<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> I inadvertantly ommited some information when I posted my summary so here's more. [As usual, my obnoxious comments in brackets --- Somebody, STOP ME!!!!!] Valerie in Tacoma ------------------ ~ One respondant said she gets arthritis symptoms if she eats chicken or eggplant. ~ Several respondants avoid night shade vegetables to prevent arthritis flares. Night shades are peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, chili powders, paprika & eggplant. [I used to work for a doctor who told of one female patient's miraculous recovery from arthritis by eliminating nightshades. The only down side was she became super sensitized. She experienced a horrible reaction when some tomato sauce was accidentally spilled near her in a restaurant. Sensitivity to that degree reminds me of gluten sensitivity and I think it's possible that her food may have been contaminated w/o her knoweldge.] ~ Avoid animal dander that you may be allergic to. One respondant started experiencing troublesome body aches & pains. Her doctor theorized that since she was allergic to horses & her roommate rode horses frequently, she may be reacting to horse dander. When her roommate began changing out of her riding clothes before coming home from riding, the body aches subsided. [Wow, huh?] ~ One person said that arthritis could becaused by adrenal fatigue & recommended bovine adrenal extract and other treatments for this problem. [It's only naturopaths & alternative MDs who are familiar with treating adrenal fatigue.] ~ Several respondants volunteered that accidental gluten ingestion causes them joint stiffness & pain. ------------------- From Paula: ~ Black cherry juice. This [has] antiallergic properties. [Often recommended for arthritis pain as well as gouty arthritis. So that supports the theory connecting allergies to arthritis.] ~ Glucosamine. Unless you are diabetic or insulin resistant then you have to watch the dose. It can cause changes in blood sugar. I am allowed the condroitin to rebuild cartilage but not he glucosamine because of my blood sugar. Condroitin is some kind of protein product (fish or shark cartilage?) that provides the amino acids to rebuild joint cartilage. [Not recommended for those with shellfish or iodine allergies.] Even though it is usually sold with glucosamine, you can buy it by itself (Twinlab CSA) as Condroitin Sulfate. ~ Avoid long term use of Ibupprophen. [I love the way it makes me feel, but hate the way it makes me susceptible to bleeding. I'm definately looking for safer alternatives.] If you are having problems bleeding you might get your clotting time checked or prothrombin on a blood test. You may need vitamin K. One of the signs our daughter was severely sick with CD was she developed bleeding problems. Vitamin K is synthesized in the gut; if you have gut inflammation you get Vitamin K shortage. Solgar has a pure Vitamin K pill that is in micrograms. She took it for a month (got the dose from reading on the internet and in the Merck Medical Guide) then we started tapering it off when she started to clot when she got a cut. She can take aspirin without any bleeding problems now that her body's stores are rebuilt and the CD is under control. [Nice to know.] -------------------- From Mary: I have recently discovered that an aspirin allergy is causing neuropathy and arthritic flare ups for me. I had the arthritis under control via the GF diet until I started taking low dose aspirin. Then I started having reactions to a completely different set of foods - those that are high in salicylates: apples, cumin, etc. The salicylates cause my hands and feet to swell. The reaction is quite fast - it starts while the food is being eaten! [Very interesting to note that avoiding high salicylate foods is the basis of the Fiengold diet for treating ADHA. According to Dr. Fiengold, the worst thing for hyper kids is apple juice that contains very concentrated amounts of salicylates. I have a friend who's 11 month old infant began sleeping through the night after she eliminated apple juice from her daily routine. I also have experience with a protocol for fibromyalgia that limits exposure to salicylates. It's interesting to me that salicylates are effective as a treatment for arthritis for some people, but a trigger for arthritis flares in others. Shows to go ya' that EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT!!!!] *Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*