Michelle - if I eat carrots my tongue, and throat burn. I figure that is a histamine response, which activates my immune system and therefore could theoretically cause increased flaring. So I just skip 'em!
blue wrote:Hi Nicole
I was reading thru the blogs the other day when I found yours and read it with great interest! I'm another chronic pain patient trying to manage my condition--polymyalgia rheumatica--thru diet. Like you, I saw pretty quick results within about three weeks after starting this new WOE last September. Thank you for charting your progress here. It's always nice to find others dealing with similar issues and seeing good results with the diet. Continued good luck to you
Blue
HI
Blue! Sorry it took me so long to see this post - I have been quite neglectful of this Journal as of late, which is usually a good sign - it means I am doing so well I don't even think to post!
I am glad to hear you have been improving - I will check out your journal after I write this post!
Update: MArch 2012I have been experimenting, tweaking and refining this dietary choice and other lifestyle choices for maximum benefit of pain reduction/arthritis and psoriasis control. Because of this, I have been hesitant to post here because
a) I am doing a few "unorthodox" things, at least according to Dr. McDougall's plan, and
b) I am superstitious; things have been going well and I don't want to jinx it by shouting that out to the world (I blame my Irish father for this particular proclivity - he thinks we are descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, for heaven's sake!)
Anyway, in a nutshell:
After experiencing the flare I had in September, I was motivated to DO MORE for my health. So I expanded my research over to Dr Fuhrman's site, because he has a specific autoimmune protocol to follow, which still avoids using meds, but does involve some supplementation.
I know a lot of folks here are down on Dr. F and I respect that (and, in fact, used to be of that opinion) - I just wanted to try more for me, and have come to the opinion that he is quite worthy of respect as well, at the very least in regard to tricky autoimmune conditions. Now, Dr. McDougall may be as well, but reserve his extras for actual patients, but I only went by the info he supplies here so I really cannot say.
I started employing his specific recommendations for the autoimmune protocol, and not only have they been very effective, and continue to be so, but many other side benefits have occurred as well.
I was doing very well, comparatively, on this diet here, but after a few months of the tweaks, I realize I am doing much better. I have no pain and no threat of pain ( autoimmune folks will know what I mean by the "threat of pain")in my hands or wrists.
Even more of a reduction in my knee pain.
Greatly improved flexibility of all joints.
Even more energy than I already had - I must have been so tired for years without even realizing how far downhill I'd gone. I now wake up at about 5:30/6 am each day (full of energy) and go to bed around 10:30/11.
Even less PMS (I had already reduced it after switching to this WOE)
There are more, but I have to get to work in a few, so I will wrap up for the moment.
I wanted this journal to be a resource for other people who are, like I was, looking for answers to their autoimmune condition without using a lot of heavy-duty meds, and who are not responding as quickly as some of the Star McDougallers appear to have (that can be really discouraging if it happens to you.) To do that, I have to be honest about the choices I make. Because of that, I will be posting about some things that are not particularly "McDougall" (I will be more specific in my next post about what exactly I have been doing, in the spirit of that transparency.)
But I want to make clear - I fully respect everything Dr McDougall does and has done for 30+ years, and this expansion is in no way a criticism of him or this WOE.