It was about 3 weeks ago that my wife started doing a Keto diet. She has even done a few days of Intermittent fasting as well, and she is doing very well with it. Feyma is Filipino, and she has gone 23 days now without eating a grain of rice! That is a major accomplishment for her. She even said it was easy to do, did not give her any problems.
Something interesting happened over the weekend. On Saturday, Feyma told me that she had just started experiencing some major joint pain. She recently had some blood tests and her Uric Acid levels were slightly higher than normal. Her thinking was that the uric acid was what was causing the joint pain. Furthermore, she has been eating cauliflower almost daily, as a rice substitute, and according to things on the Internet, cauliflower can cause higher uric acid.
Personally, I felt that the cauliflower was not the cause of the higher uric acid, because her blood test was less than a week after she started consuming cauliflower daily. Also, her uric acid was not very far outside the normal range. I was just unsure what would be causing her joint pain so suddenly, though.
That was Saturday when she told me of the joint pain. On Sunday morning, suddenly my left arm was having extreme joint pain in the elbow. I am also doing the ketogenic diet, but the thing is that like 90% of the I fast, I eat keto when I am not fasting. So, I don’t think the keto diet is causing my joint pain. Also, how can “not eating” cause pain? It does not add up.
But, for both of us to start having joint pain at the same time seems suspicious. I do have some arthritis, but this joint pain goes way beyond anything I have experienced. So, I am very unsure what is going on.
Thinking that maybe it is an environmental thing, maybe the food or water in our house, I asked others in the house if they are having such a problem.. but everybody said they have no such problems. Seems strange.
Any thoughts, anybody?
Lack of Magnisium?
Hi Bebe. I think I am getting plenty of Magnesium. I drink a couple cups a day of Tsokolate, made with dark chocolate (unsweetened, of course). Dark Chocolate is very high in Magnesium. I am not sure about my wife, though.
Check your electrolytes ( potassium and sodium ).
I have been taking a potassium supplement, and also trying to take in sodium everyday.
If it was gout more than likely it would start in the big toe. My Uric Acid has been in the 500’s in the past, but never experienced any gout.
Yeah, I don’t really think it is gout.
I would cut out anything you are eating a lot of (when you are eating). They don’t do organic gardening here, and it could be a pesticide used on the cauliflower, if that seems to be it. Or maybe another vegetable you are eating quite a lot of.
I have noticed some roving aches and pains as I have been fasting, but it seems to move on, so I wonder if it is just different parts of my body doing a house cleaning. But I don’t have major joint pain.
Hi Luanne. Everything you say makes a lot of sense, and it is also along the same line of thought that I was having. But, the fact that I eat only rarely (just one meal on weekend days, from time to time 2 meals one of those days) makes it seem unlikely, especially because I don’t usually eat the same things very much. This weekend, I did eat lettuce both Saturday and Sunday, though. Hmmm… I am finding this difficult to figure out! I will say, the joint pain is totally gone today, though.
Bob, we all have different sensitivity levels to food, drugs etc. Maybe you wife was more sensitive to the cauliflower (or pesticides) than you. You can always stop eating the cauliflower and see if the pain subsides and then add it back to your diet slowly and see if the pain returns. Do you have any arthritis that may be effected by changes in barometric pressure?
A friend if mine swears by bone broth for relief of joint pain. I think there is a recipe in Dr. Fung said book on fasting.
Thank you for sharing that Jeff. You might be right about the sensitivity issue. She says her joint pain is much less today, we will be monitoring it.
Hi Bob. Lack of C-vitamin can give pain in the joints and lack of C-vitamin for a longer time can give scuvy wich also give painful joints. When on diet it is very important to make sure you get the right vitamin.
We are doing that, so it shouldn’t be a problem. FEYMA particular, eats a lot of citrus fruit too, so she should have plenty of vitamin C I would think. Thank you for your suggestion though.
Hi Bob, not likely gout, you would need higher Uric acid levels much higher than that, also, gout would affect feet, toes, ankle and knees before settling in your elbow. Perhaps bursitis inflammation of the joint itself. Hopefully you are getting enough vitamin D3, Calcium, magnesium and B vitamins.
Funny thing is, after only about 12 hours it completely went away! I guess that’s a good thing though.
Eight years ago my arthritis in both shoulders was so bad I could not reach into my back pockets or soap under my arms. Then I started taking every day one tablespoon of Braggs organic vinegar plus one tablespoon of organic, unprocessed honey mixed in a glass of warm water. Full mobility returned and has remained – exdept when I travel without these two ingredients. Also turmeric is good for inflamation. Available in the market for 15-25 pesos/kg. Grate and simmer. Wear gloves. It stains. I am NOT a homeopathic medicine advocate. But when something works, it works – at least for me. Give them a try. Cheap and no disgusting taste, so why not?
hanks for the tips.T
Tumeric is good for assisting with infections and inflamation. I don’t suffer from joint pain per se but i sometimes get stiff joints in the western winters. I take cod liver oil for that, it tends to lubricate the joints nicely, Lol.
I suffer with arthritis and gout Donald. I have both the vinegar and the honey at home so I’ll give this a try. Just had my first attack of arthritis in my knuckles since arriving in the Philippines last June. I think my bones suddenly realized they had missed winter back home.
Diet change can trigger a gout attack as it affects uric acid levels. when I first got it my doctors first question was ” have you been dieting?” Bingo!
It does not have to be in the big toe, can be any joint and can be hard to diagnose. I hope for your sakes it is not gout because it can keep coming back and will damage the joint.
Since I changed my diet about 13 months ago, I doubt that this was diet pain in my case. Perhaps for my wife.
Hope you both feel better real soon!
I think both of us are already feeling much better, thanks!
You’re welcome.
I suffer from osteo arthritis in big toe joints caused by gout flares over a long period of time. I had to get a bigger sized wide shoe because of the swelling. Swallowing anti inflammatories was not going well for me. I researched different natural remedies, tried a few without success but finally got onto taking sour cherry juice every day. I have not had a gout or arthritis attack in nearly three years, the swelling and pain in the joints has gone completely. The damage is still there but the sour cherry lowered my Uric acid levels to well below normal and controls the inflammation. It is also a powerful antioxidant.
A couple of friends on the verge of knee joint replacements have used it as well and have had great results in terms of mobility and pain. It may not work for everyone but it has been amazing for me and my friends.
One of many articles on the subject
http://www.doctorshealthpress.com/food-and-nutrition-articles/benefits-of-tart-cherry-juice
That is quite interesting, sour cherry juice! Next time I have a problem I will see if I can find some. I have never seen any kind of cherry juice here in the Philippines where I live.