Elimination Diet has alleviated my RA symptoms

[Denim Deb]

I've been thinking of doing an elimination diet. I've wondered if I might find some foods that aggravate my Meniere's.

 

[peachykeen]

Did it do anything for your eczema? I have a problem with that as well as a few other things, so I'm curious as well.

Honestly, I have not noticed anything yet. I have had terrible eczema on my hands over the years which is especially bad in winter. I'd be so embarassed to show people my hand. It's just a very gross and painful ailment. After many lotions and prescription drugs and cortosteroids (didnt like those at all) I found what works for me: Vaseline! I started applying it 4 times a day religiously and now instead of having an entire hand covered in it I only have patches.

I can attest to the value of elimination diet as well. SIX YEARS of going to doctor after doctor and specialist after specialist with my child...even LeBohneur was stumped on what was causing her systemic reactions. She would swell with these huge patches that looked like hives, but very raised and inflamed all over her body. She had times it was her hips, her arms, face, ankles, hands, shoulder blades, her whole face swelled once to where the child was unrecognizable and not a single doctor had a clue. She was being tested for Lupus and Scleroderma and various other diseases and I had just had enough. I was tired, she was tired and there were no medications that worked or alleviated her symptoms so I went to Bookland and bought a book on elimination diet. That was the BEST $20 I have ever spent. Within a week and a half we had narrowed it down to one common ingredient. MSG. :/ It was in everything the child was eating!!! We cut it out of her diet which was no easy task, but she is fine now. She hasn't swelled up in over two years. I have to fix her food when she goes to stay with friends and family a lot of times, but that's a small price to pay for her health. Elimination diets work, sometimes when doctors don't have a clue. I have to say the folks at LeBohneur were excited at my findings and were very very supportive in my decision to not take testing any further and see if she could stay well for an extended period of time, and they were wonderful support! Her pediatrician however...not so much. some docs will be excited for you to have found alternatives while others...just think about how they'll have to cancel their vacation they would've been taking with your money

GOOD JOB OP! I am SO glad you found a healthier way to live! It's priceless isn't it

That is amazing, thank you for sharing! I have a very big suspicion MSG is going to be an issue for me as well. I have been shocked at how many things have SOY and MSG in them. You have to be very careful but you are darn tooting it is worth it!

I am not sure how my next appt with my doc will go... Little nervous of her reaction but really looking forward to her checking me out and seeing what she says about the inflammation. I think its gone WAY down.

That is great news!

We are on an elimination diet as well. We eliminated all grains, gluten, dairy and legumes. I think we are on day 12 or something like that, and we have never felt better.

Oh good! I love to hear this, you have no idea. Are you guys doing this for a specific ailment or just to live better?

 

[peachykeen]

I've been thinking of doing an elimination diet. I've wondered if I might find some foods that aggravate my Meniere's.

I am not familiar with that illness but I really encourage you to try. It is really not that hard, it sucks for the first few weeks. We lived off carrots and homemade hummus (I'll share the recipe), brown rice and EVOO fried up with garlic and sweet potatoes for the first two weeks basically, with veggies of course. It is so worth it I cannot say enough about it.

Oddly enough I havent lost a pound and lord knows I could use a few (dozen) gone! lol.



I also have little bumps on my leg that curiously appeared a year and a half ago. In the beginning I thought my first bump was an ingrown hair and picked the crap out of it. Eventually made it bleed and it has been scabbed ever since. I now have a few more of them. I figured out what they were (or at least what google said it was) but now I cant remember. Derma something? I've been hoping they would go away but no such luck yet!

 

[big brown horse]

Actually my daughter's doctors along with a clinical dietitian asked us to do this, for her health. I know she feels better and I definitely feel better, so it is working.

I started a thread here to journal our progress. It is in the recipe section.

 

[Neko-chan]

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[Bubblingbrooks]

One possible causer of eczema is a certain vaccine...which one I cannot remember at the moment.
I will post it when I find out.

But, the two main foods that cause it, are gluten and dairy (usually processed).

 

[peachykeen]

One possible causer of eczema is a certain vaccine...which one I cannot remember at the moment.
I will post it when I find out.

But, the two main foods that cause it, are gluten and dairy (usually processed).

Ah I would be very interested to know what vaccine. I did not have it my whole life, it got especially bad after I was in my early teens and progressed to being very bad in my adulthood.

You know I quit dairy for two months (but did not quit gluten at that time) and there was no improvement in my eczema. I am quit happy dairy has not caused any flareups now that I have added it back in. Gluten is on eof the very last things I am adding back in. I suspect it or soy is my issue.

 

[peachykeen]

MSG occurs naturally in a lot of foods too, like broccoli and so on. I saw a documentary on E numbers that addressed MSG allergies. A group was given foods with added MSG, and foods known to have natural MSG with no MSG added, and they'r reactions were almost the same. They just have to know which foods have that natural MSG. Chinese food is considered the greatest offender because it is added to foods, but the experiment was done with other types and styles of cooking with the same results.

That is very interesting, I did not know that. I've eaten brocolli the entire diet although I did read on one or two pages not to. Like I said so many different websites said different things! I suppose I must not be allergic to it thoguh since my symptoms went away. Thankfully- broc is my fave!

Actually my daughter's doctors along with a clinical dietitian asked us to do this, for her health. I know she feels better and I definitely feel better, so it is working.

I started a thread here to journal our progress. It is in the recipe section.

Thanks I will check it out! Glad your doctors encouraged you to try it. Not all doctors are bad huh!

 

[peachykeen]

I want to share my hummus recipe. Mix all these ingredients in a food processor and dig in

Can of chick peas, drained
Clove of garlic
Cumin
1/8th of a cup of EVOO (less or more depending on personal taste)
Salt to taste
If you have tahini, I use 2-3 tbspns. I've made this dozens of times without tahini and its just as good.

If I have fresh lemon I squeeze some in as well. Very simple and you can modify to your taste. Hummus has replaced my ranch dressing for carrots.

 

[Neko-chan]

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