Arthritis and Psoriasis using juices

[angel-delight]

I would like to know if anyone has tried James Vale juice recipes, and if they helped with the above. I am waiting to see a dermatologist to see if the rash I have is psoriasis and what could be the cause. I am unable to have the anti-tnf injections in the meantime until my consultant receives the results from the dermatologist. I would appreciate any information positive or negative before I go out and purchase a juice machine etc. Sue x

[nomoreheels]

If it's the Jason Vale one you're meaning, I'm a little cynical. I think you can do it yourself without buying it pre-prepared. Maybe the recipe books are useful but I'm sure if you just google for recipes depending on your preference & needs you'll find equally good ideas. Do check though if anything interacts with any of your meds as some such as grapefruit & orange can interfere with absorption. We have had a Jack LaLanne juicer for years as lived in Spain & the lemons & limes so plentiful we used it for making drinks in the summer. I think it's a case of juice what you prefer to drink depending on what you need to avoid & include it in your 5 a day. Carrot & ginger is beautiful & if you prefer it let down just add an apple to make it less bulky & more of a juice drink.

[angel-delight in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you for your response, I didn't intend to buy his equipment, just a regular juicer machine, many on the market not that expensive. I was more concerned about the interaction of all the fruit and veg would have with my medications. It does say ginger, avocado, etc. I downloaded his recipes from his web site, but before I tried any of them, I just wanted to know if anyone else has tried them or something similar. It was my boss who is trying this and has lost over stone in weight, but she started it because her mum has the same problems RD and psoriasis, too early to know if it is helping her. Thanks you, I really do appreciate your thoughts and I wouldn't just start something myself without checking first with my GP and the pharmacy. Sue x

[nomoreheels in reply to angel-delight]

Hope you didn't think I was damning this particular one or suggesting you didn't know about interactions more wanted you to be aware if you didn't. But do think, as you say, we can do it ourselves for far less. The juicer I have was expensive at the time but needed something to use our citrus fruit as they were just falling of the trees & they were the only fruit in the garden the dogs didn't pick up & eat, oh & grapefruit but didn't juice that, swapped those with a neighbour down the valley for things he had too much of!! I still have hot sweats when I remember a whole day spent juicing limes for mojitos for a company party, 50 litres in used mineral water bottles! There were few of this type on the market at the time, but it is very powerful & all the pulp is quite dry when I empty the container so know I've got as much out of the fruit or veg as possible. It is a very good way of getting vits & nutrients but would say do your homework & purchase as high a powered one as your pocket will allow. It works out far better in the long run as you get the most out of what you put in goodness wise & don't peel anything either (if that makes sense!). A quick word with your GP will confirm what f & v to avoid.

[earthwitch]

I've read a lot about avoiding too much juice - I know its got a lot of goodness, but anything with fruit juices can end up incredibly calorie-laden, as there are a lot of sugars in juiced fruit and vegetables, and it concentrates it down so that you end up taking in a lot more than you would if you ate the fruit or vegetable on its own. It just gets too easy to swallow down a lot more calories than you need when they are in liquid form.

If you are wanting a diet that goes with psoriasis and arthritis (on the assumption that it might be PsA which is a spondyloarthritis) then a lot of folk with spondy get benefit from going on a no-starch or low starch diet. The paleo diet isn't quite the same but it avoids refined starches, and that can also make a difference in spondyloarthritis. Not everyone benefits, but enough to make it worth a try. Again, if you are altering your diet in a fairly big way, you do need to be aware of how to balance it again so you aren't overdoing one thing or missing out on another.

[angel-delight in reply to earthwitch]

Thank you for the information, I take it on board. I have avoided apples and oranges as these two fruits are acidic and do tend to cause me more pain in my joints. I usually have a small amount of apple with cheese otherwise, I do get stomach pains. I am usually ok with a satsuma as they are only small. Thank you again for your information. Sue x

[nomoreheels in reply to angel-delight]

Good advice from earthwitch. Both my H & myself know how much f & v intake we need daily & what to avoid as we both have to be careful with fructose. Our no no's are pear, mango, cherries, grapes (white more than red), watermelon, tinned pineapple & sugarsnaps among others. Apple we try & limit & keep to a minimum for when letting down juices. We generally eat a mediterranean diet as this had served us both well when we lived abroad, though we're no saints & do have the odd naughty pud as we both love rhubarb crumble but I do add ginger to try & counteract the badness & reduce the topping substituting with porridge oats, makes it lovely & crunchy!

Do you have a dietitian available to you at your GP Practice? If so, maybe have a word & see if they can help, they may even have literature on do's & don'ts with a good diet for RD.

[angel-delight in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you, I'm not sure I have a dietitian available at my practice. I will have to change the medical practice soon as I am retiring July 18th and moving out of the area closer to my family. The company I am working for have asked if I would stay and work part time until they find a replacement manager. I will do this as it has taken me some time to come to terms with retiring. I need to get my RD pain under control though first. I have been pain free for a couple of months as I have been on prednisone and now down to only taking 1 a day then stop all together. I hope I can get to see a dermatologist soon and if the results are good, hopefully, I can get back on the anti-tnf injections. I had to come off them for six weeks earlier in the year and when I went back on them I felt they didn't work as well as they had. If they allow me to go back on them again I am hoping they will work better this time. This is why, I am looking for an alternative just in case. It was great to be free of pain even for a short time. Thank you again, take care, I hope you are not suffering too much. Sue x

[nomoreheels in reply to angel-delight]

No probs Sue. Just hoping sharing helps in some way. I wish you well in settling into retirement when it comes. Being closer to family will help with the transition, I'm sure. Good luck with the anti-tnfs & trust they work well for you & your pain is better controlled. Not so much for me at the mo I'm afraid but thank you for asking. I'm all over the place as my meds need sorting. I'm fortunate as some struggle coming off steroids but fortunately I never have except for the pain when nearly at the end of tapering. Back on them at the moment so that to come end of next month as I know my Rheumy won't be best pleased I'm on them again & though it's wishing the summer away I can't wait for the appointment so I can get back on track!

Take care & do keep us updated on your progress. x

[angel-delight in reply to nomoreheels]

Thank you, I do appreciate your help. It does help a lot to have someone to talk to who is sharing the same kind of pain. I see my Rhuemy Nurse again in August so I think I will wait until then to see if I can go back on the anti-tnf's and try again. I do try my best to have a regular diet, I don't drink or smoke but I do enjoy ice-cream and Chocolate in moderation. Since I had the epidural for my prolapsed disc which the surgeon said is inoperable as he can't g/tee I won't be paralyzed and in a wheelchair for the rest of my life is keeping me pain free as far as that is concerned. I just need to get my RD meds sorted and in control again. I'm sorry to hear that your's are not working for you at the moment. Well, I had better get to work, so looking forward to being retired, I will have to find something to keep me busy though. Take care , Sue x

[Hidden]

I'm interested to see that the way juicers concentrate natural sugars has already been covered so thoroughly - I thought I might be a voice in the wilderness! Somebody gave me a juicer and then I read about that and it made perfect sense - you lose much of the fibre which would naturally fill you up and while you get a great dose of vitamins and nutrients there's also way too much fructose.

I've put the juicer at the back of a cupboard now but what I took from my brief foray into juicing is that I can't really have too many vegetables & there are so many types. Fruit - yes some, but it's very sugary even in it's natural state isn't it? So I go mainly for veg galore. I ate well before PsA but it's 5, 6 or 7 a day now - whereas I managed maybe 4 helpings of fruit & veg beforehand. I also consider ice-cream, chocolate etc. essential! (Just not 5 a day!)

I can't say my diet keeps me healthy can I? But I never get infections etc. and energy levels are quite good these days. A body with RD needs all the help it can get.

[Hidden]

hi angel-delight

I agree with what has been said by others here. I have put a link below to an article that you may find interesting:

canada.com/topics/news/stor...

regards

Beverley (NRAS Helpline)

[nomoreheels in reply to Hidden]

Hiya Beverley. I've happened upon this article before when querying a post from a member in the US who takes injectable MTX orally in orange juice. It's informative & just shows how careful we have to be with meds & how we take them. Sometimes it pays to be inquisitive when something's posted that's a little away from the norm!

[angel-delight in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Beverley,

I found the link very interesting, I am going to put the juicer on hold and carry on eating a normal amount of fruit and veg, that doesn't cause me to have more inflammation in my joints. Sue

[Hidden]

I wonder if juicing vegetables is a better idea? Or making soup?

One thing that does help with RD/RA is Omega 3 from oily fish or fish oil capsules.

Low carbohydrate meals can help with weight loss, I think (or avoiding gaining any more weight, in my case.)

But that's really interesting about avoiding fruit juice with tablets.

[nomoreheels in reply to Hidden]

Yes, this is another good way, avoiding sugarsnaps, artichoke, peppers, most all of the nightshade family - aubergine, uncooked tomatoes, chilli & potato, so avoid making soups with a potato base. I've mentioned carrot & ginger is particularly good as both have anti inflammatory properties, avoid chantenay though as they're higher in sugars.

I struggle with fish (except the when cheating & just can't resist battered haddock from the chippy infrequently) & can just about manage sardines on toast or the odd peppered mackerel if forced (I do try)! Cod liver oil capsules I've heard can be beneficial taken as a supplement but was forced them by my nan when I was a little girl which put me off them for life!!

Basically, it's a case of be sensible & eat a balanced diet. Don't deny yourself a treat & choc of course is essential!!! As I've mentioned before the Mediterranean diet is what suits both my h & myself.

Hm I can smell our dinner now. H is doing pork strog made with yoghurt & frying the onions off. What is it about the smell of frying onions? Yum.

[angel-delight]

Yummy yes... I will try cod liver oil capsules again. Like you I was given them as a child that put Mr off for life. I need something to east the pain in my shoulders and hands now that I am no longer on steroid. Thanks again for all the info. Take care. Sue xx

[nomoreheels in reply to angel-delight]

Full tum now. Deeply satiated

Update! H has just said he's picked some of our strawberries yummy yumyum. We've had to put netting round them as the dogs had spotted them ripening. Hah foiled again!

[angel-delight]

So you won't be wanting any desert or chocolate. your evening meal sounded delicious, I mostly eat chicken and pork, leaving red meat out of my diet. I don't mind some fish and when possible I have a couple of new potatoes or a salad. You mentioned to avoid pepper, sugar snaps etc, not a problem as I don't like them anyway. I do seem to have a plain diet. I am on warfarin due to two blood clots in a year, and no-one can tell me why, which means I also have to avoid other foods. Have a good evening, take care, Sue xx

[nomoreheels in reply to angel-delight]

Sue, I edited my post & you must have replied quickly, strawbugs for pud! They were beautiful, off last years plants we just left in the troughs outside over winter & they've come up twice as many & better than last year. I do miss a large garden as the one we had in Spain was full of all sorts of fruit & nut (ha not like the choc bar!) trees. Nothing like freshly picked artichokes either though had to knock them on the head mostly so I left them to grow into the flowers as they were so beautiful & few plants flowered in the summer, except roses, geraniums & the opuntia (prickly pear) & they were down the barranco so not seen from the garden, because of the heat.

Restricted diets can be the pits can't they? When my h first started with all his problems he was put on a strict one & thought I was being helpful joining him on it. Selfishly regretted it & was so pleased when he could start reintroducing the pretty healthy diet we had before.

My f-i-l was on warfarin but had an extreme adverse reaction to it & now takes dabigatran which does concern me a little as there's no antidote unlike warfarin if he has similar problems. We had to fight for it as our Practice was holding out as it's more expensive but we spouted shared care at them again & they relented. Can't get over the struggles we've had since coming back getting what we're prescribed. My h has been taken off 2 of his meds because of price & hasn't got back to anyway near as good as he was on them & my Rheumy had to intervene to get them to prescribe MTX.

Sorry for the ramble, had a better day today & wired so that makes me chatty, so apologies. I'm off now!

Have a good night, or morning if you read this Tues!!

[angel-delight]

Good morning, Please don't ever feel you need to apologize. I was considering whether to go back and live in Canada when retired, my last trip out there was fabulous with my son and his family, he wants me to go back to Canada, but I checked a few things out. It will take 3 months to get a health card, that's ok. UK should do that, but I would have to pay for prescriptions plus $100 each year even when I am retired. People here call the NHS I have never had any problems getting my medications not sure of the cost of Enbrel injections but I have been told very expensive. I am sure I would have to get funding for those. We compromised (my son and I) and I agreed to retire, stay here in the UK, but go and spend more time over there with my lovely family. The weather suits me better here, to humid in the summer and I don't like the freezing rain in the winter.

I love strawberries, I had some with ice-cream last night. I do miss a big garden too, people said I wouldn't be able to grow roses in Canada, but every house I had whilst living over there I had beautiful English rose gardens. My tomatoes grew in abundance and were so tasty, I.now can't eat very many as they give me a flare up.

Sorry, I couldn't resist replying to your message but I must get ready for work, whilst I still have one!! I am looking forward to retirement, thankfully, they asked me to work 2 days a week until they can find a replacement manager. I have lovely residents here and at the moment they don't know I made the decision to finally retire, they will at some point this week when the letter comes out from head office.

Not looking forward to that day!!!

Take care, keep enjoying your food, we have to have some pleasure in life. :- Sue xx

[nomoreheels in reply to angel-delight]

Sue, I'll pm you later. Going off thread!