RA won't get the best of me but the pain...

[ymedina]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and I actually found out about McDougall's programs through Clint Paddison. I am on his program of an elimination diet. I'm 13 days in, eating buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth mix with japanese sweet potato, veggie broth, bok choy, spinach or kale, cilantro, turmeric, ginger and salt. I'm also drinking celery cucumber juice daily. Although I have had some overall improvement, I am still in a lot of pain. Since the symptoms of RA began 3 months ago I have become practically cripple. My knees, hands and feet are constantly affected. I have no desire to start a medicine based treatment plan but a month ago I finally surrendered to taking ibuprofen and then diclofenac to help manage the pain. I am really trying to not use those meds since discovering they were counter productive, but now what to do about pain??? Help! I'm a single mom of 2 small children and I need to be mobile and NOT bed-ridden and depressed. Any advice??

[Bkworm]

ymedina,

An elimination diet can be very frustrating and not the most inspiring of food. But I truly believe it will be worth it to you in the end. I deal with RA, too. It hit suddenly and very hard. The pain was unrelenting and I experienced disfigurement of the joints on my hands very quickly. The RA was diagnosed in June 2010 but actually started in January 2010. I found this way of eating in January 2013.

At the beginning, I followed the MWL plan and was very fortunate the pain stopped right away and I was pain free for approximately 6 months. But then six months into the diet RA flares developed again. I started an elimination diet in September 2013. My trigger foods are all grains but quinoa, buckwheat, and corn. Had previously eliminated all grains with gluten before starting this way of eating. Corn is a huge trigger food for a close friend, go figure. Any type of fat/oil seem to set off a RA flare, even tahini, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, and any other nuts. An ounce of walnuts a couple of times a week present no problem. The only nightshade I have a problem with at this point is fresh tomatoes. Can eat cooked tomatoes with no problems. Just recently found green chilies are a problem. Can't tolerate alcoholic beverages even when used in cooking. Never was much to drink alcohol and only occasionally used it in a recipe so that is not too much of a problem. With the elimination diet I found that oats and all types of rice, which I had eaten all my life, suddenly were trigger foods. But you don't indicate you are eating those at this time. At this point I don't have any problems with any types of fruit yet others find fruits are problems.

Looking at the foods you listed, none of them seem to be a usual trigger foods. There are others with more experience with this way of eating that might be able to tell you if any of the foods you listed are trigger foods for them. Until you specifically eliminate a food as causing a problem, it should be suspect. It seems that while most of us have some common trigger foods, we also have trigger foods that are unique to us. At this point I suspect one of the foods you are eating is a trigger for your RA but have no idea which one it might be.

I am sure others will respond to your post soon. Everyone with any type of inflammatory arthritis seem to approach an elimination diet a bit differently.

One thing that helped control the pain for me was to stay as active as I could even though most of the time I wanted to scream as long and as loud as I could every time I moved and even when sitting still. My hands were affected the most. When taking water aerobics, the instructor showed me finger exercises or stretches that I did numerous times a day while soaking my hands in hot water or just sitting on the sofa or waiting at a traffic light. You can find several of the exercises online. I also experienced finger triggering at night, fingers pulling into the middle of my hand. That would wake me up at night. I would get up and soak my hands in very hot water, as hot as I could stand it for as long as I could stand it. Then either I or my husband would massage the center of my palms and that would relax my hands enough to stop the finger triggering. I also took and still take tumeric, ginger, resveratrol, and tart cherry herbs for inflammation. Until I found this way of eating, I lived on generic Aleve. I found that typing helped stretch my fingers also. From what I have read, when we are in pain, our muscles tend to tighten up which makes the pain worse. If you can do easy stretches, you might find that they will really help you.

Just be consistent with your elimination diet and I truly believe this will be your best way of controlling your RA. It is difficult but worth the effort.

[MtnMike]

You might like Dr. McDougall's new lecture on Inflammatory Arthritis given at the September ASW.

Search "free lectures" or search for Inflammatory Arthritis."

Mike

[ninanga]

hi ymedina,

My heart goes to you as I can relate to how you feel.

Jan 2014 I got a confirmed diagnose with RA but the symptom occurred six months before that, getting worse over time. Prior to getting RA, I was very active and healthy; but the pain made me willing to take strong dose of Advil 3, 4 times a day, then Prednisone every day in order to function; even though I never take a medicines prior to RA. RA doctor prescribed me Methotrexate on Feb, 2014 but I never took the med.

March 2014 I decided to stop all meds (Advil, Prednisone) and started Macrobiotics - I had only brown rice, red beans, lotus seeds, sesame seeds, tamari, and little walnuts, almond. The pain and swollen fingers, wrists, knees, ball of feet, shoulders, elbows did not go away/or reduced after 10 days but 2 months but very very slowly and incrementally.

Jun 2014 I started this WOE, I gained back some strength since I did not have appetite and did not eat enough with Macrobiotics diet. The pain gradually reduced and my fingers finally went back to their sizes in Sep, 2014. I am now about 80% pain free. I still not back to being as active as before but now in the morning at least I can take care of my kids, making their breakfast and lunch for school.

For me, this WOE helped but very slowly, I'm glad I stick with it, otherwise, I wouldn't have known. I am hoping I can eventually get back to play tennis, yoga, taichi and gardening again some day.

Any way, from March to mid Aug 2014, to deal with the RA pain all over my body w/o taking any medicines even Advil, I used the below method from Macrobiotic. The heat generated from hot ginger water gave me great relief but I got help from my husband to do this, 1-2 times a day.

"Put 200 grs grated fresh ginger in or a thin cloth pocket.
Boil 2 litres of water and dip this pocket into the boiled water and turn down the flame to simmer . Dip the corner part of a towel in the ginger water, while holding both ends. Take out the towel and wring it out tightly. Fold the towel in four and apply it directly on the pain area. It should be as hot as the receiver can bear. Cover hot towel with a dry one to keep heat.Put 200 grs grated fresh ginger in or a thin cloth pocket."

This is just my own experience and I'm sure others may have better insight/experience.
Hope you may find some relief from the pain.