| Is there a rheumatoid arthritis diet that can lessen the | | | | When the foods causing delayed sensitivities are |
| symptoms or even cure rheumatoid arthritis? For | | | | removed from the diet, the body goes through a |
| many people the answer is yes. | | | | withdrawal period, similar to a drug withdrawal period. It |
| One study published in the medical journal "Lancet" | | | | becomes hypersensitive to those foods. If you |
| found that 37% of their study participants (who all had | | | | reintroduce any of these problem foods into your diet |
| rheumatoid arthritis) had food sensitivities that were | | | | during this time, the reaction tends to be quicker and |
| one of the causes of their arthritis. The list of problem | | | | more noticeable than any other time. This is a great aid |
| foods was different for each person. But when these | | | | in getting accurate test results. |
| individually determined foods were eliminated from their | | | | It takes about 7 days to eliminate all traces of a given |
| diets, they all felt much better. | | | | food from your body after you stop eating it. That is |
| For about a third of people with RA, this type of | | | | why the elimination phase lasts a week. The |
| individually tailored rheumatoid arthritis diet can make | | | | hypersensitivity period begins at this point, so that is |
| the difference between suffering with a challenging | | | | why the testing by reintroduction begins then. This |
| illness and enjoying good health. | | | | hypersensitivity period can last for week to months, so |
| This is because delayed food sensitivities are one of | | | | don't worry about missing it if you have a long list of |
| the underlying causes of rheumatoid arthritis. They are | | | | foods you have eliminated that need to be tested. |
| not the same as classical food allergies, which usually | | | | If you do react to something you test, go back to your |
| cause symptoms immediately or within a few hours. | | | | safe foods for a few days until your symptoms have |
| Instead, delayed food sensitivities usually take between | | | | calmed down again. The fewer symptoms you are |
| 24-36 hours for symptoms to occur. This delay can | | | | having when you test, the easier it is get clear results |
| make it hard to track the connection between eating a | | | | when you test a new food. You need these clear |
| problem food and worsening of arthritis symptoms, | | | | results to create you're the exact rheumatoid arthritis |
| especially if a problem food is a regular part of your | | | | diet you need to heal. |
| diet. | | | | If delayed food sensitivities are a problem for you, then |
| To make the problem worse, normal allergy tests are | | | | identifying your problem foods and eliminated all of |
| not a reliable way to test for these sensitivities either. | | | | them from your diet, will make a huge difference in |
| Luckily, however, there are ways to test for delayed | | | | how you feel. |
| food hypersensitivities. | | | | There is no one rheumatoid arthritis diet out there that |
| One way is a blood test called the ALCAT test. | | | | works for everyone, but this type of individually tailored |
| Another way is eliminating all your suspected problem | | | | rheumatoid arthritis diet can work miracles if you do |
| foods for a week and then selectively reintroducing | | | | happen to have delayed food sensitivities. |
| them into your diet, no more than one each 24 hours. | | | | |