Why Do My Joints Hurt? - Food Intolerance & Joint Pain
Causes of Joint Pain
- Do you have arthritis-like joint pain? Or, have you been going for physiotherapy
or chiropractor for months or even years to deal with chronic low back, hip or
pelvic pain?
- Arthritis means inflammation of the joints and more than 9 million people in the UK suffer from arthritis and related conditions.
- Most people with arthritis will experience pain and difficulty moving around,
and symptoms include stiffness, pain, swelling and fatigue.
- Treatment for joint pain usually focuses on medication, however there are still
no drugs that cure conditions such as these and most of the drugs used have severe
side-effects such as stomach upset/bleeding, easy bruising, thinning of bones,
cataracts, weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, blurry vision and increased
susceptibility to infection.
Joint Pain & Food Intolerance
- Joint pain can be linked to food intolerance. Many people with arthritis are
unaware of the concept that external factors can trigger their symptoms and, and
due to the lack of expertise, they are not encouraged to investigate this area
further.
- According to the Arthritis Research Campaign, many people claim that cutting
out certain foods has helped treat symptoms of their arthritis, and a high percentage
of people with rheumatoid arthritis can actually improve or clear their symptoms
with simple dietary changes.
- The problem with attempting any dietary modification is that first you need to
know what to change. Currently the best accepted method for confirming food sensitivities
is by elimination diet.
- This involves eating a restricted diet for several weeks. If there is no improvement
during this time, it is assumed that the food type that has been restricted is
not causing the symptoms, and the process is repeated with another food type.
- This method is very time consuming, and because it is impossible to test all
the different combinations of food types that may be causing the problems, it
is a very ineffective process.
Clinical Study
- A recent study, commissioned by the UK charity Allergy UK, surveyed 339 sufferers’
with arthritis, aches, pains and swollen joints.
- A staggering 82% of them showed a significant reduction in their symptoms within
weeks if they removed the foods from their diet that showed a positive reaction
using a simple blood test[i]. For example those with rheumatoid arthritis show improvement in overall pain,
hand grip strength, number of tender joints and time to walk 20 metres.
- The dietary changes also reduced symptoms such as fatigue which is common in
those that suffer from chronic pain.
- The test used in the study is the YorkTest FoodScan, it only requires a few drops
of blood from a finger prick that can be collected in the comfort of your own
home. Included in the test programme are two consultations with a qualified Nutritionist
to look at overall eating habits.
Do you think you may suffer from food intolerance?
Taking a First Step Food Intolerance Test enables you to eliminate uncertainty
and confirm whether you have food intolerance through a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’
test result. This way you can check if you have a food intolerance before taking
the Second Step FoodScan 113 which is the comprehensive service that identifies
the specific foods you are intolerant to.
Need further information?
Please call our food intolerance specialists on 01 2022701 who will be happy
to provide you with free, confidential expert advice and guidance on the First
Step food intolerance test. Alternatively
click here for further information.

Our helpline (01) 202 2701 is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday