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I was formally trained in rheumatology at the VA hospital in Houston, TX, and I can say that diet and nutritional recommendations to patients were discouraged and in most cases frowned upon by our attending physicians. It was actually this experience that prompted me to dig deeper into the connection between autoimmune disease and food.
Over the past 10 years, I have treated thousands of patients with arthritic conditions. The most single effective therapies have always been diet and exercise. The paradox with exercise... It is harder to stick to if it flares up the arthritis. The problem with food...everyone reacts uniquely based on their own unique chemistry. But it only makes sense that if drugs can target inflammation as a treatment, why can't food. After all, isn't food a drug of sorts?
I have found that medical research greatly supports this connection, but more importantly, I have found that patients get better after eliminating inflammatory foods from their diets. What foods should we avoid to help recover from arthritis? Depends on the person. Everyone is unique.
Drugs only mask inflammation, they do not correct the source. Many pain meds also cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This side effect can prevent long term healing. For example, NSAIDS (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can cause folic acid and vitamin C deficiency. Both of these vitamins are crucial for the body to be able to repair damaged cartilage, joints, tendons, and ligaments. See the diagram below:
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Forms of Arthritis That Benefit With Diet Changes:
Common Foods Associated With Joint Pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Lupus
- spondyloarthritis
- psoriatic reactive arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Scleroderma
- Myofascitis
- Dermatomyositis
In my clinical experience the following short list of foods commonly contribute to arthritis. The list is not comprehensive.
Foods That May Help Reduce Inflammation
- Grain (all grains including wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn, rice, millet, sorghum, etc)
- Nightshades (potato, eggplant, tomato, peppers, tobacco)
- Hydrogenated Fats (hardly a food, but added to a lot of processed food items)
- Sugar (in all processed forms)
- Coffee and Tea
- Soy
- Peanuts
There are many, but I have comprised a list of some generally very helpful anti-inflammatory foods here...
All the best,
Dr. Osborne - AKA The Gluten Free Warrior
I have comprised a list of some generally very helpful anti-inflammatory foods here..
so what happened to the link I could do with the advice, that despite a "good" diet and "good" exercise I have appalling lumbar pain and seemingly arthritic elbows - plus circulation problems where my hands go numb in my sleep or even if they are drawn higher than heart - which according to doctors is in good shape and my pulse can go down 36 when relaxed.
I wonder at some of the items I consume such as tea and sugar and bread and potatoes and rice and pasta which I like and have always understood were good for me.
I have a mediterranean diet specifically with high olive oil content low red meat , but fish &chicken and salads and vegetables and fruit and olives!
This is deja vu situation, I remeber now, because I have been here before but nobody wants to answer these things.
Like you say Gluten Warrior - All the best,