Paleo Diet and the "Autoimmune Plan"

[Derek Weaver]

In the most recent Paleo Diet newsletter I saw mention of some sort of an autoimmune plan but was viewing from my blackberry and accidentally deleted the email before I could see if there was a link or a reference for it in the newsletter.

I'm curious about the approach, is it in the Paleo Diet or does Cordain have another book coming out?

I'm asking as I've been working with my mom who's shown signs of either fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis for several years now. We've had her go Paleo (worked well), but she wouldn't adhere to it and we're starting over from scratch. Along with getting her foot rehabbed, the dietary changes seem to do a lot of good for her. However if there's more to it, I'll gladly look into it and purchase the necessary resource to get a coherent plan put together to cover all aspects.

Any info is greatly appreciated.

[Arien Malec]

From his newsletters, it's not a book, is rather a program for tailoring the paleo diet for autoimmune disorders. There's an MS bundle in the store, and I've seen the newsletter recommend that bundle for other autoimmune disorders.

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/store.shtml

Again, from the letters, I suspect it's just a super-strict implementation of the paleo diet (no grains or legumes, no dairy, no tomatoes or other nightshades, no vegetable oils, a healthy dose of fish oil, and the usual paleo foods). There may be more to it than that (there's some reference to glutamine supplementation to improve gut function) if you purchase the bundle.

[Derek Simonds]

Here is part of the newsletter.

# Science has revealed that gluten may be involved in the development of autoimmune diseases: The following excerpt is from The Paleo Diet Update archive:

From Vol. 4 Issue 16 Gluten, Dairy and Autoimmune Diseases: "Gluten is a water-soluble protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats.1 It is composed of an insoluble fraction called glutenin and alcohol-soluble proteins (prolamines) called gliadin in wheat, hordein in barley, secalin in rye and avenin in oats.1 It is believed that the gliadin proteins constitute the fraction in gluten responsible for celiac disease (CD).1

CD is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells (T-lymphocytes) mount an attack on the small bowel mucosa,1 causing atrophy of the lining (villi) of the mucosa, where the absorption of nutrients occurs. This has profound effects throughout the body, and if left untreated, is life threatening.1 People with CD need to follow a lifelong gluten-free diet.2

In the last 40 years, science has revealed that gluten may also be involved in the development of other autoimmune diseases, such as autoimmune thyroid diseases,3-7 Sjögren's syndrome,7-11 rheumatoid arthritis,12-14 IgA nephropathy,15 multiple sclerosis,15-17 psoriasis,18,19 and type 1 diabetes."

You can add the complete Paleo Diet Update archive to your personal library - that's almost 5 years of nutritional research - in three zip files.

[Garrett Smith]

Here's what I know of the plan:

Paleo, plus (or should I say minus):

• No eggs
• No tomatoes

I don't know about the glutamine, but from his other newsletters it sounds like it would be in there.

I'd suggest avoiding all nightshades, not just tomatoes (although they might be the most important for this group).

Also, getting her Vitamin D levels above 70 (assuming LabCorp, not Sonora Quest) would be very helpful.

[Mike ODonnell]

Originally Posted by Derek Weaver

I'm asking as I've been working with my mom who's shown signs of either fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis for several years now. We've had her go Paleo (worked well), but she wouldn't adhere to it and we're starting over from scratch.

Get her to understand how eating right effects her whole body....and then maybe the changes will stick...as that is how I used to deal with clients that had RA and other AI disorders.

I also wrote this a while back for my clients, maybe this will help:
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2008...o-do-about-it/

[Arien Malec]

Originally Posted by Derek Weaver

However if there's more to it, I'll gladly look into it and purchase the necessary resource to get a coherent plan put together to cover all aspects.

One more thought -- it may be worthwhile to purchase the program even though it probably won't teach you much, if having spent real money to pay for something helps convince your mother that the information is more valuable. People can be funny that way sometimes.

[Garrett Smith]

I totally agree with Arien, that's why I send my patients to buy it for themselves. If they can't be bothered to empower themselves enough to do that, there's little I can do for them. $100 for an e-book versus the $$ spent on conventional treatments can't even begin to be compared.

One of my favorite sayings that I remind myself of when I'm not feeling well is, "G-d helps those who help themselves."

[Derek Weaver]

Thank you MOD, Garrett, Arien and Derek.

I'm looking into it more.

I think what's really gotten to her is that she's not an old woman, she doesn't need to feel like she is. As with so many other people, there's an element of hedonism going on.

[Chris Longley]

I had a look at the sales page for the MS and AI program on the Paleo Diet website and there's reference of a report on the avoidance of egg whites.

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/ms_treatment.shtml

Does this mean that eating just the yolks would still be OK if you have autoimmune issues?

[Garrett Smith]

AFAIK, no eggs at all.