freewitheft

Yeah, the legumes thing is specific to MS - it's called "molecular mimicry". The lectins in them are very similar to the protein of the myelin, which is what is being attacked by the white blood cells (the myelin sheath covers the nerves in the brain, allowing smooth conduction). So, if you set off an immune reaction to those proteins in the food, the WBC's will also attack anything similar, including the myelin. I automatically cut them out of my diet when I started this 2.5 years ago based on that alone, but it turned out that most beans/peas/legumes showed up as reactive on the ELISA I had done this spring anyways. So I still have the circulating antibodies to them. :( I really wish I could have licorice, it's a great anti-inflammatory too.

I've been hammering my system with probiotics (kefir, kombucha, yogurt), digestive enzymes, aloe vera, slippery elm, blah blah blah for over a year and it still hasn't been enough. Haven't heard about yucca though, I'm gonna look into it. And I could definitely use more cultured veggies. I try, but I don't think I get anywhere near enough.

Juice fasting works well for me because it re-sets everything and gets me back in a good place. Then, as I re-introduce foods I can better pinpoint what's causing a reaction. But it would sure be nice to get this gut healed so I don't have to keep playing detective forever. ;)