Thanks for checking in. My AS remains relatively under control using the methodologies I've discussed. However, my IBD (which got much worse from a more IBS-like state after I had traveled to Mexico and got an infection) continues to progressively get worse. I don't have much back pain (which was really bad when it was occurring due to bacterial reactions) at all anymore. I eliminated the particular bacteria I was reacting to, which my immune system formed a kind of memory of, in my purging/antibiotic runs. If I reintroduce bacteria through eating things like kimchi or taking probiotics, the AS pain begins to return. Therefore, that particular aspect is very well managed right now. I am now working on how to deal with the remaining issues. However, they are very similar in nature...I believe they are just harder to bypass because a much larger variety of bacterial antigens causes the inflammatory response in IBD.
To all of the people who have followed this post series or that are reading it for the first time, I have basically found confirmation that my theories about immune memory are correct an that they generalize well to other autoimmune diseases. The exact methodology I've suggested (increasing T-regs and decreasing T-memory) was actually tested in an IBD setting and it worked. Here is the link to that article and study (
Article,
Study). I have personally emailed the researcher that spearheaded that work and actually got a response! He told me that they were trying to develop a company based on these principles in order to treat autoimmune issues...but that it would take a while in order to get past all of the regulations and other red tap.
