Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Let me begin by saying that I would not even consider treating RA only using natural supplements but I have begun seeing a naturopathic doctor and so far I am happy with the results. My naturopathic doctor would never suggest that I abandon my RA meds (that was the first question I asked him) and his goal is to help me improve my quality of life. He did a lot of blood work and is working on ways to lower some pro inflammatory triggers such as my high glucose level. He also prescribed a super high dose of fish oil and a turmeric based supplement called Meriva 500. I have improved since starting with this doctor in April though my improvement may not be related to the work we are doing. I did observe recently that when I ran out of Meriva 500 my fingers swelled and became painful and stiff. While taking this supplement I was also able to lower my prednisone from 10 to 7.5 with no increased RA symptoms until of course I ran out of the Meriva. When I resumed taking Meriva 500 again my fingers improved dramatically. I realize that there is simply not enough evidence to prove the natural anti inflammatories are truly working but my experience is certainly positive enough to continue taking the supplements and exploring other natural ways to reduce inflammation.
I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's experience with Meriva 500 or experiences with natural medicine in general. I'm keeping an open mind to this type of treatment and my hope is that natural medicine in addition to conventional medicine will help reduce my RA symptoms.
I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's experience with Meriva 500 or experiences with natural medicine in general. I'm keeping an open mind to this type of treatment and my hope is that natural medicine in addition to conventional medicine will help reduce my RA symptoms.
What else are you on beside prednisone??? You DO want to be under th care of a rheumatologist who knows what you are doing and you want to be on something that stops the progression of the disease, which no natural supplement no matter how much it helps the inflammation will NOT do.
I tried EVERYTHING 40 years ago when i was first diagnosed. I was absolutely against going mainstream western medicine, till i would up in a wheelchair! But My rheumatologist is very accepting of all alternative modalities. he studied acupuncture in China! So, yes, absolutely natural supplements can and do work well WITH western medicine. It's called INTEGRATIVE medicine.
Good luck an keep us posted. I used eat tons of ginger for its anti-inflammatory qualities and i still take Omega 3 - everyone should, IMO.
I gather from some of your posts that you are a bit leery of prednisone? To be honest I swore I would never go on it again but my knees needed constant draining so my rheumy really felt it was best. One reason I couldn't stand prednisone was because it would cause me to wander around the house at night and I would wake up in the craziest places including my car, during the middle of winter, with keys in hand, and garage door closed. If I started it I'd be dead. I did eventually adjust to the prednisone and plan to remain on a low dose if I need to. I take 7.5 mg now (down from 10) and I want to be at 5 mg by the end of summer.
I also take Humira and find it helps but it doesn't work as well for me as it does for the people in the commercials. I was on MTX but it made it very hard for me to breathe so it was discontinued. My rheumy would like to try Arava when I get back from my vacation in early August. I'm going on a cruise and would like to have a couple drinks so he said we could wait. Of course I'd love to avoid using the Arava if I could and I think I'd rather take low dose prednisone than the Arava but that's only because I'm used to prednisone and fear the stomach problems that Arava may cause. Prednisone has been shown to possess DMARD qualities and studies have shown it to slow down disease progression. Obviously Humira is supposed slow down progression as well.
I have a lot of "comfort meds" as well such as Lodine (etodolac) which is an NSAID my rheumy will let me use sparingly because he doesn't like to mix NSAIDs with prednisone. I begged for the Lodine though because it the only NSAID I've been able to tolerate and it does help with RA inflammation and sciatica. I also have tramadol for pain (I use it sparingly) and the topical anti-inflammatory Voltaren Gel. I am shocked at the pain relief the tramadol provides in my joints. It was useless for me in the past for back pain and I considered it a waste of time but it seems to work well for me when used for joint pain.
That's my regimen along with the natural meds which I agree must be used in conjunction with DMARDS to slow disease progression. There is one more thing that has helped me out a lot but it really does deserve it's own post. I'm referring to increased physical activity, which I know we all can't do, and there were many times I could do it either. I started working outside gardening this past March (doctor actually recommended it) and have gone from struggling to pick up a stick off the ground to filling up 3 wheelbarrows with dirt and gravel and pushing them up a small incline. I never thought I would be able to do any intense outdoor work but I discovered that the more strenuous and difficult the activity, the better I feel over the next couple days. I'm beginning to view strenuous labor/physical activity as part of my treatment rather than just as a benefit from taking my meds. What I'm trying to say is I'm finding that pushing my body to work harder has therapeutic qualities and promotes "healing" for lack of a better term. Of course I probably wouldn't be able to begin working outdoors if I wasn't on RA meds which make it possible for me to walk outside in the first place.
I feel very fortunate that I can get outside and walk around this summer and I' won't take it for granted. Last summer I couldn't walk down the driveway to get the mail and I pray I don't get that way again. I'm certainly going to do what I can in terms of medications, diet, supplements and exercise to avoid getting that bad again. I'm talking like we have a choice and maybe to a certain degree we do.
Thanks for listening!
Curcumin did not seem to help me, but it's been miraculous for my dog's OA. My rheumatologist said it's pretty hit or miss for RA, but worth trying.
I'm a big fan of fish oil, vitamin E, and a B complex.
I am on it right now. Started at 15mg during flare and am now down to 2.5mg/day.
I view it as a necessary evil to be used with CAUTIOn because of it's documented dangerous side effects especially at high doses or for prolonged periods of time. It is a tool in our tool box, but one to be used WISELY with forethought and caution. If that makes me "leery" than i am guilty.
Wondering RE your knee(s) GRYD that needed draining if you have tried cortisone injections rather than oral? Also, have you had the fluids drained? I had that done in the past, prior to a total knee replacement, I still have a tendency to a bakers just behind my knee that increase in size when I am flaring and recedes when meds are working well. I'be had that drained in the past too.
When my rheumy removes the fluid he always adds a cortisone injection. It doesn't seem to help much but maybe it reduces the fluid build up. Back in December he was drawing syringe after syringe of fluid from my knees so I bit the bullet and went back on prednisone after swearing I would never take it again. In actuality I do view prednisone as a necessary evil much like you do. I merely want to point out that some doctors are of the opinion that a low dose is not evil at all, but a beneficial treatment for RA in addition to other medications.