I was looking through Internet last night and came across a very interesting post of a man who actually reversed his RA by changing his diet. He recommended a book by Dr. John Mansfield. I have ordered it from Amazon and was just wondering if any of you had heard anything about this.
I would try anything to get the old me back lol. I just feel lousy the whole time. I know RA can make you feel like this but I just hate the MTX injections.
Any advice about diet changes would be appreciated
Dawn
There are huge debates about this. If you look at the right hand side of the page you'll find links to related posts on here or the search box which should bring up a lot more!
So I won't repeat them all. But just in summary to say that a few people have great results with diet, but for the majority it is not enough on its own although it can help to a greater or lesser degree. You could be one of the lucky ones, so if you are motivated then go for it. The best approach seems to be to do it alongside your meds, and then if things improve talk to your doc about coming off the meds.
It's funny when y talk about the Metx injections,when I go to take mine now it's the dissenfected swab that y put on your injection site that gives me the boak even thinking about it makes me feel sick, it's funny the things that affect us
I've given up using them...(well I do use them but to disinfect my secateurs!). The nurse that showed me how to do injections told me it wasn't necessary on normally clean skin, and I don't like the cold sensation, so I didn't bother much. And now I have a better use for them......
If you have Netflicks or something similar lookup the movie: Fat, Sick and nearly Dead. The movie is basically about a plant life diet and about a gentlemen that found he didn't need most of his medication once he changed his diet. It's about a juice diet too, but you can modify the diet to fit you. Blessings!
I do have Netflix will look that up tonight many thanks
Thanks Kai I'll try anything and I'll check out that blog. Many thanks 😍
There's little doubt that eating healthily helps Dawn but do please do it with your Rheumy's ok. If he's open to discussion hopefully it will be easier reducing your meds under his supervision, best not to just stop taking them. Do be aware there are many different plans so do your homework to find one you feel would best suit your lifestyle & choices (alcohol included?!). I hope you can find one you can stick with without feeling "the 3 outs".... left out & missing out when dining out. x
Hi Dawn I have not read any of the replys but I just wanted to quickly say I have been vegan for many years and I take Chinese herbs.. vegan Chinese herbs I don't like normal Chinese herbs they can often contain a lot of rubbish and I am supplementing with cherry tart pills, omega 3 flax oils tablets, horny goat weed, vit d and k2 and many other things.
The only ra drugs that worked for me was humira. Whilst I am still taking a small amount of meds I am working with a functional health dr and Chinese herbalist and I have found that eating lots of fruit and veggies (fibre) has really helped my body detox and there are def certain things that I have done that has helped my ra.
I know that some people have found that following a certain diet has reversed all there ra symptoms. I met a girl the other day who had juvenile ra and was telling me that that she thought the ra and got better.
Good luck with everything
Hi Dawn, I eat a mostly plant-based diet, no meat, lots of fruit and veg, no refined sugar, no alcohol, rare bread, no white flour... And still have inflammatory arthritis. So, just a word of caution. Dietary changes can reduce inflammation, so can definitely help all of us. But the million dollar question is whether they reduce enough of the *invisible* inflammation that destroys your joints. Probably not. I was drug-free because I was not diagnosed, and I now have arthritis in most of my joints, deformed hand and feet and an artificial hip. And I haven't eaten meat since 1987. So, yes, improve your diet and you will probably improve your health... But be very, very cautious about doing without meds altogether.
I agree Flow but let's not forget it's not just the joints which can be affected with inflammation rife through the body. Whilever someone is trying to control their disease without meds, which let's face it isn't a quick fix or easy by any means for those who haven't tried such restrictive diets before, it's allowing the inflammatory cells in the blood to do their worst.
nomoreheals whilst I agree with what you are saying I do also have to say that having gone through the whole ra thing for many years if there is anything I have learnt is that we all respond differently to meds and treatment. We all need to do what is right for our body. Whilst I am still on a small amount of meds most of my ra is controlled through supplements my doctor has given me and diet. I def notice the different if for example if I eat oranges every day of the week. However I do think I am lucky in comparison to a lot of ra patients because I have not experienced the ra flares etc etc.
I know that diet helps a lot of ra patients but I do believe that if we all want to really help our ra it is important to see a rheumy and a functional health dr. That is just my belief. Like I said we all need to do what is right for us.
Of course, not one of us is the same but my point is anyone who stops treatment & goes straight into plant based, paleo or whichever diet then inflammation will likely not be eliminated immediately. It's no different with traditional treatment & why often a steroid injection is given or NSAIDs are prescribed to take in the first month or so following diagnosis because that's when damage could occur, often silently. This is why it should always be advised it's done with the knowledge of a Rheumy so he/she can monitor the disease & reaction. Often it's recommended to slowly introduce things so it can't be a complete diet from the off obviously, how can you be sure inflammation just goes when it's not always evident? (that's not an upward inflection). I believe 4 to 6 weeks is suggested in some cases before inflammation starts to reduce with some diets, is it less with some others?
nomoreheals I get what you are saying and whilst I am still monitored by a rheumy my integrated doc is also a rheumy so I guess my treatment is looked at by two very different people. The normal rheumy will only look at my joints and the integrated doc will look at me as whole person if that makes sense.
we all different but all I can tell you if I eat for example with me there are certain foods that after an hour of eating them I will know I should not of eaten them.
we are all different but as of right now I am not suffering with any inflammation but I would of thought that to get rid of inflammation then we need to give our bodys time to heal.
I am sure when I first started healing my body I did not feel the effects of everything straight away but I have been doing the whole diet and supplement etc thing for so long I will def feel a difference when I stop doing certain things straight away now.
I should say I have never relied on getting rid of my ra symptoms just through diet I have done many other things like going to the gym every day, taking Kimberly synders detox pills etc.
Hope I am making sense.
All I can tell you is even though I am not saying anyone on here should come off meds or do anything without talking to a doctor. I will say this since being vegan it has completely changed my life my digestion is better, I no longer have hormones isssues and I just feel so much. My list could go on but sure you get what I am trying to say.
My reply was a generalisation, don't take it personally. We agree we do what's best for us & you've found that, there's really no need to prove that to me again. There's just the concern about inflammation, not just noticeable joint wise, at the start of changing the whole diet which I don't need to repeat & that's all. We agree, your last para confirms that, we're each different & must do what is right for each. All I was doing in my reply to Flow was adding that not only the joints are affected by inflammation.
don't worry I have not taken anything personally and I am not trying to prove anything but just wanted to add my thoughts to the convo cause I presumed you did not mind me doing that. Well at least I hope you don't.
No, not at all. It's only that out vital organs need to be tip top & often it's only joints that are considerered, I suppose it's because external inflammation is visible.
Hi. There's always been talk about diet and Arthritis what you should eat and what should be avoided. Nothing has been proved as yet and some is an old wife's tale. I am sceptical about these books advocating such. A good healthy balanced diet is what we need
Wow, lots of replies on this. I think you should also check out phoenixhelix.com. She has a very gentle way of explaining things. She followed the paleo autoimmune protocol to identify food triggers and says that "95%" of her RA symptoms are managed through diet. I think she is still taking Aleve or something like that? It's difficult to maintain a restricted diet long enough to see the improvements as pretty much all social gatherings involve food and drink. I couldn't stick to it for long enough, but felt loads better when I did. I'm actually hoping to get back on the wagon. Certainly we should be looking at food as nourishment and not simply pleasure. Best of luck to you.
Diet! and diet ?
From my experience my GP nor the NHS food specialist has helped me to control any of my health problems.
When I went for meetings to discuss food intake, it has always been follow the system. I am afraid the system needs checking.
All I can say from my experience is to make a daily food and drinks intake diary.
Write down what you have eaten and any reactions.
You yourself can find the answer.
I have bad allergy to many things, medication did do a little help. From my own work , I know what not eat now days. This process applies to may health problems.
There is food plate, how good is it for you or me. A NHS person will say follow this, this does not work.
When you are ready to start, for breakfast nothing to eat, just water, yeas you can survive!, for lunch depending what you can take a small portion. Write down what you have taken, write down the reaction and so on. This process of elimination can help a lot of people. No ready meals, processed food.
Fresh food only to start with. Please give it a try.
Personally my symptoms are so shocking that there is no food intake in the world currently that would make a difference.
Quite honestly and I don't mean to get anyone's backs up but It's hard enough just coping with the day and what it brings or waking up and finding what's going to hurt the most/least today to give even two hoots about grub.
Sorry just my humble opinion in the early hours of pain.
Mx
Mandalou you need to do what is right for you but all I can do is tell you when I was going through everything with my ra I was also told that my ra is very aggressive but I have never tried to reverse ra symptoms just through diet it has been a combination of doing many things like Chinese acupuncture and seeing a holistic doctor, looking at my gut health and getting lots of blood work done that has really helped me. No need to be sorry we all need to do what is right for us and you really have no reason to say sorry but all I will say that for me reversing my ra symptoms never happened over night and even to this day I still have had a couple of set backs but whatever you do I am sorry to hear you are in pain no one should have suffer with this disease or any other. I hope you manage to talk to your doctor and get some sort of pain relief soon.
Thank you kalel.
I appreciate your kind wishes and advice and totally understand that a flexible approach to therapy is imperative with this disease.
I do completely understand what works for some isn't helpful for others.
All the best to you, as you know some days are better than others. I consider myself a work in progress on this journey so I do read and take in all opinions/ways of dealing with the disease and the discomfort and disability it causes.
Best regards.
Mx
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