joint pain....
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I've been trying to do better on my carbs but still going quite a bit over my goal, up to the 60s. And the pain is still there. *sigh*
I see three possible causes:
Grains (the low carb tortillas, tortilla chips, etc)
Legumes (black beans, peanuts)
Nightshades (the tomato bases)
I know for me, the biggest inflammation culprit were the grains. Try dropping them out and switch to things like salads (instead of tacos) and lettuce wraps for a week or two and see how you feel. It should also help with your carb goal.
If you're still having issues, drop the nightshades (yeah, that means dropping the tomatoes; sad, I know). Again, give it a week or two and see how you feel.
(I would recommend keeping the grains out until you get rid of your pain/inflammation, then re-introduce things. That way, you have a no-pain baseline from which to work.)KnitOrMiss wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »I need to read up on Hyaluronic Acid.
@Dragonwolf posted some good information on it recently, and it has helped restore her back function. @carimiller7391 also has had great success with it. I have to attribute the fact that I have successively had to ice my knee less and less to this as well. It is a less common usage to use it this way, orally, as it is typically injected directly in surgery and recovery, but it really seems to help my pain levels.
It was literally a life-saver for me. I have degenerative disc disease in my L4-L5 and L5-S1 discs (the ones at the base of the spine, right where it meets the hips). It got to a point where I was having trouble moving at all without excruciating pain. Despite chiropractic help and massage therapy, I was still in a large amount of pain (the chiro was able to take some of the pressure off and keep the vertebrae from crushing what was left of the discs, while the massage therapy helped with the muscle imbalances and other issues that stemmed from the spinal issue).
I basically started getting desperate and found Hyaluronic Acid. At the time, I had wanted to do more research (since I was finding mixed info, but a lot was done with the injections and wanted to get more info about the oral supplement), but I got to the point where I felt I had nothing to lose by trying it.
I buy NOW Foods brand, which is $18 for 120 caps on Amazon, which is a 2-month supply at 2 caps per day. At that dose, I started feeling better after about a week, and by the end of two weeks, my total pain had gone from the 7-9 range to the 2-4 range, most of which feels like muscle pain/tightness from having a desk job and residual from the imbalances caused by the since-corrected compression issue that threw my spine and hips out of alignment.
The caveat that I found was that it works best for "wear and tear" type of joint issues - osteoarthritis, injuries, degenerative disc disease, etc. - but can backfire for inflammation type joint issues - rheumatoid arthritis, etc. So be aware of what the cause of your pain is before trying HA, and if pain increases, stop supplementing. (HA works by hydrating the joint tissue, which can increase their mass. This works great if your joints are "drying up," but if they're inflamed, you're just adding more pressure to them, basically.)
Another nice thing that I found is that it doesn't seem to require constant supplementing to keep the benefits. You can take it for a few weeks, or just use up the bottle, and you might not have to keep going with it. It doesn't seem to hurt, though, so another good option is dropping to a "maintenance dose" of 1 cap a day.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »I've been trying to do better on my carbs but still going quite a bit over my goal, up to the 60s. And the pain is still there. *sigh*
I see three possible causes:
Grains (the low carb tortillas, tortilla chips, etc)
Legumes (black beans, peanuts)
Nightshades (the tomato bases)
I know for me, the biggest inflammation culprit were the grains. Try dropping them out and switch to things like salads (instead of tacos) and lettuce wraps for a week or two and see how you feel. It should also help with your carb goal.
If you're still having issues, drop the nightshades (yeah, that means dropping the tomatoes; sad, I know). Again, give it a week or two and see how you feel.
(I would recommend keeping the grains out until you get rid of your pain/inflammation, then re-introduce things. That way, you have a no-pain baseline from which to work.)KnitOrMiss wrote: »GaleHawkins wrote: »I need to read up on Hyaluronic Acid.
@Dragonwolf posted some good information on it recently, and it has helped restore her back function. @carimiller7391 also has had great success with it. I have to attribute the fact that I have successively had to ice my knee less and less to this as well. It is a less common usage to use it this way, orally, as it is typically injected directly in surgery and recovery, but it really seems to help my pain levels.
It was literally a life-saver for me. I have degenerative disc disease in my L4-L5 and L5-S1 discs (the ones at the base of the spine, right where it meets the hips). It got to a point where I was having trouble moving at all without excruciating pain. Despite chiropractic help and massage therapy, I was still in a large amount of pain (the chiro was able to take some of the pressure off and keep the vertebrae from crushing what was left of the discs, while the massage therapy helped with the muscle imbalances and other issues that stemmed from the spinal issue).
I basically started getting desperate and found Hyaluronic Acid. At the time, I had wanted to do more research (since I was finding mixed info, but a lot was done with the injections and wanted to get more info about the oral supplement), but I got to the point where I felt I had nothing to lose by trying it.
I buy NOW Foods brand, which is $18 for 120 caps on Amazon, which is a 2-month supply at 2 caps per day. At that dose, I started feeling better after about a week, and by the end of two weeks, my total pain had gone from the 7-9 range to the 2-4 range, most of which feels like muscle pain/tightness from having a desk job and residual from the imbalances caused by the since-corrected compression issue that threw my spine and hips out of alignment.
The caveat that I found was that it works best for "wear and tear" type of joint issues - osteoarthritis, injuries, degenerative disc disease, etc. - but can backfire for inflammation type joint issues - rheumatoid arthritis, etc. So be aware of what the cause of your pain is before trying HA, and if pain increases, stop supplementing. (HA works by hydrating the joint tissue, which can increase their mass. This works great if your joints are "drying up," but if they're inflamed, you're just adding more pressure to them, basically.)
Another nice thing that I found is that it doesn't seem to require constant supplementing to keep the benefits. You can take it for a few weeks, or just use up the bottle, and you might not have to keep going with it. It doesn't seem to hurt, though, so another good option is dropping to a "maintenance dose" of 1 cap a day.
So here's an odd thought. My knee has gotten better, but my wrist is the same, and occasionally worse, but the knee is a wear and tear thing, and part of my wrist problem has been wear and tear AND inflammation. I'm wondering what to do now... SIGH0 -
Before I cut carbs to <50 grams by stopping eating food containing sugar and or grains my joint pain levels stayed very high. I had added coconut oil 2 months before I left carbs cold turkey and still had the pain. The coconut oil may have played a role in my IBS being cured within six months after ditching food containing sugar and grains. 30 days after I cut out food containing sugar and or grains my pain level tumbled by the end of Oct 2014 and still remain low 11 months later.0
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Wow, so much info. I'm going to get back on plan... once my awesome Puerto Rican food is finished.
I ran out of the low carb tortillas and don't intend to keep them in the house anyway, so I won't replace them. And the corn chips and stuff like that are obviously not part of my plan, so out they go. Nightshades include so many of my favorites, though, so I'll start with the legumes (I don't even like beans anyway, but peanut butter?!) and grains.... 0 -
I did the May challenge of eating only from the animal kingdom for that month. Mid June I began to add back one higher carb food (onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado) one at a time and have been able to see how they affect me. Has been a great way to eliminate foods that my body doesn't like. Such as, onions clogging my sinuses and tomatoes increase my fibromyalgia pain. This woe has helped me in many ways!0
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Have you tried making cheese taco shells? That's what I do when I'm in the mood for tacos. Put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a fry pan on medium heat. Cover it, not too thick, with shredded cheese. When it all melts together and starts turning brown and crispy on the ends, turn it over for just a minute or two. Then take it out and drape it over a wooden spoon handle or something similar until it dries and hardens. LC taco shell - no grains. It might take a bit of practice, my first couple were lopsided and a bit out of shape, LOL. but it's not that hard. Also works as a flat "tortilla" base, or fill and roll for enchiladas. Use mozzarella cheese as a flat pizza base.0
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DebraWilliams1 wrote: »Have you tried making cheese taco shells? That's what I do when I'm in the mood for tacos. Put a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a fry pan on medium heat. Cover it, not too thick, with shredded cheese. When it all melts together and starts turning brown and crispy on the ends, turn it over for just a minute or two. Then take it out and drape it over a wooden spoon handle or something similar until it dries and hardens. LC taco shell - no grains. It might take a bit of practice, my first couple were lopsided and a bit out of shape, LOL. but it's not that hard. Also works as a flat "tortilla" base, or fill and roll for enchiladas. Use mozzarella cheese as a flat pizza base.
Yum! I do make cheese chips, but never taco shells. That's a must-try! 0 -
I did the May challenge of eating only from the animal kingdom for that month. Mid June I began to add back one higher carb food (onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado) one at a time and have been able to see how they affect me. Has been a great way to eliminate foods that my body doesn't like. Such as, onions clogging my sinuses and tomatoes increase my fibromyalgia pain. This woe has helped me in many ways!
I have noticed onions and my body are not friends. But I should do an elimination diet to pinpoint where my problem areas are.0
