Food Allergies and Rheumatoid Arthritis?

I was told a few years ago i had an intollerance to Wheat and Dairy, i was checked as constantly felt tired, migraines, bloated, bad skin and couldnt lose weight. I cut down on wheat and dairt but never really cut them out. 2 Years ago i moved from London to Dubai, and started eating out most nights and drinking more alcohol.

November 2008 i woke up one morning in the worst pain, over the next few days it spread from my knees to every joint in my body, till i was almost crippeled. The doctors told me it was Arthritis probably caused by a virus. Anyway 8 months passed and finally a combination of steriods and very extreme drugs im now 99% pain free. The difficulty is #the side effects of the drugs arent nice and they are also pretty toxic. So ive being trying to investigate what causes RA and see if theres anything i can do to cure it rather than take drugs the rest of my life.

There are many foods that i was told to avoid, beacause they make your body acidic (meat, critus, spices, coffee) and funnily enough i also discovered many sites which explain a link between food allergies and RA which is an autoimmune diease and caused by the immune system attacking my joints.  Supposedly by eating the allergic foods the immune systme goes into over drive and attacks my joints.

So the result is im now going to try eat no wheat or diary for the next few weeks a least. Has anyone else tried this and benefitted?

My Rhematologist didnt mention anythign about allergies even when i asked him. I will bring it up next time i see him in January. Has anyone had really chronic reation to food intollerances? And has anyone got rid or managed RA just with food?

Have you looked up celiac disease?  It's not just wheat and dairy, but eliminating all gluten from your diet.  I don't have RA, but I've met a few people who have, and elimintaing gluten signifigantly reduced the RA flare-ups.

There was great article in a scientific american a few months ago about celiac, and how many humans are completely intolerant to gluten.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm ?id=celiac-disease-insights

I dont envy you.  I love cheese.  But if it brings you releif, than I am sure it is worth it!!

I have celiac disease and it tends to run in my family. Many studies have suggested a link between celiac disease and RA. I also have a thyroid, autoimmune disorder that has caused some joint damage. I you are intolerant to wheat gluten, you MUST get serious about excluding it from your diet or you will never get better. My grandmother ended up with dibilitating RA due to lack of knowledge of her celiac issues. Please study up on eating gluten and casein free and I promise you will see a difference and feel a difference! Hope everything works out for you.

My mother was diagnosed with RA almost 10 tens ago when she was in her late 40s. Her rhumatologist put her on methyltrexate (lower doses of a chemotherapy drug), which over time can be toxic to your liver (she cannot drink alcohol at all and gets blood tests done regularly), as well as Arava which helps reduce joint pain and swelling. She also sees a naturopathic doctor who suggested the "Blood Type Diet." She has followed it religiously since being diagnosed. Some patients have controlled their RA by following this strict diet, however, she still relies on the medication BUT has not had to increase her doses or move to the stronger class of biologics medicines (drugs that inhibit your immune system and require daily/weekly infusions). It took quite some time to get both her medication and diet adjusted. When you have RA - it's not as easy as "take this pill and you'll feel better." Her rhumatologist adjusts her medication and her naturopath gives her supplements or foods to add or eliminate- each takes MONTHS to see results. Initially her rhumatologist laughed at the idea of seeing a nautropath, however given that my mother has responded so well to the diet and medication - her rhumatologist has finally accepted it.

I just read a forum that completely bashes the Blood Type diet - given my mother's success I have to disagree. I think diet can be used to manage some diseases. With the advances in genetic testing - companies are moving towards "personalized medicine" - giving therapeutics based on your genetic profile. That said - I think the "diet" or eating plan as my mom refers to it - is about managing her disease not a "diet" in the sense of weight loss. I think a lot of the bad reputation is when people try to use it as a means of weight loss.

For almost all groups the diet restricts wheat and dairy - both can be allergens and cause inflammation. In addition to restricting foods her naturopath analyzes her blood for nutrient levels - he prescribes supplements or suggests she increase certain foods to gain the nutrients through diet. She also does cardio ~3x per week and lifts 2x per week, strength training is especially important!

This is all a LOT of work! However she is happy with her results and thankful that she has not yet had to move to the stronger class of medicines. This was a long post - I hope it answers some of your questions. Good luck!

Being allergic to wheat and casein (a chemical in dairy products) is not common and would have been present from a young age. It would involve immune responses such as itching, swelling, nausea when eating those items.

Lactose intolerance is extremely rare in people with ancestors from northern europe and extremely common for people originating from anywhere else in the world. If you are genuinely lactose intolerant, it will have been that way since you were very young.

If you have developed a lactose intolerance as a an adult, then there are two other more likely causes: 1) celiac disease 2) parasites. Once the underlying cause is dealt with, then the lactose intolerance goes away.

Your symptoms are most common to celiac disease, as others have already commented. And yes, RA and other auto-immune conditions are linked to celiac disease. However, you will find tremendous improvement in both your gastro-intestinal and RA symptoms if you go on a gluten-free diet (assuming celiac disease).

No wheat is not the same as gluten-free.

You can be tested for celiac disease in the following ways: 1) a mouth swab genetic test that can rule in or out whether you could have the disease -- it cannot tell you if the disease is active or not, but it can tell you if you have the genetic possibility of it. 2) blood test to see if your body mounts an antibody response to gluten. You have to be eating a lot of gluten for at least 2-3 weeks prior to the test and even then the test often gives back false negative (meaning you are celiac but it says you aren't).

Going on a gluten-free diet for about 6 weeks can give you a really good sense of whether it is the cause of your symptoms.