Psoriatic Arthritis Journal - 2.5 year Update Page 63

Share your daily McDougall menus and/or keep a journal describing your personal progress.

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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:16 pm

Well, it has been awhile, but that, as always means I have been doing very well. Eating on plan. Maintaining weight, feeling good.


But I have noticed an interesting thing, that I have no idea about. It may be connected to this way of eating, or it may just be normal. Dunno.

The thing is, I have "graying" hair. Not so much gray that it takes over, but patches here and there. Some places, it is only a few grays, and I, motivated by vanity, pluck them out.

I have been noticing recently that I am plucking more and more gray hairs out that are half brown...on the root side! Never happened to me before. Might be normal. But imagine if eating this way could slow the progression of graying hair? That would be crazy.

Anyway, that's about it. Hope everyone had a great Independence Day!
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby lmggallagher » Fri Jul 06, 2012 12:29 pm

Ah Nicole:

The graying hair thing - I think it's the diet too. Here's the thing with me: my best friend calls my hair platinum. I started life with black hair, like my "Black Irish" Dad. But that was sadly, to my Mom's thinking, just a baby skull cap and gone in no time.

Then I came in a red head, dark red hair. Every summer it would be a strawberry blonde what with summer sunshine and being in the pools so much. But in my thirties (as many Irish do) I started getting white hairs a lot of them - so I went from red to this blondish thing by 40.

I laugh that you have so few you can tweeze them away. If I did that I would be nigh bald, for sure!

But now I am noticing that at the front of my head in my bangs the red is coming back and the white is not as prominent. It's summer, I am outside a lot now and my hair is not getting lighter - it's getting darker - ever so slowly.

I think it has to do with B vitamins - or I read that somewhere a long time ago. Let's keep watching this I am glad you mentioned it because it's so odd.......and cool :wink: :nod: :)
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby pmayne » Fri Jul 06, 2012 5:25 pm

Nicole, would you be open to letting us know a current typical day's food for you? (I would have PM'd you about this, but I had to recreate my user account and now I'm too new again to PM!) I know from reading your journal that you've done quite a bit of experimening and tweakigng, and you've been getting such great results, both the "main" ones and these "side effects," like eye and hair improvements, that I'm really, really interested in where you've landed ...

Thanks either way! Pam
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby blue » Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:44 pm

hey nicoles check out this awesome PA post!
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=30433&p=306478#p306478

haha I pull those gray buggers out, too! Don't know that the diet has anything to do with it but while my friends have been gray for years I thankfully have very few, just 2 or 3 plucks a month ouch

Do you have Peter Escogue's book? I'm thinking I need to get it, I'm definitely a candidate!
Success using WFPB diet to avoid steroid treatment for polymyalgia rheumatica. I don't hurt anymore :)
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:02 am

Michelle, That is very interesting about your bangs! I wonder if the diet is responsible! Ithink I will choose to believe that it is :-D Why not, right? :lol:

Pam - Sorry for the delay in responding! I forget to check my journal when I come on here :)

Anyway, I eat sort of a Dr McDougall/Dr Fuhrman combo daily.

Breakfast:

Green Smoothie - usually with kale, collards or romaine lettuce, plus some frozen berries and/or pomegranate (we can get those a lot in CA)Sometimes I add a small slice of avocado to the smoothie, but I always add 1-2 tablespoons ground flax seed, to make sure I get the omega 3's.

If I am hungry, I also have something cooked for breakfast, which could be anything from squash to sweet potato to steamed veggies, depending on my mood/what I have around.

If I am really hungry, I also have a fruit, like apple or pear, or a pear and cucumber salad with mint and ginger (really good, btw)

Lunch:

Homemage veggie soup over chopped, raw cabbage (for crunch AND health ;-) )

Large salad, with beans or peas, greens and assorted veggies. I add a few cashews or some ground sesame seeds to that, because I have trouble maintaining a healthy BMI (I am at 18.5-19 BMI now, the lowest end of "healthy,"and I eat a ton) without some nuts and seeds.

Dinner:

Not always hungry for a big dinner, but usually it is a repeat of lunch, either just the soup or just the salad. Sometimes I make homemade brown rice sushi with veggies, sometimes I have baked squash or sweet potatoes with steamed veggies. I OD'd on artichokes when they were in season, and they are so filling, I would sometimes have just one for dinner (the large ones)

Also

I used to add veggie juice (parsley, collard or kale plus apple or beet ) but I only do that 1-2x a week now.

I take a probiotic, and it really helped with my symptoms. I don't snack ( that is a Dr Fuhrman thing) and I eat as many cruciferous veggies as I can, because of their role in repairing cells damaged by methylation and demethylation, and because both kinds of damage can create autoimmune disease AND cancer.

hey Blue! :)

:lol: :lol: :lol: There is something satisfying about that "ouch" when plucking, isn't there? And thanks for the tip on that post - i will check it out :)

I have taken all three of Pete Egoscue's books out of the library, then took notes on the routines I used.

They are quite helpful, I'd really recommend it. It is amazing how much pain can be caused by having been in pain for awhile and adapting one's movements. It really helped me sort out what was structural and what was inflammation.


Also - give his Pain Free Radio podcasts a listen - there is a ton of information in them, and you get to hear how he thinks a bit more. they are free on iTunes.

You are in Texas, is that right? He has a few clinics there, I am pretty sure. You can locate them here. There are a few near me, but the price was too much for me at the time. I'd be open to going if I had a lot of disposable $$$, though!
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:10 pm

Update: I have mentioned earlier in this journal that my uncle also has psoriatic arthritis. He has for about 10 years, or at least that is when he was initially diagnosed and treated.

Talked to him recently about it and learned a bit more about his experience.

First they put him on prednisone, methotrexate and Remicade infusions (infliximab)

The Remicade stopped working and so they switched to Enbrel, and added asufazine to the methotrexate and prednisone.

Then the Enbrel stopped working and they switched to Humira, keeping the asulfazine, methotrexate, and prednisone. Of course, he takes folic acid because methotrexate depletes you of that.

He said an odd thing. He said of everything, the only thing that really works is the prednisone. He currently takes 2.5 mg a day (very low dose, for prednisone) Now that might be because he is taking all that other stuff, but still. Being on Prednisone long term is not good, but if you are going to be on it anyway, all those other expensive and dangerous drugs seem like overkill.

Not a doctor, that is just my perspective.

And it is sad to see him switch the meds so much, because at this point, he has cycled through all the "big gun" options. So if Humira stops helping him, I have no idea what is up next. Higher doses of prednisone?

As always, and once again, I am glad to know about things I can do to prevent getting stuck in this vicious cycle of medication-go-round.
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby pmayne » Wed Jul 11, 2012 7:19 pm

Thanks very much for the daily food break-down, Nicole! Very interesting. :)

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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Sat Jul 14, 2012 4:36 pm

You're Welcome, Pam!


Started another fast last night at 5:30 p.m. - I am about 22 hours into it and feel totally normal, which is pretty cool. Went on a short hike at a canyon nearby with the Huzz in the morning, and now I am working on taking it easy, mostly because I know I should.

Planning to go either until tomorrow night or Monday night, so 2-3 day jaunt. Will post any results or interesting things as they happen, if they do.
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Sun Jul 15, 2012 9:53 am

At about hour 26 of the fast, my sinuses, which had been stuffed up, cleared. This morning, at about hour 40, I felt feverish, but have no fever.

Also, my very slight pms symptom (tender breasts) is gone.
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby Lesliec1 » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:35 am

That's interesting about your uncle. That seems to be the only "drug story" I've ever heard about for arthritis. I've searched many message boards looking for different experiences but I never see any. It's always the same: a drug seems to work only for a short time, then the cocktail or dosage has to be changed. Then that works for a short time, etc, etc.

Plus I have the same question about prednisone. Bad as it is, it's the only one that people say works for sure. So why all the other stuff? Do doctors just not want to give a lot of prednisone? That would be understandable, but like you said, the patient is taking it anyway.

Anyway, I'm glad you posted that. A good reminder about the drug roller coaster. Even if people are OK with drugs, they just plain don't work, at least not for arthritis.
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Sun Jul 15, 2012 11:42 am

Leslie, as I understand it, the doctors also give the other drugs because they theoretically believe them to halt disease progression.

However, the studies on that theory do not support it, so it might just be the fad of the day, like bone marrow transplants were for breast cancer treatment in the late 90's, until it was discovered that transplants did not help any more than chemo, and in many cases caused earlier death.

But like I said in the post before, I don't really know.
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Mon Jul 16, 2012 1:00 pm

Fasting Day Three:

As always, it is an interesting experience, and never the same twice!

I developed a slight fever not too long after the last post in this journal, including chills and sweats and all. Also have a white coated tongue, which is no longer normal for me (used to be though, back when I ate SAD and drank coffee and alcohol.)

Slight fever has passed, and I am now in the I-could-do-this-forever phase of the fast, which means I feel great, my mental clarity has improved and I am brimming over with creative ideas for my career.

A first on this fast - I am not dizzy at all, ever. Dizziness is normal when water fasting, and you need to get up slowly and lie down immediately if you feel dizzy standing up so you don't faint. I believe it has something to do with the drop in blood pressure that accompanies not eating for more than 24 hours.

I am tired, of course, and do not have a lot of physical energy, but not being dizzy is very nice.

Another first on this fast - I am not dropping weight so quickly! This is probably due to my having developed a slower metabolism over the last few months, which might seem like a bad thing but is actually a good thing when it comes to slowing the aging process. If anyone is interested in learning more, just ask and I'll explain it briefly here, but I learned about it in Fasting and Eating for Health, by Dr. F.

For me, a slower metabolism is good because I have trouble maintaining my weight in a healthy range without eating enormous, expensive, volumes of food!

It might not sound like I eat much, based on the meal plan I outlined for Pam above, but I eat HUGE quantities at each meal. Everyone I know marvels at (or worries about, depending on the person) the ginormous plates I consume.


I'd really like to spend a little less on food, and a bit less time eating or preparing it! Slower metabolism, you are welcome in this body!

Alright, back to brainstorming, while the juices are flowing :-D
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:39 am

Doing well, enjoying the lovely tastes of all the food I eat which is a nice side benefit of water fasting.

Also - it slows your metabolism for something like 3-4 weeks, so I am not as hungry as before.

Anyway, just saw this article about how Psoriatic Arthritis and obesity have been confirmed as "linked" in the medical literature.

Which could kind of confirm the idea that all the platn based docotrs, or at least some of them, have, which is that our fat stores immune-triggering toxins, from food or our own cellular metabolisms. Very interesting.

Although "linked" does not definitively mean "directly related or causal."
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby lmggallagher » Fri Jul 20, 2012 4:50 pm

Hmm - very interesting article. Fibro and weight gain are also related (I beleve it's a correlation to no deep sleep phase - which we never get). Canada has done quite a bit of study on the zero deep sleep of fibro folk I think that should be the real diagnostic test for us - but I guess that would be pretty prohibitive cost-wise.

Lucky us Nicole - we get obesity and pain - like one of those wouldn't be sufficient punishment :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Nicoles Psoriatic Arthritis Journal

Postby nicoles » Fri Jul 20, 2012 5:45 pm

lmggallagher wrote:Lucky us Nicole - we get obesity and pain - like one of those wouldn't be sufficient punishment :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

PsA people also get an increased risk or heart disease, whether or not they are obese. I bet fibro folks have some more goodies, what with the whole not sleeping deeply thing.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Lucky, lucky luck-eeee! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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