I am with you scared out of my mind. Read my post under "anyone gor advice".
bigiblue

One more thing. Since you live in Japan isn't there someone that can lead you to the right diet or meds. Aren't the Japanese relayy healthy like the chinese. I am always interrested what the asians are doing.

sorry one more thing. I checked out the site for Dr. Weil, and he has a Inflammatiion Diet that I started, maybe you can check that out too.

Hi Caspiana! Yes, we have all been scared by our poison---oops, I mean medication---brochures and info. I went through quite an emotional time making the decision to start my injections (I was put on Humira). I spoke with my doc about my fears and she said she has never had a patient develop lymphoma after starting TNF blockers. It makes sense to me that lymphoma would be an issue, since I think the TNF has something to do with killing tumors. We talked about monitoring for adverse reactions, which both my general doc and rheumy will be doing.

I ended up starting Humira, believing that the health condition (RA) that I actually DO have should be dealt with instead something I MIGHT get. It's a tough call, I know.

Thanks bigiblue and Tessie. The truth is the doctor didn't give me any indication that I should change my diet or anything. I have gone on the internet to find out about diet and meds myself. In general Japanese food is healthy (if you choose the right food) and I try to eat as healthy as I can. I will cjeck out the diet from Dr. Weil how is it working for you?

Tessie does the Humira make you feel better? Less pain and stiffness? Thanks so much for your support.

Caspiana, I know it is scary. Every time that I see my Rheumy, I ask him if there is something else that I can take instead of the TNF Blocker injections (I take Enbrel). His answer is always the same, the benefits are worth the risk and we will monitor your labs closely for any sign of trouble. I have to say that Enbrel does allow me to lead a more normal life. I still sometimes think about not taking the injections, but then I remember the pain.
My advice to you is try the medication your doc suggested. The damage that can be done if the disease is not controlled is a certainty, the side effects of the injections are risks. Do you have insurance that will help you pay for the medication? I will keep you in my thoughts. Hang in there.

Caspiana,

My opinion is that people should try an alternative route first and see if it works rather than trying a medicine that might potentially harm you in the future.

I know most people feel that their doctors know best, but I'm one who things I feel that in some instances they don't and that this is one of them.

I have done tons of research. Antibiotic therapy using minocycline for instance, is a protein inhibitor and has hardly any side effects. The ratio of people who experience relief is quite large.

I am on an alternative medication and I feel great. If you're interested, then look them up. Neprinol is an online supplement. There is a case study of a woman with RA that you can look at online. It's pretty amazing and has had incredible affects on me. You can find information on www.biomediclabs.com

I'm also on Low Dose Naltexone, my first alternative route. It took the edge off of my RA symptoms early on. You can find more information on www.lowdosenaltrexone.org .

If you want to keep up on my research on various autoimmune diseases and alternative medications, you can visit my website.
www.gentlehugscafe.com

The supplement I take, Neprinol, lowers my cholesterol and gets rid of Fibrin. Look up Fibrin and how it plays a key role in Rheumatoid Arthritis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibrin

As well, too much Fibrin in a woman's body can cause Fibroid tumors, endometreosis as well as many other issues. By taking this, I essentially put my body in a much healthier place.

I know I'm not a doctor, and I'm certainly not selling anything, so it's really up to you what you do with my outlook. I can however say, that there have been several people in this group who have successfully went into remission while taking Low Dose Naltrexone. One girl took LDN plus antibiotics and she's doing very well. LDN is extremely cheap too, so that's certainly in your favor and so is antibiotics.

I wish you luck!
Best wishes,
--Sarah