works by inhibiting synthesis of chitin in the cell wall of fungi. Fungi need chitin to survive, without their chitin to defend their cell wall they bleed out. There is no doubt in my mind that pathogenic fungi have worked out very clever ways to evade our immune systems. That is how fungi are known to operate. Chitin is not used by our bodies, so it is safe to destroy it. OK here is the scary part - chitin is also the exoskeleton of insects, and hence Lufenuron is also a very good pesticide. 

I'm not telling you guys to use Lufenuron, but I do want those of us who suffer with fungal infections to know that this is out there - for educational purposes lets say. And there are other options to be sure, it is just that I know this one and feel I have to report what I have seen. That simple carb restriction only makes the fungus a bit more dormant, in some cases that will be enough to tip the balance in our immune systems favour but not always. Fungi like Candida are still fairly happy to munch away on our body tissue when a ready supply of sugar isn't available..

-- Other more natural options --
Other more natural compounds to try are: Ellagic acid (raspberries are a great source, other berries are good too), and Polygodial (found in: Horopito, Tasmanian pepper/mountain pepper/Cornish pepper leaf, Paracress and Water-pepper)

-- update : ACV --
I know that Apple Cider Vinegar helps with a wide range of health problems (have a look on earthclinic.com), and I have used it successfully with prostatitis and rhinitis/sinusitis. People seem to think it has some alkalising ability, but I am thinking maybe it has compounds that are powerful at killing off rival fungi and yeast much like penicillin does.