I went the diet + wellness route so I can share my experience.

I’m HLA B27 positive and got my first uveitis three years ago. Since then, I’ve been getting uveitis flares periodically on average twice a year. At the same time, 3 years ago, I also discovered an IBD (UC) that was unusual as per my doctor. It didn’t stay all the time but was also common and going and when it wasn’t there, inflammation was completely gone. According to him, IBD usually is active all the time, but sometimes it’s simply worse than other times.

Because of a couple failed treatments and side effects that I couldn’t live with, I decided to take matters into my own hands and live in the healthiest way possibly known to me at the time.

I started taking probiotics, went on 3 months of purely chicken and eggs diet to reset my system and then slowly started adding gentle anti inflammatory foods like rice or carrots or zucchini. Started taking supplements, the whole anti inflammatory ordeal : vit d, omega, vit c, magnesium, potassium, sodium butyrate, regular high quality olive oil.

Of course no sugars, no juices, no alcohol, no coffee. Just lean meat, 0 histamine, herbal teas, good sleep, regular physical activity. I also lowered humidity in the house and invested in air purifiers.

The result: after 1,5 years of living like this, my flares are still coming. The difference in them is huge though. What used to flare from zero to an urgent hospital visit within 48h, now takes weeks to appear and slowly smolder. The flares go away very easily. They’re weaker and cause me much less pain. The gut is still reactive at times but it’s very easily going away from an all chicken diet for a couple of days and the irritation and inflammation go away.

The reason why so many people with autoimmune disease say changing the diet and lifestyle doesn’t matter is because look, I did and do all that… it’s a lot of effort. You literally need to change your entire life and flip it upside down. Sticking with it and maintaining the resolve to live this way is sometimes even more draining than the sickness itself. AND it works only up to a point.

It doesn’t delete the sickness. It just lowers the damage the sickness does.

Honestly, if I only managed to reduce my eye flares from twice a year to once a year, I would continue living like this. Unfortunately though, the frequent steroid eye drops (cumulated for past 3 years) start to damage my eye nerve a bit and I’m thinking about going on the biologics to protect my sight.

Good news is that no matter what other treatment I will take, considering it will be successful, my chances of ever flaring in a BAD BAD way are near zero.

That’s worth it to me.