the RSD pain in my left foot is so fickle and weird that this may be a coincidence, but i thought i'd post about it anyway:
On the recommendation of somebody on the message board (I forget who, sorry!), i tried the RSD diet that cuts out certain antiinflammatory foods--no gluten, no added sugar (i still ate tons of fresh fruit), no processed foods (I eat almost nothing processed anyway), and no caffeine or alcohol. i tried it for three weeks in advance of a vacation where i knew i'd be doing more walking than usual. well, i stuck to the diet, my pain was noticeably reduced, and the vacation went so, so well. i walked everywhere, and my pain, mostly mild, was mainly limited to the evening, after a long day of being far more active than i'm used to, and only on the second to last day (of five days) did i feel enough "foot fatigue" to make me cut down on the walking. at one point i remember wondering if i was actually getting better--an insane thought for someone who has had RSD for seven years.
But i went back to eating gluten, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol), hoping the reduction in pain was in answer to vitamins and the desensitization exercises i've been doing. well, after about two weeks of my regular diet, my pain has gone right back up. it had gotten to where it only hurt when i was walking--my pain when not weight-bearing was miraculously low--but now i'm back to having pain when sitting.
Bottom line: i'm not prescribing this diet to other sufferers, and it may or may not have to do with my reduction in pain, but i'm going back on it. I thought it might be food for thought for other RSDers. (Not an intentional pun, I swear.)

I'm really happy to hear it has made a difference for you too. I think diet is so important and especially as it relates to the inflamation process.

Thanks so much for sharing this with us Mimi.

MsL

I think I'd starve to death. That being said, I think I'll try the no alcohol and no gluten thing. I'll die without coffee though. Thanks for the advice, glad to hear your pain is lowered by the diet change, anything that cuts it is a good thing.

It would be truly life alertering for me to switch my diet. I ate several candy bars yesterday afternoon for lunch so I threw my sandwich out (after all, I didn't want to look like a pig!). And for breakfast, my dog and I usually share Pop-Tarts, we prefer brown sugar cinnamon (he eats the crust). If my kids eat the last package of them I've been known to throw a temper tantrum to rival any toddler's. I am addicted to caffeine and drink about 20-30 ounces before noontime. When I get to work I often buy a homemade muffin from an awesome bakery down the street from my office.

I don't drink much alcohol, though, and my husband usually makes us a healthy dinner. I take a lot of vitimins also.

I try keep my weight in line by walking a lot. And I blame any weight gain on my meds....

Diet can help with pain and inflammation.

Too much sugar releases insulin (also very large meals) and when insulin is high, then inflammatory cytokines are made
more by the body.

Dr. Barry Sears has several books about this.
If you Google him you'll find them. Also other authors are coming out with similar tomes.

here's an interesting article on gluten and inflammation:
http://www.gluten-free-guide.com/glu...lammation.html

i should say that i'm not entirely giving up pizza and baked goods, just eating them very sparingly. even if it doesn't help the pain, i'll end up staying in better shape--RSD keeps me from every cardio activity but swimming, so i can't just run off a slab of cake.

Thank you very much for the information. It appears that I've been inadvertently adding to my pain levels by not being vigilant about my diet. I've never been that good about watching what I eat, except when I was pregnant with my kids. When I am unhappy or stressed or the office re-stashes the candy supply I tend to overindulge. And my coffee habit is a really old one - I've been drinking too much caffeine since my college days. (Probably why I am tense and hyper at times...do you know any CPA's that aren't??)

By the way, what is "gluten?"

Thanks again for your help. Every bit helps!! and I really apppreciate it.

Sandy

gluten is a protein found in wheat (also in rye, barley, bulgur, even oats unless the packaging specifies that they're gluten free).
my boyfriend and i are having fun experimenting with other carb sources--polenta, corn tortillas, quinoa, buckwheat (not actually wheat), all different kinds of rice (red, black, brown). it's super cheap from health-food store bulk bins.

I saw through all my reg doctors and specialist a holsitic doc who focused on diet and supplements. I have seen many nutritionists as well. I do think that diet plays a role in ones body functioning. I know when I was severly malnurished my brain did not work right so I am thinking other things could be the same in the body. The problem for me is I like instant results and I would think with change in diet or supplements a lot is slow changes which of course is better then not at all. Also a good reminder is it may help to prevent other problems in health.
Mrs D or someone else I have heard about the wheat and even like whole wheat breads not being good for pain. I don't get why if you are not gluten intolerant. Can you explain this as I thought 100 percent whole grain bread would be ok and a similar nutrient as like brown rice but now I am thinking not in terms of how the body reacts.
Thanks for sharing this and keep up the good work

Didn't know anything about an RSD diet. I know that smoking and caffiene are triggers which I am working on reducing both of these bad habits. But certain food... didn't really make the connection. Thanks for this information!

I will spend the day researching this new tidbit!!!

AJ



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Newly diagnosed with RSD... fully involved left leg due to knee injury and subsequent surgeries. Learning how to deal with this Monster.