Research Probiotic Phages

Hi Marsha! I've been reading The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne. It's not limited to RA, but looks at all autoimmune conditions. It suggests that autoimmune is caused/exacerbated by leaky gut (gut dysbiosis) and suggests that autoimmune disease can be reversed or at least held at bay by following a nutrient dense diet that rebuilds our gut lining. In a nutshell, it requires removing grains, legumes (incl soy), dairy, nuts, seeds (incl coffee and chocolate), alcohol and eggs. In their place, you should eat nutrient-dense whole foods - grass-fed ruminants (eat a variety), offal (especially bone broth), seafood, veggies, berries and fruit (eat the rainbow). She also recommends probiotic rich foods (i.e. Kombucha, sauerkraut, coconut milk kefir) or taking a probiotic supplement. I feel like it's worth a shot. I should note that she also focuses on lifestyle - getting outdoors everyday, activity (anything that doesn't involve sitting or lying down counts) and stress management (ie yoga, meditation, work-life balance). She has a website, thepaleomom.com, if you want to look into it. Over the past two years I have been learning about our immune system (80% in the gut) and the impact of the foods we eat (it's more than calories in, calories out - we really are what we eat!), so this approach really makes sense to me.

I am not looking for a quick fix (and this isn't a "miracle cure", but I want to have my best quality of life on the least amount of meds necessary (not necessarily drug-free, but wouldn't that be nice?!). Good luck in your journey.

Also, fyi, I adopted a mostly paleo diet last January (2013), which for me meant no grains or legumes. I reduced but did not eliminate dairy or sugar (chocolate has long been my preferred coping mechanism). I felt great, was even indoor rock climbing, ziplining and raced a 5K. Then stress and a change in job triggered a flare, which brought me to the paleo approach, which I've been on since Feb 1. My flare is still there, but at the same time my rheumy doubled my MTX. I have reduced my MTX to see if doing so will allow my liver a break and my gut to heal. Will happily keep you posted. As a nice side effect, I am wearing a US size 4 these days (down from an 8-10). I find that enough motivation to keep at this. I am also surprised at how I have been able to completely change a diet that was so standard to me. Two years ago, I was eating bags of chocolate everyday and bread products several times a day, no red meat touched my lips, certainly no offal, and a lot of food came in packages. It's truly amazing how easy change can be with the right support and a conviction that what you are doing is right. Also, pain is a great motivator, isn't it?