Re: Gluten sensitivity and RA

January 24, 2010

I went gluten free for a month, on December 25th I fell off the wagon, all those

goodies were to hard to resist! I noticed no difference in the way I felt. I

plan to start again tomorrow and hopefully give it a good 2 to 3 month run, hope

to see a difference in that amount of time.

Sue

---- " Harald Weiss wrote:

> Dear Group,

>

> The following statements are from the chapter " Rheumatoid Arthritis

> and Gluten " in the book " Dangerous Grains " by Braly, M.D., and

> Ron Hoggan, M.A.

>

> " A variety of antibody tests have revealed non-celiac gluten

> sensitivity in 34% of juvenile arthritis patients and 47% of adult

> rheumatoid arthritics. Although such elevated antibody levels were

> long considered to be the result of increased intestinal permeability

> caused by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) pain

> management, there is now solid evidence to counter this view... They

> suggest that their results may point to a gluten factor that begins

> this destructive inflammatory joint disease in these patients. We agree.

>

> Reports of arthritis, after discovery of celiac disease, indicate

> that the arthritis pain either improves or completely resolves on a

> gluten-free diet. There is often little need for pain relieve after a

> few months on the diet. There are only a very few exceptions where

> the condition continues to progress, perhaps due to some mechanism

> that becomes independent of gluten, making the condition chronic.

>

> The agonies imposed by arthritis require medications for pain

> management that risk significant, often debilitating , side effects,

> including kidney failure, bleeding ulcers, perforation of the

> intestine, acceleration of joint destruction after ten years on

> medication, and early death. Yet many arthritis patients are reported

> to suffer from 2 to 15 years before they are finally tested for

> celiac disease.

>

> We strongly urge the routine blood testing of all arthritis patients

> for delayed-onset food allergy and gluten sensitivity. If allergic

> foods are identified, strict exclusion of those foods should be prescribed.

>

> Both food and infection may contribute to rheumatoid arthritis.

>

> To further complicate the issue, one group of researchers has

> presented evidence revealing that a combination of dietary protein

> and bacteria contributes to the progression of rheumatoid arthritis.

> Diet-induced intestinal permeability allows leakage of " friendly "

> bacteria from the intestine into the bloodstream, where it travels

> to, and becomes bound to, join tissues. The immune system attacks,

> damaging both the intestinal bacterial and the joint tissues to which

> these bacterial are bound. "

>

> A personal note. After having been diagnosed with rheumatoid

> arthritis, pseudogout, polymyalgia rheumatica and most recently

> reactive arthritis over the past 10 years, I started on the

> gluten-free diet 4 weeks ago. I have made amazing progress. I am also

> taking D-Ribose, a food-supplement sugar.

>

> I would be most interested in hearing from other Group members who

> have been on the gluten-free diet. I will also try to answer

> questions on the the gluten-free diet.

>

> Sincerely, Harald

>

January 24, 2010

I too went gluten-free and dairy free for 3 months and felt no difference. But

that was before I was tested for adrenal fatigue. I am now on hydrocortisone and

I feel 10 times better. More energy as long as I take it on time daily. But I

gained 6 pounds in less than one month. That ain't good. So I'm thinking about

starting gluten-free and dairy free again. That was a tough daily regimen to

follow. I missed my Friday night pizza.

Donna

Re: rheumatic Gluten sensitivity and RA