I started the program some 12 days ago and am amazed by the positive results. I was taking methotrexate 10 mg a week plus anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Am down to only methotrexate 10 mg a week plus very occasional painkillers. The diet is VERY tough to maintain. You have to dispense with a lot of nice foods and beverages. But I felt less and less pain steadily plus a rise in my energy levels. I can now ascend and descend 6 flights of stairs daily (I do it as an exercise at work). I must say I find it difficult to maintain the exercise part of the program for time reasons, but even without that it's a boon.
I don't think 100 dollars is much for this much knowledge and technology. I thought I had suffered a great deal with RA, but Clint Paddison has been through hell and back. He has researched the subject very thoroughly in addition to having been through the odyssey himself. He is genuinely interested in helping others with the same problem and has taken an immense effort to do so.
It's not always smooth sailing. But a life with drugs and painkillers is much less smooth sailing!
Sorry but it has been proven time and time again that paying for Paddison does not work. It is not effective for RA and I would advise others do not pay for this miracle cure. Glad it helped you in 10 days but we are not allowed to suggest sales on this site.
I know RA is horrid and awful. But websites do need monitoring and to have rules of use. Sundsys used to be awful for fake news and fake sales before the HU admin ( yep the rule makers lol) got involved. I have been on this site 8 years now and every now and then there will be people trying to sell " amazing" cures to RA folks. Yes I was very vulnerable at first and would have stood in an ice bucket, and pay for the priviledge,for six months if I thought that would ease my pain. !!!!😅
of course I'm not saying this is a sales pitch but Paddison does come up more than others. Please read the nras statement. However if it was proven medically and evidence based the nhs would adopt it so maybe in the future we would all get this advice free.
I have done so well on tcz and dmards. I'm glad I didn't complicate the variables of are the drugs are working or is it the diet, as it was clear my medication was working. Good healthy Mediterranean diet is good to use according to my consultant rheumatologist.
Ps many people on the site know I'm a bit of a rebel lol ! 😉😅
Actually, you can get a ton of information about it just watching the videos and reading the transcripts online free and start it that way. It's easier to get the book and join the support program, but you don't have to.
The thing is, why would anyone expect this man to work for free? He spends a ton of time helping people personally, producing more educational videos that can be accessed free and providing a private support group that allows people to privately discuss their private medical issues and help each other with his support in. Why should that be free? Have any of these skeptics considered that their participation in their work activities is the same thing? Are they hustlers because they hope to get paid for their work?
We ought not to act entitled to this man's free labor. If just reading what you can get free from Dr. McDougal's work online works for you, go that route. If the free info you can get online about the Paddison Program works for you, go that route. That's actually what I'm doing, but only because I had to give up an upcoming job when I had my first flare. I literally couldn't do the work. I'm only two months in, and it's amazing. Several health conditions that were not obviously related but that were likely also caused by inflammation cleared up quickly, and my adult child's skin condition that has been very troublesome and difficult to cure nearly vanished within weeks.
So, I'm trying to catch up on income before I join because I have been massively helped, but I have a lot of practical questions and I'd really like to ask them in a private forum. I'm very scientific so have pieced together a lot, but I know that not everyone is going to be able to do that. So, I'd recommend the program.
Clint isn't pretending that he's the only person who knows anything about this. What he's doing is providing a practical program for doing it and helping you personally with something that your doctor won't do for you. People have gotten their lives back. If that's not worth the money, then you don't have to buy it. Also, you can get started without paying a penny. You just have to take a lot of time to educate yourself and go through some trial and error.
It's worth noting that McDougal does some things a little differently than Paddison does, but they actually host each other on talks and work together in some ways. Clint will ask Dr. McDougal to be interviewed on some topics people want to know about and he's not fully versed on. He doesn't pretend to be a physician, but he uses his science savvy to take existing science and medical knowledge for the benefit of those on the program.
So, there's nothing scammy about it. If you want the extra personal service, someone has to pay the man for his time. You don't own him. If you don't, just buy the book or piece it together from free info online. Either way, in my experience, it works.
You're welcome. I hate to see people say untrue things based on a lack of information and experience with a topic. It works extremely well for me, not that it's easy. But, it works.
Sorry that the response to your post has been so negative. Ofcourse it is not true that paddison diet has time and time again proven to be useless.If so the same could be said about the RA meds for quite a number of peple in fact. If we find relief through non toxic alternatives this in my view can only be good news. We all know nothing in simple in RA what works for someone need not work for someone else.
The subject of Ps diet has been sort of inflammatory on this forum, unfortunately.
Yes, we've been here before and we all need to respect each other's choices. We can disagree, but that's also ok.
The people who seem to report most success with these sorts of approaches are those who do so in parallel with conventional medecine, and who tackle whole lifestyle not just diet. But it does require motivation.
And it doesn't work for all. I was motivated, but it didn't help control the RA. Seem to be best with early stage RA that is not too aggressive. And if you are only on 10mg of MTX that might be you.
However, unless you want access to his forum you don't need to pay a penny. All the information is freely available online if you look.
Do be aware that many people report a short term boost - pretty much the same as you get through fasting - which doesn't sustain itself. So be careful not to overdo things and push yourself into a flare. But if it works for you then that's great.
You will most probably get a negative reaction. If you think about it, there are a lot of people on here that have had RA for many, many years and have tried and failed on lots of different treatments. And someone essentially saying that all that was pointless is not going to be received well - no matter how well intentioned you are in saying it. We all know on here that what works for one person won't work for another, so we generally don't promote our specific treatment to others but just offer the story of our own experiences.
I'm doing it without help from doctors because I have lousy health insurance and good doctors don't often take it. While I'm trying to change my health insurance so I can have a good doctor, I'm on the program (without having had to pay a penny) and it works. A lot of people try things like this but do not do it correctly or fully and then blame the program when it was their lack of compliance with the program that limited them. Or, they want an instant cure instead of taking the time to let their body heal. So, people will eat things that are not on the diet, will skip the exercise and stress reduction, and only try for a few days or weeks and then pronounce the program a failure. Well, they were really not on the program because they were picking and choosing what they would do. It takes commitment and self-discipline or it won't work well. And, you do need to look at where you start. If you're in bad shape, it's going to take longer to heal. People who want a magic pill and not responsible for what they do every day to affect their body shouldn't bother with the program. The rest can be helped. It's hard work, but it works.
Ok so you're yet another person who doesn't seem to recognise how insulting it is to say it's our fault it didn't work. Do you think we're all totally stupid?
I find your reply patronising and rude.
Here's an example of someone trying different approaches and them not working. Was it her fault they didn't; I don't think so.
Everybody's different but it works for me too although I eat some dairy but it's helped me noend and he tells you at the beginning not to stop taking your meds and consult with your doctor before starting
I agree with that. I have a medical Background myself and would not stop medication without consulting my doctor. I reduce medication when I see I don't need them - like painkillers or NSAID. These are largely symptom-oriented anyway. Methotrexate is different. It is an immunosuppressant and cannot be discontinued just because one "feels good". What dairy do you eat? I would love to drink a single cup of coffee in the morning with milk and stevia, but don't dare to do so! I have informed the rheumatologist as well and he has no objection to an accompanying program that's helping me. In fact, he acknowledges me for being such a fighter even at my age! (59 years).
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I think most people who post on this site are fighters trying to find the best way forward for them. Some have tried most diets and many meds but battle on with seemingly unrelenting health issues. Hopefully you have found what works for your 'brand' of RA.
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Yes, I do believe you are right. It also makes a difference whether one is fighting RA at the age of 32 or at the age of 59, as also the severity of the condition. I have something known as collagenosis, which is an affliction of the connective tissue around the Joints. Therefore my joints have remained relatively free of destruction despite the 25-year-old duration of the disease. Finally I think the psyche plays a very major role. It's the size of the fight in the dog and not the size of the dog in the fight that counts! And I say to myself: Plenty of fight left in this dog!
I disagree, I ' fight ' against this awful disease yet am still very ill. I'm sure you don't mean to , but you do seem to be suggesting those of us not making good progress are not fighting enough.
I really don't mean to be challenging but we get these type of comments from all walks of life, particularly people who do not understand RD or have not experienced the full blown disease, which you say you haven't.
I'm am pleased your diet works for you and that you believe your progress is also down to some component of your psyche. Good. But you seem to be suggesting others don't have what you have.
Do take care , some people on this site have what can seem at times an intractable disease process that is of no fault of their own. They have full blown RD, with the joint and systemic problems you have been fortunate enough not to have. You will find that most, if not all on this site do have a positive mental attitude which has done nothing to ameliorate the relentless march of full blown RD.
I don't think there is any room for judging other people that we don't know. Don't give up. Keep an open mind. Don't worry about people who don't understand your situation, but keep an open mind anyway.
I have had RA for 20 years & I am a lot older than you, and I really can't see the point of this regime - if you still have to take the RA meds! How can you possible tell depriving yourself of food you enjoy helps your RA?
I'm settled on drugs that suit me , I feel well & I eat & drink what I like.
The testimonials I've heard say they were able to greatly reduce the dangerous medicines and thereby reduce the risks and side-effects as well as feel much better.
We all take the road we think will help us the most...from what I read here - purely relying on a diet is not the most successful.
Also - did you know some of these diet programmes pay people to write a testimonial? In other words, don’t believe all you hear.
Your last post was 5 months ago.....It must be very difficult having to rely on permission from your insurance to get the right treatment, but do at least try to see a qualified rheumatologist & get your condition assessed.
Think about it.......No matter what claims these diets make - don’t you think insurance companies would insist everyone with suspected RA relied on them, rather than paying out millions for rheumatology treatment & the drugs prescribed for RA?
By all means eat well, but don’t jeopardise your future health & well being if you find an insurance company who will cover you, get some good medical advice.
I have managed without RA meds so far and feel this has been a good decision, for me. For me gluten, red meat and Pufas are out. Milk has been on and off. I feel kefir is ok once a day. I do not follow any specific diet. I have ajusted my diet partly after my own situation and partly after what I have researched on the root metabolic problems in RA. I try to eat a diet that supports thyroid function and try to eliminate estrogenic foods like all that is processed and use only coconut oil and some olive oil. I also take LDN. Which has shown in the end to have many good effects. I see RA as a dysfunction where metabolic support not suppression is needed.
I have come across many RA sufferers that have been on MTX and that have been been able to decrease meds and even stop them with diet and by using LDN and also MTX+ Paddison. There was one forum member on mtx who could stop it all together. I wish you all the luck.👍🏻
Same here mate mines is quite happy for me to try and as you say it's pretty hard to stick to but you know what they say , no pain no gain, I just have a wee bit milk with my oats in the morning nothing major
You'll find out that you don't need any particular food. Just stick to the diet and you'll do better. You don't need milk on your oats. Health is more important.
I find it odd that someone joins a forum that offers support to folk with RA to post such a detailed lengthy outline of this program. Deliberate placing? Seems like a sales pitch to me.
It may well be but feel it's only fair to give the benefit of the doubt?
What puts me off the Paddison Program is him charging people. Why? If you genuinely have found a way to resolve an illness , fantastic! But why cash in on it? Even if we followed such a programme, would it work for all of us? The saying I hear very frequently now is ' Not one fits all' Spill the beans Mr Paddison, be proud but don't cash in on others health problems. You should know life is hard enough for most of us living with RA!
I know, it's outrageous - especially when all those global drugs corporations are none profit organisations! But seriously - I think if someone spends a decade creating a body of work, then takes the risk and outlays the expense to put it out there, it's hardly exploitative...
He works hard to provide support to people. Does he owe his time to other people? Who is supposed to pay his bills for him? I think it's really absurd to expect people to donate their time to others who benefit. Did you know you can get the program info free if you work hard to find it all over the internet? He doesn't owe this to you, but if you do the work you can get it free.
If this regime really worked every medical insurance company worldwide would insist on all their members with RA follow it- saving millions of $'s for drugs.
I'm glad you feel better on it- but as you are still taking 10mg of Methotrexate, that plus the psychological boost from 12 days on the regime could quite likely be the reason you are feeling better.....I really hope that continues for you.
I don't believe there is any firm clinical proof that Mr Paddison was cured of RA.
I have been on the PP 80 days now. It is working and giving me my life back. I have reduced all my drugs and about to come off methotrexate. It requires massive discipline but I am now 80% pain free and drug free. I am going to share a longer post about my experience on it. Not spam. A life saving experience as far as I'm concerned!!!
On numerous occasions in the past this forum has been flooded by individuals posting masses of information pushing the Paddison program, with some Paddison proponents becoming quite aggressive to anyone posting negative comments about the program. This site is not intended to be for pushing alternative therapies onto RA suffers. It is a forum for sharing experiences and offering mutual support. Paddison works for some but can have a negative effects on others health because of the restrictive nature of it. There is a post on here somewhere from concerned daughter of a gentleman who died whilst on this program. I am only telling you this as you are newly registered and maybe not aware of feelings that run high with some on this topic.
If it has worked for you great, but it is not the cure for all.
I think if you re-read my post, you'll see I was sharing my experience, not pushing the program on anyone. It is working for me. Will I have the resolve to do it for another 80 days, a year, the rest of my life? Who knows? There is no cure for this condition. For me, tackling it this way, gives me a greater sense of control over it. Drugs also work for many many people and if that's the route people choose, I totally respect it. In fact, it's none of my business to even have an opinion on what anyone else does! This is a very personal and difficult journey. My choice has empowered me and given me my life back. That's my experience.
ckno22, I am very grateful that you shared your experience about the PP.
I also bought the PP for $50 few months ago and to tell you the truth, although
I do believe that you can feel better following the program, I never invested the
time to read what he is advising to eat or not eat. I just watched once the video
and stop all dairy and meat but cheat now and then and eat chicken or meat
I am not supposed to eat according to the PP program. The program is very restrictive and most of the time I am hungry. I do think that if I follow correctly the program I will feel better. I decided to not take any drug since I was allergic to
many I tried but I must say that I am always in pain and it seems that the pain is more intense every day (for more than a year now) but I compose with it more or less each day because I don't want the side effects of the medicines.
So now dear ckno22, reading what you wrote, I feel motivated again to seriously try to follow this PP I still believe in and thanks for sharing your experience. Keep in
Happy for you! Always when people have these good results with alternative treatment methods or combinations of the two, makes me very curious to know more, trying to understand the effect. One important thing is ofcourse to hear about the kind of RA you have been suffering from, for how long, at what age were you diagnosed. What drugs are you on. What is your gender. I am sorry if I'm being too intrusive, I just want to understand better the whole picture. The more you want to tell me the better.😊
These good stories are seldom followed up with the bigger picture. I find this to be too bad since in my view it is always a question of the big picture.
Hi Simba. 39 yr old male. Psoriatic arthritis diagnosed 1 year ago next week. (Suffering symptoms 1.5 years) I was put on methotrexate immediately, took arcoxia with lanzaparolzole daily and then added sulphasalasine 4 months later. I am now only taking 15mg of methotrexate and aiming to come off it in the new year. My medicine is plant based food, daily juices and exercise including bikram yoga. The sacrifices I have made seem huge to people who don't understand the condition, but I have no temptation whatsoever to consume the food/drinks that give me pain. And besides - I partied hard, lived on takeaway food and adored my bbqs for a couple of decades! Onwards and upwards.
Thank you for your post. Could you tell me more about the excersize part of your treatment. How often and what exactly do you do? How would you assess the importance of excersize? Thank you.
How long did it take for you to see a difference from the program? I've tried many diets, SCD, Paleo, AIP and most recently the McDougall program which is also whole-foods plant based, but none have worked. Did you try any other diets besides the PP?
In 2 days, 95% of my pain was gone. The reason it's hard is that you have to eat more than you can eat in the first two days. It's a process of gradually healing your gut and slowly adding foods back in. You're going to lose weight if you do it correctly unless you work hard not to lose weight. It's work. You have to exercise a lot more than most people do daily to do it right. You have to buy and fix a lot of raw veggies. You have to cook everything at home and pack meals to take with you until you're down the road a bit and then you can sometimes eat out. It's not easy, but it works. You do have ups and down when you're trying to add things back or get too stressed or skip exercise. You just have to keep at it.
Hope you have discussed coming off Mtx with your rheumy? Listen to his advice...remaining on it & eating the PP way may be the way to go for you for now?
But if you do stop all your drugs & remain well we would be interested in hearing from you.
Firstly, welcome to the forum. I am really pleased to hear that you are feeling some improvements. A few people on here have questioned the evidence behind the Paddison Programme, so I thought it might be helpful if I quote our Director of External Affairs, Clare, who looked into this with NICE for someone last year. Unfortunately, there is not strong evidence for the programme, and of course, 12 days in is still early days for you. However, if it does work well for you, I wish you all the best with it. Currently, the only treatment proven to slow the progression of RA is the medication, in the form of DMARDs like methotrexate, so it is good that you are still taking this. A number of complementary therapies and changes to diet have shown improvement to symptoms, and of course it is great if this helps you day to day and reduces the need for pain medication. Here's Clare's post, for anyone who's interested:
"RA is a very individual disease and it is not a one size fits all solution therefore everyone must be respectful of each person's way of managing their condition and finding their own solutions to managing symptoms and disease progression. When someone feels passionately that something they have found works for them it is easy to try and advocate it for everyone else but that can be upsetting and distressing for others. I would recommend and encourage that careful consideration is used when posting and that the language used should be positive and encouraging and could not be perceived as judgmental or condescending. I doubt it was ever your intention Andy to cause offense.
As we promised we did some research to see if there was an robust evidence to support this Clint Paddison’s claims.
NRAS findings:
The programme is a commercial product and involves a monthly subscription to follow it.
NRAS made enquiries with senior people at NICE/RCP (Royal College of Physicians) that we have worked with on the NICE Guideline Review group. The expert response we received was as follows:
Thank you for passing on the information about the Paddison program.
At the scoping stage for the update of the NICE rheumatoid arthritis guideline, no new evidence that would alter the existing recommendations relating to dietary modifications were identified. During stakeholder consultation, one stakeholder suggested that there may be some evidence relating to Vitamin D supplementation or Omega 3 and Omega 6 levels. A couple of small studies on Omega 3 and 6 had been identified in the surveillance review that informed the update, but the conclusion was that the sample size of the existing evidence was too small and more large studies were required. No comments were received relating to bacteria / acid secretion / acidosis etc. as referenced in the Paddison program document.
On review of the references provided, the majority of the studies may be informative epidemiology or background to inform research in the area, and may indicate a possible association between some of these factors. However, many are narrative reviews or comments in journals and are opinions on the area rather than primary research or systematic reviews.
None of the references included were aiming to assess the effectiveness of the Paddison program itself. In order to be considered within a systematic review to inform on the effectiveness of the programme, a randomised controlled trial of the programme would be required ideally. In the cases of dietary interventions, it may be that the control group does not receive a placebo. Although this would introduce bias to the results, a large well performed study with investigator blinding and objective outcomes reported where possible, would minimise the bias.
The two references that may contribute to an effectiveness review for a treatment are references 15 and 16 which look at alkaline and potassium supplementation respectively. Unfortunately these are each single references on each of the possible interventions and have relatively small sample sizes. Furthermore the trial on alkaline supplements does not have a placebo in the control group which would mean that this would be considered as high risk of bias. In isolation neither of these studies would be considered enough evidence for alkaline or potassium supplementation.
I hope this is of some assistance. National Guideline Centre| Care Quality Improvement Department | Royal College of Physicians
I hope everyone finds this helpful and I wish to reiterate that as a consequence of the above, being an evidence based organisation, NRAS will not be altering our current dietary information."
Trying to prove that diet does not make a difference is a futal endeavor. Most of us know this on this forum as well, that it does.Even if there are not enough hard evidence through research there is however such an abundance of anecdotal evidence that cannot be bypassed. An explicit diet for RA does not exist but is in the making. Hopefully we can in the future also understand why a diet might work, not just base our choices on hope for something magic to happen.
I have the Paddison Program. I have read thru the book. It is very restrictive and so I haven't followed the protocol just yet. I need to feel like I can mentally do it... Plus it advises to eat seaweed, which I cannot, so trying to figure out a substitute..
Nevertheless, after reading the book, I have eliminated meat and dairy and feel tremendously better. I hate that a bite of cheese, or bite of a burger gives me pain and swollen hands within 2 hours...
So I cannot indulge, but since I've cut those things out...wow. It's made a huge difference for me. The only meds I'm on currently is 0.5mg Prednisone (hopefully off soon!) and 4.5mg LDN. I do eat fish and shrimp, though. When I stick to this diet and don't junk it up with processed foods like chips, etc, I am very functional, even teaching my cycle classes again!!!!
However, I've been dealing with on and off rashes (hives). I'm just wondering, does anyone else deal with ongoing rashes?? And sadly, in still losing my hair. I've been off MTX since last November, so literally been a year, and now down to 1/4 of my hair. This along with constant rashes is my biggest affliction currently. 😥
Does the Paddison programme have a commission based distribution system? Or is it You know, like one of those multi level marketing initiatives?
It's the commercial aspect that troubles me.
I don't know how many of us here are active posters but I imagine there must be a heck of a lot of visitors to the site who just read. We are targets for organisations and individuals with unscrupulous tactics. By the very nature of our seeking support from strangers , our only commonality being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition or suffering with symptoms pointing to one.
Luckily we don't stay strangers, through time and human kindness we become more familiar with each other. Some dip in and out , some are regulars, some visit briefly and vanish after getting the information/support they require. Some are whacky and funny, some brittle even angry at times. We are sad, excited, in agony, depressed, contented. Just surviving- A whole gamut of the human condition.
We all have our reasons.
However I question someone who is new but starts their initial post by promoting a paid programme.
Sorry Conquer, even your chosen moniker after a self professed 12 days on this dietary system smacks of hubris to me. I do hope and I mean this sincerely you don't suffer disappointment further down the road.
No, it's not a scam. It's a program that people who don't want to do the work call a scam so that they can justify not even trying it. If they can get other people to ignore it even when it is likely to help them, then everyone will be as miserable. I haven't spent a penny on the PP and haven't made a penny. I have no connection with it other than that I find the info online and use it to help myself.
I know diet can play a big part in helping feeling better but I don't think its a enough
its hard to stick to sometimes, one slip and you pay for it.
the only thing I don't like about the
Paddison is charging
if I had a "cure" I be shouting it from the roof tops for free
but I know if you did have a cure and you spent every min of your day having to go over and over it again and again and printing it out and so on, maybe that's why he made it into a pay and I will tell you???
I don't know
its hard not to judge,I don't like to but
its a cruel condtion, I couldn't make money from it
There is nothing to be sorry about VeronicaF, someone tried to sell you something you don't want and didn't solicit for, It's ok to state your point in return.
It's a bit hard for me to understand why it's such a red flag that someone is charging for a treatment protocol that he has developed and that is in fact what P works with. We pay a lot for meds, which certainly do not always work. We pay for excersize classes and other things that we believe will enhance our wellbeing (?) The PP, I am sure does not work for everyone but there are in fact alot of people that it has worked for. Perhaps not fair but true just the same.
It's all available free for people who do the work to use it off the internet. But, if you want services, you pay to get those services. Nobody owes you their service free.
Those who fully support the PP, I have a question or maybe it’s more of a statement. Are you aware that rheumatologists seek to reduce medication doses when a person is stable and has been for a period of time? It is common for medications such as; methotrexate to be reduced to minimise the side effects and risks when a person is doing well. It may well be that the medication has settled the disease and the PP isn’t even part of it. RA is a disease that can also go into spontaneous remission. If there were a statistically significant number of people on the PP who didn’t take DMARDs and went into long term remission, I’d definitely open my ears some more.
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I'm persistently ill I want to come of the methotrexate
New Here
Hi I'm New here
biologic therapy 
Newly diagnosed with RA, and received methotrexate prescription today. When and how should I start taking it?
