Diet and Sjogrens

[jazzlover]

I have had improvement following a largely anti-inflammatory diet (with specific guidance from a nutritionist) and also a low-gluten diet.

Regarding aspartame - research out of Baylor in Texas has shown that aspartame causes damage to the nerves where they fire at the muscles.  My Sjogren's symptoms at diagnosis included severe muscle weakness and it showed up in both an abnormal EMG and a muscle biopsy as damage where the nerves fired at the muscle.  I switched to regular soda (I know - not great but better than diet in this case) and the muscle weakness completely went away.  Apparently there is a point where it can be permanent though.

So, while sugar, etc. isn't great - that was my initial transition.  Eventually I switched to other things like iced tea, unsweetened but in the meantime I did better without the aspartame.

Yes. I remember reading that somewhere. I would try the sugar version like you suggested. It would do ME in but may work for nara!!

[jazzlover]

just a suggestion.... don't wait for a doctor to tell you how to improve your diet. Most Drs know virtually nothing about nutrition.

[Joe S.]

Most doctors have less than 1 college credit hour about pain i.e. they know virtually nothing.

[susanep]

I have in the past tried so many different things that I don't know anything anymore. 

I had one several doctors harass me years ago to stop smoking. I haven't smoked in several years, and hadn't smoked that long, and I felt worse in my whole body after I quit. I mean years after.

I had a doctor a couple of years ago tell me my problems were mostly weight related, meaning I needed to lose weight. I have lost 70 pounds since March of this year, and I have no more energy than I did, but can more easily walk up stairs mechanically.

I did have to get some new clothes though. 

susanep 

[Narablueeyes]

I have in the past tried so many different things that I don't know anything anymore. 

I had one several doctors harass me years ago to stop smoking. I haven't smoked in several years, and hadn't smoked that long, and I felt worse in my whole body after I quit. I mean years after.

I had a doctor a couple of years ago tell me my problems were mostly weight related, meaning I needed to lose weight. I have lost 70 pounds since March of this year, and I have no more energy than I did, but can more easily walk up stairs mechanically.

I did have to get some new clothes though. 

susanep 

70 lbs???  Way to go!!  I got sick on a cruise back in March and lost 27 lbs and got to lower my bp meds! 

[Josephine69]

Thank you everyone for the feedback. It's given me lot's to think about, Mr Man is going to be so fed up about the aspartame (his weekly treat is Pepsi) alas he's diabetic and the sugary version is out of the question. We do eat quite a healthy diet with all the food we eat cooked from scratch so we know exactly what goes into each meal.

[Joe S.]

If caffeine is what he is looking for there are some teas and coffees that may help. I know that Pepsi Throwback is easier on my blood sugar levels than regular Pepsi or diet Pepsi. 6-8 oz of carrot juice per day may help with his pain levels and provide a sweat treat. I check other juices to make sure they do not have corn syrup added. I will cut them 50-50 with filtered water. Kool aid packets with out sweetener or up to 1/4 of the normal sugar can also provide a flavored treat. Golden seal, lickerish tea sweetened with a drop of honey may affect his blood sugars

I like my supplements D3, Omega 3, B12, C, Inositol, Cincilin, R lipoic Acid, Acetyl L carnitine, oh heck, see my list below.

[drybrook]

Usually you don't really "break" a habit, you exchange it for another healthier choice. Stepping down from the Diet Dr. Pepper and making an exchange might be an option. For instance: Swap out one Dr. Pepper this week with sparkling lemonade (use at least part stevia to cut down on the sugar) or fruit juice and sparkling water, then next week swap out one Dr. Pepper for another healthier beverage. I don't know how many you drink in a day but coming off the caffeine slowly will cut down on the withdrawal.

There are also sodas out there now that are sweetened with stevia, although they are more expensive.

Just a thought.

Lona

[cargillwitch]

I have been a vegetarian for 27 years. I already had Raynauds at that point but have maintained quite good health up to the last few years(  four pregnancies- two homebirths) with this way of eating. I am 43 this year.

I went gluten free over two years ago after some unresolved gastrointestinal issues. I have celiacs in the family and decided to give it a try. It worked wonders for calming all the intestinal inflammation down for me!
I  live on a 150 acre farm and  am an organic market gardener ( I am a nurse as well)so I can grow my own veggies and black beans, kidney beans etc. We also have an orchard but I can only handle limited fruits or have bowel issues and candida returning.  I do miss fruit.

I was vegan for many years and never had any iron or b12 issues until recently. Oddly enough after starting to eat eggs again! I  think the AI issues in my intestines did some damage that now impairs my absorption of many nutrients.I am using some sublingual methyl-b12 liposome spray to bypass my gut . Seems to be helping

I raise free range chickens so I have a good  local source for my eggs. Most of the time I try to follow the 50 meter diet- most of what I eat grows or is raised within 50 meters of my house.I wish I could say it keeps all that ails me at bay- but it doesn't.I do shudder to think what I would be like if I ate the way most government food charts advise us to eat though.
We all have to find the diet that works best for our own unique physiology, which changes over time.We are cell by cell, made up of what we eat though , it dictates  cell interactions and therefore our moods and energy levels. So it's worth paying a lot of attention too!

[jazzlover]

Josephine... I was able to switch from using stevia in my iced tea to nothing within days. I shocked MYSELF! Never thought I could drink tea without sweetener. Now I prefer it that way.

[ashbones]

I'm Vego. Have been for years. Works best for me

[susanep]

Cargillwitch your farm sounds nice. My dad always had chickens, garden, and use to have beef walking out in the field. 

I have had some of all that myself a long time ago, and even regular farm cow milk and butter. Not saying it was good for me, but it sure did taste good.

These days I really love vegetables, and fruit, but I can understand Narablueeyes situation with her Dr. Pepper (my husbands favorite too), because mine is diet mountain due. I feel the same way about it. It also though helps my throat to feel like some of the thick mucus gets cleared out when I drink it, and it feels so refreshing.

It is hard sometimes to have to just keep giving up things when so much has been taken away from us already. Yet if someone told me I wouldn't live another day if I took another drink of mountain due , I guess that would end it. lol.....

susanep

[valene2009]

my naturopath has me on  a strict diet that includes chicken -but it must be hormone free antibiotic free and wild caught fish... and gluten free.. so basically no grains .. i cant eat teh gluten free stuff packaged at teh market yet..  and as far as going out to eat i have only been 1 x in the 3 and 1/2 weeks ive been on the diet... its hard.. cause they put sauce on everything and the one time i got a salad im sure the chicken wasnt hormone free..

i heard its the hormone and antibiotics that are fed to chicken and cattle that are bad for us..

as far as the vegan diet i guess u still eat grains then?  beans?  i cant have beans yet