Has anyone changed their diet?

[Twinks80]

Has anyone changed their diet and noticed a dramatic change in RA symptoms? I've read several articles that say changing your diet can help and I'm seriously considering it.

Thanks and lots of love ❤️- Teresa

[Raging-grace]

It does help.....

[Simba1992]

Yes a huge difference with AIP diet.

[hedgehog45]

Hi. I've made some changes to my diet after reading lots about flammatory foods. So, now I avoid (white) potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and also gluten wherever I can. I've become very fond of rice as a result! I think it does help but its a very individual thing so you have to try what works for you. A really good book I'd recommend is "Overcoming Arthritis: the complete complementary health programme" by Dr Sarah Brewer. It lists all the foods you should/shouldnt eat and has lots of recipes too. I've also decided that for me, wine and sugar seem to trigger reactions but I haven't manage to eliminate them completely from my diet yet!

Good luck.

[helixhelix]

Like with everything with this disease there is no treatment that is 100% effective for everyone. Some people have great success with diet, for others it doesn't change anything, and for some it can help a little bit.

For me it made a very small difference, basically allowing me to tolerate the drugs better. But I can pig out on bad things for days/weeks without making my RA react at all. Not that I do of course out of consideration for my heart and waistline etc 😉.

But you could be part of the group that have great success so if you're motivated then give it a go!

[kalel]

I would not say that diet has been the thing that has helped me but since going vegan and doing thinigs like seeing a functional health practitioner and healing my gut and exercising and keeping my stress levels very low all these things have helped me. If you need any further I will do my best to answer you. For many years I had ra symptoms and unfortunately I learnt that when I stopped exercising that is when some of my inflammation started getting higher again but I am slowly getting back on track and am hoping I can reverse my symptoms again soon.

Whilst I would not say you have to follow a vegan diet and I know this is not easy for some people to do all I will say watch your symptoms if you do eat animal products for me I have found that I don't digest animal protein as well my bowel movements are not as good and I also found that my mental clarity was much better when I went vegan. We all need to do what is right for us and you need to figure what works for you but I def believe that the healthier our gut is so to speak and the cleaner we eat the less likely we are to get auto immune probs etc.

ps whatever you do make sure you are gluten free, avoid processed foods and avoid refind sugar.

[medway-lady]

I'm celiac and its made no difference at all. But there may be the placebo effect or if you think it will work, it just might. Or perhaps if someone looses weight that also may help. But my 'gut' feeling is that if some people have undiagnosed Celiac as an auto immune condition with the RA. But its vital to be tested for Celiac whilst your eating gluten so why not have a chat to your GP or consultant. But please don't stop taking any medication as RA can affect other things not just pain and inflammation. For me its caused blood problems and we are all at greater risk of clots with RA so is it worth risking a life threatening condition? My advice listen and discuss this idea with properly qualified medical professionals or the NRAS as advice on the internet might not be correct and could even be dangerous..

[andyswarbs]

Everyone is different. So a diet that works for one person may not work for another. In my experience diets do work, so it is a matter of finding the right diet. Actually there is more to it than just the right diet.

It is also a matter of cleaning your gut out and getting it into a good state of health. That process, in my experience, takes at least three months. That's what I am almost at the end of with the Paddison Program which started with a detox and then followed through with an elimination diet.

In the early days of elimination many if not most foods caused problems that later will be okay. So the process of reintroduction is key as is ensuring you are keeping up all your nutrition requirements whilst you are building your gut back into a healthy system.

And... a healthy system is one that does not leach proteins that a "normal" person might happily digest into your blood stream rather than going into your waste system, ie urine and solids... which your body thinks of as enemies... which then end up in your joints as pain and inflammation...

I now know definitively foods that will cause inflammation and pain within hours. Stay clear of those and I can live an increasingly arthritis-free life. Three months ago I was using a wheelchair, now I am looking forward to the day I will do a 100m run.

Remember everyone is unique. I was at the bottom of a deep arthritic hole that I had descended towards the bottom of starting May 2015 with a very bleak future. It took that realisation to force me to go through the Paddison Program.

I am blogging my story at foodandarthritis.blogspot.com

[kalel in reply to andyswarbs]

Andy good for you for sharing/blogging your story. I think that blogging is a great thing to do because it is often a way to reach out and help others that have been in a similar situation to us and well done for getting out of your wheel chair

[Fra22-57]

What ever I have suggested to my consultant has pooh pooed.I am not allowed to take any supplements only medication I am given.even those copper healers he told me to throw in the bin

[andyswarbs in reply to Fra22-57]

That is/was both my doctor's and my rheumy's reaction to my diet. "Oh, " they say, "the MTX must be having the beneficial effects... So we should increase that medication." Imo, they speak from a measure of ignorance about the benefits of diet mixed with a clinical bias towards trusting the drugs.

They ignore the plain fact that I can put myself in a wheelchair for the rest of my life simply by eating the wrong foods, despite all the medication in the world. Actually that's not quite true. I am sure if they pump enough meds inside me then it won't be arthritic pain that's my main problem, instead it will be an ever increasing range of other drugs to correct the side-effects MTX etc, including depression. It will lots of money spent of modifying my bathroom, kitchen etc etc. It will be many hospital appointments over the years.

I am electing to come off all medication in the Autumn, when I feel the time is right, ie my body is in a much better state than it is now. I am in no rush, if Autumn slips into the following Spring, that's fine. A month after coming of the MTX as it clears itself out of my system I am told there will be negative reactions for a time.

After that I will know the final truth of whether it is my good diet and my good gut is keeping me totally arthritis free and related drug free for the rest of my life. Or whether I need to keep a small measure of MTX.

[cacj56 in reply to andyswarbs]

Good luck to you!! I made many changes to my diet, replaced my amalgam fillings by a biologic dentist, added supplements (determined after trial and error), weaned off opioid pain medications, and, finally, after my condition improved and stabilized, discontinued Leflunomide and started Low Dose Naltrexone therapy. My condition is much improved: minimal pain and joint involvement (and no further joint damage!). I generally feeling more like myself again! I I hope the best for you whatever you decide to do. Traditional RA medications and all the opioid pain relievers I was prescribed were not the answer for me.

[kalel in reply to andyswarbs]

andy if you are going to come off your meds then I would do that very slowly and maybe see if you can see a professional and get them to help you do this. If there is anything I have learnt we can get an awful reaction if we just stop taking all our meds and I def think before we do that our body needs to be balanaced out a bit so to speak. Good luck with everything.

[andyswarbs in reply to kalel]

thanks or the advice. that's one reason I don't want an increase since that would mean I had a bigger fall to look forward to...

[kalel in reply to andyswarbs]

very true andy. I don't know if you have read the book the medical medium or listened to his podcasts but he gives some great advice about healing the body and ra. Also if you can find an alternative health dr that will help you get off meds in a sensible manor I would really urge you to do that. From experience I will say just be patients with yourself and just remember it takes time to heal the body but just be careful if you are doing things on your own cause you don't want to end up with joint damage etc. Good luck with everything hope things work out for you.

[andyswarbs in reply to kalel]

I don't feel at all comfortable with the idea of using a medium.

My strategy begins with preparing for THAT moment by stocking my body up with gzillions of good bacteria, good vitamins and really do my research so that my diet is as near perfect as possible. Then I need to add to that a strong exercise regime. Add to that the time and space to get it right..

I am on that road already, but plenty more work to do.

[kalel in reply to andyswarbs]

andy his book is called the medical medium but he talks about ra and detoxing etc. Whist he does talk to clients his waiting list is about five years long but do what is right for you.

[kalel in reply to Fra22-57]

Fra I am sorry to hear that. TBH we all need to what is right for us. I mean for me I don't tell my Dr everything that I do he would def think I am more loopy than he already thinks I am but even though we all see things differently we all need to do what is right for us. My health care team are excellent with me but if anyone ever told me oh you can't be vegan or stop taking such and such I would tell them to go away and find a new dr but like I said we all need to what is right for us.

[Leonwp]

I had very good results in terms of disease slowing by simply cutting out ALL PROCESSED FOODS. i wish you luck Teresa.

[Basalt2016]

Absolutely YES! Four weeks ago today I started the Paddison program for RA. I have not worked all year and was feeling hopeless with the constant pain and increasing disability. I am now virtually pain free and the inflammation is lessening. My mobility is increasing daily.

I have never taken pain medications and had only one shot of Depo Medrol 80mgs 18 April after being diagnosed - which proved worthless.

I recommend that you go to You Tube and type Clint Paddison Rheumatoid Arthritis and you'll see him talking about his recovery. He was 80% disabled and took all the drugs until he suddenly got a clue that they were not going to heal him. So he turned to nutrition

The underlying problem is leaky gut syndrome and this is the diet that addresses it. So anyone with leaky gut can benefit and heal other conditions. Anyone who has been eating the standard western diet has leaky gut which is the foundation of ALL illness.

I have never been a fan of drugs and only submitted to that shot because the medical provider talked me into it. If I had looked up the side effects first I would never have done it. Sigh .... Foiled again!

Also look up Dr John McDougall and Dr Neal Barnard on You Tube. These men are MDs who actually get their patients well.

Best regards for a healthy future.

Deborah

[Sandrajb]

Sorry late reply here! All the above is such good information. Wanted to also highlight a fantastic Vlog on You Tube by a young woman who was diagnosed with RA in 2014. She did not want to go down the medication road and has given herself time to heal with dietary changes and she has done spectacularly well. The Vlog is called Healing Josefine and if you just click subscribe you can follow her progress. I find her inspiring.

Good luck with it all

Sandra

[Basalt2016 in reply to Sandrajb]

Thanks Kai. Yes I've been following her struggles.

[cacj56]

Hi! I copy over a reply I posted elsewhere. Changing my diet and adding multiple supplements (MSM, high quality fish oil, astraxanthin, whole food multi-vitamins, Vitamin D, etc.) helped me greatly, but only got me halfway there. I experienced even greater improvement once I had my amalgam dental fillings replaced by a biologic dentist (very important to have the proper replacement method used), discontinuing the DMARD I was taking and substituting Low Dose Naltrexone therapy. Details below:

Hi. I was diagnosed with RA in 2008. After trying several other drugs, I was prescribed Leflunomide. It took 3-4 months before I felt any relief, which was minimal. I wanted to give it a good try as I won't take biologics. After much reading, I changed my diet, eliminating gluten, refined sugars, processed food, and dairy and eating organic as much as possible. My condition improved, and, then, feeling I had nothing to lose, decided to have all my amalgam fillings replaced by a biologic dentist with compatible materials (determined after a blood test). My health improved further. I started Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) therapy shortly thereafter (after weaning off prescription opiod pain medications, which was difficult) and discontinued Leflunomide. I feel better yet, very little wrist pain and lessened inflammation and swelling. My energy level is up; I don't feel generally unwell anymore, and no more night sweats or rashes. If you haven't already, you might want to research some of these things. I feel LDN has very little risk for possible substantial benefit. I figured "what's the harm of trying it," and I'm glad I did.

For me, the process of changing diet (which I had to do gradually as it was difficult for me), amalgam removal, eliminating Leflunomide and starting LDN took about 18 months as I tried other things along the way that didn't work. If I knew then what I know now, I would have made these changes at a quicker pace and feel I would have had success earlier, but I always thought that improvement, via more natural methods, would likely take some time and determination, if they worked at all. Good luck with whatever your next step might be!

[Aless2002]

One of my pharmacists has a blog

notyourusualpharmacist.com

where she explains what she has done by way of lifestyle changes, particularly with diet, to change her life. I have seen her personal "before" photos and heard her story first-hand, and the blog is well worth a read. I've never actually personally met a person who has turned her life around by removing(!!!!) her inflammation problems as well as her arthritis.

Judy is well educated anyway, and has also worked out what she needed to do..for her own body. She says that each person will react specifically to different foods,so work has to be done - it's not a quick fix, but her outcome has been stunning!!!

[Fra22-57]

I agree with all you say.doctors seem he'll bent on strong meds and nothing else which is shame

[nomoreheels]

notyourtypicalpharmacist.co...

[Aless2002]

Woops.....sorry about that!! I'm not sure what happened, as I went to find it via my History, and the blog title is there as copied & pasted... Judy told me she was changing/updating her blog, so maybe she changed the name too. Glad the correct one now has been noted, and I hope it is very helpful to many people. It IS a big commitment but it worked for Judy.

[Mazzy5067]

I have found a low carb diet to be a great help. Especially cutting out grains and legumes. I cook with almond and coconut flour and some buckwheat. This has been my lifestyle for 2 years. I dont have a lot of protein and have 2 meals a day.

[Cathy777]

Kai have you heard of inulin? Its a natural supplement which is getting a lot of attention. It is said to help keep the gut healthy. Feeds the good bacteria. I am impressed and have started it. It also helps you lose weight which is an added bonus! I find my appetite has lessened immediately!

[89TNA in reply to Cathy777]

never heard of this... but sounds amazing :) will definitely give it a try