Hi Audrey,

You might want to take a look at the book, Dangerous Grains, by Dr. James
Braly and Ron Hoggan. The book is primarily about Celiac Disease, but it
explains the strong connection between Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance)
and other autoimmune conditions, among which RA is one. Also, I would
recommend reading The Protein Power LifePlan (not their earlier book, Protein
Power) by the Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades. Again, they have a chapter
called "The Leaky Gut Syndrome and the Autoimmune Connection". (It's Chapter
6, and I think that's the title, but I don't have the book in front of me.)
This is a discussion of how foreign proteins such as those found in milk and
grains can cause/contribute to a variety of autoimmune conditions.

RA causes a lot of damage to the body, and the 17 days you say you have been
following the Paleo diet is probably not enough time to make major
physiological changes. Hang in there, and improvements are likely to happen,
albeit more slowly than you might like.

Maddy Mason
Hudson Valley, NY

In a message dated 1/26/03 12:21:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, MARION R MORRIS
<[log in to unmask]> writes:

> I'm 61 yrs. old &have RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA), insulin resistance,
> fatigue, &general malaise. I've been on this diet for17 days with no
> cheating &no relief. . .
>
>