Gerard,
medication was continued when the diet was started. In any case it would have been quite wrong for him to attempt to stop a patient's medication when there was inflammation and/or pain.
The only drug he stopped me using was sulphasalazine-EN; he said it was because it had lowered my ESR to the 20's and done its job. Maybe he was mindful of side effects? He never told me to stop NSAIDs, he would just ask if, and how often, I was using them. Of course I never had problems with the bute or indocid, so I don't know what approach he took with those who did. The TNF-a blockers were not available then, though my guess is he would have used them if the sulfa didn't work.
My brother, also his patient, only used the sulfa, probably because he hasn't got my iron guts.
I should also add that Ebringer was very insistent on physiotherapy and organised AS physio classes down in the gym and pool. When the hospital had budgetary problems and stopped them he was pretty furious; the only time I ever saw him express his anger, and complain our government could afford £500,000 cruise missiles to fire in the Baltic but wouldn't provide the money for basic health care.
This we prescribe though no physician . . .
Our doctors say this is no month to bleed. (Rich. II)
