Info about Paddison program

Ge3na

Hi I have RA I’m interested in anyones experiences with Paddison program or any info that you may have please

PeterJ

Hello @Ge3na and welcome to the community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope you will find that as well.

We do not have any information on the Paddison Program but we do have information on our website about things like diet and nutrition. I've put a couple of links below which may be of interest.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/types-of-complementary-treatments/diet-and-nutritional-supplements/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/your-experiences/your-questions-answered/your-questions-on-diet-and-arthritis/

Please do keep posting and I am sure others will share their thoughts and experiences as well

With very best wishes

Peter

stickywicket

I've never heard of it (in 60 years of RA) nor heard of anyone using it but, after a good look at the site, I'd caution you to save your money. If it worked the NHS would recommend it. What NHS and Versus Arthritis do recommend is a healthy, Mediterranean-type diet, suitable exercise(s), no smoking, meditation (if stressed) and, above all, DMARDS.

In my early years I had periods of remission which were nothing to do with diet etc just luck. Over the years I have managed to reduce my DMARDS considerably but my diet hasn't changed much. I never did eat much junk food or sugary stuff.

We have overactive immune systems which need to be dampened down. And most damage is done to our joints in the early years when, unfortunately, we all tend to grasp at any straw that surfaces.

I'd suggest you have a really good read of all that Versus Arthritis has to say about R.A https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trU63Yx38kI . It makes sense and is free. And I know plenty of rheumatologists do recommend their patients to come here, not because they are being paid to do so but simply because the advice is good. It won't cure us. But nothing will.

My apologies if I seem somewhat curt but I do get heartily sick of people (them, not you!) who try to make money out of other people's misfortune. I wish you all the best.

Mumsy

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/57219/info-about-paddison-program

After much research I did the Paddison Programme. It is basically a gold standard elimination diet, but with support. I found the first twelve days really tough and my body hurt much more, but gradually the pain and inflammation subsided. The programme suggests that a vegan diet is the likely outcome but I was determined to test as many foods as possible and spent the next two and a half years trying out foods. The system really is to add a food for three days and see how everything feels. Stop the food for a week or two, have it again, and do this three times. If you have no joint reaction then it is a food that doesn't trigger symptoms. I went from crawling down the stairs sideways from banister to banister to running down the stairs. The foods that trigger my inflammation are a strange collection. They include beef as you might expect and chicken and eggs but don't include pork or lamb. I can eat dairy but not bananas or walnuts. And strangest of all, I can eat squashes and peppers, but not pumpkin or pumpkin seeds or Romano peppers. It have revolutionised my life and I am medication free except when caught out by an ingredient and then cocodamol for a few days sorts it.

noddingtonpete

Hello @Mumsy and welcome to the Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience as well.

Really good to see that this has helped you. Things are different for different people. As well as the links above we have one on tomatoes.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/august/are-tomatoes-bad-for-arthritis/

I think it is good you have found the combination that helps you and as you say people need to experiment to find out what, if anything, helps them with their arthritis.

Best wishes,

Peter (moderator)

Arthuritis

@Ge3na @stickywicket First of all I’d join SW in condemning those that are cashing in on the RA pain and desperation. They are despicable. Often these con artists rely on a tiny bit of fact or truth, and pad it out with a whole load of expensive padding that makes it look like there’s more to it, to justify the cost. I have come across several such snake oil salesmen. At the same time, the help worth having, is freely given, such as the down to Earth advice from SW as above.

This is a long response so stay with me…!

However while there is No Cure for true RA, you need to make sure that your consultant and GP have done a thorough differential diagnosis to objectively rule out other causes of your RA symptoms, which is A LOT more common than rheumatologists think, or GPs, who are largely script robots in my experience with absolutely no critical thinking going on. It’s just easier to jump to the first conclusion and send you to rheumy land, where because they are short of time, and have only got a well used hammer in their toolbox, see all problems as a nail.

Few doctors practice what they are taught in med school after 10 years in the practice (why is it called practice? I want someone who knows what they are doing, not practicing on me…!)

So differential diagnosis for RA the text book answer …

”A differential diagnosis is a process used in medicine to identify the possible diseases or conditions that could explain a patient's symptoms. It involves considering various potential causes and systematically narrowing them down based on the patient's history, physical examination, and diagnostic tests.

When a patient presents with symptoms, the healthcare provider begins by gathering information about the patient's medical history, including any pre-existing conditions, previous illnesses, or medications. The provider then conducts a physical examination to gather additional clues about the patient's condition.

Based on this initial information, the healthcare provider generates a list of possible diagnoses, known as the differential diagnosis. The list includes conditions that could potentially explain the patient's symptoms. The provider considers a wide range of possibilities, including common conditions as well as rarer or more serious diseases.

To further refine the list, additional tests and investigations may be ordered. These can include blood tests, imaging studies (such as X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs), biopsies, or other specialized tests depending on the suspected conditions. The results of these tests help to narrow down the possible diagnoses and eliminate certain conditions from consideration.

As the healthcare provider gathers more information from the patient's history, physical examination, and test results, the differential diagnosis becomes more focused. Eventually, the provider is able to determine the most likely diagnosis or a shortlist of the most probable conditions.

The process of differential diagnosis is essential for medical practitioners to make informed treatment decisions. It helps them consider all possible causes of a patient's symptoms and prevent misdiagnosis or overlooking less common conditions. However, it is important to note that differential diagnoses are not always straightforward, and sometimes further investigation or consultation with specialists may be necessary to reach a definitive diagnosis.

When a patient presents with classic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), such as bilateral joint pain in the elbows and hands, and tests positive for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACCPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF), the following would be among the possible differential diagnoses to consider:

1. Rheumatoid arthritis: This is the most likely diagnosis given the symptoms and positive ACCPA and RF. Additional tests may be done to evaluate the severity and progression of the disease, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) to assess inflammation levels, and imaging studies like X-rays, ultrasounds, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine joint damage.
2. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): SLE shares some clinical features with RA, including joint pain and positive RF. However, it typically presents with a broader range of symptoms, such as skin rash, photosensitivity, kidney involvement, and specific antibodies like anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) and anti-Smith (anti-Sm). Further tests, such as an ANA (antinuclear antibody) test, complement levels, and specific antibody tests, can help differentiate between RA and SLE.
3. Psoriatic arthritis: Psoriatic arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis. It can also present with symmetric joint involvement and positive RF. A thorough examination for skin and nail changes indicative of psoriasis is crucial. X-rays and MRI scans can reveal characteristic findings like enthesitis (inflammation where tendons and ligaments attach to bone) and joint erosions.
4. Reactive arthritis: Reactive arthritis typically occurs following an infection, often involving the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract. It can cause joint pain, swelling, and inflammation, but it is usually asymmetrical. In addition to a detailed medical history, tests for specific infections, such as Chlamydia trachomatis or gastrointestinal pathogens, may be conducted to support the diagnosis.
5. Osteoarthritis: Although osteoarthritis is primarily a degenerative joint disease, it can sometimes cause bilateral joint pain. However, it typically lacks the systemic features seen in RA. Imaging studies, such as X-rays or MRI, may reveal joint space narrowing, osteophyte formation, and other signs of osteoarthritis.

*It is important to note that the presence of positive ACCPA and RF is highly suggestive of rheumatoid arthritis, but these tests alone are not sufficient to establish a definitive diagnosis.* A comprehensive evaluation by a rheumatologist, considering the patient's symptoms, physical examination findings, and additional diagnostic tests, is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and differentiate it from other possible conditions.

Part 2 to follow…

Arthuritis

Part 2

Now most rheumies as a rule, don’t check for item 4, and jump to conclusions if positive serology (last para) is found. They did learn item 4, at med school, and researchers in 4 are more aware of it and know it is more common than people think. You’d think if it was that common there’d be greater guards against it, but no, because it’s usually only discovered by accident in the UK. In the US you get a battery of tests to rule out 4, both because it is profitable and avoids the medic & hosp getting sued for malpractice.

Reactive arthritis or variations of it are triggered by things that your immune system does not normally see, and for complex reasons, reacts to those proteins through inflammation and as they resemble your joint proteins you get attacked there too.

These can be certain drugs that trigger it, bacteria or viruses or food if your gut lining is damaged, and allows gut bacteria (good or bad) to come in contact with your gut immune system, triggering RA symptoms, complete with positive serology. This can be IBS, IBD or some combination. The important thing is to get a gastroenterologist to investigate. People with serious gut damage get RA, and then it’s diagnosed as Crohn’s (separate site). If caught early and diagnosed & treated correctly you can have a near normal life.

Unfortunately undiagnosed and untreated STI’s can also trigger RA (Ask your rheumy about STI’s to get their head in the right place to think about item 4, then ask about leaky gut and pathogenic gut bacteria).

Here’s a couple of links to read:

Your gut when damaged and allowing bacteria to come in contact with your immune sys can also trigger RA. ESP if it’s like a holey colander. Then you either need a gastroenterologist to fix your gut, or get rid of the bacteria provoking your immune system or at least starve them of what they need, and or reduce foods which contain substances that would cause your leaky gut to get “leakier” eg lectins in beans and gluten both let a lot more crap through. These proteins are there to protect the plant and make the animal regret eating it! Fermenting and soaking reduces these but not eliminate it. Gastroenterologists are now becoming a lot more aware of “food as medicine” and especially younger ones who keep up with the latest research.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/sep/targeting-gut-relieve-rheumatoid-arthritis

Bad dental hygiene can trigger autoimmune such as RA

https://ard.bmj.com/content/73/1/263.responses

Now 2 people on this system have been able to drop the immune suppression drugs. Myself and @Hairobsessed123 , we both got antibiotics for something else, and our respective RA symptoms vanished. I had been on the max dose of Methotrexate (horrible) and Hydroxychloroquine and in the early days, steroids. It barely kept the RA wolf at bay from eating my joints.

I have been off drugs for 14 weeks now, and it wasn’t a tapering down or any such thing. 2 weeks of antibiotics and poof! Gone!

This made me think I had not been properly diagnosed ie, item 4 was missed, and had I not had a bacterial infection to be treated by a antibiotic I might never have found out and still be vulnerable and tied to immune suppression.

My rheumy was terribly disappointed that my symptoms had vanished and couldn’t understand why despite positive serology I had no symptoms and didn’t need suppression, and the budget for treating a life long condition would depart. That said, if the triggering bacteria re-grow and I allow them to get past my leaky gut lining I will likely be in the same boat again, but knowing all this I have managed to keep it off so far, but I learned it through practice and error. In the early days I had to frequently lean on antibiotics to get rid of flare ups, and then learnt not to let the bacteria feast, and avoid food that might damage my fragile gut. For the latter I found gluten free porridge works wonders… and perfect for the start of day. This lets me indulge in eating other things for lunch. It seems porridge oats coat your gut forming a protective barrier albeit temporary.

So with a lot of high priced “RA” diets they talk about going vegan etc… I suspect when it works, it’s more about not feeding bad gut bacteria and avoiding food that will damage your thin gut inner lining or widen the holes already there (gluten & lectin). That is why they often start with you needing to fast for a couple of days. However if they told you this they can’t sell you a pricey subscription programme! After my antibiotics course I did get the opportunity to reset, and find what would reduce the rate of exposure of my gut immune system to gut bacteria. (See Dr Claudia Mauri’s research link at University Colllege London).

Avoid large amounts of protein unless you are a weight lifter, it seems to be inflammatory not sure whether it’s because it enables your immune cells to multiply or mess with your gut as described above.

Prof Tim Spector is also worth googling.

The first however, is getting tested for other causes of your RA. Having a bacterial infection that causes RA symptoms and then suppressing your immune system desperately trying to fight it off can’t be good. Docs make mistakes and learning isn’t perfect.

Read about Nobel Laureate Dr Barry Marshall’s discovery of a cheap cure for a painful “incurable” disease - peptic ulcers. Profs of medicine would gravely nod at this painful “incurable” disease, and the need to take PPIs and antacids for life … No one mentioned it was also highly lucrative

Except Dr Marshall wasn’t buying it and battled for his patients. The following text tells you enough to go do some googling about it, sadly you only get the main paragraph

“Nobel Came After Years of Battling the System Give this article Read in app By Lawrence K. Altman, M.d. Oct. 11, 2005 When two Australian scientists set out in the early 1980's to prove that a bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, caused stomach inflammation and ulcers, they met opposition from a medical-industrial complex entrenched in the belief that psychological stress was the cause. Opposition to their radical thesis came from doctors with vested interests in treating ulcers and other stomach disorders as well as from drug companies that had come up with Tagamet, which blocked production of gastric acid and was becoming the first drug with $1 billion annual sales. Ulcer surgery was lucrative for surgeons who removed large portions of the stomach from patients with life-threatening bleeding and chronic symptoms. Psychiatrists and psychologists treated ulcer patients for stress. “

Here’s a more dry link to his discovery, doesn’t really cover the failings, arrogance and financially driven motives of medics to refuse to accept their precious chronic gravy train was going to be obliterated and conference junkets, funding and profits all gone.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2661189/

You need to be your own advocate, and check to make sure that your inflamed joints are not like a carbon monoxide alarm going off, - just because you can’t see or smell CO does not mean it’s not there, nor is the fix to suppress the annoying alarm, surely the manufacturer or in this case evolution did not make such an unreliable alarm? Look for CO leaks before shutting off the alarm.

Get evidence of what common alternative trigger causes were tested for (item 4 in the differential) and ruled out.

oh forgot!!! Untreated Lyme disease (ticks) from wooded areas will ALSO cause RA symptoms.

Keep us posted.