Hi everyone. I just want to say that no matter what your choice
of treatment, diet is important. A couple of years ago, I was
really bad off. There were days I could hardly walk. I
lived in a fog and often ran a low grade fever. I was tired of
the swelling, the fatigue and the awful pain that migrated through my
body. I tried NSAIDs and other ant-inflammatories. I took
codeine and darvocet for pain. The rheumatoligist never spoke of
pred or biologics mostly because I didn't have a firm diagnosis.
Without classic bloodwork, it can be very frustrating. He told me
he thought it was early rheumatoid, but wouldn't rule out Lupus.
My husband was very worried about me and spent hours and hours
researching diet and nutrition. We eat alot of fruits and
vegetables. Raw is better, but steaming is preferable if you want
cooked veggies. The higher the heat, the more enzymes you
destroy. I eat some meats, if they are natural or organic.
I try to limit red meat. I avoid soda pop like the plague.
It is extremely acidic. I try to avoid processed sugar. Raw
sugar and honey are the most common sweeteners I use. I do not
use sugar substitutes like aspartame. I don't use white
flour. The dairy products I use are mostly raw. I get raw
cheese in the natural foods section. We tend our own chickens for
eggs, (not everyone can do this). Fruit smoothies are delicious
and very healthy as well. Sprouted breads are better for you, if
they don't have hydrogenated oil. My husband has a wheat allergy,
so he usually gets organic spelt bread, but we haven't found a sprouted
one yet. Basically, the less processed the food is that I eat,
the more benefit I get. I prefer organic food. It's more
work and more expense. But I can't put a price on the improvement
of my health. My husband and I early on decided that he would
stay home with the kids. At one point in time, I was so sick I
wasn't sure I'd be able to continue working. The business I
worked for sold, and I was on unemployment for awhile. I found a
part-time job and we were barely making it. We talked about him
working, but I prefer to be the one in the workforce. After
awhile on the new diet, I started to feel much better. I had more
energy, less pain, and alot more concentration. When a full time
position became available, I took it. I was worried at first that
I might not be able to handle it, but I've been just fine. Two
years ago, I was sluggish, pasty, and in constant pain. Now I
have more energy, my skin is more vibrant, and the pain is not gone,
but more manageable. My "bad" days now are like my "good" days a
couple of years ago. I went from a size 8 to a size 2/3.
Weight loss was not my goal, it was simply a side effect of changing my
eating habits to feel better. I know a size 8 is average, but the
less weight on the joints the better. I don't take daily
medication like before, only when needed which is rare. I didn't
diet. I made a lifestyle change. The improvements were slow
and steady. The weight loss was slow and steady. The
swelling is basically gone. The low grade fever is gone.
Don't get me wrong, I love potato chips too. I just don't eat
them as often, and when I do, I choose organic chips without
hydrogenated oils. I try to avoid hydrogenated oils which are
probably in about 85% of processed foods. Lays has come out with
natural chips. They're not all organic, but are quite tasty and
don't have the hydrogenated oils. Some of us with joint issues
are sensitive to potatos. I haven't found that correlation with
me, but there are organic corn chips that are quite tasty. It's
hard to give up alot of foods. It's not easy. But the
longer you work at improving your diet, the easier it becomes. I
tried a sip of soda the other day and thought it was disguisting.
Regular chips have become way to greasy and fake tasting. It's
amazing how your taste buds change. My children have actually
fought over the last brussel sprout. It's amazing. I know
that alot of people don't believe that diet will cure you, but neither
will the current medication choices. This is not a cure.
It's management. It may not work for everyone, but there is not a
one pill fits all solution either. We are not all on the same
diet or medication regiment. Some of us are managed, some of us
aren't. I just think that if it worked for me, it might work for
someone else. I'm not trying to preach. I just hope that
someone can have the same success as I have when doctors weren't any
help.
Thanks for reading my lengthy post.
God Bless,
Lael
I read your post and while I don't think it is the answer for me I'm glad it has worked for you.
Barb
Lael - brave of you to stick your head up out of the sand around here. I'm one hundred percent in agreement with your ideas - and firmly believe that a change of diet is making a difference for me. I think that some people find it impossible to imagine that food could make such a difference to their lives - yet it can make us fat or thin, well-nourished or malnourished, spotty or clear-skinned, and give us energy or leave us tired and grumpy.......... we are all what we eat! Look at me - I'm a courgette (zucchini)! Maggie S
Lael
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