You need to remember that Ra is a "remitting/relapsing" disorder so you will have times when your disease will be very low or not even doing anything....but it will relapse with time. It is also a disease that when quiet...no pain, no swelling, nothing....it is still causing damage that you can't feel.

I've had about 10 surgeries over the past 10 years and had to stop all my meds for some time...for one, it was 10 months of no Ra meds. Although I had gone into an Ra mission prior to one surgery, each time, it came back.

I've tried every food, every diet, every natural method that is supposed to help Ra and each one has failed with time. Even did magnets...no good.

It's the nature of the disease process that it comes and goes as do such illnesses as MS. My best friend has MS and can go from perfectly fine to paralysis of 3 limbs and intense brain fog and then back to just fine...it's how these diseases work.

It's your body and you can do what you want but don't be fooled by the natural course of the disorder itself. If it were me, I'd thank God that I feel better and then take my meds and try to stay that way. Why tamper with what is working?

Jen

I was off MTX for three weeks when traveling last August (and being very "active" -- didn't want to hike out of the Grand Canyon feeling like I was going to throw up... ;)). A week or so after I got back on them I got a nasty flare, and continued to have flares off and on for the next several months. In the end, it required a med change for me.

I will never do that again, it's not worth it.

Your mileage may vary... Dana W.

Not really. As Jen said, RA has periods of 'better' and 'worse', in addition to 'eh'. I stopped meds for two years (I think) and tried to live with the 'worse' times. Also like Jen said, just because there isn't much/any pain or swelling, RA can still cause serious damage to joints.

I believe it's very important to work closely with your doctor. Work with your doctor to add supplements or change your diet to help. IMHO, it is definitely possible to help alleviate some of the pain of RA with diet and supplements, but medications are needed to slow or halt the progression of damage. I take moderately high doses of fish oil, which helps alleviate inflammation, which helps alleviate pain (but does NOT prevent joint damage).

I can control swelling and pain quite a bit by eliminating nightshades, processed sugar, saturated fat, egg whites and dairy. Even when the swelling and pain are gone, or virtually so, the disease continues to march forward causing damage. Looking down at the 28 joints in my hands I have 5 that show no damage. I would not recommend it. It took my body 4 months to go from pretty good to not so good then another 2 months to go to absolute crap when my mtx dosage was cut by 60%. I also use essential oils...if you keep on without meds make sure you have a big supply of cypress, magorum (sp), and frankincense as you'll most likely need them. It'll take like 1 to 3 months for the mtx to build back up when you start back. Your body, your choice, good luck.

3 weeks is inconsequential to me - as i get enough infections and surgeries for that to be a standard interruption time...mtx will rebound negatively for me after it has not been in my system a month to two -

i would not take a single joint of mine to a chiropractor - between the tendon surgery in the wrist and the plate and screws in the neck - no way no how, ever. I am happy it works for you. i go to a physical therapist and i use a medical hot water pool.

Maybe you just have your own unique case of what is mild to you RA - if so and you are working playing and living fine without falling so far behind that you can't catch up - then rejoice.

depot

Well, I've never had a moment's remission without heavy drugs. Never! And I have been challenged, especially in the last year. But no - need drugs.

Like Jen, I've tried it all. I mean the alternate treatments and they did nothing, nada, zip. That is me, of course.

I've watched my hands get so much worse in the last year, waiting for something to work, after Simponi stopped working totally at 6 months. I have to wear alll kinds of splints now, just to do normal things. And I am doing lots of exercises, weights, squishy ball stuff, but nothing is helping.

I would never go off meds that are working. I am on antibiotics for a serious respiratory infection, and I took my Orencia injection today. I took my Arava pills at night, too. And my hands are a bit better, this afternoon. I never even went off when I had shingles for 5 months, because of what happened to me earlier in the year with my foot reconstruction and going off meds.

I had to go off my meds for the surgery, and in a matter of days, I had a nodule on my throat that caused permanent damage. I lost some of the clear tone of my singing voice. At the time, it took months before I could even speak.

Like everyone said, this disease is permanent. There is no cure. If you are in a spontaneous remission, and somehow think the alternate cures are causing it, then you may end up very surprised down the road, with meds that won't work anymore.

But, it is your body. You might be different than me. I just hope you don't find out the hard way that this is not the way to go.

Which begs the question, why do you need to see a chiropractor if you are in remission? When I was in medically induced remission, I did not need anything for my joints. I just used them normally, and had no pain. Well, except for the deformities. The fact that you have to have someone manually manipulate them says to me that you are not really in remission.

Also remember, remission can sometimes be placebo effect. It is incredbily strong! I heard the head of rheumatology at the University of Alberta speak about the placebo effect when Remicade first came out.

They did a double blind study, meaning no one knew who was actually getting the drug not the people in the study, nor the researchers.

They X-rayed the hands and feet of the people in the study at the beginning and then after a year and analyzed the results.

Over 50% of the people felt they were in remission in the placebo group. They felt much better. But the second xray showed continued joint erosions and deformities, which were not evident in the group that actually got the drug.

The researchers then cancelled the double blind part of the study, and everyone got the drug. Then they could evaluate who it was helping, and not just placebo effect. They felt it was not ethical to continue to let these people think they were doing ok, when in fact, the disease was progressing.

I would have to say this about all these alternate cures - they are simply not ethical. They have not been studied with proper numbers to see if the changes are statistically significant, and certainly, more people are probably being hurt than helped.

Consider placebo effect carefully. If you still need help with getting your joints to move, you are not in remission. Your body is simply responding to suggestion you are better, by hiding the pain and swelling. Well, except for your wrist, which is telling you the honest truth!

If you would realize how the damage from this disease builds up over the years, you would not consider this type of action. I remember being so terrified of the drugs and not taking them properly, spacing out the injections too far, and getting told off by my pharmacist that the meds don't totally stop the progression of the disease. But instead of getting much worse in a year or two the damage would take 20 or 30 years. She was so right!

But it is your body! Sorry for going off on a tear!

Welcome Nadine. I was diagnosed with RA in 2012, when I was almost 60. I tried diets, eating organic, etc. I know some can feel better doing this, for me, it did not work. I still eat a healthier diet, organic when I can, etc. I has not helped the RA, but I figure eating healthy is a good thing.

I had shoulder surgery in Oct, had to go off mtx for a couple weeks before. I have platelets that are high, the hemotologist/oncologist I am seeing wanted me off mtx for a couple more weeks, trying to get a more accurate platelet count - he said methotrexate can lower platelets. Not for me, mine were over 500,000 (should be under 450,000. So, more tests by that Dr.

I am on Rituxan - this is given (infusion, in a cancer treatment center) one infusion, then again, two weeks apart,a 2nd infusion. then 6 month break until the next dose. The surgeon and the Rheumatologist coordinated when would be best for me. I know that for me, the drugs are needed. The joints in my hands start complaining 4 1/2 months after treatment. I am going to start getting infusions 5 months apart.My feet are still doing well, thankfully. This is my 6th biologic, so helpfully, I can get this to keep working.

Hopefully, you will find what works best for you.

There are two groups.
Curing autoimmune and
Alternative help for RA

I have used some ideas from these, plus I do alot if alternative treatments as well.
I, like you, have considered this. But, decided not to ruin a good thing.
I'm on remicacade and not mtx, and this has worked well for me.

Keep doing whatever you're doing and enjoy feeling better :)

Nadine,

RA is going to be differernt for almost everyone. There are some common elements but for the most part from what I've heard, read & experienced, everyone goes through their own "unique" experience with RA.

Some will say, "They're in remission"! But have only been that way for a few weeks or months, maybe a year or 2. But like others have said it's a recurring, relapsing disease for many. Yet it can be a "one & done" for other people. Who knows?

I've had mine for 3 years & my RA factors have steadily gone done whilst cutting down my MTX. The highest on MTX I've even been was 15mg a week & that was only for the first month. I stayed at 1 pill (2.5mg) for almost 6 months before being told to, "Stop & see how it goes". I have been off the RA meds now for almost 4 months, no pain, no swelling or inflammation.

However, I've also dropped 20lbs, started weight training as well. Did that help? I'm sure it didn't hurt? But I kept my customer 3-5 beers on the weekend up as well. Did that hurt? My liver enzymes shot up a tad but nothing scary.

Would I sit here & say, "I'm in remission or cured"? Not really, I don't think there's an "Out of the woods" scenario here. I could be fine for the next 5-10 years or rest of my life who knows. Or it could all come back next week.

Sucks but that's the truth. However keep in mind that although this is an outstanding forum with great people, there are also a few "Debbie Downers" as well, who'll tell you all the "Doom & Gloom". Pay attention to it but don't get "consumed" by it either.