So much to tell.... I ave been going to Mercola since April and have had a signicant improvement. I originally went there to go on AP, however he starts you off on metabolic testing first. Actually, Dr. Mercola does not see patients anymore... I am see another doctor and a nutritionist and a Autonmomic Response Tester etc etc. My insurance covers everything.
They are very ANTI-GRAINS. They feel they are very inflammatory. I have been completely off grains and sugar since April.
I am OFF of prednisone completely. I am OFF Planquenil completely. I have reduced my Imuran from 200 to 100mg daily. I take my Enbril once every 2 weeks instead of every week.
More importantly I feel so much better. I have put off starting AP but have NOT ruled it out. I would rather see an AP doctor who would closely monitor me. I have an appt with and AP doctor but cant get in until December.
I eat lots of protein and lots of greens and rice. I eat raw cheeses and rice crackers and vegetables and fruit. Most importantly I am still enjoying my cup of coffee in the morning and I still enjoy a little wine on the weekends. You still need a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let me know if you have any questions!!
I have a question! When you say no grains is it no grains except rice, or no grains with gluten, or just no wheat? I'm confused because of the rice.I am a "carb type" according to their metabolic testing and they initially pulled me off of wheat. However, during the ART sessions I kept testing for gluten sensitivity...so they took me off oats as well. I am basically gluten free. I can eat brown rice...and believe me I do!
The weird thing is that being off of sugar and gluten was extremely hard initially...but I started to feel so much better. I have NO desire to cheat and I was addicted to sugar. I can't go back to living in that much pain. I am still stiff in the morning..mostly my feet and hands. But today my pain was a 1 out of 10. I was so bad two years ago..I couldn't get down the stairs in the morning. I would have to sit down and heave my bum down one step at a time.
I had to cut back on my accupunture appointments because cash is tight right now. I found a great accupunturist who only works on my feet and hands. She hooks the needles up to electric stimulation and leaves me be for about a half hour. This really helped my hands too.
Gena,
I am so happy for you. The euphoria that comes with being pain free after such a long time living with pain, is so hard to communicate with others. I encourage you on your road to health and celebrate with you.
I too have been gluten free and sugar free for about a year now. I find being gluten free harder than being sugar free. Have you discovered agave nectar yet? It is from cacti. It has the consistancy of honey but not the distinct taste of honey. Last night I made some ginger beer with it and it was wonderful. (1/3 cup fresh ginger, 1 quart water, 1 cup agave, 1 tablespoonful of lime rind and 1/8 cup of fresh lime juice. Mix all together and chill for 4 hours. then strain and discard the solids.)
I found that it was easier to find substitutes for the foods I loved then try to eliminate them from my diet.
If you want to share recipes feel free to PM me.
Marybeth
I am soo happy for you that this is working so well!!! Keep us updated on how you are feeling and what the AP doctor says when you end up seeing him/her.
~Shannon~
Hey Gena -
What can you tell us about metabolic testing? I looked into it and the cost was prohibitive with his program. Do you think it is very right on? Are there any other books besides his? Can you tell if it's similar to the 'blood type' diets. The reason I'm asking is while all my inflammation is down - I still think there is a gut connection and I want to concentrate on that. I'm thinking a 2 prong attack of healing the gut and killing microbes could, in theory, offer a chance at a real cure. What do you think?
Pip
Have you heard of
"Rheumatoid Arthritis : The Infection Connection"
I think it is written by Poehlman. It is all about the gut connection and has so much interesting information. The metabolic testing was part of my program so all I paid was a 10 dollar co-pay and sat with the nutritionist for 90 minutes. That was unbelievable. As a "carb" type I should be eating protein at every meal. Light colored protein and wild ocean fish. I need leafy greens but NOT spinach. Also, low carb veggies. I do the smoothie thing in the morning and I add Jay Robbs egg white protein powder and I add a new probiotic called NuFerm Whole Foods that is powdered.
The other supplements they have me on are Krill Oil and digestive enzymes. I also do the BioMatrix drops Pregenolone & DHEA.
I have my labs done again in November and the only other supplements he has talked about adding are magnesium and B Vitamins.
Thanks for all of your support!!
I
I recently sat down with a nutritionist and while I have this new diet; there was just something wrong with her advice. I think that's why I've delayed asking my hubby to write it up so I could post it. So I need more information to compare what she's saying.
I'll get the book you mentioned. Heard a lot of good things about it.
Any other suggestions?
We are SOOOOOO happy for you! You go girl! There is way to much connection to the gut for us. I just feel overwhelmed on learning this.
Hugs!
Pip
P.S. Any tidbits in your learning that you thought fascinating that you'd like to share? I was reading JustSay's posts in Odds and Ends and was fascinated in some to the info in the reports. Like the need for cholesterol for nanobacteria to bind too. Again, something that ties into the 'gut' connection.
Hugs again!
Pip
I read The Cure by Dr. Timothy Brantley who touts grainfree, raw diets to keep all diseases out of the body. I love carbs-(whole grain bread and pasta) much more than meat so I thought his eating program would be too hard for me. If you were supposed to cut out meat-- no problem! Not only that, I live in a less progressive town that doesn't offer a lot of variety.
Gena, does Dr. Mercola have other clinics? I read his web site all the time and have wondered if he is right about all those controversial topics. What do you think about microwaving food by the way?
Jodi
I went to hear Mercola speak at a conference and he is just so controversial it is amazing. All he does is research research research and his newsletter. He was almost shut down by the FDA 15 years ago for touting fish oils....how many people take fish oils now??
He is really too radical for me with a lot of stuff. He is really into raw..RAW dairy. There is a huge movement with the raw dairy. You pay 10 bucks to get into a co-op and then it is considered a private club. The dairy farmers drop off the milk at a private residence and people drive 30 miles to pick up their raw milk. Don't get me started on the raw meat people. I am not passing judgement..I am a really open person...the raw meat thing just makes me nauseous personally.
I truly believe in the gut connection..I will keep researching it..it is hard to stay motivated when you are in pain. Since my pain has subsided so much and I have been able to wean off so many of the drugs ..it is easier for me to stay focused.
The other thing that Mercola really stresses is exercise....vigorous. Who can exercise when they can barely move?? I couldn't. Now, I get irritated if a day goes by and I didn't exercise. I am much less stiff the next day the harder I exercise.
Glad to know there are other people on this path!!
I've been reading a book called "Real Food" by Nina Planck. She advocates avoidance of what she calls "industrialized" food that has been heavily processed. She also advocates raw milk products and grass fed, free range, meat. I am slowly transitioning away from processed foods and am feeling better, though I still don't think it's a cure for RA. I buy a lot of my food now at the local farmer's market, including wild fish and organic cheese. I buy mostly Niman Ranch meats which is a consortium of small ranches that don't use antibiotics, growth hormones, or confine their animals. It's difficult to buy raw milk. She points out that raw milk can be risky and it's important to know the dairy that it comes from...that it's clean and well maintained. The biggest reason milk has to be pasteurized is that cows are kept in close quarters, forcing them to be fed antibiotics to control the spread of disease. Unfortunately the pasturization process destroys a lot of the health benefits of the milk. She also makes the point that excessive use of polyunsaturated fats, like corn oil, to cook with can cause many health problems. The fat breaks down too easily and becomes rancid. I cook with light olive oil combined with real butter now. I'm avoiding refined grains but not whole grains...don't think it's a problem for me. I also avoid refined sugar, though haven't stopped it completely.
Alan