On the DL list

[Jiffer]

Wow, that's a very interesting story and not too much detail because it leaves me wanting to know more. I'll check out your blog. It seems that I am constantly hearing more and more about diet and long term illnesses.

A good friend of mine was diagnosed last year with food allergies (lots of them) and has since changed his diet and saw tremendous benefitis in his overall health. He found we was allergic to wheat, dairy and tomatoes. They played havoc with him in so many various ways including lots of pain.

Another friend I recently met told me that she suffered from fibromyalgia for a number of years and went on a gluten free diet and has not been symptomatic for many months now. Her quality of life has had a dramatic improvement.

Thank you for posting.

Yes, food plays a HUGE part in health. Even though I am only recently on the candida diet, I have been learning about the connection between food and health and making small changes for several years now. Small changes, which add up to a lot. And it is those changes, which became habits and normal every day lifestyle that made the candida diet a lot more doable than it otherwise would have been. I actually suspected candida a few years ago and attempted the candida diet, but failed miserably. It was just too hard to stick to when I didn't "really" know I had candida. However, a food intolerance test came back with a high intolerance to yeast, which is how I was diagnosed. Between then and now I got more serious about reducing sugar and bread and adding more veggies, etc. So when I found out I couldn't have ANY sugar or bread, I was already on the right track.

The first book I read that really made an impact on me in this regard is Jordan Rubin's The Great Physician's Rx to Health and Wellness. He almost died from Crohn's, severe candida and about 15 other ailments. After trying a multitude of different treatments from doctors all over the world, some natural and some conventional (his own father was a naturopathic doctor), he finally figured out how Biblical eating was the healthiest way to eat and got well.

Another book I love, which is an inspirational easy read with practical tips, is Mariel Hemingway's Healthy Living from the Inside Out, along with her cookbook, Mariel’s Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life.

I'm also a big fan of Dr. Mercola and read his newsletter daily. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx

You might want to go to his site and do a search for RA and see what you find.

Good luck in your recovery!

[Melalvai]

Jiffer, you could have been describing my cat! The thyroid & postnasal drip. We never did figure out what was the cause of her drippy nose. She was hyperthyroid, and we think we got that under control, but we never cleared up her congestion over several rounds of antibiotics. The vet gave us some thyroid diet, that was supposed to replace the thyroid med she was on, but she quit eating entirely toward the end so we didn't get a chance to try it. I wonder now if the postnasal drip was fungal after all, not bacterial.

[Melalvai]

One more thing, about diet & RA-- I happen to be in Montreal right now at the annual meeting of the International Cartilage Repair Society. One of the talks I heard was about diet & osteoarthritis (which is different from rheumatoid arthritis, which was not discussed at all). They mentioned omega-6, and glucosamine, that there is some evidence that these might have an effect on cartilage health. Of course there's not much evidence and it's hard to study because it can't be patented!

[Bike Writer]

Jiffer, thanks for the link and additional information, it's a topic I need to delve into further.

Melalvai, thanks for the heads up.

[Bike Writer]

I'm thinking this is more serious than a rest up and gradual comeback.

Far too many thngs going on in my right leg at the moment. Knee pain, muscle weakness, strong cramping in my calf muscle and hamstring, sciatica pain and more that is enough to keep me off the bike and I'm considering getting total knee replacement on my right side. I suffered through much of this several years ago on the left side and had the TKN replacement surgery.

The Dr. always says that only you will know when it's time to get it done.

I think it might be time.

This might be a mighty short season.

Sad face girl here. It's killing me to think about having this done at this time of year...the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak...

[OakLeaf]

(((((((BikeWriter))))))))

Just make sure your ortho is aware of your spinal issues. I would recommend working closely with a PT before the surgery, if you decide to do it. As someone who just watched a family member go through multiple repeat surgeries with serious complications ... it really seems to me that doing a TKA at this point has a strong possibility of aggravating your neurological issues. Surgeons do tend to focus in like a laser beam on the precise area they're repairing (I've even heard this from doctors of other specialties). Which is good while they're doing the surgery, not so much when they're considering whether surgery would be an overall benefit to the patient.

[goldfinch]

Jiffer, thanks for the link and additional information, it's a topic I need to delve into further.

Melalvai, thanks for the heads up.

Stay away from Mercola. If you are interested in him or what he says I suggest starting with the Wiki on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola. From the wiki:
A 2006 BusinessWeek editorial criticized Mercola's marketing practices as "relying on slick promotion, clever use of information, and scare tactics."[3] In 2005, 2006 and 2011 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Mercola and his company to stop making illegal claims regarding his products' ability to detect, prevent and treat disease.[4] The medical watchdog site Quackwatch has criticized Mercola for making "unsubstantiated claims and clash with those of leading medical and public health organizations [and making] many unsubstantiated recommendations for dietary supplements."[4]


He even questions whether HIV causes Aids.

I also suggest reading:

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html


The Respectful Insolence and the Science Based Medicine blogs (two well respected blogs headed up by MDs) frequently call Mercola out on his psuedo-scientific nonsense, for example:

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20...1_influenz.php
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20...hampoo_woo.php

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=9903

[Bike Writer]

you are correct about treating the "whole" body. I also know folks who have had more complications after TKN surgery and problems afterward. PT is a very important component of bone and muscular surgery.

I am lucky to have a friend and neighbor who does PT in home health care and treats patients who have just returned from surgery before they can get out to a PT for rehab. I was lucky to have her be the person who treated me after my first surgery and I believe that part of the good outcome was because of having good PT care right out of the hospital and once I was able to get out to get to clinical rehab I did and followed orders religiously from them and from the surgeon both before and after the surgery. Having a good surgeon and knowing that he worked with the rheumatologist and primary care physician was important to me.

I was fortunate to know several other persons who have various orthopedic surgeries from this same surgeon and they had good outcomes. Divine intervention plays a role, sometimes surgeries don't come out well. It was about 6 years ago that I had my TKN on the left knee, much has changed in the world of medicine and technology and I will be anxious to hear what new improvements in surgeries and techniques are now available and if I would be a candidate for something different.

[Bike Writer]

I have plenty of reading and researching to do. I don't try to guide or steer a doctor in my care, I certainly am no expert and self medication is dangerous. But I do believe in being informed, being able to understand what the Dr. is talking about, carrying on an intelligent conversation with them and being in tune with my own body and subtle nuances that give me clues to my own health. A well informed and educated patient can be invaluable to a Dr. that is, provided the patient understands their role and does not try to take the Drs role.

[salsabike]

Stay away from Mercola. If you are interested in him or what he says I suggest starting with the Wiki on him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola. From the wiki:
A 2006 BusinessWeek editorial criticized Mercola's marketing practices as "relying on slick promotion, clever use of information, and scare tactics."[3] In 2005, 2006 and 2011 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Mercola and his company to stop making illegal claims regarding his products' ability to detect, prevent and treat disease.[4] The medical watchdog site Quackwatch has criticized Mercola for making "unsubstantiated claims and clash with those of leading medical and public health organizations [and making] many unsubstantiated recommendations for dietary supplements."[4]


He even questions whether HIV causes Aids.

I also suggest reading:

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/mercola.html


The Respectful Insolence and the Science Based Medicine blogs (two well respected blogs headed up by MDs) frequently call Mercola out on his psuedo-scientific nonsense, for example:

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20...1_influenz.php
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/20...hampoo_woo.php

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=9903

Thanks, Goldfinch. Good info.

[Bike Writer]

Thank you Hebe, The bike is one of the things I miss most but surprisingly even little everyday things mean a lot. There is so much I wanted to be able to get done over this long weekend but's it's just not happening. Even small little tasks require a long rest period. Yesterday driving a few errands brought me to tears, the sciatica pain was so intense.

Plus this is a campaign election year and that requires me to be mobile and active. Don't know where that's going to come from?

Well, better day's are coming.

Being homebound means I'm catching up more on bike reading and favorite blogs and finding new reads.