Paddison program cleanse

Well after 8 days of the diet changes I have for the most part been doing really well. Shortly after my post I introduced carrots and sweet potatos to my diet and the next day I was severely flared in my hands again. I have since removed them and mostly been eating quinoa, buckwheat and bok choy as well as other leafy greens with good results. My inflammation is still quite noticeably lowered again and I have also lowered my prednisone amount by 1mg/day and not had a major flare which is exciting. My feet and knees are by far the biggest improvement. I can almost walk normally now and my energy levels are very good. I am eating carrots and have not noticed any inflammation so I think that maybe the sweet potato was the culprit. I will add it back again in a day or two and I am sure I will know for sure then.

Yep it was the same for me Carole. Enbrel really kicked some butt for a long long time. Hope you get many more years than I did out of it.

Hi Holly, once I began reintroducing foods I began having problems with inflammation again. It seems that unless I stick to a very simple diet of bok choy and deep greens as well as things like raw buckwheat (cooked of course) and quinoa I begin to have problems. I do on occasion cheat but I am careful what I eat when I do and I generally do not have problems.

I too am convinced that diet and stomach problems at the very least exacerbate my symptoms. The cleanse brought my inflammation down to levels I have not been in years. I have some inflammation now but it is nothing like what I had before undertaking on the program. I am walking better now as well.

I have been weening off of prednisone through this also so some of this May also be related to that. I am down to 1 mg a day now and I have not had a major flare but I have had some problems with cortisol levels being very low. I am taking a supplement to help with this and have been very slowly coming off of the prednisone to give my body a chance to ramp back up its normal function to replace the cortisol.

I am confident that given time my stomach will continue to heal and the foods that are giving me problems will be less of an issue. I have had RA for 20 years so it will not be an overnight matter. The biggest things I have found to be offenders in my diet are any kind of animal fat, corn and soy. These all will have me inflamed and sore if I eat them which presents a bit of an issue because I am also anemic and need iron. Iron from vegetables is much harder for the human body to absorb so I take some vitamin c to help with that. My doctor is keeping a careful eye on this as well.

I have lost quite a lot of weight as well even while taking prednisone which I had been trying to do for quite some time. I am at my ideal weight according to my body type and that while shocking to those who don't see me on a regular basis has made me feel good. I have also had muscle wasting from being on prednisone so I am very excited to get off of it for good and begin to rebuild muscle that I have lost. At times it has been a challenge to keep weight on and not keep losing weight. I began using a protein shake as well as make myself eat more often. It has worked and my weight has stabilized. I was quire stocky before this so it has been a bit of a shock.

I am very pleased with the paddison program. I think that it is very important to remember that changes to diet take discipline and most of all time. We can't beat ourselves up over setbacks as they are learning experiences. I am not medication free but I know that the dietary changes have had a big impact on my health. I have missed some of my methotrexate shots due to it being back ordered for two weeks and I did not go into a major flare. My numbers at the doctors office are looking better as well. It is a big commitment to make these changes but it has been worth it.

Last December I was not able to walk more than about 20 feet at a time and was unable to get up from a chair unassisted. I had to take quite a bit of time off from work and I thought that I was no longer going to be able to continue on with it. Today I am working and walking much better. I am able to lift myself from a chair and I am continuing on. I am continuing to make progress.

Sorry for the lengthy post but diet matters and RA in general are such a complex issue it would be very hard to give a proper update in just a few words. I hope that if you do decide to give the program a go of it that you commit yourself to giving it at least 3-4 months. I have read where many people have tried programs such as this but only give it a few weeks and are sometimes sorely disappointed. I doubt that if you follow the cleanse to the T you will be however. It was quite amazing to me how it had such an impact on my inflammation.

I wish you the best, RA can be such a battle but I do believe that it is possible to live fully and with hope even with this disease.

God bless, -Don