Ankylosing Spondylitis and Glyconutrients

I'd like to share some of the personal experiences from friends of mine who began supplementing with glyconutrients. I have personally shared this technology with many people who all suffered from Ankylosing Spondylitis as well as Chiropractors who now recommend this directly to their patients. To hear about their objective and personal results is just an amazing thing. It truly makes me grateful for the opportunity I have. I will share their personal stories here as I collect them from other individuals whom I personally know.

At the center of each person's nutritional change is a bulk glyconutrient supplement. Quality vitamins and other nutrients are also important, along with improving eating habits and as much exercise as is possible.

This is from my friend Jay who lives near me in Northern Virginia.

I was an EMT-B in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a volunteer for 5 years. Currently I live in the Northern Virginia area. I am 40 years old and have been suffering from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) since I was in the 8th grade. For those of you that don't know what AS is it is a degenerative condition like, Rheumatoid Arthritis, where my bones lose calcium and form bony deposits on the outside. In areas of my body where the bones are close together the deposits fuse solid and limits my mobility. While I have been successful in my life and never let my body stop me from anything I wanted to do, the loss of motion has hurt me in many ways. Additionally, two years ago at the age of 38 I was diagnosed with Diabetes. One day my Chief Technology Officer (CTO) comes to me and tells me he has a natural supplement that can help me be more mobile and lower my sugar, but was careful to make sure I knew this was not a cure but more of a way for the body to heal itself. I decided I had nothing to lose and gave this a try. From my talks with my CTO on all the science of GlycoBiology made sense. I started on Ambrotose and noticed a difference almost immediately. All my friends noticed a difference as I could finally stand straighter, move my neck, and all with no pain. I started a month ago and the changes I have seen in me is incredible. I have seen not only improvements in my health but my hearing is better, my eyesight has improved and I am more mobile.

Jay, Alexandria, VA

Glyconutrients are not a drug and do not represent a treatment or a cure for Ankylosing Spondylitis.

They are a specific type of nutrient that is newly discovered. They have been listed in Harpers Biochemistry since 1996.

Products that contain a complex of these glyconutrients should be made according to standardization practices to ensure that you receive a consistent amount of glyconutrients when you supplement with them. Unfortunately many supplements that only claim to have one or two of the eight necessary glyconutrients, do not produce their products using any sort of quality assurance process to ensure that every pill, glass or scoop has a consistent amount of even their limited range of glyconutrients. It is therefore important to only use supplementation that is made using quality practices.

This is from another friend, Sharyl. She's an RN and an RV enthusiast.

In 1980, at the age of 37, I was suffering from pain on a daily basis. I was trying to take care of my family and work as a nurse and it had come to a point where I could do neither. I have had chronic Iritis (eye infection) since I was in my twenties and my eyes were getting much worse from the build up of scar tissue from having frequent occurrences. Finally I was hospitalized and after many days of testing I was told that I had Ankylosing Spondylitis. I was treated with gold therapy, but the side effects were so severe the treatment had to be stopped. The most effective means of controlling my pain was through the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. For the next 20 years, many of these medications were prescribed but I developed a severe rash after being on each one for years so my doctor would change me to another. Over the years I also developed Osteoarthritis so I have suffered pain for many years and I am now 62. I have taken Celebrex and Vioxx but as true to my history I developed a rash from these so I could not continue. I do believe I was saved me from major side effects by my reoccurring rashes. In 2002 I had surgery and it was discovered that I was allergic to the pain medication and needed large doses of Benedryl due to severe itching. In 2004 I was told that I was allergic to all COX 2 drugs, which means almost all pain medications were now denied to me. I spent several months going to rhematologists and an immunologist. After expensive testing I was told that I could take Aleve (naprosyn, which I had taken it years ago). Just the same I was relieved that I could take this as my pain was debilitating. Approximately 3 months later, I had a severe rash with intolerable itching. At this point, I could only take Tylenol and steroids for flare ups, which were occurring quite often. I had my joints injected with cortisone and it did help but the pain always returned. I used heat and cold applications and was limited in all activities. In May 2005, I begun taking glyconutrients, and I am pain free. I have signed up at Curves and am starting to exercise, have been able to kneel and weed the flower beds (had not been able to do for years) and even helped hang and cut drywall at a Habitat for Humanity Build this summer. When my husband and I walk, he can grab my hand without me crying out in pain. I will continue to take these products for the rest of my life. I have been able to discontinue most of my prescription medications and have not had any further flare ups of Iritis. The more I learn the more I realize that I need these products for improved general health as well as relief of symptoms.

Sharyl Tholen, RN

Again, while glyconutrients represent a class of nutrients and are not regarded as medical treatment for any disease. However improving nutrition through the use of high-quality supplementation can support the normal processes of each and every cell of the body. These processes make it possible for each of your cells to restore, protect and defend itself from the effects of injury and disease.

Here's another story from my friend Susan in Colorado. She is also an RN.

I was 19 years old when the symptoms started. The doctors told me I had an irreversible debilitating disease that would rob me of my ability to move freely, and fill my life with severe pain. The only treatment was symptom suppression, with the hope of slowing the progression of the disease. The chairman of the Rheumatology Department at the university hospital where I was diagnosed, told me I had the most severe manifestation of all the six women (the disease was rare in women) they were treating at the time. The disease has now become much more common in both men and women. Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.) is an auto-immune disease. The body turns on itself and starts destroying a certain collagen that is found in the strongest and most durable kind a cartilage in the body (found in the spine, pelvis and hips, iris of the eye, aortic valve of the heart, the supporting tissue of the bowel, etc.). The attacked area becomes increasingly inflamed, painful, and stiff. The body deposits calcium in place of the collagen, and the area turns to bone. As a result, movement ceases in that area, and the muscles degenerate from lack of use. Sometimes calcium is also deposited in them. In time, the entire spine (including the discs and supporting cartilage), the pelvis, hip joints and tendons degenerate and turn to bone. The neck, back, ribs, and pelvis cease to move, walking become slow and painful, then impossible. Breathing is at first painful, them limited, with a weak and ineffective coughing and sneezing. Slumping is the the most comfortable posture, and if you choose not to fight that tendency (a painful 24-hour a day battle), your spine becomes permanently “frozen” in a question mark position. Many people also experience attacks on certain organs of the body–excruciating pain and photo-sensitivity with iritis (inflammation of the iris of the eye), dangerous damage to the aortic valve of the heart, debilitating colitis with pain, diarrhea, and usually weight loss, etc. Men tend to deform faster, then have less pain. Women tend to deform more slowly and have longer pain. They also tend to have some significant hormonal imbalance on top of everything else. “What Happened?!” May, 2003. After battling the disease for 29 years, it looked like Ankylosing Spondylitis had finally gotten the best of me. I was in severe pain day and night -- my entire back and neck, shoulders, pelvis, hips and knees were involved. Tightening neck muscles often caused a headache across the top of my head, affecting my sight, and even making my jaw and teeth hurt. I had minimal movement left in my upper back and none in my lower back for many years. My pelvis had been immoveable and the bone honeycombed since my late twenties. My ribs no longer moved, minimizing my breathing, and making coughing and sneezing an exercise in futility. I realized that if I caught a chest cold, I would suffocate to death. I had slight side-to-side movement remaining in my neck. I depended on a cane, and took slow baby steps to walk. Getting up the stairs was a long and painful process. As the muscles of my back degenerated, they became flat and often went into cramps so severe that only a 2-hour massage gave temporary partial relief (medication for pain and spasms had long since become a joke). My abdomen and legs also frequently went into spasm. It was obvious that I would have to go on disability. How could I possibly continue to care for myself? And what use could I be to anyone else? Into this dark hour of my life, God sent a light of hope. A friend confidently encouraged me to take glyconutrients, to give my body the building blocks it needed to heal itself. As a nurse, I had seen the science–it is impeccable. I had even tried a little of the product. But without a knowledgeable person to guide me, I had not taken enough to provide for my depleted body, and had given up . But, a few days after starting to take an adequate amount, I could see progress. First my hips loosened enough to improve my walking. The pain began to decrease. I got rid of my cane. My ribs began moving again. And my muscles–oh, my muscles complained! Some hadn’t been used in a long, long time; but, with use, they are regaining strength and tone. Three months into my new life, my average pain level has gone from 7-9 out of 10, to 2-3 out of 10. I can almost take a normal stride. I walk more like a woman and less like a stick. My spine moves side to side and front to back, and my neck is less stiff. There’s more to go, but the progress in wonderful! Over and over again, people who know me, ask, “What happened?!” I am all too happy to tell them how I got my life back! That’s Not All. The effect of glyconutrients on my arthritis is only part of the story. Since my teen years I have produced inadequate progesterone, and for over ten years, none at all. This has led to a whole pile of problems, not the least of which was extremely painful and heavy menstrual periods. I became severely anemic, and had to take synthetic progesterone to cycle properly and manage the blood loss. Now, with glyconutrients, I no longer take progesterone replacement, and, at age 48, am having the first normal, self-regulated menstruation of my life. My thyroid function was low. I have been able to gradually taper off my thyroid replacement, and now take none. My endurance has improved considerably, and I can keep warm. My heat and cold tolerance are also getting better. My hair and nails are growing in thicker. There’s more. I have Mitral Valve Prolapse and Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia (sudden fast heartbeat), and Incomplete Right Bundle Branch Block (imperfect nervous system of the heart). I frequently experienced heart palpitations. These episodes had become harder and harder to stop. Now, they occur less frequently, are much lighter, and last only a short time because they are easy to stop. And...I took Cytotec for many years to counteract the stomach irritation caused by the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAID’s) prescribed for the arthritis. As a result, I did not produce enough hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes. I had to supplement these so I could digest my food properly, stop the discomfort with eating, and frequent bloating. Neither is necessary any longer. Along with that, many people with A.S. have discovered that eating gluten-containing grains increases their joint pain. Because of this, I had stopped eating wheat, oats, rye, and barley, with beneficial results. Now, I am able to use these grains freely, with no problems. One more. An NSAID medication I took a few years back killed a particular portion of each kidney (Papillary Necrosis). I became unusually susceptible to dehydration, and had to drink large amounts of water to get my urine colorless. Now, I can keep it colorless by drinking normal amounts of water. All these improvements have resulted from three months of taking glyconutrients. I take no prescription medication for anything. I do take certain nutritional supplements. I can hardly wait to see what improves next! What are glyconutrients? The answer is beautifully simple. The cells of the body are supposed to be covered with antennae. The job of these antennae is to tell the body what the cells needs -- specific nutrients, repair, destruction if cancerous, etc. Without adequate antennae, the cells can’t make enough antennae, so cannot communicate sufficiently with the body. When injury or disease strikes, they are unable to adequately heal the damage. Disease overwhelms the body. These antennae are made of glycoprotein – molecules made of 8 specific simple sugars (the “glyco” part), and proteins. But the average American diet, and even most special diets (organic, etc.) are deficient in 6 of these 8 “essential sugars” (also called monosaccharides). We used to be taught that sugar’s only use in the body is energy. Now, we know that certain sugars perform the life-sustaining job of cell-to-cell communication. Without these critical building blocks, auto-immune disease (arthritis, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, etc.), diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and many more conditions, go unchecked in the body. We can see the epidemic of disease among our relatives and friends, as well as in medical statistics. Suffering and death are everywhere – in young and old, rich and poor, alike. When adequate amounts of these 8 essential sugars are added to the diet, the cells can grow the antennae they need, communicate with each other, and begin to heal the body. And the science? Harper’s Biochemistry (the book most medical students use), Scientific American magazine, Science magazine, and others, have detailed this discovery. New research continues. Physicians are documenting case studies. Thousands of people are sharing their personal experiences. It's so simple – give the body the building materials it needs, and it will follow the built-in instructions God placed in each cell, to heal. If you are like most people with chronic debilitating conditions, you have tried a lot of products. Some helped to varying degrees, some not at all. You are probably as weary of having your hopes dashed, as I was. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool sceptic--so nothing would make me happier than to share with other sceptics what I have learned and experienced.

Susan Alexandar, RN