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Leila's Story

Perseverance to be Pain Free

I was diagnosed with RA in 1995. I didn't know what RA was and had no concept of the damage it could do. The RA attacked my feet first and made it very painful to walk. There were times when I would be on crutches or have to use a cane. I read everything I could find on this terrible disease and learned I was fighting a losing battle. Being a very active person, I was not willing to accept limitations. Then I came across an article on breakthrough diets for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Around this time, my knee was acting up so much that my doctor had scheduled me for surgery. When I read this article I immediately tried the suggestions thinking I could avoid a surgery (I hate needles!). Upon trying this diet, my knee stopped swelling, the pain was gone and I could move my knee like it had never been affected! At my pre-op appointment my doctor was amazed, he couldn't believe he was looking at the same knee. 

I have read a lot of articles over the years, and I developed a negative response to most of those joint cures, but this diet costs nothing, and may help you! If I help one person by writing this article I will be so happy. I want someone else to experience the success I have. 

HOW FOOD CAN AFFECT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA)

Several scientific studies have shown food can be a controlling agent in RA. In one way, specific food components can relieve pain and naturally oil the joints to ease movement. Another way is to avoid specific foods that may cause an allergic type reaction that triggers RA symptoms in the joints. After doing a fast and introducing one food at a time, I found my offender is milk and milk products. Just a glass of milk doesn't cause me pain, but I have found if over a period of a week of consuming milk products every day, I will be in horrible pain and have bad swelling. If, however, I limit my milk intake to one half glass every other day, I have no painful joints at all! The article I read suggests the following foods can aggravate RA and cause pain and swelling. Since RA affects every person differently, the food allergy will also affect every person differently. I have only found milk to be my enemy, but other people find the enemy to be red meat, or any of the food items in this list.

The great thing about the article on breakthrough diets for RA is that it doesn't dictate a specific diet schedule or specific diet foods (I find it so hard to follow a diet like that). This diet gives you guidelines to follow and lists foods to avoid. Basically, it suggests you go on a bland, rice-based diet, staying completely away from the main offenders listed above. I found this hard at first (I like all those items on the list), but I decided it was a matter of pain or no pain, good food or diet food! After a while, when I started noticing the pain and swelling subsiding and the range of movement in my joints getting better, I began to appreciate the rice-based diet. As every person is different, you will have to judge when it feels right to introduce one of the foods you usually eat into your diet. Then it's a process of watching and feeling how that food makes your body feel before you introduce another. This process continues until you find the foods that cause you pain, then you just stay away from those foods!

Since I have followed this diet to control my RA, the disease has slowed to almost unnoticeable. I can't tell you that it goes completely away, but I did get a quality of life and freedom of movement back that I never thought would be possible. Before I found this diet, the RA had eaten its way through both feet and one knee. I have no cartilage in my feet and had to have surgery on my right foot to remove the bones because they were separated from the joint and causing me horrible pain when I walked. The RA started working on my right shoulder when I started the diet and since I have been on this diet for the last year, I enjoy little things like being able to bend my knee, or open a door with my right arm. These are little victories to me that I hope you too will be able to experience.


Leila Steer