Thoughts on Wheat Aggrevated Inflamation
DeClaude
Posts: 8
Please excuse the long build up to the point/question I will be asking all of you.
I am a chronic arthritis sufferer in both knees (each with a torn meniscus and both have been scoped) and both ankles (and now I think my left hip is going too!). I have lived every day with what I call background pain in these joints. Moving, straightening and weigh-bearing all caused pain. Getting up from a chair (or the toilet), going up stairs or trying to get into my truck all were decisions based on suffering through the immediate shot of pain I would have. Some days were better than others, but I think you get the idea. Overlay this background pain with the pain cause by sudden motion, the weather, acute flare ups of inflammation, and I was pretty miserable.
I would see my orthopedic doctor about every 4-6 months looking for a cortisone shot. We discusses knee replacement surgery, but he seemed to think I was too young (49, Male) and my meniscal cartilage wasn't bad enough - despite the pain. So I survived on cortisone and Tylenol for years, and my activity level dropped and I gained 50 lbs (now 275) over the last three years or so. I can not take NSAIDs for inflammation because I suffered a heart attack in 2007.
OK, we are almost there. I had weight management success earlier in life with low-carb (Atkins) eating. Since then a lot of bona fide scientific research has been done on keto-adaption and ketosis as a weight-loss tool. In my personal effort to try and get a better handle on things, I came across a video lecture by Dr. William Davis on the IHMC site run by Florida State University. His basic point is that the wheat we eat today across North America is the result of selective hybridization to increase yield. An unintended consequence is that today's wheat (which is in just about anything processed) has various proteins that are actually harmful to humans. Hi says that gluten sensitivity (ciliac disease) is only part of the story. Many people are sensitive to some degree or another to the other compounds found in modern wheat.
OK - here is the personal observation: Since I was going low carb anyway, I decided to cut out wheat completely - no low carb substitutes, low carb pasta or beer (most have wheat in there - some do not). I've been doing this for 10 days and my background arthritis pain is gone. I mean literally gone. Still have arthritis, still can feel stiff, still get a twinge if I twist the wrong way, but no chronic (ever-present) pain. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Has anyone else experienced this type of relief from dropping wheat from your diet?
I am a chronic arthritis sufferer in both knees (each with a torn meniscus and both have been scoped) and both ankles (and now I think my left hip is going too!). I have lived every day with what I call background pain in these joints. Moving, straightening and weigh-bearing all caused pain. Getting up from a chair (or the toilet), going up stairs or trying to get into my truck all were decisions based on suffering through the immediate shot of pain I would have. Some days were better than others, but I think you get the idea. Overlay this background pain with the pain cause by sudden motion, the weather, acute flare ups of inflammation, and I was pretty miserable.
I would see my orthopedic doctor about every 4-6 months looking for a cortisone shot. We discusses knee replacement surgery, but he seemed to think I was too young (49, Male) and my meniscal cartilage wasn't bad enough - despite the pain. So I survived on cortisone and Tylenol for years, and my activity level dropped and I gained 50 lbs (now 275) over the last three years or so. I can not take NSAIDs for inflammation because I suffered a heart attack in 2007.
OK, we are almost there. I had weight management success earlier in life with low-carb (Atkins) eating. Since then a lot of bona fide scientific research has been done on keto-adaption and ketosis as a weight-loss tool. In my personal effort to try and get a better handle on things, I came across a video lecture by Dr. William Davis on the IHMC site run by Florida State University. His basic point is that the wheat we eat today across North America is the result of selective hybridization to increase yield. An unintended consequence is that today's wheat (which is in just about anything processed) has various proteins that are actually harmful to humans. Hi says that gluten sensitivity (ciliac disease) is only part of the story. Many people are sensitive to some degree or another to the other compounds found in modern wheat.
OK - here is the personal observation: Since I was going low carb anyway, I decided to cut out wheat completely - no low carb substitutes, low carb pasta or beer (most have wheat in there - some do not). I've been doing this for 10 days and my background arthritis pain is gone. I mean literally gone. Still have arthritis, still can feel stiff, still get a twinge if I twist the wrong way, but no chronic (ever-present) pain. Coincidence? I don't think so.
Has anyone else experienced this type of relief from dropping wheat from your diet?
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Post your outcome over the next few weeks with this change. I would like to know if this is worth trying for my arthritis pain rather than the toxic injections and pills I take.0
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Will Do!0
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First of all, I would like to congratulate you on listening to your own body and finding something that helps with your pain. I like your term background pain....that describes it perfectly. As a former nurse, I have always been amazed at how differently each of our bodies reacts to food, meds and other things in our environment. Unfortunately, the idea of individual reactions will never make me rich as, to be successful, a book needs to promote or vilify certain foods.
Every plant we eat has been changed by hybridization - selective or natural. (off topic here......that is why I think anti GMO sentiments are a 1st world luxury IMHO). If wheat had never changed, if am certain there would still be someone who cannot tolerate it. I do agree that gluten is only part of the story though.
I am glad you wrote your story so others with inflammatory diseases could give this a try. Personally......I went gluten free for a whole year (by definition - wheat free) and did not find a single iota of difference in any symptoms. Although there are other foods I know I should never eat unless I am willing to put up with the consequences.
Perhaps at some point, you may (or not) want to introduce other gluten containing grains to see if that makes any difference.0 -
So it's the end of the second week and still no annoying background pain. Still have arthritis, still a little stiff and achey after a long day of activity (there's a word I haven't seen in a while!). Still focused on no wheat. The food cravings are gone. Didn't have one chip, bun, roll or beer during a very large family gathering over the 4th long weekend.
Since going wheat free as part of a low carb diet (15 days), and tracking on MFP (8 days), I lost 7 lbs, the bloated feeling, and the background pain that made everyday life miserable. Drop the wheat, what have you got to lose?0 -
I sounds like you have found something that works for you. Great! Glad to hear that some of the pain is gone! Plus, well done on the weight loss.0
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I'm going to give it a try. I'll let you know how it works out.0
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So I am not on an anti-wheat campaign, but it does seem to work for me. If you are interested in what made me give it up, check out the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition run by the University of Florida. They have a great lecture series. One of the guest lecturers was Dr. William Davis. Find your way there and watch his lecture on the issues with wheat as it is grown today. Dr. Jeff Volek also has a great lecture on keto-adaption and ketogenic (low carb) diets.
All of the IHMC lectures can also be found on the IHMC YouTube page here: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheIHMC
I'm not endorsing anything. I'm telling you what worked for me and where I found the info,
I hope it helps.0 -
Well I just spent a week with my brother, who has similar joint and pain issues and is over 300lbs. I am totally convinced wheat was the cause of my annoying, persistent, sometimes agonizing knee and ankle pain. One look at him and I'm never going back. The long and the short of it is that we did a lot of walking and kid activities over a week. I lost six pounds and feel pretty good, he feels horrible and can barely make it from the car to the door.
So it's been six+ weeks now with no real sharp inflamed pain. Don't get me wrong, I was tired and a little stiff, and my feet hurt at the end of a day walking around sightseeing, but I was fine the next morning. I think I found the right thing for me. I hope others can use my experience to their advantage.
I'd like to know if anyone else has had a similar transformation? Share your pain relief stories. Let's compare notes.0 -
DeClaude,
I am sorry you are suffering from the chronic pain of arthritis. I have psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia and I can truly relate.
I'm glad you brought up this topic. My pain management doctor (whose clinic practices integrative medicine) has put me on a gluten free/lactose free/low glycemic diet, all to help inflammation and pain. I have only been doing this since this past Tuesday. She (my doc) said that in order to have effective results and to give it time to heal your stomach lining, you need to try this route for at minimum one month to see results, and lower pain levels should be present by then. I can say that my body hurts, and I am sure that is probably due to detoxing from sugar/wheat. I went gf for years until I started eating like a normal person again, and I did notice when I was eating clean, I had much more mobility and less pain. Pain from irreversible damage was still present, but I had more energy, and was able to be active and go to the gym daily and take water aerobics twice a week.
I wish you success on your journey!0 -
I have been trying to limit wheat intake since starting on MFP last July. I am not totally wheat or gluten free, but I can really tell the difference when I have gluten and/or yeast. I have found a reduction in fibro/arthritis inflammation, tummy issues and mental fog since limiting gluten. I have also limited reduced sugar intake during this time as well. I think the reduction in gluten has helped reduce my sugar cravings. But definitely limiting both of these has been helpful in my weight loss journey.
I splurged and had a little regular Papa John's pizza last night and feel really yukky today. Really is hard to be so strict when hubby can eat whatever wants. He is 6 foot 6 inches tall so his calorie limit is much higher than mine is as a female at 5 foot 4.5 inches. When we goes places now I either have to order 1/2 size entree or kid size and often still give him some of mine. It has been hard to adjust to consistently eating 1200 calories or less a day, but the results are worth it.0 -
I had a similar experience. I have a gaggle of other chronic illnesses that have contributed to diet restrictions. If you look up Dr. Andrew Weil you will find information on anti-inflammatory food choices, I was turned into it by a naturopathic doctor I was seeing. Threes a pyramid and lots of advice and recipes.0
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I grew up in an Italian family so gluten free is out of the question for me
However, I have done a lot of reading on the Candida Diet which cuts out wheat, sugar, and pretty much anything white (I guess it's similar to Paleo) . All of my ailments (fibromyalgia, endometriosis, reynaud's syndrome) are triggered by excess candida. I did do something, however for a test, I took AZO Yeast (I know gross pills) and it stopped the restless legs that I had when I tried to sleep so I believe there's something to this.
Again, It is nearly impossible for me to give up wheat. I always am interested to see results for those who this is successful for!0
