We know about the gut-brain connection where the health of our microbiome impacts how anxious or depressed we feel, but we often forget that there is a gut-pain connection too and how addressing dysbiosis and bad bacteria in the gut can have far-reaching benefits.
An old work friend recently reached out asking for help for her husband who had been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis and gluten sensitivity, and was not seeing results with conventional treatment. I did some digging for them and a colleague mentioned that they had addressed Klebsiella when they discovered that her husband had genes predisposing him to ankylosing spondylitis. Read on to see what I’ve learned.
Klebsiella as a precursor to ankylosing spondylitis
The paper shared with me: The relationship between Klebsiella infection and ankylosing spondylitis, discusses the HLA-B27 gene and the Klebsiella connection:
Klebsiella-reactive arthritis is the precursor stage occurring in the early and active phases of ankylosing spondylitis.
Let’s learn more about Klebsiella, ankylosing spondylitis, the anxiety connection and prevalence, the role of neuro-inflammation and genes, the problems of a high carb diet and the role the amino acids GABA, tryptophan and DPA play in pain and anxiety relief and being able to quit the carbs easily, plus provide sleep support.
In case you’re not familiar with Klebsiella, this excellent FX Medicine article describes it as follows:
Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) is a type of gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria that can cause different types of infections ranging from pneumonia (lung), blood infections (septicaemia), wound or surgical infections, urinary tract infections, small intestinal bowel overgrowth (SIBO), ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and meningitis (brain).
Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease of the spine
In case you’re not familiar with the condition ankylosing spondylitis (pronounced like this) the Mayo Clinic site provides this summary:
Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched-forward posture. If ribs are affected, it can be difficult to breathe deeply.
Ankylosing spondylitis affects men more often than women. Signs and symptoms typically begin in early adulthood. Inflammation also can occur in other parts of your body – most commonly, your eyes.
They say there is no cure and the treatments include pain medications and physical therapy to ease symptoms (and surgery in some cases).
I’m all for physical therapy but you’ll notice there is no mention of gut health or Klebsiella. This is why we have to keep searching for root causes – and work with a functional medicine practitioner – no matter what the health condition, be it ankylosing spondylitis or anything else.
Prevalence of anxiety in ankylosing spondylitis
As with most physical conditions there is a connection with anxiety. This paper: Prevalence of psychological disorders, sleep disturbance and stressful life events and their relationships with disease parameters in Chinese patients with ankylosing spondylitis reports that
AS [ankylosing spondylitis] patients had more severe psychological disorders, sleep disturbance, and stressful life events.
Prevalence of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance was 31.6%, 59.3%, and 31.0% respectively.
We have to ask ourselves if we have anxiety, depression and insomnia because of the pain being experienced or because of one or more of the root causes that contribute to both pain and anxiety.
Microbiota disturbance, neuro-inflammation, and anxiety
Often the research focuses on the former but we know that there is Evidence for interplay among antibacterial-induced gut microbiota disturbance, neuro-inflammation, and anxiety in mice. In this 2018 animal study treatment with lactobacilli suppresses this neuro-inflammation.
Ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, genes and a high carb diet
The above FX Medicine article shares the connection between ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as the genetic susceptibility, together with the problems of a high carb diet:
Genetically susceptible people, such as those who have the HLA-B27 allelotypes and consume a high starch/carbohydrate diet, can trigger a growth in Klebsiella in the bowel, the starch becoming a main food supply for the Klebsiella.
The amino acids for pain, carb addition, anxiety and insomnia
The amino acids come into the picture again, helping to ease the pain, provide precursors for neurotransmitter production until the microbiome is balanced, and eliminate carbohydrate cravings so they can be given up without willpower.
As always figuring out your own imbalance and doing an amino acid trial is key. Here is a summary of how they may help in this instance, assuming you have low levels of GABA, serotonin and/or endorphins:
- GABA helps with stress eating of carbs, eases physical anxiety, eases some pain.
- Tryptophan helps with afternoon and evening carb cravings, eases mental worry-type anxiety and depression, and also eases some pain. Both GABA and tryptophan help with insomnia.
- DPA boosts endorphins providing acupuncture-like pain relief and provides the emotional comfort that starchy treats often do.
The FX Medicine article has treatment and prevention tips for you to share with your functional medicine doctor, who will be able to run a functional stool test such as the GI-MAP offered by Diagnostic Solutions Lab.
Just because there are these gut bacteria, pain, anxiety, Klebsiella and ankylosing spondylitis connections, it doesn’t necessarily mean everyone with ankylosing spondylitis has Klebsiella or that everyone who has Klebsiella will go on to develop ankylosing spondylitis (as stated above) or even that everyone with ankylosing spondylitis will have anxiety. I’m simply connecting some dots so you can start to think outside the box.
I’d love to hear what has worked for you or a loved one with ankylosing spondylitis and/or if you’ve seen elevated Klebsiella on your stool test or have the genetic predisposition?
Have the amino acids and a low-carb diet helped the healing process and eased some of your anxiety while addressing the underlying Klebsiella infection?
Hi Trudy,
I have a friend who’s ankylosing spondylosis has improved tremendously since going on a no sugar/ calory counting weight loss diet. She went to a doctor who diagnosed what was wrong and said she also had fatty liver. She was very obese and the doctor said if she lost 100 pounds she would get better, and she had to stop poisoning her liver with sugar. The prognosis was poor but she joined a weight loss group and turned everything around. She is now in remission from the ankyosing spondylosis after having lost the 100 pounds. She told me her struggles to eat right and lose weight only occurred because each day she prayed and gave her will to God and asked for strength to do what had always been impossible for her to do before. She has had a lot of help from above, and her warm friendships she had made in her group and a good doctor have been the secrets to success. Maybe Klebsiella doesn’t like a low sugar diet too. Isn’t Klebsiella usually treated with antibiotics?
Jo
Thanks for sharing – how wonderful for your friend and what a wise doctor she has! Klebsiella does not like a low sugar diet but remember not everyone with ankylosing spondylosis has klebsiella. If she did have it this low sugar diet may have starved out the Klebsiella. Probiotics also help as do natural/herbal antibiotics.
I have many friends and relatives that have taken probiotics and prebiotics. The ones with horrendous problems don’t seem to be helped, even with the finest formulations. So I don’t think we have cracked that nut yet. But funny how you see people that have been heavy into raw plants for years suddenly develop gut problems and digestive issues. It is almost like the guts and immune system are saying, “You have been chaffing and scrapping away at us with all those tough fibers and we are not going to allow you to keep doing it.” Then they develop nausea, inability to digest many of their standard things, gas, bloating, swelling in the face and around the eyes, cramping. Could it be that the body is fighting back? That all the “healthy fiber” and “superfoods” are becoming a source of inflammation and damage? Could it be that drinking bone broth (I had a friend who did that daily and ended up with horrible gut issues) from even the healthy grass fed animals, causes such strong glutamine or glutamate solutions that it breaks the integrity of the small intestinal lining like some have implied? That, is currently being looked at because they are seeing this fad producing bad results.
I agree about the tough fibers we cannot digest well, have they tried fermenting their own veggies? This breaks down those tough fibers n our good gut bugs love em.
Hi Trudy,
I have been bowling over in severe pain for the last three months, about 2 hours after I eat, which then leads to several trips to the bathroom, and ending with severe diarrhea. I’ve basically come down to eating bananas, jello, and plain baked potatoes.. I started taking doxepin around that time, but both of my doctors say they don’t believe that is the issue. I noticed that when I tried eating a muffin or toast for t seems to activate the pain. I had a stool test and my doctor said that it came back normal. I don’t know what else to do, I’m so tired of not being able to eat a normal meal like everyone else. Any suggestions? Thanks, Michele
Michele
I would work with a functional medicine doctor to rule out parasites, celiac disease/gluten sensitivity and IBS/SIBO.
Hi Michele, Your comment is from 7 months ago and I hope you have gotten better, but in case you haven’t… I had these same symptoms about 3 years ago. I ate pretty healthy and it seemed to come out of the blue. I have not had good luck with doctors so after my stool test came back negative and my gastroeterologist would not discuss diet with me I took matters into my own hands. I went on the Specific carbohydrate diet for 3 months. It is a difficult transition, but I was desperate to try anything. You may want to look into it if you’re still having issues. http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/ There is a grocery list and a book that I found helpful to guide me at the time.
Be well!
Hi Michele,
My friend went through that for almost two years. She literally tried everything to stop the pain. Ran to doctors, got a breath test and stool tests to find out what kind of bacteria she had. She had no appendix, female organs, or gallbladder. CT scan, sonograms, colonoscopy showed complete normal tissues. She tried every elimination diet, and allergy tests, and eliminated all allergens. She took high end probiotics. Ate no grains or dairy. Eliminated all lectins. But nothing worked. I said the only thing left was to go carnivore diet, which is:. Nothing but nice beef that is salted, and the only beverage is water. It is the ultimate elimination diet but you are not hungry or starving. Well, she lasted five days on it. She felt wonderful after every meal, no more farts or bloating. Mood and energy was great. So now she is adding foods back in slowly to see what was causing such horrendous pain. If after you have seen a good physician and tried a few things, you can always give that a whirl. My friend couldn’t believe how wonderful the nice fatty beef was after so long thinking red meat and fat would make her problem worse. She was such a believer in veggies. She loved them, but they didn’t love her back, even if she wasn’t allergic to them.
God’s blessings on you,
Jo
Thank you Jo,
I’ll try anything at this point.
My HLA-B27 test was negative. I’m curious, is it a simple straightforward test? Or anything special to know about it? Or Things that may affect it ?
OMichel
This is not my area of expertise but I’d expect the HLA-B27 gene testing to be straightforward. It could always be repeated but looking for other root causes may be the better approach
I was diagnosed in May with A S. I do not have major back pain, just a lot of body stiffness. I have developed severe diahrea at times. How do I get tested if I have the bacteria infection? Does it need antibiotics? Or just healthy supplements. I was allergy and sensitivity tested years ago, so do control the diet for most part. Thanks so much!!!!
Sheri
It’s best to work with a functional medicine doctor to do the testing and treatment
I was diagnosed at age 25 with reactive arthritis & was HLA B27+ in a blood test. Inflammation in my feet, knees, prostate, elbows, and some of my fingers. I was able to put this disease into remission at age 35 after taking high amounts of cetyl myristoleate. I have had a couple of bad flare ups since it’s remission due to eating high amounts of sugar. About a year ago I started eating a high carb diet that consisted of a lot of potatoes/mashed potatoes with butter because I started bodybuilding. Back/spine pain started not to long after this diet change but didn’t think to much of it. Well that minor back pain now turned into a major flare up in spine which seems to be AS symptoms. I had no idea starch from potatoes could do this. Thanks for writing this article Trudy
James
Thanks for sharing and glad you were able to connect the dots. There are many keto programs for bodybuilders that may be worth considering. Stool testing may be helpful too.
I am curious if anxiety is an issue or has been an issue during flares?
I have the HLA-B27 gene, positive, diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at age 41 after years of pain and inflammation in my spine (older diagnosis: idiopathic scoliosis) was likely AS. Began at age 13. I now follow a low to no starch diet in order to keep inflammation in my joints away. If I should dare eat a sandwich, the pain nudges me to stop.
My question is, now that I am in peri-menopause and beginning to take different hormones, I am encountering difficulty with the fillers they put into the capsules or the capsules. I have been on a progesterone pill that was in a GELATIN capsule, I didn’t notice. I now have the neck hump. Grew in a few months and had endured burning pain daily. Had no idea it was the daily dose of gelatin. Can anyone tell me if CELLULOSE is something that would cause klebsiella to bloom? that is in some of the fillers. Thank you!
Anya
Wonderful that you have figured out the starch/AS connection and are doing so well!
I wouldn’t expect gelatin to do this but yes cellulose, gums and other fillers may be an issue. In cases like this I have clients work with a compounding pharmacy to make sure their hormones and other products are ok for their needs
Unfortunately many products now contain these fillers – yogurt to cream to soups to coconut milk etc – so these may need to be considered too
I find it rather odd that this gram negative bactéria with no motility ) would be isolated in stools and blamed for AS just because they have no access to correct testing. The gram negative bacteria that has motility, lays down fibrous biofilm, performs angiogenesis ( making veins whete they were not existing before so creating a pathogen induced mast cell condition re more endothelial), robs us of all magnesium to make biofilm, occupies red blood cells and reduces apoptosis and ferroptosis, ( the new kid on the block), performs constant replication in the face of antimicrobials , is linked with breast cancer, is passed by about every mammal we can encounter and multiple vectors. ( mosquito, ticks, bed bugs, lice, spiders, mites, etc) — BARTONELLA.
We think if it is as a side kick to Lyme disease , it is not. It is a species of brucellosis that has jumped the evolutionary ladder ( likely could be proliferating as a weaponized bug perhaps or due also to climate change), and my sincere guess is that it’s the cause of AS as well as many autoimmune related arthritis, and a host of other chronic conditions we are missing.
Would suggest they pay an advanced PCR at Galaxy Diagnostics lab to isolate if bartonella is not the main culprit. There is a lovely combination of antimicrobials and using red light that can rid us of this bug quickly. Also stating in ocean water an hour a day for a month. The species don’t like salt! I hope they find answers but I would dig deeper.
And yes, the amino acids are likely helpful since many nutrient deficiencies are found with these species.
Angela
Thanks for this very interesting feedback. Have you experienced this firsthand or if not where have you learned this?
Somebody gets it! Ankylosing Spondylitis is a lie! All you need to do is look at Ankylosing Spondylitis fraudulent symptoms and you know its Bartonella, uveitis, heel pain, back/spine pain. I’m talking from experience too they tried to dupe me with this made up diagnosis but the tests and the symptoms say Bartonella.
According to the scientific Law of Cause and Effect: “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” ALL diseases have a root cause! Eliminate the root cause and ALL the symptoms are alleviated.
May I ask if you have been diagnosed with bartonella? And where you learned about what you are saying is an incorrect diagnosis? I do hope you’re doing better
I did some searching and found this: “Many Gram-negative bacteria (Klebsiella, Salmonella, Proteus, Yersinia, Shigella and Campylobacter) have been implicated in the development of HLA-B27-associated diseases such as uveitis, reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.33 There is also emerging evidence of a potential association between Bartonella intraocular infections/uveitis and HLA-B27 antigen expression” in this article, Spotting Bartonella-Associated Uveitis https://www.reviewofophthalmology.com/article/spotting-bartonella-associated-uveitis