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Recovery
from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Studies / Articles (and a few comments)
Hey, I'm not a trained scientist
, and some people will discount my arguments because of that.
However, remember I have been able to introduce
arthritis symptoms at will and
have now progressed to the point where I do not have RA
with joint erosion reversal documented by x-ray
. How many
rheumatologists can say they have patients like this?
Very few. There has not been a great amount of research
that covers subjects such as leaky gut and diet in relation to arthritis, but
if you look just a little, there are some studies that do relate to this. Below are a few
samples.
I'm very aware that not all studies are valid, but the ones here do show
that the concepts that have helped me are being researched (although VERY slowly due to
lack of funds).
Just because something is not in the mainstream does not mean it is without value.
I'm afraid that if I had been trained in traditional medicine, I would have been blinded
to the implications of this work.
Rheumatic disease and the Australian aborigine
Ann Rheum Dis 1999 May;58(5):266-70
Quote:
"No evidence was found to suggest that rheumatoid arthritis (RA),ankylosing
spondylitis (AS), or gout occurred in Aborigines before or during the
early stages of white settlement of Australia.....Since
white settlement, high frequency rates for rheumatic fever,
systemic lupus erythematosus, and pyogenic arthritis have been
observed and there are now scanty reports of the emergence of RA and
gout in these original Australians. CONCLUSION: The occurrence and
phenotype of various rheumatic disorders in Australian Aborigines
is distinctive but with recent changes in diet, lifestyle, and continuing genetic
admixture may be undergoing change."
My Comment:
Shades of the long deceased Dr. Weston Price! Price observed the same changes
dozens of times
in his book
NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL DEGENERATION,
described above on this page. More evidence for an
environmental link to rheumatoid arthritis.
Glutamine effects on permeability and ATP content of jejunal mucosa in starved rats.
Clin Nutr 1999 Oct;18(5):301-6
Quote:
"Starvation induces an increase in
intestinal permeability that can be of importance to intestinal
integrity."
My Comment: Recall Hans
Selye's research that showed how many types of stress can result in
the same physical breakdown.
This is one example.
Environmental stress causes mast cell degranulation,
endothelial and epithelial changes, and edema in the rat intestinal mucosa.
Microcirculation 1999 Sep;6(3):189-98
Quote:
"This study was performed to determine the effects of
environmental stress on the ultrastructure of the intestinal mucosa,
using the rat as an experimental model....CONCLUSIONS:
This study demonstrates that environmentally induced stress causes pathological
changes in the rat intestinal mucosa that compromise the
epithelial-endothelial exchange barrier. These results emphasize the
importance of closely monitoring the environment of experimental
animals and provide evidence to
stimulate further research into the mechanisms linking
mental stress to gastrointestinal
dysfunction in humans."
My Comment:
Selye's research continues to be validated. Here is
a different type of stress which causes the same type
of physical breakdown.
If this applies to humans (I'm betting it does as
most people recognize stress to be a factor in RA), this points to the need to learn and
practice relaxation techniques to help counter the stress we live with
every day.
Gastrointestinal allergy to food: a review.
J Diarrhoeal Dis Res 1997
Dec;15(4):211-23 Quote: "Gastrointestinal symptoms in food allergy have been explained by alterations in transport across the intestinal wall
(increased secretory and/or decreased absorptive functions), increased
permeability, and motility of the intestine. The exact pathogenesis of
food allergy is still not clear....The diagnosis of
food allergy is based upon a favorable response to an elimination diet
and a response to a challenge with the suspected food."
My
Comment: The
elimination diet described in this review does
NOT account for the other foods a person is
eating and that may cause the
SAME
reactions as the one that has been eliminated. That is one reason why
mainstream medicine believes only a small portion of people with RA have food
allergies. During the food
reintroduction phase of Dr. Mansfield's elimination diet, I found I
reacted (via increased RA pain and inflammation) to several foods:
wheat, dairy, yeast, black pepper. If all of these foods caused a
similar reaction for me, how can I take out just one and tell ANYTHING
?
Nutrition and chronic polyarthritis
Schweiz Rundsch Med Prax 1993 Mar 23;82(12):359-63
Quote: "Patients suffering
from chronic and incurable diseases often try to influence their
symptoms by dietary modification. The effect of complete fasting on
pain in rheumatoid arthritis is remarkable, but not fully
understood....In rare instances food allergy may cause or
aggravate arthritis."
My Comment: This article
speaks the mainstream view. Interesting how fasting
improves RA, but food allergies are rare. What else is it? In
thousands of arthritis patients, Dr. John Mansfield has had an
85% success rate in identifying food allergies by using his
elimination diet approach (not just taking out one or a few foods) to
improve RA symptoms. 85% does not sound "rare" to
me.
Diet and rheumatoid arthritis
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1989 Jan 10;109(1):29-32
Quote: "Several patients have experienced that their diet does affect the disease
activity. For many years this has been explained by rheumatologists
either as a result of natural variations in the disease activity, or as
reflecting a placebo effect. In recent years
several clinical trials seem to support patients' claims of an
interrelation between their diet and the disease
activity."
My Comment:
Of course natural variation in RA
occurs. However, the number of people who talk about the impact of diet
on their arthritis (you see a constant stream of people in online
discussion groups who encounter this situation), combined with my own
experience, also tells me most rheumatologists just don't know enough about
what is going on to say anything else. Unfortunately most people don't
know how to identify problem foods through proper elimination
diets.
Effect of dietary restrictions on disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis.
Ann Rheum Dis 1988
Jan;47(1):69-72
Quote: "Additions in five steps were made, as a possible
therapeutic measure, to the diet of 27 patients with rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) after a period of two weeks of a basal isocaloric diet
free from pulses, cereals, milk, and non-vegetarian protein foods.
Fourteen patients finally took part in the trial,
10 (71%) of whom showed significant clinical improvement. Only
three patients (11%) adhered to the diet for a period of 10
months....The study indicates that dietary
factors may influence inflammatory response in
RA."
My Comment: "71% of whom showed
significant clinical improvement." A pretty high success rate regardless of the number of patients involved.
Cereals and milk were removed - both common food
allergens. The normal modern diet includes these types of foods
at almost every meal. I would guess that is at least part of the reason
for the high response rate. This study also shows
how difficult it is to get people to change their diets, even
though their health is directly impacted. Personally I enjoy
being able to live without pain and function normally versus eating the
way I used to eat. As my RA continued to improve, I discovered my
tastebuds also changed. For the improvements I have
experienced, it has EASILY
been worth it. See the
Other
Benefits page for my health improvements.
Rheumatologic manifestations of gastrointestinal diseases.
Gastroenterol Clin North Am
1998 Sep;27(3):533-62, v
Quote: "One
of the most significant extraintestinal manifestations
of gastrointestinal diseases is rheumatologic disorders....Treatment of rheumatologic complications frequently
involves therapy directed at the underlying gastrointestinal
disease."
Review article: Role of the enteric microflora in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation and arthritis.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1997 Dec;11 Suppl 3:17-22; discussion
22-3
Quote:
"Strong associations
exist between intestinal inflammation and arthritis, ranging
from infections with enteric pathogens to idiopathic inflammatory bowel
disease....Data suggest that anaerobic bacteria
and other constituents of the normal luminal microbial flora induce
and sustain chronic intestinal inflammation and arthritis.
However, the normal host develops a tolerance to such bacteria
and maintains homeostasis through a controlled inflammatory response
and an almost impermeable mucosal barrier."
My Comment: As I have improved, my tolerance for foods that
previously caused me problems has greatly improved. As I did not have a
great deal of improvement with Mansfield's elimination diet, I have
taken an antifungal which helped control a yeast overgrowth
problem and gave my intestinal tract a chance to heal through a change
in diet and relaxation
techniques.
Gastrointestinal disorders in rheumatic diseases.
Curr Opin Rheumatol 1992 Feb;4(1):68-75
Quote:
"Abnormal exposure to bacterial or dietary antigen across
a diseased bowel wall may result in extraintestinal clinical
complaints. Persistence of this antigen for years at these
extraintestinal sites does occur, resulting in chronic and sometimes
autoreactive disease. Treating the bowel disease can "cure" the
extraintestinal complaints....In 1992, nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs remain essential in the treatment of various
rheumatologic complaints. Although these drugs do work, they
also produce gastrointestinal disease that may be far more extensive
than was formerly appreciated. This risk is obviously a problem, and
those who demand a change in our therapeutic
approach to arthritis probably have the right
idea."
My Comment: This article discusses
"leaky gut" and that treatment of it can "cure" autoreactive diseases
such as RA. Not sure what the quotes mean around the word cure other
than the author is being cautious about assigning the word cure to this
situation. Given my experience, I think the quotes should be removed.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) have improved in terms of
the stomach and intestinal damage they do, but
have gotten no closer to addressing the cause of the problem.
New disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs
(DMARDS) like Enbrel suppress symptoms and in some few cases actually seem
to help reverse some of the disease, but you have to keep taking these, and over the long term that
CAN'T
be a good thing. My approach was conservative: continue the methotrexate I
was taking to hopefully slow down the disease while changing my diet
and adding relaxation techniques to address the "leaky gut."
After several months I weaned off the immune system suppressing
methotrexate in August of 1998 and have continued to improve ever
since (see the
Timelines
page). I have not taken a NSAID since November of 1997. As the author above implies, the mainstream
approach to RA needs to be changed.
Questions? Comments?
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