Here is some general information that may be of help with various kinds of autoimmune diseases. Benefits for arthritis usually begin to appear within 4 to 7 days of strict adherence to the diet. Sometimes it takes as long as 4 months for complete benefits to be appreciated. Fortunately, the best treatment and often the cure for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory-types of arthritis is a healthy diet followed strictly. You should begin by reading my Hot Topics on arthritis, inflammatory arthritis:
http://drmcdougall.com/med_hot_arthritis.html.
Also read and watch the associated Star McDougallers found at the bottom of that page.
The article, “Diet: Only Hope for Arthritis,” is the best scientific argument for why the McDougall Diet should be the first and best approach for most people with inflammatory arthritis.
My Diet and MS video (free from my homepage) is a good review on the cause and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
I usually recommend that my patients, when they first start, follow the basic McDougall Diet without wheat or soy. A few people will have to follow a stricter elimination diet to get results. See:
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougal ... pudiet.htm.
People on medication must keep contact with their private doctors. As they improve with the diet then their doctors should be recommending reduction and elimination of medications. Many people are able to stop all medications and live pain and arthritis free. The program is essentially cost and risk free.
John McDougall, MD