10 Comments

My fave episode so far! For context, I have severe (but now very well controlled) rheumatoid arthritis since '94. I admit, I am passionate about food and like you Nona, am a spear carrier! LOL No doctor has ever spoken to me about diet and when I've asked have been told by multiple medical pros that diet doesn't influence RA. So, I did my own research. Since about 2017, I am 99% vegan (I do have honey and maybe 6x year will have cheese, usually on veg pizza). Am also I'd say 95% whole food (occasionally have plant based processed stuff like a beyond burger or just egg, maybe once every couple weeks). Fortunately, I don't have a sweet tooth, but love salty snacks like chips. And I am NOT a moderator! Definitely an Abstainer here! So, I rarely allow myself chips and if I do, I buy a small bag LOL I especially agree that everyone really needs to discover what's best for them, because not everything works for everyone. Gluten doesn't seem to bother my RA, so I will have the odd flour based product but generally try to avoid. Some grains bother my stomach a bit, but I do well on beans and legumes, so I ration the grains but not the beans. Looking forward to the episode on rest :)

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Lissa, my fellow spear carrying abstainer! I really love how aware you are of what works for your body! That is a celebration indeed!!

The fact that docs roundly ignore the diet piece is puzzling and I hope that will change.

Thank you for listening and sharing what works for you- it highlights the need to do our own research!!

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Hello Lissa, fellow RA friend! I so enjoy your perspective and I so want to be you with vegan/Whole Foods plant based, but my body went haywire on this and does better with no grains, so I'm over here experimenting and creating the 'Helly RA Nourishment Program'. It really does take that inner-scientist and curious approach to ourselves. I agree that I think there'll be more about nourishment in mainstream medicine going forward, and in the meantime we educate ourselves and as Nona says 'run the experiment' with ourselves in service of the best outcomes in our own health.

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So nice to "meet" you Helen, and I'm so happy to know you managed to get your RA under control. I am so fortunate not to have any known food allergies, so at least I don't have that to deal with like you do. I love that you're creating the Helly RA Nourishment Program!

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Thank you so much, Lissa! Yes, it's multiple puzzles to solve and grateful for medical insurance, good doctors and complementary practitioners to help manage this operation!

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Puzzling and very frustrating. I hope it changes too! I think it will ... eventually. But in the meantime, we really do have to advocate for ourselves and take it upon ourselves to do the research for our own benefit. We really cannot afford to be lazy about it or to trust verbatim what our doctors tell us! Sadly 😕

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Absolutely! I think even when/if it does change, it's still so important to advocate for yourself and know what will work for you, as you say!

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Most helpful…thanks.

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Thank you so much for listening. I'm so glad you found it supportive.

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So glad it landed where it needed to, Bonnie!

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