Not to want to suffer continous pain.

I do dorsetpennt, I have had arthritis in my feet for nineteen years then about five years ago the arthritis started to affect my hands. I also have arthritis in my joints. Most of the time I have taken fish oil and that helped but in the last few years it was getting worse.
In July my right hand became so painful in the centre and inside of my hand that I couldn't use it for days and at that time my feet were getting worse. Usually the pain was only on the outside of my hand. I had been eating quite a few oranges and I have written about this in the Health forum under Aches and Pains. I mentioned that the oranges made my arthritis worse and I was in a lot of pain and a woman at the health food shop said if you eat an orange then eat a lemon. Some people on the thread questioned me saying lemons are acidic but lemons are extremely alkaline forming foods. Since July I have been very aware of what she said and again started having fish oil everyday as it reduces inflammation and putting lemon juice on my food or drinks. Also being aware of exactly what it is that I am eating and if it is affecting me.
I have put two websites on here, one about acidic and alkaline foods, the second is how acidity causes an imbalance and is the cause of sickness.

www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

www.betterhealthresearch.com/health-articles/acidity-could-be-the-root-cause-of-all-your-sickness/

How about cutting out wheat - there is a school of thought that we are not meant to eat it anyway - our bodies have not evolved from our hunter-gatherer days when we ate meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. Here is a link:

www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/2010/11/why-does-wheat-cause-arthritis.html

Thank you both - Joan your link was very interesting and has certainly given me food for thought - cut down on wheat certainly and using fish oil as suggested by Faye

Hi there I do sympathise I'm just the same and no matter how much I try to keep flexible and exercise, eat healthily the arthritis esp in my spine and hands is horrible. The consultant and the GP agree nothing can be done - just keep taking the tablets and I have no faith in alternative or diet based regimes as the research does not show any benefits after all if it worked the Doctors would be shouting from the rooftops - and cashing in on it! I met some arthritis patients in the USA when I went there for work who did say that there was a chemical in coca cola that settled in joints and since they had stopped drinking it their hands were better but then perhaps Americans drink more of that than we do. I probably only have one or two a week when its hot so havent cut that out either. Anyway I hope you get some relief and I do find although we must keep active mentally and physically rest is important too.

Dr Robert Bingham, an American arthritis specialist, has suggested that foods from the Solanaceae family adversely affect about one-third of his patients. This has not been widely researched so there is no conclusive proof. The foods in question include potatoes, aubergines peppers and tomatoes. I think avocados are also thought to contain substances that cause inflammation. If you think it might be worth seeing if avoiding these foods helps to relieve the pain, you should check with Gp or consultant first.

There's obviously a link to diet with arthritis because even the medical profession hand out diet leaflets when people suffer from gout [which is a form of arthritis]. Sometimes people with arthrits are a bit low on calcium, so making a chicken soup by boiling a carcass and adding vegetables can be good for you; avoid acidic food, dairy,tomatoes, sugar, alcohol, yeast, red meat, shellfish, very cold drinks, foods that cause a lot of gas [again a link between flatulance and joint pain]. I know this seems to rule out pretty much everything...things to eat include garlic, turmeric, ginger, fenugreek, papaya. I did a complete detox by eating organic chicken soupwith lots of vegetables and garlic] for a while. Still important to get anti inflammatories and pain relief from your Dr as well. This is all from my Dr Ali book, by the way.

dorsetpent, I feel the same as you. I really want to get out there and walk more, too. GP prescribed painkillers for arthritic hip and knee, which I'm loath to take unless absolutely necessary. The thing is, DH is nearly 11 years older than me, and strides out without any problems. He loves being out walking and can do so for miles - and I just hold him back! I think the pain also causes you to feel tired, because your body tenses more and it's hard to relax.

dorset I also suffer from arthritis and it sounds as if we like a similar lifestyle. I take painkillers when necessary and try to keep active. I took up swimming a couple of years ago and find being in the water relieves the stiffness particularly in the large joints of the hips and knees. I find the day following a swim I am more flexible and this lasts for a few days. Does'nt do much for the hands though they are always stiff.

OOh swimming - I used to love swimming may try that - can't hurt ha ha can it?