Going gluten-free eased arthritis
Q. Has anybody ever told you that going gluten-free helped their arthritis? Both my husband and I got this benefit.
About 20 years ago, before gluten was a “thing,” I was trying to boost my energy. I went on a diet eliminating all dairy, legumes and grains. After about three weeks, my energy was only a little better, but I realized that my hands no longer hurt. My husband had been having painful joints in his hands too, so he eliminated all three foods and his hands got better as well. We then experimented by adding back certain foods and found it was the gluten-containing grains alone that caused our pain. After many years of strict avoidance, we find that we can now enjoy a slice or two of good-quality bread occasionally without repercussions.
A. Two conditions might be relevant in your case. The first is celiac disease. People with this autoimmune disorder cannot tolerate gluten at all. You and your husband should be tested, but the test works best after several weeks eating glutencontaining foods.
The second condition is non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which can cause joint pain as well as many other symptoms (Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, Nov. 26, 2015). Your strategy is perfect for this type of problem.
Q. My doctor told me to stop taking baby aspirin daily to prevent heart disease. Years ago, I heard a recommendation to take aspirin while waiting for the ambulance if you felt you were having a heart attack or stroke. Is that still legitimate advice?
A. Anyone who suspects he or she is having a heart attack should call 911 immediately. Although there is controversy about aspirin as a daily preventive measure, the advice to chew an aspirin tablet while awaiting the ambulance still seems valid (Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, December 2015; Emergency Medicine Journal, November 2015).
Anyone who suspects a stroke, however, should avoid taking aspirin. In such a situation, it could make a bleeding stroke worse.
Q. I’ve accidentally found an amazing way to get off of acid-suppressing drugs without having rebound reflux. I’ve been taking heartburn medicines for decades. Later I started taking omeprazole or esomeprazole. Whenever I tried stopping these drugs, I got horrible heartburn.
Recently I’ve been trying to lose weight, so I’ve gone low-carb, and I eat just one meal a day because I’ve heard that intermittent fasting is helpful.
A week ago, I decided to try once again not taking daily medication to control my incessant heartburn. I stocked up on Tums and other antacids because I knew I would be in trouble once I stopped. Then I took my last omeprazole and waited for the flames to appear in my chest.
About 15 hours passed, and I started to feel a little heartburn coming. I took a Tums and waited for the next round. I’m still waiting. It’s now a week later, and I’ve not had any heartburn.
The solution is: Eat one meal a day and fast for 23 hours before you eat again. Stick to low carbs and water. Good luck!
A. Research supports your discovery. A very low-carbohydrate diet has been shown to help control symptoms of acid reflux (Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, November 2016; Digestive Diseases and Sciences August 2006).
We were not able to find research demonstrating that intermittent fasting is helpful for heartburn.