Rheumatoid Arthritis and the Diet Alternative: Links & Books

• Sites by Individuals
• Books
• Web Books
• Educational Institutions
• Associations/Organizations
• Research
• Commercial Sites
• Testing

• Recovery from Rheumatoid Arthritis is Joe Hackett's site. Joe was another person who was helped by Robert McFerran (see books below) and he tells his story clearly. Be sure to follow buttons along the left (like the Supporting Info page), but not the annoying Tripod frame, which you will need to click the X to close. Note that this site has not been updated in many years, and Joe Hackett is no longer reachable. Near the end of his story he was not entirely positive.
• Eruc Blay in Dietary treatment of rheumatoid arthritis reports the application of the dietary advice of wheat exclusion and fresh food diet has put his rheumatoid arthritis into remission. The book that he read was 'A Doctor's Proven New Home Cure for Arthritis' by Giraud Campbell. [now in archive.org]
• Foods May Contribute to Rheumatoid Arthritis Through a Leaky Gut: The Gut-Joint Axis by Dr. Scot Lewey (the food-doc) discusses how intestinal antibodies not only show a "striking" pattern of elevation consistent with adverse food immune reactions, but also that there appears to be a potential cumulative effect of multiple foods. That is, not only may some foods trigger an abnormal immune response resulting in joint inflammation but the combination of multiple problem foods may be a key component to this link.

To open a book in a new tab (easier for comparisons) hold down the Ctrl key when you click the link. In order by rank at Amazon.

Conquering Arthritis: What Doctors Don't Tell You Because They Don't Know by Barbara D Allan provides practical, detailed information that is critical for the successful healing of arthritis, but that has never before been collected in one place. But that description from the publisher doesn't really tell you what is actually in the book. They are afraid if they tell you beforehand you won't buy the book. But from reading the reviews one finds that the book has a program that helps people find what foods they are sensitive to. For one reviewer it was corn. For another it was wheat, all dairy products, eggs, sugar or coffee. (All non-paleo foods!)

Udo Erasmus in his book Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill claims that if you increase your essential fatty acid intake and cut way down on your inessential fat intake that symptoms of RA can be greatly reduced. [Kindle edition available.]

How to Eat Away Arthritis: Gain Relief from the Pain and Discomfort of Arthritis Through Nature's Remedies by Laurie M. Aesoph has the reader do a 5-day water fast. Arthritis sufferers will find all their pains disappear. Then they are to do food testing to learn which food allergies are causing the problem.

Arthritis, What Exercises Work: Breakthrough Relief For The Rest Of Your Life, Even After Drugs & Surgery Have Failed by Dava Sobel has the right exercises for your kind of arthritis, pain-level, age, occupation, and hobbies. The book has stretching and strengthening (gentle toning) exercises for your neck, jaw, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands, fingers, back, hip, knees, ankles, and feet. It also provides an introduction to body relaxation techniques. Many of the exercises will be familiar to people that practice yoga. The Amazon reviews average to 5 stars.

Preventing and Reversing Arthritis Naturally: The Untold Story by Raquel Martin and Karen J. Romano R.N. D.C. This book is an encyclopedia of useable information. The authors are not fans of conventional medicine. To them a doctor prescribing a medication for pain is "masking symptoms" with "toxins." Her description of nutrients, herbs (phytonutrients), exercise, body therapies, stress management and sunlight is thorough, and well documented and referenced. But perhaps her most valuable contribution is the call for courage, personal responsibility and discipline; qualities innate in all of us, that must be nurtured and developed. The concept of natural hormone replacement explained in this book is "an idea whose time has come". It is a vital path to improving health and well-being. The authors also outline strategies for making the most of our present medical-pharmaceutical-insurance-system and suggests ideas for compassionately making it better. The reviews at Amazon average to 4 stars

Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Infection Connection {Targeting and Treating the Cause of Chronic Illness} by Katherine M. Poehlmann outlines a proven treatment that could banish your arthritis pain forever. This well-documented study presents evidence that RA and other chronic illnesses are caused by microbial infection. When the infection triggers allergic reactions, it appears that the body's immune system has turned on itself. Once the cause of the infection and allergies are identified and removed, arthritis symptoms will decrease and likely disappear as long as the body's collective systems remain in balance. Undiagnosed food and chemical allergies can also amplify the severity of arthritis symptoms. This book is best for those already convinced of the mycoplasma theory and the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy. The Amazon reviews average to 4+ stars.

Arthritis: Allergy, Nutrition & The Environment by Dr. John Mansfield and Dr. Stephen Davies argues against suppressing arthritic symptoms with drugs, and outlines exactly what action sufferers of arthritis can take in terms of nutrition and identifying allergens to tackle the cause of the illness. One used copy is reasonably priced.

Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis (Johns Hopkins Press Health Book) by Tammi L. Shlotzhauer MD is a detailed guide for patients and families living with rheumatoid arthritis describing, in simple language, what it is, its various manifestations, and what therapeutic interventions are available to treat them. It covers the general progression of the disease and how it differs in different individuals. The treatments such as medications, therapy, surgery are discussed individually and in depth. Exercise is also covered. Some other aspects that are discussed are emotional issues and disability. It tells about drugs that one can take and splints that one can wear to keep from becoming completely disabled. Or concisely, how to live with RA, and nothing about recovery. The Amazon reviews average to 4+ stars.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Plan to Win by Cheryl Koehn, Taysha Palmer and John Esdaile M.D. The book takes you step-by-step through understanding and managing RA. Covers choosing a healthcare team, understanding prescription medications, lab tests, using complementary therapies, learning exercises that relieve pain and stiffness, websites, and dietary recommendations, including herbs. Tthe authors offer coping strategies for expressing emotions, keeping a positive attitude, and maintaining a sense of control. A chapter on relationships and sexuality will help you relate to loved ones and includes graphic illustrations of sexual positions that minimize strain on hips, knees, and spine. Another chapter presents tips for making the home and workplace more RA friendly. The few Amazon reviews all give the book 5 stars.

Pain Free in 6 Weeks by Sherry A. Rogers begins by warning readers away from prescription pain relievers because they kill people. She points out that most pain is associated with food allergies and other sensitivities to common materials. Eliminate the foods and sources of the sensitivities in question and the pain quickly leaves as well. To begin she has you eliminate foods and substances in the nightshade family for 3 months. And rebuild your system with cetyl myristoleate. Most reviews gave it 5 stars, except one rather negative one that is mostly a personal attack on the author and not on the book's advice not working.

A Doctor's Proven New Home Cure for Arthritis by Giraud W. Campbell is a book published in 1989. His diet almost totally eliminates breads and starches for the types of bacterial growth they promote within the digestive system. See reviews from happy readers.

The First Year: Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed (First Year, The) by M. E. A. McNeil provides crucial information about the nature of the disease, treatment options, diet, exercise, social concerns, emotional issues, networking with others, and more. It is easy to understand and gives the patient hope. While there are not many Amazon reviews, all give it 5 stars. [Kindle edition available.]

Good Food, Gluten Free by Hilda Cherry Hills was written back in 1976. She recommends a gluten-free diet for RA. See extracted paragraph.

What To Do When The Doctor Says It's Rheumatoid Arthritis: Stop Your Pain, Become More Active, and Learn How to Talk to Your Doctors by Winnie Yu and Harry F. Fischer uses mind-body techniques and alternative medicine to cope with the pain and discomfort, including information on: pain relief, exercise, nutrition, and managing your relationship with your doctors. The Amazon.com reviews are all 5 stars.

Arthritis: The Cure: The Last Book You'll Ever Need On Arthritis by George Tilden M.D. includes step by step recipes, directions and a daily meal planner. Simple, direct and based on diet, though I can't tell from the reviews just what diet. Has a perfect 5 score at Amazon.

Freedom from Rheumatoid Arthritis: The amazing story of one woman's recovery by Sonia St. Claire. There is a lot of wordy talk here. She healed her body to being well and pain free by changing her diet and mindset. The product release doesn't exactly say what this diet is, except "by eating the foods that mother nature intended for us, whole foods." The couple Amazon reviews haven't said much.

A Doctor's Home Cure for Arthritis: The Bestselling, Proven Self Treatment Plan by Giraud W. Campbell is a seven day action plan designed to provide relief from arthritic pain - and in the longer term to heal arthritis. Based on dietary change, the program eliminates many processed foods, (including caffeine and alcohol) and replaces these with foods of special benefit to arthritis sufferers.

The Arthritis Foundation's Guide to Good Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis, 2nd Edition. The book claims to have everything you need to know to fight RA: powerful new drugs, new surgical techniques, easy exercises to restore flexibility and alternative therapies to ease your symptoms. Edited under the auspices of the Arthritis Foundation. Special diets or dietary changes gets less than a page. Unlikely to be advocating them given the space alloted. The few Amazon reviews average to 4+ stars.

Diet and Arthritis by Gail Darlington, a rheumatologist in Epsom Hospital, Surrey UK, explains you have to find the things YOU react to - not what someone else reacts to. It takes you through an elimination diet to find your own personal "nuisances". [May not have RA focus.]

While the following books are not specifically on RA, so many people visiting this page were buying books on inflammation that I have collected them all here. There is no agreement on this hot topic. As you can see from my reviews the causes and recommendations are all over the place. All books in this section are shipped by Amazon.

The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book: Protect Yourself and Your Family from Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies and More by Jessica K. Black N.D. The author, a naturopath, has devised a program for how to eat and cook to minimize and even prevent inflammation and its consequences. The first part of the book, about 50 pages, explains the benefits of the anti-inflammatory diet with an discussion of the science behind it. The second half contains 108 easy to follow recipes the author uses at home. Each recipe has substitution suggestions and includes a healthy ingredient tip. A week of sample menus for summer and winter are included. The book stresses the importance of the 40% carbs, 30% fats, and 30% protein distribution of calories. It takes the approach that since some people might be allergic to wheat, dairy, corn, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes and a few other things, these foods should all be eliminated from the diet. Ingredients used are like quinoa, steamed vegetables and mung beans. There are no diagrams or pictures. The many Amazon reviews average to 4+ stars.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Anti-Inflammation Diet by Christopher P. Cannon and Elizabeth Vierck. According to the product description the book covers what diseases and conditions are caused by inflammation, which foods reduce inflammation and which foods contribute to inflammation, and how to tweak today's diets to make them anti-inflammatory. From the reviews I find the book is a guide to leading a healthy lifestyle with suggestions that are rather mainstream. You should avoid white foods (rice, sugar, pasta, white bread and milk). Eat more fruit, vegetables and whole grains, eliminate junk food, eliminate hydrogenated fats, eat more poly unsaturated fats, lower salt, increase omega 3s, exercise and reduce stress. There is a chapter on herbs and supplements, and a chapter on special and popular diets including the wheat-free and dairy-free kitchens. A good book for beginners. The Amazon reviews average to 4 stars. [Kindle edition available.]

The New Arthritis Breakthrough: The Only Medical Therapy Clinically Proven to Produce Long-term Improvement and Remission of RA, Lupus, Juvenile RA, Fibromyalgia, Scleroderma, Spondyloarthropathy and other Forms of Arthritis by Henry Scammell gives a very clear and concise description of the Marshall Protocol, an antibiotic based relief program for auto-immune disease, which the book claims are in reality mycoplasma infestations. More information on antibiotic therapy is at the Road Back Foundation. The many Amazon reviews are filled with success stories and the ratings average to 5 stars.

The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That's Destroying Our Health by Barry Sears. The author's fame is built around the very commercial Zone Diet. This, his latest Zone book, shows you how to combat silent inflammation. He shows that following the Zone dietary plan, including large doses of ultrarefined fish oil concentrates (which only he sells), is the best way to ensure the future of your health. The book includes a week of Zone meals, exercises that you can do at home, and tools and tests for determining your level of silent inflammation. In addition to the fish oil Sears believes you should avoid grains, rice, and pasta; eat small portions of protein at most meals; eat fruits and veggies; avoid sugar and juices; and avoid egg yolks, butter, vegetable oil, and a few other "bad" oils. He recommends olive oil, but claims only the one he sells is any good. The book is very repetitive. The Amazon reviews average to 4+ stars. [Kindle edition available.]

Stopping Inflammation: Relieving the Cause of Degenerative Diseases by Nancy Appleton, PhD shows how the body's immune system is supposed to work and how it caves in under the pressure of the wrong foods, generating abnormal quantities of inflammatory compounds. She comes down hard on sugar itself and all its aliases. She also singles out dairy and wheat. Handy tables list the dozens of other foodstuffs that could be implicated. She explains how the blood-brain barrier is made more porous by allergens, opening the brain to inflammatory compounds. These can aggravate a vast range of mood and behavioral problems including ADHD, aggression, schizophrenia and depression. The Amazon ratings average to 4+ stars.

The Inflammation Syndrome: The Complete Nutritional Program to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, Arthritis, Diabetes, Allergies, and Asthma by Jack Challem reveals the role that inflammation plays in a wide variety of common health conditions, including arthritis. Challem provides an approach to healing inflammation-related problems through an easy-to-follow nutrition and supplement program. He shares information on C-reactive protein, one of the markers of inflammation. He recommends eating more salmon and halibut. He encourages increasing intake of Vitamins C & E, Omega 3 fatty acids, green tea and flax seed. He discusses the benefits of green tea, olive oil, and more. He discusses that most vegetable oils (corn, soybean, safflower etc) can cause inflammation and the frying of them is a double-wammy. He recommends a number of well-documented anti-inflammatory supplements, such as the omega-3 fish oils, gamma-linolenic acid, antioxidant vitamins, and B vitamins. In addition to describing the big picture of inflammation, The Inflammation Syndrome also focuses on the top 20 or so inflammatory diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and arthritis, as well as inflammatory athletic injuries -- each with specific recommendations for eating habits and supplements. Some years ago the author wrote the magazine article Paleolithic Nutrition: Your Future Is In Your Dietary Past [now in Archive.org]. Recommended by Loren Cordain. The Amazon reviews average to 4+ stars. [Kindle edition available.]

The New Arthritis Cure: Eliminate Arthritis and Fibromyalgia Pain Permanently by Bruce Fife. The author researched possible viruses, fungi and bacteria causes, and believes that arthritis and fibromyalgia are related to an underlying infection of the teeth and gums. From the teeth, bacteria enter the blood stream, causing secondary infections in the joints. Antibiotics can be given, but if the secondary joint infection is caused by virus or fungi, the antibiotics are useless. He presents the healing power of coconut oil, which reduces systemic infection, thereby reducing infection in the joints. He stresses his opinion of the impact on health by refined sugar and grains. There is a Seven-Day Whole Foods Challenge. Also covers potential benefits of bee venom and covers exercises. The book is completed with a summary of his Seven Steps to Beating Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. This is a drug free lifestyle, which he claims will not only eliminate pain but rebuild joint function, restoring mobility. The book includes numerous references and diagrams. More detail on the book in this Amazon review. Published October 1, 2009. While there aren't many Amazon reviews at the start, they all give the book 5 stars.

The Gluten-Free Good Health Cookbook: The Delicious Way to Strengthen Your Immune System and Neutralize Inflammation by Annalise G. Roberts and Claudia Pillow. This is a full-scale gluten-free cookbook with 100 new recipes. This cookbook makes a distinct departure from other diet cookbooks. Roberts and coauthor Claudia Pillow focus on strengthening the immune system, preventing disease, and losing weight by eating real food. Conceived as part science-based diet book and part cookbook, the book provides food choice explanations and guidance, cooking advice, and culturally diverse recipes. The authors launch the recipe portion of the book with sauces and gravies, which are the cornerstone to all kinds of meals. Also featured are a wide selection of soups, chowders, and chilis, vegetables, a short list of grain-based recipes, and a variety of fish, poultry, and meat recipes, crowned by 12 desserts. Published February 1, 2010. [Kindle edition available.]

Inflammation Nation: The First Clinically Proven Eating Plan to End Our Nation's Secret Epidemic by Floyd H. Chilton argues that inflammation occurs when we consume "foods of affluence," e.g., farmed salmon and eggs, and out-of-season fruits and vegetables–foods that have replaced the seasonal nuts, fruits and vegetables eaten by our hunter-gather ancestors. He points out that the problem with today's foods is they contain dangerous levels of an omega-6 fatty acid called arachidonic acid (AA). But rather than focusing on restricting Omega 6 and increasing Omega 3, Dr. Chilton says we should limit the amount of preformed AA in our diet. Paradoxically, this means that we should avoid turkey and farmed salmon, which others consider healthy. As all fish is not created equal, he lists his findings for specific fish, and wild salmon is recommended. He also recommends avoiding carbs like white bread and sugar, which have a high glycemic index, which raise insulin levels in the blood, and is another factor in inflammation. Instead he approves of aspartame and diet sodas. Some of the foods that others find inflammatory (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and citrus) on his "foods to eat often" lists. While his plan of action is rather vague, he is absolutely clear about two foods to avoid: farmed salmon and eggs. The book is essentially the same as the author's out of print Winning The War Within. The Amazon ratings average to 4 stars. [Kindle edition available.]

Stop Inflammation Now! A Stet-by-Step Plan to Prevent, Treat, and Reverse Inflamation—the Leading Cause of Heart Disease and Related Conditions by Richard M. Fleming. This book isn't about arthritis, but I included it here as an example of how different the inflammation books can be. The book claims the true causes of heart disease are trans fats, meat, eggs, dairy and processed foods (stuff with refined sugar). The book recommends a plant-based diet and veganism with the goal of lowering C-reactive protein. You are to eat 10 servings of fruits and 17 servings of vegetables daily and two servings of whole grains and cereals. Recommends against any fish oil and to stay away from coffee. The book includes detailed menus and more than fifty easy-to-prepare recipes for every meal of the day. The Amazon ratings average to 4+ stars.

The Inflammation Cure: Simple Steps for Reversing Heart Disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, Osteoporosis, Other Diseases of Aging by William Meggs and Carol Svec explains what causes inflammation, its relationship to disease in the body, and what steps readers can take to minimize their risk. It is broad based. However, the recommendations are simplistic: lose weight, eat right, become a vegetarian, get your sleep, don't smoke, be happy. Good for those without any health knowledge or common sense. The numerous Amazon ratings average to 3+ stars, which is the lowest for any book in this section. [Kindle edition available.]

• From September to December, 1997, Robert McFerran posted draft chapters of his book Arthritis - Searching for the Truth - Searching for the Cure to the Ask Dr Stoll Bulletin Board. Also in these archives see Elimination Diet:. Also see: Posts to Ask Dr Stoll BB in 1997 of Robert McFerran's book and resulting commentary.

• Nutrition And RA is just a general nutrition article from an establishment source: John Hopkins. Does mention fish oil.

• The Arthritis Foundation of New South Wales has a page on Healthy Eating. Covers a variety of things for a variety of athritises, from an establishment point-of-view.

• Foods Cross-Reacting May Contribute to Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Gut-Joint Axis reports on additional new evidence of the link between foods and rheumatoid arthritis. It proposes the idea that elimination of certain problem food combinations may be beneficial in preventing or reducing joint inflammation. These problem foods or lectins include the grains (especially wheat, barley, rye, oats, corn), dairy (casein), nightshades (potato, tomato, peppers) and peanuts, soy and other legumes.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis, Molecular Mimicry, and Diet as a Possible Therapy by Ron Hoggan starts with an explanation of RA, then a brief discussion of RA as an auto-immune disease, then it moves to molecular mimicry, then Frazer Scott's work, then the conventional dietary work that reflects the theoretical stuff from Scott and molecular mimicry.
• An excerpt from: Cordain L, Cereal Grains: Humanity's Double Edged Sword. World Review of Nutrition & Dietetics, 1999;84:19-73. See full article here [now in archive.org]. He also has a Q & A blog post.
• Researchers find increased zonulin levels among celiac disease patients is an alert of a study published in The Lancet. Suggest that increased levels of zonulin are a contributing factor to the development of RA.
• Vegetarian diet eases arthritis [archive.org]. Adapted from an article in the Lancet (12/10/91) by Dr Jens Kjeldsen-Kragh and colleagues of the Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, and from a report in the Independent by Celia Hall. Note the patients were asked not to eat food that contained gluten, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, refined sugar or citrus fruits. Salt, strong spices, and preservatives were avoided - likewise alcoholic beverages, tea and coffee. Realize that it is probably not necessary to remove so many foods from one's diet, but their using this shotgun approach improved their chances of success.
• Strong Intestinal Health Relieves Rheumatoid Arthritis is an article by Melvyn R. Werbach, M.D. It has "astute clinicians have long been aware that, for some patients, removing certain common foods such as dairy, wheat, corn, yeast, eggs and beef can bring blessed relief, while their return can cause a flare-up."
• The article Do dietary lectins cause disease? in the British Medical Journal states that another suspect lectin disease is rheumatoid arthritis. Lectins are carbohydrate binding proteins present in most plants, especially seeds and tubers like cereals, potatoes, and beans.
• Modulation of immune function by dietary lectins in rheumatoid arthritis. Loren Cordain, Toohey L, Smith MJ, Hickey MS. British Journal Nutrition 2000, 83:207-217. If you don't want to read the entire article, here is a Medline abstract.
• Gluten-free vegan diet induces decreased LDL and oxidized LDL levels and raised atheroprotective natural antibodies against phosphorylcholine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized study. Elkan AC, Sjöberg B, Kolsrud B, Ringertz B, Hafström I, Frostegård J. Arthritis Res Ther. 2008;10(2):R34. Epub 2008 Mar 18.
• A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens. Hafström I, Ringertz B, Spångberg A, von Zweigbergk L, Brannemark S, Nylander I, Rönnelid J, Laasonen L, Klareskog L. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2001 Oct;40(10):1175-9.
• You Are What You Eat: New Theories About Rheumatoid Arthritis is a newsreport about an article in the British Journal of Nutrition. The authors argue that their theory implicating diet needs more research.
• Diet and rheumatoid arthritis in women: a possible protective effect of fish consumption is a retrospective study by J Shapiro et. al. Published in Epidemiology Journal. [now in archive.org]
• The Medical Journal of Australia has a page Rheumatoid arthritis which discusses the therapeutic effects of dietary omega-3 fats in RA.
• Fish Oil and Vitamin E for Rheumatoid Arthritis reports on a study by University at Buffalo researchers that showed that fish oil and vitamin E are promising potential therapies for those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
• Can Dietary Fatty Acids Influence RA Symptoms? notes that for reasons not understood fasting improves RA. Of course when fasting all foods that are toxic are being avoided! [now in archive.org]
• The article Seafood On The Menu For Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers [archive.org] says it seems that the type of polyunsaturated fat could also be important.
• Nutrition Changes Bring Relief To Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers is a report on a speech by Ronenn Roubenoff, MD, a nutritionist at the Tufts University School of Medicine. He argues that people with rheumatoid arthritis have a lack of muscle reserves. He says they need to eat more protein than normal, healthy individuals. And get certain B vitamins. [now in archive.org]
• You Are What You Eat: New Theories About RA is a report on an article by Loren Cordain that was in the British Journal of Nutrition. Blames cereal grains. [now in archive.org]
• Study Hints Coffee May Be Linked To Rheumatoid Arthritis [archive.org] reports on a Finnish study found that people who drank more than four cups a day had twice the chance of getting the disease as those who drank fewer.
• Can Fish Oil Help Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients? is an abstract of an article review. [now in archive.org]
• Seafood On The Menu For Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers [archive.org] points out that a number of studies have shown that diets enriched in marine fish oils have a modest beneficial effect in patients with diseases such as RA and inflammatory bowel disease.
• Veggies and Olive Oil May Protect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis is a retrospective study of the diets of Greek men and women.

• Arthritis Benefits of Diet Revision. Put up by Environmed Research Inc. (a commercial site). A general summary with an emphasis on avoiding gluten and casein.
• Rheumatoid arthritis diet has a general list that may help you reduce flare ups.
• Physicians' Protocol For Using Antibiotics in Rheumatic Disease is a modified version of Dr. Brown's protocol. Mentions diet many times on the page.
• A Balanced Diet Can Help Ease Arthritis Symptoms notes that the highest incidence of arthritic disease is in the places that consume the greatest quantities of empty calories from refined carbohydrates and fat. [now in archive.org]
• While RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS is selling some supplements, most is on dietary intervention. Has "Twenty one to thirty five percent of rheumatoid patients are allergic to some foods. Common food sensitivities are to wheat, milk and salicylate rich foods." Says a grand elimination diet should be followed initially to determine the presence of any food sensitivities. Common sensitivities are to wheat, milk, dairy products, eggs, potato, beef, crustacean and citrus. Also recommends avoiding all night shade foods or plants, eg. potato, eggplant, tomato, chilli, capsicum, and tobacco. [now in archive.org]
• Osteoarthritis is a page by the Life Extension Foundation. At one time the page included Rheumatoid Arthritis and had some nutritional protocols for RA. Not in archive.org.

• ELISA serum tests can be used to establish food sensitivities. One relatively inexpensive lab is Meridian Valley Laboratory.
• Sage Systems had a "Comprehensive ELISA Allergy Test and Treatment for the Relief of Chronic Illness." See their page on Arthritis [archive.org].
• Many different sites will lead you to the same food scan test which does not require a blood draw, only a finger prick. Here is one: The IgG ELISA Food Intolerance Test.
• The largest outfit that does ELISA testing for food allergy/intolerance is in Fort Lauderdale. The parent company site Immuno Laboratories is oriented towards doctors. Then they have a consumer site: Better Health USA Food Allergy Relief Center.
• And for those in the UK: York Nutritional Laboratory.