Rheumatoid Arthritis
 

Any one out there with auto-immune arthritis? If so, have you found that eating low carb assists in lowering the amount of flare ups?

RA sufferers have been found to be deficient in vitamin D and supplementing with vitamin D3 has actually been found to reverse RA.

Please get your vitamin D3 levels tested as soon as possible because while D3 can reverse RA it can't always reverse all the damage RA has done to the body.

The author of... a paleo book, forgot the name... Neanderthin! Had RA and used a paleo diet to manage it.

Ray Audette, I think was his name. You might try googling "paleo autoimmune arthritis".

I was diagnosed with an autoimmune arthritis, but that diagnosis seems to be turning into osteo-, which I still feel like is autoimmune, or close to. Anyway, I found that grains, especially gluten grains, make me much, much worse. Dairy is also something I think I have issues with.

Some people believe nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant, etc) might be problems. Others find legumes (peanuts, beans) to be an issue.

I think there's a lot of possible dietary treatments that can help. Do some research and be open to trying different things, you may be surprised.

I used to have severe bursitis and also moderate arthritis in my fingers (osteo) so I don't know if the following applies to you - check with your doc.

Part 1:

I get my vitamins at Life Extension http://www.lef.org and they have doctors that do not dispense medical advice but do supply general information. I asked via e-mail if there is anything I can do about the condition (I prefer to try alternative treatments before going to the doctors). He recommended the Arthritis/Bursitis diet:

For both arthritis and bursitis, treatment is similar:

Try the dietary approach first, and if that doesn't work, take stronger action.

Foods that may contribute to chronic inflammation are foods with a high glycemic index (foods that convert to sugar quickly), such as fruit juices, sugars, simple starches, or rice cakes, foods heavy in polyunsaturated or saturated fats, and foods high in arachidonic acid. Some specific foods to avoid are:

* Fatty cuts of red meat (high in saturated fats)
* Organ meats: liver, kidney, and so forth (high in arachidonic acid)
* Egg yolks (high in arachidonic acid)
* Pasta (high glycemic index)
* Juices (high glycemic index)
* Rice, especially rice cakes (high glycemic index)
* White bread (substitute whole grain breads such as rye or whole wheat)
* Nightshade Plants bother many people (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, paprika)

Glycemic index charts can be found on the Internet.

Better choices are foods with a low glycemic index and foods that are heavy in monounsaturated fats. Some specific good foods are:

* Salmon and other fish
* Oatmeal
* Fresh fruits and vegetables
* Olives and olive oil
* Peanuts and other nuts
* Whey proteins

Then he continued to recommend supplements. I thought it was pretty good that a nutritional supplement company recommended diet first. Plus I was already taking SAMe, Glucosamine, Chondroitin, and MSM.

I was already low glycemic, so I followed the rest of the advice.

The result?

An 80-90% decrease in pain. Not all better, but manageable.

Part 2:

Pulsed Electromgnetic Field Therapy http://pemft.info/science.html got rid of the rest of the pain, and in the long run paid for itself in the supplements I'm not taking.

I'm still following the diet though, except I have added fat (but not the egg yolks) back in.

So now I'm completely pain free. Would the PEMFT device have fixed it without changing the diet? It's too late to tell.

Like I said, my situation is not the same as yours, and I'm not a doctor so I'm not trying to give any medical advice.

B

Yes most definitely Atkins has improved my RA symptoms greatly. I was finally diagnosed with RA last year after insisting that something was wrong and that my pain wasn't normal. My ANA levels were off the charts. Doc started me on Methotrexate in May 2012 which was horrid, nausea and vomiting. The next drug we tried offered no relief and it caused me to lose alot of hair.

I started Atkins this February but had a few flares until May and I haven't had one since. I feel much improved. I take a multivitamin every day plus Krill oil, chromium Picolinate, CoQ10, B12, and a combo of Calcium, magnesium, zinc and D3

My Rheumatologist does a blood test every six weeks and for the last 4 months my inflammation has been zero. Am I cured no because there isn't one but I would say I'm in remission. I still need to get my rest and I have to be careful of what type of exercise I do but this way of eating has been a godsend.

Stacy

PS. Adding back foods in premaintenance and maintenance has proven interesting. Jasmine rice makes my joints hurt the next day, beans are no problem, fruits were a disaster - my joints hurt the next day and I had horrible cravings even though I ate it with a little fat and protein. Dairy, thankfully and nightshade veggies do not cause cravings nor hurt my joints.

Thank you, Zuleikaa, for responding. I am currently on a vitamin D supplement but haven't had my D3 levels tested in over a year. Hmmm...Something to ask request from my PCM when I meet with her. THANKS!

Thank you, Nancy LC, for your input. I have not read Neanderthin; however, I have researched a bit on auto-immune diets and such and most do go back to the Paleo way of eating. I have read Paleo Solutions and a lot of it made sense to me. I am always open to new ideas, so I tried the Paleo lifestyle for a short while and always seemed to fail at it tremendously. I can always stay on Atkins with no problem, but could never seem to stick with Paleo. I guess Atkins is my comfort zone since I have eat this way for over 3 years.

I currently am not having flare ups, just the constant fatigue; however, I did notice that while I was attempting to eat the Paleo way, I would have flare's and I chalked it up to too much fruit, beans, etc (ie, too many carbs for my liking). Hmmm...something else to ponder.

Thanks, B, for your input and for the website for the supplements. I will have to look further into the website. I currently take several supplements and have often wondered if I am wasting money because I am not sure if they are a "good brand".




Stacy52, I am currently on MTX. I do not get sick from it, just feel hungover the day of taking and the day after. Yea, it's not the most wonderful feeling in the world, but I'd rather take that than be all flared up and can't walk, drive, move, etc. I have started losing some hair while on MTX, but nothing major. I didn't even realize I had lost any until the new growth started arriving. I have found that all grains and legumes cause flares for me and I haven't tried night shade veggies to see if there is a difference.

Hello Faithleigh i too am on mtx and have been injecting for 1.5 yrs at 20mg/week. Like you say the next day is a downer and today is my day. I just got out of bed for the day and I got into bed last night and now its next day evening. I could not get up to even eat so when I did get up i had to get something in pretty fast; I also have hypoglycemic issues. It is a struggle for sure. My Vit D is very very good and always has been so I do tons of other things to try and help myself along under Rheumy doc supervision.

My knee, neck, and wrist arthritis as stopped hurting for a week now (I've been low carbing three weeks) but I do take D3.

That's interesting Lessara. Do you also have RA? I also have lupus and PMR to deal with. My SED rate has NEVER changed BUT my CRP levels would go off the chart and I sure felt it when it did. I get monthly labs. My rheumy doc said there are people like me and so she checks both. She quoted some studies from the NIH in Bethesda, MD so we go by my CRP.

While I don't have RA, I had osteoarthritis in my hands bad enough to wake me up in the middle of the night. But since going gluten-free (I was already low carb but would have bites of things here and there) that pain has lessened by 90%. When I added zero-balancing (a type of massage therapy) to the mix it retreated even further.

Some folks on the forum are on Dr. Teresa Wahl's Anti-Inflammatory Diet, which emphasizes vegetables, while I'm doing Dr. Jack Kruse's Epi-Paleo, which is also Anti-Inflammatory, and emphasizes seafood and strict "sleep hygiene." I am very pleased with my progress -- I have Cortisol Resistance which gave me terrible fatigue as a primary symptom. I would say at my low point I was running maybe 30-35% of normal. Now, I'd say I'm up to 80%!

Since you mentioned fatigue as an issue I'd be glad to share what I've learned.

I have been following all the new information about RA, as the daughter of a good friend has had juvenile RA for quite a while and is now in last year of law school under great stress. She is making strides improving her diet but at this point cannot handle a complete Paleo Auto-immune approach. There was an excellent on-line summit about AI, the leader of that has just released her book, I am reading it now, consider trying her plan if you haven't already tried a complete AIP.

http://www.amymyersmd.com

Other AI books:

A book with details on autoimmune neurological diseases, following her famous TEDTalk http://terrywahls.com/category/video/ , is The Wahl’s Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional Medicine. Dr. Wahl’s story of reversing her MS, from being in a wheelchair to physically active, shows the amazing healing power of a nutrient-dense diet. Her inspirational talk has been the catalyst for many people with MS and a wide range of other autoimmune diseases to adopt Paleo Principles. There are over 100 autoimmune mediated diseases (multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, lupus, chronic fatigue, Crohn’s, eczema, vitiligo, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and an ever growing list) that may improve by healing intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut) through an Auto-Immune Protocol.

Another popular book with even more detailed biochemistry is The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease, Heal Your Body and The Paleo Approach Cookbook by Sarah Ballantyne. Here is the Cliff notes version of this challenging, but transformative, book and program: http://www.thepaleomom.com/autoimmu...immune-protocol

The new book at (our local) library is The Autoimmune Solution: Prevent and Reverse the Full Spectrum of Inflammatory Symptoms and Diseases by Dr. Amy Meyers.

Janet, it's fascinating how your post uses words like "cannot handle" and "challenging." Not that you aren't correct; it's just a marker of how messed up our food chain has become, both in the way it is processed and prepared, and also in how it is consumed.

I mentioned it because I had to tear my life apart to fix my sleep problems. My food was already in good shape, and I've refined it further as I can manage it. But my daily habits were undermining my health and I've had to rearrange quite a lot to fix it.

But it is certainly worth every disruption.