All I know is that her daughter who has a Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine and a Naturopath told her to stop eating tomatoes and she is much improved. I believe she also stopped eating most nightshades foods.
I’ve had noticeable arthritis since I was in my late 40’s and had a partial knee replacement at 53. I really had trouble walking at that point. It had to be redone with a TKR after 1-1/2 years as if completely failed. My new ortho told me he does not do partials as he has had a lot of problems with them. I have a lot of arthritis in my hands, shoulders, hips, feet, and other knee and worry because it has become significantly worse over the last 2 years. I do Tai Chi, yoga, and walk a lot and that does help, but I’m starting to rely more and more on NSAIDS to get thru some days. I just have to keep moving!!!
Nightshades ? I thought I knew food, but that is something I haven’t heard of…I live in NJ…it isn’t socially acceptable to not eat tomatoes here 
I have a friend who has battled a lot of digestive problems and her Gasto Dr told her to give up tomatoes…she told him she’s Italian and a NJ native and that isn’t going to happen.
I tend to eat tomatoes more in the summer and can’t imagine a world where I was told I have to abstain
Meloxicam is a generally somewhat more easily tolerated drug related to Piroxicam, which is feldene. They’re all NSAIDs. By tolerated, I mean less reported stomach upset, particularly if you take it for longer than 30 days. If you want something that really works, that would be toradol. Also an NSAID but an entirely different drug. Can’t be used for long. I have to say that when injected, it’s weird to be completely pain free.
With regard to foods, I think it’s possible that foods affect the system in bursts but I doubt they have any lasting positive effect. Why? For one thing, arthritis is like rust: it doesn’t sleep and it doesn’t give up. And if you review the literature about foods, you have to wade through waist high cow poop. As in assertions that “processed” foods cause inflammation or that frozen foods do or that heating proteins - which is sort of the essence of cooking protein - does. How? Vague references to enzymes. Small studies that maybe show some benefit aren’t worth much but are cited freely. And so on. My feeling: maybe there are short term benefits because the body takes in things and the system adjusts. But it does adjust and I’d bet it returns to where it was. I think, however, that eating better, taking more interest in your diet, paying attention to your feelings about your food, etc. all contribute to a general sense of well being that can certainly affect your appreciation of your pain level.
I’m in constant pain. Well, not constant more like it’s there and I notice it more sometimes. I can’t tell all the time whether the pain is changing or if my awareness of it is and I believe both vary. I know that when I’m absorbed, when I’m being mindful about something, my recognition of pain drops. Is that less pain? I doubt it. Here’s one reason why: I’ve spent a lot of time around animals - farm and domestic - and have seen how they block out pain and injury. An example: I saw one of our cats hit himself in the face, which is odd, so I grabbed him and realized he’d broken a fang off at the gumline. That must have been excruciating but we saw nothing in his behavior. Had it pulled out. Some months later, I thought he looked weird, like something was different. Grabbed him, pulled his mouth open and saw he’d broken off another fang right at the gumline. This time he hid it so well we were completely fooled. Or another cat who stood up on the back of the chair, stretched and passed out cold because her jaw had a huge abscess which had just exploded, almost killing her. No change in behavior, just a huge vet bill. They feel pain. But they can block it out. They don’t have a choice; they can’t think, “I need to go to the doctor for surgery.”
And in my life, I remember almost ripping my fingers off when I was little and after an extremely traumatic OR experience finding myself with a huge white ball for a hand, just the tip of my thumb visible. My parents asked me all the time if I needed aspirin, which was all that existed, but I was a kid so I got involved in play and refused to take them. I’d leave them on the floor. I must have been in pain. I’m sure I was considering the damage done and all those nerves cut but I put it out of my head. I think I was more like an animal in my reactions then.
This to me is the power of mindfulness. It’s one reason I work out: not just to build flexible strength in my joints, muscles, tendons, etc. but to create and enhance that mindful focus which takes me away from the reality that every freaking step hurts. Caring about my food, keeping things neat and organized, and many more things can be mindfulness that takes you away from pain.