Suffering from the pain of rheumatoid arthritis was never something I thought that I would have to endure. My rheumatologist can’t say what caused this condition, although there are known contributing factors. Women are more likely to suffer from rheumatoid arthritis than men and a family history of the disease may increase the risk of developing RA. Stress may also play a role as well as smoking and exposure to environmental toxins. This doesn’t really explain juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which can attack the very young.
So far, the only way to stop the progression of RA is by permanently suppressing the inflammatory response. Suppressing the inflammatory response means also suppressing the immune system. Not a good thing, especially with the Covid 19 virus running rampant throughout the world. I have so far been fortunate to have not contracted this virus while continuing to work a full time job throughout this pandemic. This pandemic, unfortunately will not be the last and I pray that we can do the right thing as a species to help eliminate these types of viruses – Umm… stop destroying our planet! That said, we can only do our best to limit our individual exposure and try to keep our families safe.
Theories are developing which may point to dysbioitic intestinal flora, which is the loss of beneficial bacteria and an increase in pathogenic microbes being associated with chronic inflammatory syndromes better known as autoimmune diseases. Clint Paddison, who is also afflicted by RA believes the lack of beneficial bacteria in the gut may have lead to his “leaky gut” which is a term used to describe intestinal permeability or tiny holes which allow undigested food proteins to escape into the blood stream. These proteins are seen as foreign bodies and cause the immune system to engage. With time, joint tissue can come under fire since their proteins look similar to those entering the blood. This theory sounds right to me, and since I have been following Clint for a couple of years now, I have seen his improvement using his approach to combating this disease.
When I first joined the Paddison Program, I was in terrible shape and the only way to regain any of my muscle mass and strength was to take an immunosuppressant. I wanted to try his program right away but I was just too far gone. I have read and tried many other treatments this past couple of years, some being successful in alleviating some of my pain and others not so much. I’m now ready for something new.
There have been several clinical studies which have shown that therapeutic fasting produces anti-inflammatory effects. The digestion of food takes a considerable amount of energy, and if your body never gets a chance to be free of this process, it doesn’t have the chance to use this energy to clean up damaged or otherwise unhealthy cells. The diet after completing the fast will need to consist of anti-rheumatic foods which may help to further control symptoms of this, so far incurable disease.
Certain foods, namely buckwheat groats, leafy greens, quinoa and sweet potatoes can help to increase the good bacteria in the gut and are anti-inflammatory foods. Everyone is different, and what works for one individual may not be helpful at all to another, depending upon other factors such as food allergies. Refined sugar, being an anti-nutrient is not beneficial at all to anyone with or without an autoimmune condition. There are healthier alternatives to sugar. Just saying… I throw that in whenever I can, but no-one seems to listen. All I can do is try.
Clint Paddison’s research found a study showing that people who went on a 10-day water fast had a dramatic decrease in symptoms. When he tried fasting, his symptoms were gone in a couple of days. This alone is enough for me to try water fasting for myself. Now, water fasting doesn’t mean drinking water alone. (Some people claim that it does only include water, but I’ll choose not to go along with that theory.) I would never be able to drink just water for 3-10 days. Seriously, I doubt that I would go more than 3 days on a fast. A water fast includes, coffee and tea with no cream or sugar, sparkling water, fruit infusions, apple cider vinegar, water with sea-salt and bone broth. You can also continue to take vitamins and prescription medication. Technically, the bone broth will break the fast, but won’t throw you out of ketosis.
I started a three-day fast last Thursday evening. My thinking was that I didn’t want my last day of the fast to be on Monday, my busiest day of the week, and I might be a little bit testy. No, it’s better to start on Friday and I easily made it through work, but my entire fast only lasted about 20 hours. I was totally unprepared, but I’m psyching myself up for another try! I was unprepared because I did not have any bone broth and none of the foods to eat when I break the fast. I made bone broth yesterday and bought some greens, sweet potatoes, buckwheat groats. I already had quinoa and some sparkling water so now I just need to mentally prepare. If you think a fast might help with your condition, remember to talk with your doctor before starting a fast.
I will probably . . no definitely include some other foods such as blueberries and salmon in my post water fast diet and pray for some relief. Clint Paddison was able to stop taking methotrexate by fasting and changing his diet, and I would like to do the same.