The Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation

3 month update & Tomato test

TC — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:45:47 GMT

Well, I have been following the no nightshade diet for about three months now. I have had excellent success. I was at a point where I was forced to use a cane to walk, and then could not go 30 feet without extreme pain. I was on 80 mg/day of oxycontin, combined with another 40 mg/day available in Percocet for "breakthrough" pain, methotrexate, celebrex & gabapentin. On my bad days, all of that couldn't touch my pain.

After 3 months on the no nightshade diet, I now walk regularly for over an hour with no cane. I have reduced Oxycontin by 50% (and will continue to reduce until it is gone), gabapentin by 33%, and methotrexate by 20%. I have started to see a naturopath to work on other nutritional areas. I am convinced that I will be able to minimize the use of traditional medicines, if not eliminate them. It just takes time to wean off of them.

Yesterday was a test of the diet. My niece is staying with us, and she made spaghetti with tomato sauce for dinner. I was having one of those busy days, lots on my mind, and I sat down and started eating supper. About half way through my plate, my wife said "you are eating tomoato you know". It caught me by surprise. I have been feeling so good, I almost forgot why. Well, today I know why. I feel like I have been beaten by a gang of thugs. Pain in my hips, back shoulders and hands, combined with exhaustion so bad I can hardly keep my eyes open.

This diet works.

Forum: Nightshades and Health

Not only nightshades - anything red!

vinyl — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:47:01 GMT

I get severe psoriasis and pains in my knees if I eat any nightshade plants. But even worse, any red or pink food triggers it. This means I cannot eat salmon, or any summer fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, plums, cherries (sigh). On top of which I have a weird and rapid reaction to flax oil or seed - within a day or two of consuming it, my hands develop open sores and my face ages about 100 years. Literally that much. I think it must block a metabolic pathway for conversion of lipids that are used in the skin in those areas.

So I cannot use any of the supplements that seem to help others defeat their psoriasis. And I miss out on a lot of important antioxidants in my diet.

If anyone knows where to find research and other info on metabolic pathways of various lipids, please let me know.

Forum: Nightshades and Health

Detox symptoms when going off nightshades?

ackkat — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:55:40 GMT

Hi,
I've been suffering from pain for a few years and recently read about the nightshades. I was pretty much living on them - who knew? I have a big veggie garden and a dozen tomato plants, peppers and freeze them for winter so I could enjoy yearround. I've been off everything for about two weeks. About five days ago I started having a little sore throat, swollen glands, nausea, bloating, smelly stools. Not feeling sick enough that I can't do things, just generally yucky though. Even dizzy sometimes and very fatigued.

My questions is could this be the result of detoxing? Anyone have this experience?

Forum: Nightshades and Health

Multivitamin that's OK for arthritics

plantlady — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:09:48 GMT

I have been on the no-nightshades diet about a year now and what a difference! Had lots of pain in joints for years, been on NSAIDS and then just glucosamine/chondroitin formula and thought I was doing OK. My arthritis doctor suggested the no-nightshades diet and I resisted for months and finally decided to just go "cold turkey" and went to a supermarket in a large city (where the dr's office is) which had a much larger variety of foods than the local store. This is sometimes the key -- looking for and finding somewhat "unusual" food products that you can eat. So much of the "normal" packaged foods have things to avoid in them.

While trying the "diet" I, of course, wanted to experiment thinking the diet didn't work. So one night about 6 weeks into the diet, I decided to try fried white potatoes. About 3 hours later my joints hurt so bad I thought someone had hit me with a baseball bat!!!! I went to bed in pain, woke up in pain but much less and by noon all the pain simply went away! This was an eye-opener to me, let me tell you! I have NOT eaten a regular potato since but have eaten dozens of sweet potatoes with no problem.

Other triggers for me include soy (did find a non-GMO soy chocolate -- Hersey's organic -- I love chocolate, couldn't give it up!). Soy takes about 2-3 days to affect me and the same time to get rid of it.
I found some "bad" ingredients bothered me more than others so you just have to experiment. Found I could have pizza at certain restaurants while others bothered me! Eating out is a chore. You just have to be a detective and don't be afraid to ask the chef what is in a dish and can they leave certain things off the items and substitute when you can.

One problem for me has been finding vitamins I can take without problems. Vitamin A (except the "natural" source --- beta carotene) was a problem. Most multi-vitamin formulas included synthetic vit. A but after much research I did find one that does not bother me. This formula includes both beta carotene and vit. A acetate -- 50% each. But the vit. A acetate is made with a special process that they told me would be safe for me to take. So I started by taking them one time and waited for a reaction -- got none! Then I took them once every 3 days and watched but no reaction again. So then I took them every other day for awhile and still nothing. Now I take them every day -- after several weeks of this routine, I still have not noticed a significant reaction to them.

If anyone "out there" has been looking for a multi-vitamin formula that is "safe" to take, you can contact me for more info. It's through a nationally marketed name brand, high class vitamin manufacturer. I was approached to sell these vitamins and other products but refused until I could be sure they would not bother people with arthritis like me. I now have tried them with success so if anyone is interested in these, I would consider promoting them to arthritics. Cannot, of course, absolutely guarantee they will not bother you but I had problems with other "over-the-counter" vitamins bought at the stores (cheap, of course). Now I have found one that doesn't give me symptoms so maybe they will work for other arthritics.

If interested, reply to this or send me an e-mail message at bearcreekcabin@hotmail.com with your e-mail address.

Kathy

Forum: Nightshades and Health

How much nightshade will cause a flare?

TC — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:12:38 GMT

Hi there. I am new - first post.

I have had psoriatic arthritis for about 13 years. I also have degenerative disc disease in my back with bulges at multiple discs. I have osteoarthritis in my right hip, along with a labral tear (cartilage) in the same hip.

About 4 weeks ago, I discovered the No Nightshades diet. I have had very good success, with all of my pain sources improving significantly. Any flare ups of pain & fatigue I have traced back to inadvertent consumption of a nightshade plant.

Here is my question. I am experiencing a flare today, but I have not eaten anything with nightshades. There are only two possibilities. Yesterday for lunch I had a fish fillet. It came with a coating that included potato flakes. I washed this coating off before cooking. The other possibility is that two nights ago I BBQ'd chicken. I made a honey mustard sauce for myself, while the others had regular tomato based BBQ sauce. The only possible contamination could have been from using the same utensils when cooking.

Is this amount of a nightshade plant enough to set off a flare?

Forum: Nightshades and Health

Trying this out...

rt — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:14:41 GMT

Hi, thought I would relate my story. Last summer I grew tomatos and potatos in my garden and had a bumper crop. All fall I pigged out on fresh salsa, fried spuds, more salsa, chips, fries, etc! I started noticing a small twinge in my knee every now and then but thought nothing of it. A few weeks later my knee blew up and I couldnt walk very well.. the pain would switch from one knee to the other... after about a month my shoulders blew out. I went to the doctor and got the usual NSAIDS suggestion. I am 40 and have always been in great health. I have gone through 3 months of this... some days better, some worse...

A few years ago I noticed tomatos messed up my digestion so I quit for a few weeks and felt much better... I started up again though and really forgot all about it...

I noticed if I eat tomatos the affliction flares up quite a bit...

I quit all nightshades 2 days ago and feel 50% better already. Trying not to be too enthusiastic too soon but seems good so far.

Would anyone care to relate (who has been through this) how long it typically takes to get good results?

Also of interest I was taking Glucosamine that included 100% RDA of D3, and I was taking a vitamin complex that had 100% of D3-- hence a double dose! I never used to take anything vitamin wise until last fall when I thought it might be a good idea-- wish I never had!

-Robert

Forum: Nightshades and Health

dandelions

nutter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:06:26 GMT

does anyone know whether dandelions are a member of the nightshade family ??

Forum: Nightshades and Health

foods not to eat

lindarose — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:35:50 GMT

My physical Therapist said there are 5 foods not to eat that causes inflamation. What are they?

Forum: Food & Recipes

Eczema

naturenut — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:54:36 GMT

I have determined that tomatoes and potatoes have been causing my Eczema. It never fails, every time I eat them I begin to get a new breakout. Eliminating them or limiting to once a week or less makes it completely disappear. I've always been very sensitive to tobacco smoke as well but now realize why. Arthritis pains for me are caused by eating gluten. Anyone find they have gluten intolerance together with nightshade intolerance and if they're related?

Forum: Nightshades and Health

pain from inhalation only

Regina — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:22:33 GMT

I would like to know if others have found that they only have to cook nightshades for someone else without even tasting them to react. Also have others been around someone else who has smoked that day and reacted? I am extremely sensitive in many ways. I am trying to figure out why my fingers are getting progressively worse. I have recently been associating with someone who smokes, though they do not smoke around me, but ride in my car. I can't find anything on this mode of exposure.

Forum: Nightshades and Health

Diarhea almost gone

Pat — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:45:41 GMT

I was diagnosed with microscopic colitis, which meant I had daily uncontrollable diarhea everyday. I had many tests and tried many medications. Nothing helped. I have been slowly eliminating foods from my diet and lo and behold when I eliminated potatoes recently my D is almost completely gone. I was living on meat, rice, potatoes, eggs, and a few green veggies. I still had the D so I tried eliminating the potatoes and it has been like a miracle! I already don't eat any of the other nightshades. This has really helped!!!!

Forum: Nightshades and Health

RA

sally — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:46:08 GMT

Hi I am 57 and have RA - have been suffering for years. Know nothing about nightshades etc. could someone please give me a link so I can overcome this pain.

Forum: Food & Recipes

Peppers?

thrdiopen — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:48:01 GMT

I have been on the no nightshade diet and it has helped ten fold with my pain. It is amazing how I can accidently eat something that I thought was not in what I was eating, only to read the ingrets more closely and to see I missed a pepper or something!! I feel it immediately and for the next week sometimes...which leads me to my question????

I know that black and white pepper/peppercorns are not part of the nightshade family? but is red peppercorns??

Thanks in advance for your feedback~~
JR

Forum: Nightshades and Health

Too Many Tomatoes

DonM — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 03:44:50 GMT

Dr. Childers,

Thank-you for your website www.noarthritis.com

This is my anecdotal story, from which I have almost finished recovering. I am a 54 year old male, 5 11, 155lbs.

After returning from a CA vacation I dove in to my fully ripened tomato patch to partake of its pleasures. In order not to waste any of the bountiful crop I recalled every tomato recipe I could think of. After two weeks of having servings of cooked and raw tomatoes for two out of three meals a day, I woke up one morning and my left foot started to ache. Obvious bruising of the ball and heel indicated plantar fasciitis, but the ache was growing. Also, a previous puncture from a rose thorn was painful but not swollen. I feared blood poisoning from the earlier puncture. The growing pain, on a Sunday of course, sent me to the local emergency room where I was poked, prodded, x-rayed and blood tested. The doctor, who didnt have any experience with plantar fasciitis, decided nothing was wrong. BUT MY LEG HURTS. I was sent home without palliatives. Two hours later my foot and leg hurt even more, and worse. A call to my private physician revealed that Sunday phone calls are forwarded to another doctor WHO ALSO TAKES SUNDAY OFF. He told me to go to the emergency room again. The emergency room refused to let me see the doctor who had attended me earlier and ran me through triage so they could ignore me without guilt. I described the pain as a 9.5 ache on a scale of 1 to 10. That was not enough to merit their attention and I was put in a nook way in the back. My leg is now in excruciating pain and they are ignoring me for more than an hour. I described the pain to my wife as being in shock while watching a bear eating me alive. I started to behave badly. The evil genius inside me was curious to see how far they would let this go. I had to crawl out of the room and plant myself in the hallway before I saw the shiny shoes of the inquisitive man wearing the stethoscope. I had an EKG at my request and given a not so subtle narcotic for my anxiety. I was sent home and slept for 24 hours. Then my leg started hurting again and we were back to square one. A clever combination of every pain reliever I could lay my hands on kept what was obviously a large area inflammation under some control.

The next day my private physician once again proved he knew squat and missed the plantar fasciitis diagnosis. I talked him out of some anti-biotics to calm my fears of blood poisoning or bone infection. On my own I made an appointment at a podiatrist two days later. In order to make an impression on at least one PHD graduate in my four encounters, I refrained from all pain relievers prior to my visit. I almost passed out in the waiting room. A diagnosis of the plantar fasciitis was made and due to the severity of pain the long needle was prepared and my foot was given whatfur. I was sent home.

I returned to my pill routine and in a lucid moment it occurred to me that the only real change in my diet or lifestyle was the frequent ingestion of tomatoes. I hadnt done anything athletic recently to deserve this. And, if anything, my ill fitting shoes were the control in this experiment. Oh, and did I mention that I also grew potatoes this year? And beautiful bell peppers.

It is now day three without nightshades and each day is better than the previous. In my experience keeping a food diary it takes about four days to get a food out of your system. Today I only took one aspirin. I now know the warning signs of discomfort in my leg (sciatica) so I shouldnt have to go through this again.

A contributing factor in this poisoning may have been a daily vitamin D supplement of 400IU , which I had only been taking sporatically in years past.

===Don===

Forum: Nightshades and Health

chronic hives?

whiskers — Thur, 13 Sep 2007 12:42:34 GMT

has anyone heard of nightshades being the cause of chronic hives? I'm running out of straws to grasp. started the no nightshades diet last night and am feeling hopeful this morning.

Forum: Nightshades and Health