Sorry pizza pie…you’ve earned the right to be picked on as one of the worst food offenders on the menu­—a calamitous combo of gluten, dairy, and nightshades layered into one warm, ooey-gooey, cheese-heaven triangle. However, to all of my Italian friends, we’re not here to pick on the ‘zah, we’re here to talk about joint pain and other symptoms associated with the consumption of common food offenders.

When it comes to Arthritides (plural of arthritis), there are many flavors—osteoarthritis, reactive arthritis, juvenile arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Although each form is slightly different, the underlying etiology is a common mechanism that overseeing physicians must target—systemic inflammation that has run amok, unleashing a whole host of beastly symptoms, including achy, breaky joints.

We cannot neglect the role that foods play or the state of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in our efforts to remedy this disease process and others. So let’s take it from the top...

The courageous GI tract faces a continual onslaught of food foes on a daily basis. Milk, corn, gluten, peanuts, eggs, soy, nightshades—you name it. Physiology refresher: several activators of the immune system (including MHC class II antigens, T-helper cells, cytokines, and the basic food antibody-antigen complexes that are formed when the body doesn’t take kindly to certain vittles) are the key players responsible for setting the downward health spiral into motion. This spiral of symptoms includes sore joints, chronic congestion, fatigue, headaches, foggy thinking, poor sleep, susceptibility to infection, and mental/emotional disturbances. These immune activators are critical; in fact we rely upon them to maintain a happy, healthy status. However, when these purposeful (yet, potentially nasty) little boogers sneak into no trespassing zones—including through the walls of the GI tract, beyond the blood brain barrier, and into joint capsules—mayday, mayday!!! Let’s just say arthritis isn’t the only yucky outcome…

Current statistics out of the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases and the CDC suggest the following:

• 1 in 20 children under 5 years of age are allergic to at least 1 food

• 1 in 25 adults are allergic to at least 1 food

• 50 million patients within the U.S. have been diagnosed with arthritis

• Over 294,000 children have arthritis

• Arthritis results in approximately 44 million physician visits and 1,000,000 hospitalizations annually

These numbers are significant! Unfortunately, these stats are not likely representative of the entire population plagued by food reactions (including the ‘gray zone’ of food sensitivities) or the number of people living without an actual diagnosis. Ay-yay-yay!! (And, again, we’re really only focusing on arthritis here.) In reality, the population pool affected by food sensitivities and suffering the burden of subsequent health ramifications is potentially a much larger group than we’ve got a handle on. Time to keep this on the forefront of our minds, docs...

So if your patients are suffering from arthritis, autoimmune conditions, mental/emotional dysfunction, behavioral issues, frequent colds, chronic sinusitis, post-nasal drip, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, or foggy thinking (I know, that’s just about the gamut!) it’s time to consider food sensitivity testing (Allergix IgG). You’ll be glad you did!

For further information, the latest on research as it pertains to this topic, integrative treatment options, and case studies, tune into my webinar on Wednesday, May 30^th @ 12:00PM EST.

Best of Health ~Dr. Marynowski

[Correction made to this post on May 21, 2012: "50 million patients within the U.S..." the word billion changed to million.]

References

• Institute for Functional Medicine, Textbook of Functional Medicine

• http://www.arthritis.org/

• http://www.sciencedirect.com/ - Rheumatoid arthritis, food, and allergy

• M.A.F.J. van de Laar, MD, PhD, a, 1 (Rheumatologist), J.K. van der Korst, MD, PhDb, 2 (Professor of Rheumatology)

• Oxford Journals Medicine  Rheumatology Volume 40, Issue 10, pp. 1175-1179. “A vegan diet free of gluten improves the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: the effects on arthritis correlate with a reduction in antibodies to food antigens” I. Hafström, B. Ringertz 1 , A. Spångberg 1 , L. von Zweigbergk 2 , S. Brannemark 1 , I. Nylander, J. Rönnelid 1 , L. Laasonen 3 and L. Klareskog 1

• Arthritis: Frequently Asked Questions