Yoga update

Generally speaking I have been improving through my Bikram sessions.  The small if not minuscule improvements are definitely having their cumulative effect.  So last week thought here was an opportunity to get the best out Bikram and so I did six Bikram sessions on the run.  Well, not exactly running, but you understand!

I had hoped that as the week rolled by I would feel better, after all the effort I was putting in!  However the third session seemed to be my high, and a mixture of issues seemed to hold me back towards the end of the week.  On one hand I seemed to have developed a bit of intermittent lower back strain, sadly otherwise I seemed to have more arthritic pain, stiffness and fatigue hitting me.  And so with some trepidation on Friday I made my last visit, asking myself was I overdoing it.

Are we betrayed?

Though I have no financial interest, I am pleased to circulate the following press release by Dr Tom O'Bryan:

"Dr. Tom O'Bryan and I invite you to his FREE #docuseries on #Autoimmunity, #BetrayalSeries ... Register as my guest: http://bit.ly/BetrayalSeries ... The world's leading minds say autoimmune disease is behind ALL disease, even cardiovascular disease, MS, brain disorders, CANCER, depression, suicide... Autoimmune disease CAN be reversed and put into remission. THIS is the info desperately needed."

My reasons for doing this is because so much of what he says in his series Betrayal follows my own path of recovery from a totally debilitating auto-immune disease, in my case Rheumatoid Arthritis.  If I had followed the recommendation of my doctor and rheumatologist I might be taking a considerable portfolio of drugs by now.  Consequentially I might be looking to a future of drugs and more drugs, each one removing the goodness from my body.  If I was lucky, my body would stabilise, but as with so many people with RA, struggle to find a blend of drugs that keep my RA under control. I have already had approval and indeed recommended to have both knee joints replaced.

Instead I took responsibility for my own health.  I researched solutions that worked for me and thus gradually changed my diet to a whole-food plant-based diet which is also oil-free, gluten-free and nightshade plant free.  This was the diet recommended by Clint Paddison, and he and other people on this diet have helped me with considerable advice and support during some very difficult periods, and continue to help me to this day.

After seven months my body has become healthy enough for me to start Bikram Yoga.  And now just over a month later I can walk normally and live an increasingly normal life.  I am not yet totally without drugs - that day will come after my next visit to my Rheumatologist.

Do I feel betrayed by the UK's medical system?  I'll let you, dear reader, decide that.  All I will say is that this morning I looked at my knees in the mirror and I thought, "wow! Not pretty perhaps, but when you have had knees like I have, the only word is WOW!  These are my knees, and slowly but surely they are regaining full health."

Is Bikram my future?

Okay, I have been waiting to blog about this but wanted to wait until I had evidence.  Well I have now had my tenth session of Bikram Yoga.  Most people know what Yoga is, even if they have not experienced it.  Bikram Yoga is Yoga in a form that is ideally suited to people with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Each yoga session lasts for 90 minutes and takes place in a hot room.  Each session has exactly the same twenty-six postures.

Bikram Yoga is not a replacement for dietary changes.  Without having adopted a whole-food plant based diet I would never have been able to get my health to a sufficient standard to be able to attend a single session.  However RA will cause significant damage to the body for most people who suffer it.  Sometimes that damage is in the form of distorted limbs.  In my case, due to arthritis I have not been able to kneel properly for forty years.  Also I have not been able to straighten my right elbow.  The last year's RA has also meant that using my right elbow can cause a searing pain.

So about three weeks ago I felt my health was good enough to get me out of the house.  I thus left and went to my first Bikram session.  Sadly due to traffic problems I was five minutes late and so advised to come back tomorrow!  The next day I went to my first session and I have not looked back.

This is not to say I am having some kind of miraculous recovery, rather that I am perceiving minute but persistent improvements.  When I say "minute" I really mean that - they are tiny.  But improvements are being felt on several fronts.

And so at last I wanted to blog about my reasons for continuing with Bikram Yoga as I feel at this stage.  So here they are:

1. The heat really helps. Just being in the heat is nice, but also it helps improve flexibility through the class. It also brings out that sweat.
2. The sweat really helps. If Rheumatoid Arthritis is about anything it is about impurities in the blood inside your body. Sweating many of those out gives my body a spring clean. After a session it really feels like a cleanse that means less pain in the hours ahead.
3. The relaxation really helps. Right now I neither get up or down to the floor without assistance, but once down, and despite pain in my right elbow I could lie down for a long time...
4. The breathing feels great. Not just the initial pranayama session and the ending "doggy" pant (as I call it) but the continual need to breath steadily helps my chest enormously.  Apparently good breathing also reduces acidosis in the body: and that means less pain!
5. "It helps the digestion." Words from several Bikram teachers affirmed, not least by my improved bowel movements, all mean less pain!
6. The same 26 postures wherever and whenever. It is really good to know what you are letting yourself get into. In my first session I cried inside with a mixture of embarrassment and fear. I stuck through and now calmly read my body, listen to instructions about the posture goals and feel progress. I have tried two venues (Warwick and Oxford, UK) and it is a great relief to know the experience is exactly the same.
7. Taking time to concentrate on me. Every beginners Bikram session is 90 minutes long. I try to get to class early to benefit from the heat as much as possible and I don't hurry away. Mind you with my stiffness I could not hurry if I tried!
8. It's working. I cannot put my finger on exactly what is happening to me, but after 10 sessions I feel something very positive is happening inside my body. But let me try one...
9. I feel warmer. I have felt cold over the last months. However now my circulation must be improving because I feel warmer in myself.
10. A Daily Dose Does Best. I will be doing 4 days at least most weeks. My body needs that, no joke. Missing some days already has felt bad. Bikram is good if you travel because there are centres in or near most major towns and cities. And they all give you exactly the same experience.
11. Drink the water. With Bikram you simply must drink water, before, during and after. Water is so purifying that anything that encourages that regime must be a good thing.
12. What about other yogas? The heat makes me a Bikram person. Bikram teachers are very skilled and know exactly the pain I am going through.  They make sure I don't do too much or the wrong thing.  They also give great personal advice on alternative stretches I can achieve.
13. Everyone at class is so kind and helpful. Each person concentrates on their own frailties and strengths and do not worry about my issues. They just express full-some support for what I am trying to achieve. At my last Warwick session I was told, "I was an inspiration." Not bad for someone who cannot do a single posture!

What the future holds for me

Right now I am in some kind of control of my diet and my lifestyle.  I cook my own food, buy my own produce and so forth.  But the future could be frightening.  Imagine I have to go into a residential or care home, whether that be 10, 20 or more years ahead.  Will they provide me with a raw salad or will they force met to have mashed potatoes and over-cooked veg?  Now if I had limitless funds then surely I could get the care I choose and need.  But will care homes of the future bother caring for my dietary needs.

Also at that time will they take control of my medication and usurp my wishes without my knowledge?  Perhaps they might argue, with support from doctors, to relatives, "of course he needs sleeping pills", or whatever.

In essence will they treat the symptoms - or the cause?

There is no doubt that with sufficient funds anyone could choose the exact care they need.  But will I be in that position?  That, I doubt.

Fortunately I am becoming aware of Blue Zones.  These are places in the world like Okinawa where most people live beyond 100 years of age in great health, perhaps riding motorbikes, exercising regularly and probably more exercise than I do now!  Fortunately my diet is already on its way to fulfilling the Blue Zone goal.

However Blue Zones are more than just diet.  It is a social goal.  Eynsham, beware!  If I am to have a future then encouraging a Blue Zone community around me is a must.

Knockdown and no clipper to be seen!

My apologies to readers.  I don't do well posting when things get bad, and the last few weeks have not been easy.  Just before that I was getting healthy to the point of thinking I was a fraud, in that pain and inflammation was diminishing and I was really coming together as a quasi-normal human being.  I was re-entering society and was beginning to look back on the previous year as a very bad dream.  Had it happened?  Had I exaggerated my own illness and struggles?  Had I at last overcome some major hurdles?  At this point I perhaps became complacent, possibly arrogant.  Perhaps I could begin to venture outside my safe food zone and experiment more with "normal foods."

And then my knock-back happened.  I quickly pressed dietary reset button (cucumber and celery juicing etc etc) and hoped that the fault was only temporary.  However it has been longer and deeper.  With significant pain, latterly and especially in my ankles.  Initially my left wrist blew up and looked like an exceedingly undesirable but well-risen cake, with pain to match.

Any hope of quick recovery seemed to disappear as days and then weeks seemed to have rolled by with very little venturing out of doors.  Are we at the point of recovery?  Only time will tell.  One thing I have learnt is predicting how well I will feel is not worth very much.  I can be lying in bed feeling comfortable at say 4am, and then by 7am I am struggling with pain to even get myself sat up on the edge of bed.

But recovery does happen.  The skills I have learnt about listening to my body, a very careful attention to its dietary needs and most of all patience.

As the days roll by I can feel the inflammatory blood serum travelling from one part of the body to another.  The soles of my feet, the ankles, the wrists, the hip joints, knee joints, elbows, and for one horrible day even my back.  Unlike, say 6-9 months ago, now I only tend to have pain etc in one place.  That's not nice, but at least most of the time I find my mind is clear.  I have very little brain fog - touch wood.

But I have to learn the lesson of the last weeks.  As yet I do not know what I have learnt except that I am far from clear of RA yet, and possibly if ever.

If I had a guess at the lesson it would be that when RA kicks in badly it is because of multiple trigger events.  So not just one meal, but a range of things.  Perhaps too much (or contaminated) oil or fat on one day.  Perhaps an inadvertent nightshade vegetable on another.   Perhaps some egg in a falafel on another.  Each of these takes its toll and then like a pack of cards I collapse.

This is not proven science, just my best guess.

What is true is I need more protection around myself.  To this end I have prepared a dietary card to show when I go to a restaurant.

Another milestone of recovery

I walked over ten miles yesterday.  It was supposed to be less than seven but a wrong turning out two...  Nevertheless with aching feet I ended my walk very very pleased with myself. This feels like I really have beaten my rheumatoid arthritis into submission.

Now I have energy and flexibility the future is a life of more milestones because the moment I stop is the moment RA is likely to come back, and I won't let that happen.

Not sure I dare post this

I am feeling very good.

Not perfect but my three good days earlier in the month at Cropredy are now being followed by a further four days, and counting...  To me a good day is when I feel I can just walk like a normal human being, no aches, no pains.  I may walk at a slow speed, but if these improvements continue then with more walking and swimming now doubt the speed issue should resolve itself.

Also I ate something on my dangerous list last night, and magically no side effects.  Does this indicate my gut is healing to the point where the gut has decided that an arthritic reaction is not the default?

This is not to say I am in the all-clear, not by a long way.  I have to come off methotrexate and that will be a slow process that may take me into next year.  I have a poorly right elbow which has not come out of the last year or so of Rheumatoid Arthritis smiling. Finally my wrists have just the smallest amount of inflammation and pain.

But altogether, anyone who says a wise change of diet cannot improve arthritis is talking hogwash.  I see stories of people who have had much more complex medications than mine, and for them the road to recovery is infinitely more challenging.  For those who have started down the road to recovery, I salute you!   I hope that my blog here gives some hope that recovery is possible.

A significant step forward

Looking back, I had hoped and indeed expected to see good physical progress for this month of August, but that didn't happen.  My first two August weeks definitely did not go to plan, instead I was hamstrung with some pain and inflammation. I am not talking anything of the pain levels of the early months of this year, but just sufficient to stop me getting out and about.

That changed dramatically three days ago.  I'd booked myself into Cropredy 2016, Fairport Convention's annual folk music festival.  When I booked the ticket I had a real hesitance. I asked myself many questions

• could I actually get there?
• no chance of camping, 
• would I need a mobility scooter?
• what if it rains badly which could be very bad news for walking, 
• how on earth would I get up if I slipped?
• would a slip have consequential health issues, like a broken joint?
• what would I be able to eat?
• how would I get plenty of water?
• how would I get in/out of camping chairs?

Serious colonoscopy questions

Background: In an earlier post I reported that my blood tests show that I had/have anemia (also spelt anaemia).  My doctor's initial reaction is to advise iron tablets, which I have to a large measure been taking.  He then also requested my local hospital book me in for an endoscopy, which involves sedation followed by a tube being passed down through the mouth into the stomach.  The goal being to do a physical examination of my insides.  This revealed, at worse, a hiatus hernia, which means that my stomach is pressing upwards into my oesophagus.

The hospital report on this was reassuring, that possibly 75% of older adults had hiatus hernia and that mine was nothing special.  I thus thought, well that was worth doing to find out not much wrong, and no particular harm done.

Where have I been?

I don't do bad times well and last week was much more difficult than I expected which is a shame, not only for my own health aspirations, but also I have much to blog about. I had had in mind a blog post entitled, "It's not my fault. It's not my fault. It's not my fault."  This was a twist on the lines spoken by Robin Williams in the great film Good Will Hunting.

You see I have had bad gums nearly all my life.  Every visit to the dentist has been plagued with plaque no matter how much effort I put into regular cleaning.  What do I find out now?  It's the arthritis, stupid!  My dental challenges have always been made worse by having arthritis.  I have to ask myself, why did no-one tell me!   It's just like my dietary changes, why did no-one tell me?

It is not that my actions might have changed.  I might have brushed my teeth more frequently, with more diligence perhaps.  But at least I would have know that it was not my fault, in that for my life I have always felt, somehow I am not brushing or flossing properly.

Now I know it's the arthritis.  Here is one comprehensive set of pages on dental health for anyone else with arthritis.

I almost forgot the good news.  As I clear up my arthritis I hope and expect my teeth and gums to slowly heal.

Strengthening is a natural process

I have said to myself that I am now in a strengthening phase.  What does this mean?  Well yes it means i will concentrate on the wim hof method to help get in touch with my inner self.  Hopefully it also means I will start regular yoga sessions as well as my regular swims and walks. And this also includes booking a date for a return to long distance walking.

But they are, together or individually nothing without making full value of my body's natural ability to heal itself.  That's why I went to see a chiropractor.  That's why I am not testing any food and drink  unless I am very confident it will not cause me arthritic problems.

After I had my knees scanned under the MRI the pictures of my knees were very clear and detailed.  I was told I could have knee operations whenever it suited me, "I can arrange an appointment with the surgeon now if you wish, Mr Swarbrick." well thanks, but no thanks.

I have since found out that much of my decrepit body might just heal itself.  With a supportive regime there is just a chance that the cartilage in my knees might improve, as indeed may my gums and teeth.

So that's what I am really working on. Founded in a whole food plant based diet my true goal is to get this body super-healthy.  It is no longer good enough to simply overcome my arthritis but rather prepare my body for the next however many years for a happy and healthy life.

Walking the walk

It was just a walk. It was just a walk. It was just a walk.

It was just a walk around the gardens of Coughton Court near Alcester.  But I did it at normal walking pace.  Another first.  The first time in many months that I was able to walk with no pain, no ache at a decent speed.

That's not to say I walked fast.  But I felt I could have kept going and I did not tire.

It feels like nothing short of a miracle.

Many of my thanks go to my chiropractor, Elaine, whose business card says "Enabling the joy of movement."

Another day today.  I think I'll go for a walk - cheery-bye.

Eliminating capsicum peppers

I have suspected bell pepper to cause inflammation, since it is one of the nightshades.  However tests (until now) have seemed mixed.  For instance I had a soup and did not seem to suffer.  The jury now has placed its verdict clearly in the "never again" tray.

We had lunch at the home of some good friends and they tried their damnedest to ensure everything was to me diet.  So much so that I missed seeing some yellow pepper head inexorably towards my mouth.  Totally delicious.

However today my wrists are badly inflamed and painful.  I can even feel the blood pumping in my left wrist under the pressure of inflammation.  This is going to be with me for most of the day, I predict, as a problem and the take another couple of days to disappear altogether.

Hey-ho, I cannot bear anything touching my left wrist for now.  But it is worth this experience to know I have now eliminated such peppers from diet.

Another of the nightshade family bites the dust!

Strength in GF beer

My third gluten-free beer, yummy!  We're at the Weighbridge canalside pub in Alvechurch.  They are definitely good for vegan and gluten-free with a range of options.  I went for Sunday roast - actually no roast)

I am definitely into my building "strength" phase. I swam for 20 minutes this morning and walking much better.  Also I have a feeling for the first time in several months of looking outward rather than that depressed inward feeling.

Pain and inflammation - gone

I slept well last night - and no meds.  The night before I found I had to relax my legs into a posture of repose very carefully, whereas last night they settled under the quilt at whatever speed they wanted.

Every day I notice microscopic improvements, for instance today I notice that I can get up from a chair so easily, whereas before it might take me five minutes of rocking myself forward to be able to get to a point where my legs would take the strain.  Bear in mind  I am not talking about a sofa chair, rather a dining chair which should be easy-peasy because it it higher.  This means the ligaments in my legs are working better, that I am more flexible and that I am getting my life back.

The significance of sleeping well is that I now know any pain from my chiropractic manipulating my spine has gone and replaced with health.  Not just that, but improving health.  That is my body is now more able to heal itself.

For the last few weeks I have had persistent inflammation and pain around my wrists which would begin to appear early in the morning before I might arise.  Now that has largely gone.  This means I can now use my wrists to help me get out of chairs.

Does this mean my journey is over?  Not by a long way.

So looking forward to my next Chiropractic session.  In the meantime I think I will get some sunshine & some Vitamin D.

The temperature is going down and my back no longer hurts

I have been very stiff, and despite improving health the stiffness is still there.  So I took the decision to visit a local chiropractic.  Why did I choose Chiropractic instead of other disciplines?  Well I have begun to watch the videos of Dr Bergman, who is a Chiropractic.  His approach is that the body cannot heal itself properly unless the back is right, and conversely if the spine is right then the body is most excellent at healing itself.  Self-healing includes cartilage, synovial fluid, even joints.  Having felt my own body repair itself I know at least some of this is true.

I also know that some twenty years ago whilst in Germany a top specialist did some back manipulation on me, as a necessity, and solved problems that I never knew I had. Whether that was chiropractic skills or whatever I never knew, my German language skills were not that good, and my human biology knowledge was miserable.

Bear in mind that I have never had any identifiable back problems associated with arthritis, except for persistent stiffness, at least in the neck.  This is mostly manifest in a lack of ability to easily look behind me to the right when driving out of junctions.

Well I had my first session and I went away happy, feeling better and with more energy than I have for a long time.  However when I went to bed that night I had the most awful sleeplessness brought on my a total inability to find a comfortable position for my legs.  Time for the meds and a day of rest.

A pizza delight

Whenever one thinks of dietary changes you have to look at the lifestyle in which you live.  It is all well and good drinking high-powered juices each day but no restaurant is going to want you and friends drinking your own juices on their premises.  Also the fun of eating out is exploring new tastes with friends.

Add into the mix my diet and it is not difficult to see that I haven't eaten out a lot.  In fact I have only had one pizza in the last six months, and that was a big mistake leaving me with more than a week and pain, inflammation and recovery.  On my diet a pizza represents a perfect storm.  Usually it is made with wheat dough and topped generously with both tomato paste and mozzarella cheese.  None of these are good for my diet, indeed all of them individually will cause me pain and inflammation for several days.

And so it was with trepidation that I ordered a take-away pizza from Pizza Express.  The one I chose was a Pianta.  I chose the Gluten-Free option and asked them to remove the tomato and artichokes.  I added in goats cheese and capers.  Bingo.  Twenty four hours later no arthritic reaction and happiness reigns.

A fabulous pizza and I felt like I belonged to humanity once more!

Annoyed with myself

Not sure quite what is going on, but I have tried to stay clear of any non-MTX drugs over the last days and nights.  Inflammation and pain have followed.  This shows to me the ineffectiveness of MTX, so that's one good outcome.

I suspect that I have had some free-from foods that have dairy in them.  For instance I double checked Mrs Crimbles bakewell tart.  Yummy, but contains eggs.

It's annoying because there are not a lot of treats for someone on my diet.  Now there are even less, and it shows I need to check and double check ingredients on the label.

At this time of year my wife, a teacher comes home with several boxes of chocolates given as presents by students to say thank you.  Previously I would have helped her devour them, but no more...

Digestion, part 3: It's all about the enzymes

And so to my third blog post on digestion.  Hardly a week ago and I would have not had any substantial material to write here, rather what I had in my mind was a mystery.  Thankfully both for me and for you, dear reader, I am beginning to get an understanding.

When you read on a packet of something from the supermarket and its says so much Vitamin C or B or whatever what it will never tell you is about the enzymes.  That may be because in part packed food from supermarkets is notably low on enzymes.  Sadly fresh food, unless it is organic is also low on enzymes.  Sadly also any cooking destroys enzymes, especially that at higher temperatures and longer cooking times.  This blog post my be seen as a sales pitch for buying organic produce!  Actually it is more than that.  But let's start at the beginning, and what are enzymes and where are they found?

A cooling shower

Well, I am into my third day of the Wim Hof Method and I think it is going to become part of my armour of defence against arthritis.  It is quite amazing to think that with little or no training that I can comfortably hold my breath for over two minutes!  But of course that is not the point.  The point is to help provide some extra strength against the ravages of arthritis.  Right now see little evidence except for a feeling of calm throughout my body.  That in itself is a good thing for people with arthritis, of course.  Anything that can give relief from the aches and pains without drugs must be a good thing.  But, having started down this road, I am looking for more.

The videos I have watched (and some of them several times) talk about energising the body.  That would be a good thing.  They talk about increased focus, and again I look forward to that.  In chemical terms the breathing helps remove carbon dioxide and increase oxygen levels in the body.  I said I have watched related videos several times, I have done this to help get the process as right as possible.

On the mend

As you can see from the chart my C-reactive protein is heading towards normal.   This I knew anyway since my inflammation (and thus much of the pain) is dropping everywhere.

My iron levels seem to be coming back into order (and thus my anaemia is reducing) and generally I am feeling better all round.

Yesterday I was made aware of Wim Hof, who otherwise goes under the name of the Iceman.  He is from Holland and has done many remarkable things, including achieving 20 Guinness Records.  What has all that go to do with this blog, and more importantly me?

Andy's Arthritic Diet (Digestion part two)

Well not so much a triangle but at least three ways of looking at what you eat..  This is my first attempt at trying to explain my diet in terms of foods I concentrate on, foods I avoid and trying to look at this nutritionally.

FOODS TO EAT
I have found concentrating on these foods positively helps me get healthier day by day.  And by healthier I mostly mean arthritis free.

1. Every day you should be ensuring you are getting many of these: 4 glasses Water, 2 cups Green / Hibiscus Teas, 3 servings Green Veg, especially dark Greens, 2 servings other Veg, 1 tbsp Flax Seeds, 1 or 2 servings Grains/PseudoGrains, 1 or 2 servings Legumes, Handful of Nuts, esp Walnuts, 2 cups Soy or Almond Milk etc, 2 servings berries, 2 servings fruit, esp Kiwi.

To London and back, with overnight stay

A year ago I would have thought nothing about catching a train to travel the forty miles or so into central London and stay overnight whilst my wife is at a conference. Today this is a challenge that takes more planning than just checking tickets and cash are sorted.

My planning started about three days ago ensuring I was not eating anything that was going to cause a flare.  Flares from complex foods can take three or even four days to clear my system,  and after that I have to allow time for my strength and emotional stamina to build.

The first morning I am as right as much as I can hope for and I even walking tolerably well. I was up early this morning having a lovely of porridge with a banana.  Check emails, pack a case, pack my meds and have another sleep (blame a bad night of Brexit-itis!)

Digestion, part one: Nutrition

Before I begin on today's post, let me just say I swam again today despite my right elbow being painful.  And so the recovery continues...  And so to my post...

I have never studied biology at school, so if it wasn't for the Internet I would be totally ignorant about the human digestive system.  As it stands I love researching subjects using the web and I think I am beginning to get an understanding and would like to begin to share that with you.

The starting point is to say that the digestive system, or to be precise the human digestive system is a very complex system and significant parts of it seem to be a mystery - even to professionals.  Not only do professionals not know the entire story, many professionals disagree about aspects.  Let me start with one statement, one that I hold true, to show that disagreement up, "changing your diet can provide significant control of your arthritis."

Like many fellow sufferers I am a witness to the efficacy of dietary changes on my own body.  Despite those clear effects both my rheumatologist and my doctor both are of another opinion, that any recent health improvements are due to my current drug regime.  But then what do doctors and rheumatologists know about nutrition?  Certainly they do not have comprehensive training in the subject.

My rheumatologist is actually part of a university team looking at gut bacteria and arthritis.  But this team, as far as I understand it are studying this without making any significant connection to food and nutrition.

And another swim

I think I accidentally had some peanuts which are causing pain and a disturbed night's sleep.  But that did not stop me getting another swim in.  Determination, determination...

Went swimmimg today!

I would not wish to claim I swam brilliantly, but swim for 20 minutes I did. My recovery continues, for instance today I am feeling that my fingers are bending better, and I can almost make a fist.  Time for a sleep.

Lunch was hummus, rice crackers, salad and strawberries.

Recovering well, and at least in one way very well

Yesterday we went shopping in Solihull and went past a showroom for my favourite, Tesla. All I needed was £50,000 to become a happy man!  Attached is a photo of a Tesla we just happened to follow whilst approaching some roadworks in Oxford yesterday.

Anyway the big thing is my walking suddenly improved. For the first time in months there was no pain in my feet and I could walk at a half decent pace. This is remarkable since over the last three months I have taken a wheelchair round with me due to walking difficulties.  It is as if the bones in my feet have suddenly decided to work in harmony.

A purchase made was a half-decent pancake pan and so that night I made buckwheat pancakes topped with lightly sautéd mushrooms and celery with steamed cabbage and then a few shreds of Pecorino Romano cheese. The taste was glorious especially the sweetness of the al-dente celery, however the pancakes fell apart, so work in progress on that point!

Recovering

The last couple of days have not been easy, or rather they have been a reminder of how dark a place arthritis can be. Added to the pain and, yes inflammation I had my 6 monthly appointment with my rheumatologist. It did not go well.  Not sure I want to go into all the details but essentially I did not feel supported.  On top of the pain etc,  not good.

I don't like doing posts like this.  At least I am coming out of my flare-up - and emotionally I will come out stronger.

While at the hospital I found a leaflet on apps for monitoring arthritis.  I've downloaded a couple and will report my thoughts here when I have tried them for a bit.

Bad day

There is no other word for it.  Today I am stiff and in pain and going nowhere.  Inflammation is minimal, thank goodness.

Yesterdays baked beans (in tomato sauce) are likely to be my last for a very very long time.

Day Six: pain reduces further, time to try a can of baked beans

And yet another day rolls in and I am feeling good.  Not perfect, but relatively just a tiny bit better.  The remnants of pain and inflammation are less than yesterday, also I am feeling more flexible.  My flexibility test is getting shoes and socks on: how far and easily can I bend over.  Well flexibility is coming.

About two weeks ago I was on a regular stream of anti-inflammatory tablets, especially on bad days.  Now it has reduced over the last days to one or two per day.  Last night I stayed up late binging on the first series of Happy Valley (now streaming on Netflix).  Being late to bed is always a bad recipe for me.  Firstly sitting in front of the TV till late makes me incredibly stiff and that lateness can make for a bad night's sleep.  And so without messing about I get some NSAIDs inside me, and to bed.

And as I say above my night's sleep wasn't too bad and I am feeling good.

Whenever I feel good it is time to try some foodstuff that is on my risky "todo" list.  Today I have elected for a can of baked beans, which is an inflammatory risk because of the tomatoes.  Beans on toast.  I have added a generous dollop of my turmeric paste, some chilli, and some dairy-free cream for added interest.

Day five, my hands are a pain, but that's it

A dismal day outside, what with the UK covered in lots of rain.  But apart from my wrists continuing to have slight pain and inflammation. Apart from that fine.

I have just watched the cow conspiracy on netflix.  If you ever thought driving a gas-guzzler like the Hummer cars could be done ethically then just contribute to avoiding eating meat and enjoy the rest of your longer life!  Oh, and watch the video.

Day four on far less medication

I am not saying I am med free, after all I am still eliminating foods and that process caries a likelihood of reactions.  So yesterday I wanted something, or rather needed something to eat after my endoscopy.  The M&S cafe inside the John Radcliffe Hospital has a very poor selection of gluten free and dairy free products.  Considering this was a service inside a hospital, I am frankly appalled at Marks & Spencer!

The only item they had was a tomato (and red pepper?) soup with (optional) gluten free rolls.  I asked for the GF rolls, only to be served with normal wheat rolls!!!!  I complained, naturally, and the waitress went to the M&S shop next door and brought a GF loaf, from which I had two slices.

Bread notwithstanding I am safe with neither tomato nor red pepper.  So overnight my wrists both hurt and became swollen.  Not totally intolerably, but I new I would need something to get me through the night.  So on with a generous dollop of 10% diclofenac gel around the wrists and my right elbow, and thence a couple of paracetemol.

Morning is here and certainly I am not recovered fully from that flare, but I will get there.  My feet feel a bit tender so I guess that's another bit of reaction.  A bit more gel and a certain amount of patience...  Whatever my inflammation is not coming back in earnest.

Let me say clearly, the road to recovery continues unabated.  At the next meeting with my doctor I hope to place the termination of my MTX medication clearly on the agenda!  The end of MTX may be a month or two, or more away, but the end is nigh.

Oh, and by the way, my endoscopy came out with normal results.  So any anaemia problems I have are not manifesting themselves in a poor digestive system that this endoscopy shows.

PS: I have just been onto M&S website and used their live chat service for complaints and had an apology and a promise of a gift voucher.

Third day almost free of drugs and bad night's sleep!

I had an awful night's sleep and with pain in my left wrist pulsating and pulsating I needed a fix at least for that.  Enter the 10% gel and a pack of strawberries.  But otherwise I am still pain, inflammation and drug free.

The main reason for a bad sleep is anxiety over my endoscopy this afternoon.  Will there be side-effects?  Will the findings reveal something critical about my insides?  Whatever I have opted for sedation, following recommendation from several friends who have had the same procedure.

A second day of no drugs

Can this continue?  Two nights ago I stopped my medication (except MTX) because I was getting to the point of confusion about what and how much I was taking.  I felt I needed a drug reset.  And now I find I am surviving without anti-inflammatory or pain-killing drugs.

A second day!  Quite unbelievable.  This is going to help my stomach and gut really get better.  It is going to help my joints to mend.

Even if I go back on the drugs I know now that such days as these will recur, more and more frequently.  I am entering the next phase of my recovery from arthritis.

No inflammation, no pain, no drugs

This cannot last! I am on a good day, that's for sure. Right now I have no inflammation, no pain, no drugs.  Actually I think I got a touch of too much sun yesterday and felt quite ill through the evening.  So I decided to stay off the drugs as much as possible to let my system settle down.

And now I am almost 18 hours later and still no drugs, and no pain, and no inflammation.  Usually my ankles might have swollen up around now just from sitting at the computer.

Mind you I did go the toilet a lot.  I know no 2's are the not most palatable of subjects for most people but my system cleaned itself out and I love it!

A weekend of camping - on the ground

I didn't expect to say this but, with very full support of family & friends I camped out over last weekend.  We have a lovely Quechua 3-person tent but now the idea of camping on the ground felt like a dream.  To be precise, having camped since I was one year old, it was a dream I feared.

In the end an incredibly supportive Les solved problems such as getting from lying down to standing (and vice-versa) with considerable patience.  Camping also meant if I wanted to go to the toilet I would need something to urinate in during the night so save the convoluted hassle of getting both in and out of the tent, getting vertical and all the rest...  Never mind the potential loss and disruption to sleep to one and all...

We sleep on a Hi Gear double self-inflating camp bed with one quilt below us and another above us. It is really comfortable.

The camping weekend had a purpose - the maintenance of trees planted five years ago in honour of our daughter who died aged 24 (see www.forjane.co.uk).  Practically speaking I was not much help.  With my actions limited to walking from chair to chair.  That is except for providing directions for cooking for the forty people over the camp fire.

With serious help I prepared a chana-dahl curry with rice & nan bread.  All was in my diet (excepting the nan bread which I avoided!)  This meant filling two jam-pans full of pulses and vegetables.  No oil was used, and spices were kept light.  But it did have kale, broccoli & lemons to help keep iron levels high.  Not bad for 40 people!

Lessons about serious illness from causes of death in the UK

It may seem a long way from a lifetime condition such as arthritis but there are, to me, good lessons to learn from those about death that can have a big impact on our most painful disease.

This video exposes the stranglehold the meat and pharmaceutical industry has on our everyday thinking about the causes of death.  It might be easy to thus label employees of meat and pharmaceutical industries as the "baddies."  However, watch the video carefully and you'll see that society at large is just as guilty.

Society's challenge is compared with how long it has taken to out the tobacco industry, and that taken many decades.  Taken to heart by society, hospitals might empty themselves simply by people eating much better diets.

Hummus, a favourite food

I could eat this forever and today I'm trying a modification by adding my turmeric paste making it even more irresistible.  What's not to like about this great food?

My recipe today is:

• chick peas
• olive oil
• lemon juice & zest
• turmeric paste
• garlic cloves
• cider vinegar
• sea salt
• paprika
• tahini

Having soaked the chick peas overnight and then cooked them for an hour, essentially everything is then blended.

I just love topping it off with the lemon zest, paprika and some olive oil which gives off a beautiful red and yellow colouring.

Some Milestones

I'm not a person that likes targets.  Perhaps a life of failing has made me resistant to them.  However I have noticed improvements and wanted to let you know the changes.

When I started this diet I felt glorious.  Whilst just drinking water and fresh vegetable juices I had no pain, and that was a complete miracle to my mind.  If life without food was possible I was almost prepared to sign up to it there and then.  I did not mind people eating great foods, indeed I enjoyed the smells very much.  And all the time I sat there and felt wonderful.

Annoyingly after a few days I started to eat my basic foods and pain came back.  I so wanted to return to just juicing where I might be free of pain again.  But I then realised I was starting a journey, a journey to happiness, a journey with my chronic arthritis at least under control and possibly defeated.  And so looking forward I wondered what would happen next.

Anemia

Not that I knew it, but a big feature of recent months has been fatigue brought on by a lack of iron.   Iron is used body to help generate red blood cells.  A good supply of these gives you energy whereas an insufficient supply leads to fatigue - and additional draining pain!  Apparently around  60% of people with arthritis are anemic.

My particular type of anemia is called Normocytic anemia.  Not that that means much (to me), it is more a label indicating anemia with an associated low red blood cell count.  Apparently this can be common with people with diseases like arthritis.

My symptoms that feel can be attributed at least in part to anemia include:

• Pain in my lower legs: My right leg in particular has been painful below the knee.  Lifting it say to get in and out of bed was not nice.
• Weakness in my hands: I have not been able to open jars, use a can opener or turn taps on and off easily.

People with arthritis need a steady supply of good foods.  Because of arthritis, your body uses up nutrients much more quickly than for healthy people.  So you need to alter your diet to give it the nutrition it needs and deserves.  By this I definitely do not mean you must eat more!  Nor do I necessarily mean buying organic food.  What I do mean is choosing the foods you eat and the foods you avoid.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead

I have to bring this video to your attention.  "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" was a key video in inspiring me to think that doctors prescribing pills was not the answer.  It inspired me to think that I could clear up many of my health issues by getting my food back to basics.  So here it is.

I cannot commend highly enough for anyone with serious health issues, an especially arthritis, to sit down and watch it.

The film features a man who had/has extremely bad hives, another auto-immune disease.

Insomnia for two nights

Being unable to sleep is not fun.  That said my first night was relatively painless and comfortable, and languishing thus is a rather pleasant experience.  Then hardly sleeping through the day, followed by yet another similar night brought me to the point of saying, "enough is enough."

I have been playing round with my meds.  When I say playing I guess that make me sound carefree, whereas the opposite is true.  My methotrexate, as I think I have said before seems to do little for me.  I seem to be banned from other powerful NSAIDs and so am limited to codeine, paracetemol and 10% diclofenac gel.  Each of these I can take "as needed."  So what does as needed actually mean?

Travelling with Arthritis

When I realised my diet affected my arthritis I decided that if I went anywhere I would need to pack specific food and cooking items to suit my diet and thus help avoid flares and pain and pain and flares.  This was based on experience of several months of going away some weekends and finding each weekend had extra flares that took several days to recover from.  One choice would be never to go away again: that wasn't my choice.

So I decided I needed to prepare.  Top on my list is my juicer with both a cucumber and (organic) celery, with these I know I can calm my system down should any flares happen.  This won't get rid of any inflammation but by some miracle my bodies pain will begin to ease.

My first GF beer

I feel that going out to restaurants is like taking your life in hands: rarely can one have confidence in the menus to deal with a challenging diet like mine.  I may go into that later.  What I want to say right now is that I had a Daura Damm beer and had no side-effects apart from a good sleep afterwards.

I largely became an alcohol-free zone about six months ago, say October 2015.  My first alcohol was a couple of small glasses of some rather expensive Sauterne which I had early in the New Year.  From this I am confidence I had no side effects.

Cuke n Cel, my daily juice

Since my arthritis flared up I have consumed more cucumber and celery than in the rest of my life!  Here is today's juice in a Hobgoblin pint glass.  I generally juice up half of each plant per day, yielding just over the half pint of sweet bliss.

I have seen recommended that at least the celery should be organic whenever possible since celery is one of top 10 plants for absorbing pesticides!  I find a good organic celery is just slightly sweeter - although depending on where I get one from they tend to need a good wash and brush.

My favourite source for organic produce is my local organic veg shop, the Market Garden, Eynsham.  Started a couple of years ago, Jonathan and Lucy provide a fabulous service to the local community, with them growing a lot of the produce themselves.

Jargon

Trying to become some kind of expert in my medical condition is not made easy by the quantity of jargon. So here is my attempt to pull some notes together.

• Anemia: A low red-blood cell count, which may mean less oxygen circulating the body and thus, amongst other things, tiredness.  Often this is treated with iron supplements but there are chronic forms that need different solutions.
• Anti-inflammatory: A food or drug that discourages inflammation of the joints.
• Antioxidants: Simply put antioxidants reduce oxidisation.  Which means we stay younger longer!  Berries are a very good source of antioxidents, as are teas such as green and hibiscus-based teas.
• Arthritis: one big pain!
• Auto-immune disease: Normally the body's immune system helps keep it healthy.  However sometimes the body's defence mechanism reacts incorrectly.  In arthritis this reaction causes the inflammation in the joints.

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor, just someone suffers very very bad arthiritis.  If you are interested in any ideas on this website then check them out with your doctor first.  I do not advocate giving up prescribed drugs, just change your diet and as you begin to feel better talk about reducing your medication.

Sleeping tips

Getting and staying asleep with arthritis is not an easy thing to achieve.  On a bad night I can toss and turn hour after hour after hour.  At some point I might find a comfortable position and think to myself, if I can stay like this I will be in something close to heaven.  Then the ache begins and I know I will have to move, something.  Except even moving hurts.

I have a bag filled with wheatgrass that goes in the microwave for a couple of minutes before bedtime.  The bag then lies under the edge of my top pillow and I find the warmth in my shoulders a real comfort.

As I lie one thing I try to avoid is trapping any joints, especially wrists, fingers, knees etc.  Yes, in fact any joint.  I will, if I can, place one hand gently on the other, but a couple of inches down across the wrist.  I find when I am on my side this means both hands can be very comfortable for some time.

Similarly I find mostly I lie one foot on top of the other, and similarly with the knees.  As with the hands some nights these techniques work, on other nights nothing works.

Favourite shops & restaurants

Survival with arthritis is made infinitely easier with shops and restaurants where you can get reliable food stuffs.  I am beginning to try some gluten-free muesli as an alternative for breakfast.  Like all foods if I find something that works then I will move heaven and earth to find that item again, and again.  So here are a list of shops, cafes etc that I consider arthritis friendly.

• Cornucopia (Dublin): a fabulous cafe where you can get reliable good arthritic-friendly food and the staff will help to adapt items to your needs and tastes.
• BioCoop (France): a chain of supermarkets serving organic food.  One feature is a good range of fresh gluten-free breads.  We lived very happily from their food for a week.
• Eden Cafe (Witney): a lovely cafe serving vegan and vegetarian food with a good range of gluten-free choices.
• Market Garden (Eynsham): My local organic green-grocer.  Fabulous.

All pain is not the same

For anyone who does not have arthritis the whole pain thing is something of a mystery.  They can empathise with it, but they can't understand it.  They cannot understand the draining nature for one thing.  One moment you are feeling clear and then "oh, it will go away" you think to yourself.  A little later you notice how that initial annoyance is still there,  Later still it is getting larger and more pervasive.  Then it becomes annoying.  You think to yourself, it will go away: but it doesn't, it simply doesn't go away.

My lunch

When at home my lunch is a slice of Rice & Sunflower Bread with a layer of my own sauerkraut and topped with sheep or goat's cheese (neither of which cause any inflammation, unlike cow's cheeses).

The sauerkraut helps improve my digestive system, which means I am increasingly unlikely to suffer from flares.  Both rice and sunflower give my stomach some work to do, which is important since because I am not eating much I can feel cold.

In my opinion, this s a very well rounded meal.

The Importance of Using Ice Packs

Last night as I lay in bed some pain started to build in one hand.  Knowing arthritis as I do, I knew without fail, possibly slowly, but surely the pain would build and spread.  I had taken an anti-inflammatory drug too recently to take another at that moment so I decided to leave the warmth of my bed and get an ice-pack filled with gel from the freezer compartment.

I have a few of these ice-packs.  They are flexible and so mould themselves to the shape of my body and wrapped around the joint and tied with a velcro tab.  For my ankles it is much better if my wife does it.  She can really get a tight fit, which helps the cold temperature become really effective.  However right now I wanted the ice initially around my wrist.

Two suprising side-effects of a detoxing

I have been feeling cold recently, and persistently so.  It took me some time to realise it was because I was on this detox diet.  A consequence was digestive system was not being used so much: it takes very little to digest a cucumber and celery juice drink.  And if that is all you are drinking all day then your stomach is not going to generate heat.  So that natural hot-water bottle below your waist is staying cold and so it is possible if not likely you might feel cold also.  My solution is to stay in a warm environment which has meant turning up my thermostat.  Leaning on a handy radiator has been a more pleasant pastime than normal.

Also I have found my ears getting blocked with, I guess, wax to the point of being unable to hear normal conversation.  I have put this down, in part, to the lack of using my jaws to chew food stuffs.  It is amazing to think the fact of chewing food might help keep your ears clear, but that's the way it seems to me.  Moving your jaw up and down also moves the bones and joints in your ear.

Navigating Dietry Spectra

I spend a lot of time researching my arthritis, and believe me there are lots of diets out there arguing they can help with arthritis.  Many of these are similar versions of the same thing, however others seem, to me, to be at the other end of the dietary spectrum.

Let me be clear the daftest diet will cure someone of something.  Some years ago I remember some woman saying she lived happily and entirely on a diet simply of crisps: breakfast lunch and dinner.  In reality this is testament to the success of the human body in adapting and correcting most whatever is thrown at it.

The Dietician Visitation

Driven to the end of my tether just 2-3 weeks ago I have elected to go on a stomach & gut reset diet.  Many people have heard of the 5/2 diet where you have two days every week just drink and thus no food, and indeed many people have, I think, had positive experiences and some have built it or something similar into their lifestyle.  My diet choice starts off in a very similar way, that is just liquids.

After the first two days my diet goes in a very different direction.  It concentrates on paying attention to your body, listening for changes.  For instance I can play back (in my mind) exactly my bowel movements in the last week and can describe in detail what they felt like.  It is this attention to detail about my body that helps me understand when foods are helping or hindering progress, and by how much.  It also helps me pick out subtle differences that may depend on quantities or other foods combined during cooking.

Flying to Dublin & back in 24 hours

If you have Arthritis going away anywhere and any-time is a challenge.  You find yourself in situations where your diet is difficult to control, where your sleep is difficult to control and your rest is difficult to control.  This makes journeys such as this one very difficult.  The prospect of eventually being sat in the cramped space of a small airline seat, the long walks from car to departures lounge, from there to aircraft.   Not much fun.

But I survived and more than that, I survived more than I dreamed possible.  I came home and found, after waking up from a twelve hour sleep, that I had no inflammation and my pain was in control.  This is in stark contrast to previous trips away where I have needed several days to recover.

Re-evaluating My Vegetarian Lifestyle

As a couple we went vegetarian back in 1979.  Now that I have hit this road-block of chronic arthritis and seemingly the only way out is to head towards a vegan diet I am spending some time re-assessing the vegan lifestyle, and I am finding I am hit with some surprises.

Looking back I always knew there was serious cruelty to meat and dairy animals in the food industry, not matter what country you live in.  I kind of lived in a pleasant holier-than-thou state thinking that at least I was avoiding the worst by avoiding meat and fish.

On a downer

I did not post yesterday.  The morning started well with no inflammation and little pain and so I was feeling so pleased with myself.  But then, from nowhere, inflammation built up and thence followed by pain.  The increase did not stop through the day and into the night.  This was despite building up the meds.

What did I do wrong?  My Methotrexate day is Tuesday so perhaps I had been well with that boost and now I am on a downer as a quid-pro-quo.  I think I have had this kind of roller-coaster effect in previous weeks.  Must ask my doctor, though I suspect he will have no opinion.

Dowsing results are in

Many people with arthritis look for help wherever they can find it, partly because of the all-consuming pain and life changing nature, and also because you just need help, any help.  I had an offer of being dowsed to ascertain any food intolerances.  Here are my results:

• Dairy - Cows’ dairy products give a strong negative reaction. Goats’ dairy products, however, are good for you. Sheep dairy products are OK as are soya cheese and milk, but neither has a strong positive reaction.
• Meat - Chicken is the only meat that seems good for you - red meats definitely not. Quorn is also OK.

Some notable video blogs

One of the worst things about any illness is a feeling of loneliness.  Very helpful to me has been some of the video blogs.  One of the first I came across is someone who describes himself as the RaHealthCoach.

My Approach to Food

As a couple, we turned vegetarian back in 1979 and have never regretted that decision: in fact rather the opposite.  From my own standpoint I have always argued that decision was made on health grounds, and indeed I attribute 40 years of holding my Psoriatic Arthropathy at bay to that decision.  And apart from the odd unintentional mistake I have neither eaten fish nor meat since that time.

Our form of vegetarianism is what I think of as a wholefood approach, so bread is mostly wholegrain, and rice is brown.  We have always prided ourselves on cooking as much as possible from raw ingredients.

Our daughter, Jane took our interest towards veganism, but until this last year that has been more of an interest.  Lovely cheeses have ruled out leaving dairy behind entirely.   That said cow's milk took a dive and instead we have had either soya or almond milk.

Last year as my arthritis started to flare badly I took a personal decision to drop gluten from my diet.  It took around 3 months to really become fully gluten free as it took time to become aware of gluten-free alternatives.

Late last year I began to understand important and relevant health benefits of juicing and so I bought myself a juicer and again that brought me closer to veganism.  This year I started dropping dairy products in earnest and thus began to achieve a vegan diet.  That process again took a month or two, but it was only when I was at an absolute low and the Paddison Program gave me both the motivation and also the route forward to being finally able to declare to myself fully vegan.

My toenails

Whilst I'm on a downer I'll get my toenails out there.  They have not been the most attractive part of my body - ever.  But Psoriatic Arthropathy has taken is toll.  The toenails are very thick and distorted.

Because of stiffness in my knees I have difficulty in both trimming and filing them.

Anyway at least they function.

Not my best elbow

My right elbow is painful this morning. I have not been able to straighten it for 40 years and these days it seems to live at a right angle.

This can make sleeping at night not pleasant.   Rotating in bed relies on elbows so having one that isn't working can mean it takes some minutes to turn to find a more comfortable position.

Time for a tablet methinks.

How bad is my Arthritis?

My starting point is to try to quantify how "bad" my arthritis is.  Fortunately I am being monitored with regular blood tests by my doctor.

Paddison goes on about CRP, the C-reactive protein.  Here's a chart of my readings over recent years.

The top value is around 100 mg/L and so far as I can see in terms of research is horrendously high.  Even Clint Paddison only reached aroud 20mg/L.

Clint seems to say that this is his main indicator for severity of inflammation of arthritis.

My Meds

Here's the drugs I have taken/am taking...

1. Methotrexate.  Is the main drug of choice by doctors for people with bad arthritis.  It has been around for a long time (since the 1940s).  Initially used for cancer (100 times the strength used for arthritis), somehow they found it help arthritis patients.  No-one (as far as I can see) knows why it helps, or exactly how it helps - but it does.  I'll write more about this later.  For now I am on the lowest dose, which I take once a week - Tuesdays at 4pm.
2. Folic acid.  Goes with MTX to counteract MTX main goal which is depleting the immune system, by design.  Arthritis is an immune system disease.  Stop the immune system working and you stop arthritis.  The dosage of folic acid must match the dosage of MTX.
3. Codeine.  An NSAID, it is my main anti-inflammatory, and today the dosage was doubled.
4. Arcoxia. Is an emergency NSAID drug because codeine just has not been sufficient.  It is not a nice drug.  My doctor is happy that I take it because I am on regular blood tests.
5. Paracetemol.  Whilst a "normal" person is advised to take this drug for no more than a day or so without seeing a doctor, in my condition it is welcomed as one of the safest drugs for pain relief.  So, bring it on.
6. 10% maximum strength Ibruprofen gel: is used to reduce inflammation in specific areas, eg my wrists and ankles.  The active ingredient is diclofenac, which I am banned from using these days, except in this form.  On some occasions I have had generous dollops applied all around my feet.
7. Ferrous Fumarate: High-strength iron tablets to combat anemia.  Started taking it May 2016.
8. Diclofenac Sodium: An NSAID which I have possibly taken for 30 years or more, but usually not more than a blister pack per year.  Stopped taking it around June 2015.

A History of My Arthritis

Forty years ago, around the age of 23 one Sunday in spring I went cycling. By the time I got home I felt stiff in my knees.  So I rested up.  By the next morning my legs were like balloons and soon to hospital I went.

Six months of physiotherapy and a diagnosis of Psoriatic Arthropathy was the result. Not just my knees were affected, rather almost every joint in body seemed to have aged another 30 years.

This was followed by 40 years of stability leaving me to work,  play badminton, swim and walk at the weekends.  All I needed was a blister pack of Diclofenac Sodium per year of so.

My Juicer

About last September we bought a juicer. Initially we justified getting an expensive one because we had a LOT of apples from my allotment (which I have done nothing on since then).  We bought a Tribest Slowstar and have been very pleased with the choice.

This juicer uses an auger to squeeze the juices out of fruit and veg at very slow speed rather than using centripetal high speed common in many makes. Features that stand out are:

• Easy cleaning: it just needs taking apart and rinsing.
• Extracts all the juice: so no need to reinsert fruit and veg a second time.
• Quiet operation: so it can be used late at night out early morning without waking everyone.
• Easy feed hop: so bits of veg do not drop everywhere as you add trying to feed them in.
• Ten year warranty. Now that's a product you can have confidence in using daily.

After juicing apples I moved onto green veg. But I lost my way with no structure as to the best thing to juice for my health needs and how to make that with meals - that is until I came across the Paddison Program.

Now I cannot imagine life without it and use it twice a day.

Good Foods for Arthritis

Did you know that some foods are naturally good for people with arthritis? Take for example the humble pear. Once it is beginning to ripen it is easy to eat, not to sweet, and has ingredients that will help to reduce inflammation. (Beware of clear pear juice since this loses these key ingredients.)

One of the best is turmeric which has curcurmin, and again this has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. So why not get used to sprinkling some in any suitable dish while cooking?

Here is my table of foods that are good for people with arthritis.

1	2	3	4	5	6
Amaranth, Buckwheat, Cauliflower, Celery, Cucumber, Green Tea, Kale, Quinoa, Turmeric, Turmeric root,	Baby Spinach, Black Pepper, Cabbage, Carrots, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes,	Blackberries, Blackcurrants, Blueberries, Cherries, Rocket, Sauerkraut, Savoy Cabbage,	Pineapple, Tempeh,	ChickPeas, Raspberries, Strawberries, Walnuts,	Avocado, Rapeseed Oil,

Quinua Buckwheat and Cabbage Dish

With a bit of Tamari sauce, freshly ground black pepper,  and a sprinkling of turmeric this Quinua Buckwheat and Cabbage Dish is easy, quick, tasty and nutritious.

Start by rinsing the Buckwheat and Quinua in plenty of water and removing any floating particles.  Do this until clean.  Then add to a pan covered with about twice the water on a moderate heat .

Chop about three leaves of cabbage and stir in.  Then add Black Pepper and Turmeric.

Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until cooked, which should be no more than ten minutes.

Enjoy!