I have had more joint pain this summer, and I believe my trigger may have been the forest fire smoke we had in June and early July, which drove me out of town, but I was unable to justify spending more than two weeks away, so had to come back, just like last year, when there was still some smoke. This year my eyes did not get the full whammy they got last year from smoke, but I have had diffuse joint pain and even have started with a PT to rearrange the joints and sacrum in my low back, which were very out of place in spite of nightly exercise. Oddly I too have had a red spot near a join on my finger, and the end of the same finger also got too sore to use, but this is receding. In fact is close to gone, but it did last five weeks. I have thought it might be a sun lesion because I had gotten careless about wearing thick gloves to drive (I am sun sensitive from Poprhyria). So lots of possibilities and mysteries.

One thing for others to consider, beyond food, is the air and enviroment. My air and environment here in the desert is usually clear, and the West Coast pains are not evident. But no place is perfect, and the horrible smoke season gets me every time. I wish I could move to the coast even if it would make more joint pain for me, due to environment. I am OK if staying at a Motel near the sea, but slightly inland (a few miles)there is intense pollution in Encinitas from cars and from flower growing with pesticides and herbicides. I got so sick there before, in that beautiful place, that I couldn't take a walk. That's where I had my big MS struggle too...the getting used to symptoms and how to handle them.