Arthritis page 2

[Lolly]

@Griff: I too have RA and am finding i can go longer between Enbrel injections. I am now stretching it to 10 days rather than every 7. I am hoping to stretch that further to only 2x/month and then completely eliminate it. Were you on any meds (particularly dmards or biologics) & did you stop them or cut down on them and if yes, was it gradual or cold turkey? 18 months ago, i could not walk or use my hands,and it was terrifying so i am hesitant to do anything too drastic but i want to get off these meds if i can obviously.

[rykabeth]

I have OA in my finger joints pretty bad. It has gotten to the point where I stopped lifting because to grip a weight and then release it hurt so much. Within 3 days on PB I noticed a difference and within a week it has almost all disappeared. I did my first day back in the weight room on Wednesday (2 weeks primal) with ZERO pain!

[Sean40]

Anybody check there PH balance? Other things I have read say that animal proteins promote high acid PH, and that is supposedly a trigger for arthritis...just trying to make sense of all of this(a zillion different diet opinions)

[avocado]

I'm not sure that pH in urine is any reflection of pH in joints. I expect joint fluid pH is closely related to blood pH, which is tightly regulated.

[Griff]

@Lolly: I never used medications because I'm a stubborn b*stard and refused them. But I was in a wheelchair and my hands were becoming difficult to use. All of that's gone now.

[neighborhood fit]

Since going primal the pain and discomfort from OA has been reduced significantly.


I stop all grains and sugars in Jan. 2010 and have never felt better.


I use to eat mostly chicken and fish and egg whites and veggies. I still do but give me some red meat, pork bacon, whole eggs, butter and veggies...talk about a happy camper.

[Sean40]

Avocado, the PH urine test is a good marker for the overall acid vs alkalinity in one's body. It may not be exact, but it's the best way to tell the balance or inbalance of your body.

[avocado]

I'm not sure what "overall acidity" means. Serum and cellular pH is very tightly regulated.

[emmie]

I have severe osteoarthritis and took NSAIDs for about 30 years until I eliminated all meds with diet and exercise.


For a long time, I avoided red meat and egg yolks because they are considered inflammatory. However, I now eat both (although only grass-fed beef or bison) and have found that eliminating grains and all sweeteners (artificial as well as natural) has resulted in the biggest improvement in terms of eliminating pain. I was eating low carb for a long time, but the total elimination of all grains and sweeteners with primal has made a significant difference.


I've noticed that sugar is a BIG issue, so I have no problem avoiding that, but I was amazed that whole eggs are not a problem. I really think that grains and sweeteners are the key.


I also do water exercise on a regular basis to strengthen my leg muscles, as I'm trying to avoid any replacement surgery.

[Sean40]

Emmie, you and I sound very alike as far as how bad the arthritis is/was. I was wondering how you do on coffee, decaff or otherwise..if you do at all? I keep reading to stay away from coffee.