WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

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WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby dlee » Tue May 19, 2015 4:56 pm

I've noticed most of the success stories for arthritis on this forum and the newsletters have come from people who are new to this way of eating, and leaving dairy, meat and oils made a huge difference to their health. That's great.
Well I've been McDougalling now for about 8 years faithfully (my hubby too) and I'm starting to get arthritic like twinges in some of my fingers and definitely in the thick part of the thumbs on both hands.
I've been a vegetarian for 27 years unfortunately didn't know about McDougall until 8 yrs ago. Has anyone had any success at curing an arthritic condition after they had already eliminated the usual culprits?? Wish it was that easy.
I am starting the elimination diet Day 2 today - to see if possibly wheat and corn, or potatoes have any bearing on it.....miss potatoes already! Any thoughts ?? dlee :-(
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby healthyvegan » Tue May 19, 2015 5:03 pm

How are your B12 & D levels? Definitely go through the elimination diet scientifically & really try to work out any issues. Have you done any blood tests for RA?

Are you typing a lot? Maybe carpal tunnel?

How are your magnesium levels? Try some epson salt baths for your hands.
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby Lesliec1 » Tue May 19, 2015 5:28 pm

It seems to me that all of us RA patients have a list of things we can't eat. I think if you read the bios here you'll fnd the same thing. Do an elimination diet if you can stand it. It's the only way to nail down the offending items with certainty. I hate the ED but at least once you find a trigger, you know it forever.
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby dlee » Tue May 19, 2015 6:59 pm

Thanks for your encouragement, Leslie and Healthyvegan I'll tough it out I guess...
Actually the ED is not that bad. I'm 64, 5' 2" -116 lb... would like to lose a few more pounds but otherwise healthy and no other problems.
I just don't want to ignore this and have it progress. I would say I've had the odd symptom for the last year. Don't think it's carpal tunnel, I don't do much typing. I'm an artist, painter actually and the worst thumb is not my painting hand.
I'm exposed to the sun a lot (living in Mexico) and take B12 regularly.
I'll try this first and maybe get some blood work along the way. Dlee
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby dlee » Tue May 19, 2015 7:58 pm

Lesliec1 just re read your amazing success story....congrats.
I really don't have anything like what you went through. And I feel a little sheepish complaining.
My husband has had and presently has a similar thing going on right now. Strangely enough he has been diagnosed with GPA Granulomatosis with polangytis formerly ( Wegener's )- a rare autoimmune disease something like RA only a bit different.
1 in 2 million chance of getting it! He too went through some "Natural remedies, and an ENT, as he was having a lot of sinus issues too. Allergy testing etc. Months went by, They both described elimination type diets. He was steadily losing weight he didn't need to lose, and symptoms getting worse and worse. To where he could barely walk, pains in all joints, swelling in legs and ankles etc.Vasculitis which is red sores appearing suddenly on legs. He felt like he was 100, actually 68, Anyways finally in desperation found a Rheumatologist,very well known, and chief Rheumatologist in Mex DF , also a very kind , caring guy. After 3 hours consultation and lots of lab tests he was diagnosed with GPA .
He started taking Prednisone and Methotrexate and a few Vitamins . and calcium to buffer the other toxic stuff. After 24 hours he started walking better and within a few days he felt like a new person.....so it's been a month ,he's almost pain free, and more lab work is showing the immune system is getting better.....so fingers crossed that this will work. They are cutting him back slowly on the prednisone....hoping he will continue to improve......that and the MCD diet of course.
Sorry this is sooo long.
So for me back to the ED and I will continue to follow it strictly. Thanks for listening, Dlee
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby Jumpstart » Thu May 21, 2015 10:33 am

Most if not all plants protect themselves from being eaten by insects or animals through various chemicals. When we eat small amounts of those plants over periods of time we build up a tolerance and in fact improve our immune systems through a process called Hormesis. It's very similar to exercise: the stress we put our bodies through when exercising tears down muscle, but through the process of hormesis the resulting repair makes those muscles stronger. The immune system is the same. Currently more and more science is telling us that much of the benefit from plants come through hormesis and not from the tiny, tiny amounts of phytochemicals they contain. However, when we eat large quantities of the same plants over time those chemicals accumulate and damage our immune systems. A extreme case was a woman in New York who ate large quantities of Bok Choy for six months and ended up in a hospital near death. It is my personal belief that over indulgence of a particular plant food over long periods of time (we all have our favorites) can cause problems like RA and other autoimmune problems. The solution is first to discover the family of plants through elimination, but the long term solution I believe is to vary the amount and increase the range of plants we consume. We in the West seem to limit our choices to four or five plants while current hunter/gatherers select from over 100 varieties of wild plants. I guess that's the benefit of eating seasonally: you never end up eating one plant year round.
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby dlee » Thu May 21, 2015 2:06 pm

[i] We in the West seem to limit our choices to four or five plants while current hunter/gatherers select from over 100 varieties of wild plants. I guess that's the benefit of eating seasonally: you never end up eating one plant year round.[/i]

Thanks Jumpstart
you make some good points....it does make sense. I'll try to figure out what those triggers are if I can. :-D dlee


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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby ETeSelle » Thu May 21, 2015 2:07 pm

dlee wrote:I've noticed most of the success stories for arthritis on this forum and the newsletters have come from people who are new to this way of eating, and leaving dairy, meat and oils made a huge difference to their health. That's great.
Well I've been McDougalling now for about 8 years faithfully (my hubby too) and I'm starting to get arthritic like twinges in some of my fingers and definitely in the thick part of the thumbs on both hands.

Why do you think this is RA? Sounds like plain old A to me! We all develop arthritis as we age. RA is unrelated to that.
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Re: WFPB'd for 8 yrs but developing RA ?

Postby Bkworm » Thu May 21, 2015 5:01 pm

dlee ,

I will try to make a long story short. Diagnosed with RA in 2010. Discovered this WOE in January 2013. Was pain free within 2 weeks of starting this plan. Loved every minute of my meals with huge variety.

Had quit meat and dairy before starting this WOE. But continued with nuts, nuts butters, avocados. Had some improvement before starting this WOE, biggest improvement when I stopped all gluten. But still had regular flares until I started this WOE and finally eliminated all fats and added oils from my diet.

After approximately six months started experiencing RA flares again. Finally went on an ED. Still no relief until I stopped rice and oats. Had eaten both my entire life with no problems. These two foods are compliant with an ED. However, those were the two main foods causing the new flares. Have been basically pain free again since January 2014 following the ED.

What I really learned from the ED is that any and all foods are suspect for you until you prove otherwise. From the ED, I found I can eat cooked tomatoes but no fresh tomatoes. Can't eat citrus fruit. No green chilies. No alcohol even in cooking which is no hardship as I might have an alcoholic drink once every five years but did use a bit in cooking previously. The only grains I can eat are corn, quinoa, and buckwheat. Curry powder does a number on my system and a few other spices. Any and all high fat foods such as nuts and nut butters and avocados set off severe flares Those are the main foods I must avoid in addition to this WOE. Depending on the particular food, I can experience mild pain in my joints to extreme pain to the point I can't use my hands. Sometimes the pain would be apparent within an hour or so but other times I would wake up the next morning with my hand and feet swollen to the point I couldn't close my hands or put on a pair of shoes because the pain was so bad.

Good luck with your journey on the ED. After experiencing the wonderful food with this WOE for six months, it was somewhat difficult to follow the ED. However, all the pain that I was experiencing again kept me on track.
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