Anti-Inflammatory Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Omega 3 should equal your Omega 6 intake 1:1 with RA.
I use unsweetened flax milk as a coffee creamer for ALA and supplement DHA and EPA. The body can convert ALA to DHA and EPA but the conversion rate is extremely low.

I have a few AI disorders, plus diabetes, and am currently undergoing testing of my liver for AI Hep. Try not to be jealous of my life

Anyhow, I haven't ever found anything that truly helps. I've had my first AI disorder since the age of 11 (I'm now 36). Eating low-carb, which I do to manage diabetes, has helped with some of my joint pain. My body carries around less bloat and water which my joints seem to find favorable. Really though I've resigned myself to being on medication for my entire lifetime. I think controlling weight is actually far more important in the long run.

mbaker566 wrote: »

MikePfirrman wrote: »

There are certain conditions like RA that are especially difficult but nearly all chronic pain can be lessened with some of the same things my wife was willing to do -- cut out gluten, sugar, vegetable oils. Limit dairy and go to a WFPB (whole food plant based) diet.

yeah, none of the worked for me-myalgia and more
and don't you dare take my dairy from me. that was the worst when i tried to go without.

There was a very comprehensive review (review of all the various studies) that just came out last year. Basically, it said if you're not allergic to cow dairy, dairy might not cause inflammation, but it was much better to have fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir) and it seemed like whey was an inflammation reducer (again, only for those not allergic to cow dairy). My wife tested highly allergic to cow dairy. I would say that anyone that has chronic inflammation should know how they react to dairy. It was pretty clear to her, even before testing, that she was allergic to it. Overall, what they are finding is that animal products create a different class of bacteria in your microbiome, making you more prone to inflammation (generally, but as the review indicated, there are exceptions).

I've found adding digestive microbe supplements have helped me over come problems which started from having used antibiotics and medications in the distant past. When one's nutritional needs are compromised the body is less able to replace the dietary enzymes we should be making to break down our food groups properly, I've made good use supplementing with these too. I really benefited from knowing the things I react to, so having allergy and intolerance testing was a turning point for me.

There are so many things which can impact on our health, metal toxicity, amalgam fillings were, may still be the cause of many an issue. Furniture and fabrics can give off chemicals. Living close to busy roads being surrounded by vehicle emissions can compromise our health. The quality of our water and many more things which have become part of our modern lives can cause the individual health issues. Genetics do underpin reactions, epigenetics is sowing us circumstances around us cause switches to be changed, returning our individual systems to a non switched position is probably something in the offing but for most will not be available for most of us.

When one talks of hormones, there is often a grown. In addition to the chemicals mentioned above there are things taken fore granted the hormonal inputs from contraception even the introduction of copper to the female body increase the disruption of every day life causing many women to have Oestrogen Dominance, displacing progesterone and things. Many animals in our food chain are given growth promoting hormones which have effects on an individual, we are complicated enough beings that we have our own triggers and effects.

I believe its by making use of allergy/intolerance testing to discover our personal triggers should enable us to find our own personal dietary protocol to reduce the inflammation which causes our individual health issues be it Rheumatoid Arthritis, MS, Fibro, Hashi, asthma and the many, an increasing number, of autoimmune health problems.

One caveat: I was tested in the NHS for dairy reactions, the result was negative. Later I was tested privately and discovered I was positive for casein intolerance, its more common than lactose. Casein comes in 4 types, 1 is bovine - most cattle, t2 is goat/sheep, closest to human milk, by testing some cattle are also type 2. 3 and 4 tend to be present in all milk and do not seem to cause a problem. Previously I'd experimented with goat dairy and felt easier, only because there were other things going on I was not improved to the extent I am now.

From experience I know if diary/casein is an issue avoidance of 48 hours will see a positive change. Where gluten is involved it can take weeks to even months to achieve any benefits, then even the smallest slip can send one back to square one for reactions, depending on how badly one is compromised. It is very much, finding your own protocol, true there are many things which are common to many but do not apply to all. Then with every elimination one puts oneself at risk of being deficient in some vitamin and/or mineral, complex.

At the time of writing there is no test for Salicylate Intolerance, plants use this as a defence against moulds and mildews, we can eliminate it to some extent but when we are less able to make the required enzyme even dietary levels build up creating difficulties. Moulds in our homes can also cause health issues.

We all know of Hay Fever, and it is put down to Histamine Intolerance. Histamine Intolerance can be much broader than pollen, it can effect the foods we eat. There are some in the Histamine Intolerance spectrum who are unable to eat shop bought meats and the like because they have been kept too long, needing to find their foods from the freshest places possible. The combination of vit b6 with vit c can help the body make its own DAO histaminase.

There is research which shows Omega 3 will help take down inflammation. I have read, the omega 3 in Flax oil/seeds may be more flexable than fish oil in forming the subset of "chemicals" the body turns the O3 into. When at my worst, I was advised to use good levels of O3 by a professer in Immunology because of its antinflamitory properties.

It was after a tv programme I tried vit b 12 with its required enzyme, doing so made such a difference to me. Being tested for b12 deficiency could be helpful, it is possible to have good haemoglobin levels but have underlying b12 deficiency.

This Autoimmunity thing is so big its impossible to address all aspects in an online post. I hope anyone with an autoimmune condition, or even any health problem which seems to defy understanding will read into the effects and causes of inflammation. Never give up. Do what is right for you. Best wishes to all.

I would like to refer readers of this thread to the publication, WHAT DOCTORS DON'T TELL YOU, September issue.
WDDTY.COM. page 28 starts a special report. Poisoned in slow motion. Has some interesting scientific information on why Autoimmunity is growing.
Sorry something has come up, my time on here is up, for now.