I'm still trying to figure out what causes my flare ups besides the cold/raining weather. I know for sure that I can't drink alcohol at all! I hardly ever drink at all but I have found that the last 3 times I've had either one glass of wine or one beer that I'm so swollen the next day and it starts a flare up. Not sure about tea but I'm trying to figure things out too! Good luck! Let us know if you find out for sure.

I didn't realize that tea was supposed to be bad for you if you have RA. I drink hot tea at home (averaging 1-2 cups a day - sweetened with Splenda) and then iced tea whenever I'm in a restaurant for lunch or dinner (sweetened with Sweet & Low - since it dissolves better in cold tea than real suger, or the other sweeteners). I try to drink green tea at home, since I thought it's supposed to be good for you. But I do wonder if the artificial sweeteners may have an adverse effect. Where did you read that tea is bad for those with RA?

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/1281377/Tea-lovers-warned-about-arthritis-risk

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20100620/Too-much-tea-raises-the-risk-of-rheumatoid-arthritis-Study.aspx

i was just wondering if anyone else saw an increase in symptoms from consuming tea. i'm like you guys... always thought drinking tea was good for you especially green tea. i even made sure to try to use a sweetener that is suppose to be natural. not drinking tea today or for a couple of days to see if this may have caused or aggravated my RA in someway. never had a flare up that lasted this long and continued to get worse with each passing day.

Hi,

Tea is my sanity! I have never noticed any correlation with tea drinking & RA flares. I thought most scientific research was saying 'tea is good' esp. green tea.

I don't really understand how they get these results as the research can often happen in isolation. There are so many stressors that could be occurring in the research group's lives that they would not be checking for. I would steer clear of artificial sweeteners as I think some contain known carcinogens!

Hope you get to enjoy your next cup of tea & more importantly, that you feel better soon.

Cheers, Anna

Artificial sweeteners are like poison, you should avoid them at all costs. I drink green tea (plain) all the time and have no problems at all.
Take care

Hi JC (or should I say Rockstar? I like the name),

I read the article and it discusses *risk* for RA, mostly people older than you. You've been diagnosed with it, so I think you can throw the risk part out the window. As far as aggravating RA, I've never heard anything to that effect, but I have to admit I've never done any research, either. Having said that, there are lots of reports about green tea being good for your health, so if you can make the transition and like the stuff, maybe that would be a good way to go. I drink green tea (I prefer a good cup of coffe, actually), and whiule I have no sense that it's helped me, I do know it hasn't hurt.

Good luck,
doug

I drink tea daily, but I switched to Decaf ( I make my own ice tea at home). It's not the tea itself, but the caffeine in it that effects RA.
But in case you really want to find out if it's the tea causing it. Just stop drinking it for a week, then start again. You will be able to tell (plus I don't know if you are drinking store bought or not)
Hope this helps you.

I have never heard anything qbout tea. There was an article some time ago which said decaff coffee wasn't good for RA, something to do with the decaffination process. Green tea is supposed to be good for you but I'm actually violently allergic to it.

As Anna says, you have to take most research with a grain of salt. So, unless you can stop drinking tea and see if it makes any difference, I'd keep enjoying it. I would hate to have to give up my 1 or 2 cups of coffee.

As for your flare-up - yes it can last for weeks and most meds take 6-8 weeks to kick in, so it could be that, too.

Hope you pain is less

Hugs

Mountain Dew is one of the most caffiene rich sodas out there. Did you also know that several over the counter pain medications also use caffine? Lipton tea contains less caffiene than the soda you were drinking. I just wonder if the decreased caffiene actually triggered a flare or if the extra caffiene was helping your daily pain? Who knows with this crazy disease. I can tell you that drinking too much tea can most definately lead to anemia. There is a chemical in tea that keeps iron from binding causing iron deficiency anemia.

i forgot to mention that i drank caffeine free diet mt dew. the tea i've been drinking not decaf. has anyone had an adverse reaction to caffeine? maybe caffeine is the culprit. thanks so much for the input. i really appreciate it!

I was diagnosed about 2 mos ago and have no idea what caused a bad flare this past Monday and Tuesday where I was screaming inside. I drink coffee - 2 cups in the a.,m. and sometimes hot Lipton tea with Splenda during the evening. That doesn't seem to do anything to me. I know that I'm real tired of hearing all the things that aren't good for me. Guess you could try to go back to Mt Dew and see what happens but then the flare could be gone and you could think it was the tea!!!!! What a pain this disease is - literally. Good luck.

so it ain't so indeed........tea is the ONLY thing I have left in life to comfort me so I hope it's not bad.
Since we are on the subject of tea....and I am afraid to ask this....since for years I have also enjoyed (i love all tea) echinacea tea and just happened to notice the other day "don't consume if you have blah blah blah or RA" and I was like Oh NO......

really? why? lately I've been drinking mostly unsweetened green tea if at night I drink decaf otherwise, regular.
but I have one cup of coffee in the AM.

Tea? Like AnnaOz it is my "breath of life"! But have read - mostly via alternative books etc that caffeine in both tea and coffee not good for joints. Some foods more "inflammatory" than others so probably information on the websites about these diets. So for a while I went to decaffinated coffee at least then someone on here sent me a link about that not being good for you and I read it and decided to go back to one caffeine coffee a day. (When I studied alternative health my information then was that one cup actually good for your liver and thinking but in those days not using medicine). Do you keep a food diary? I found this very useful and know what makes me worse except that as time goes on with drugs think I am getting more foods intolerant. Sigh.

I drink tea with honey usually at night if I am having a coughing spell which was brought on by nodules on my lungs. I have not seen any difference with tea (I do use green tea) and not using it. I do every so often add a shot of Grand Marnier for a change up.

As to use of alcohol, I have gone without it and use it. I see absolutely no difference and would have given it up if it made a difference. I have fooled with the diets, all fresh veggies, fresh fruit, no red meat, minimal sugar and little or no caffeine. I have not seen any difference when I change diet or use caffeine, or use of alcohol. So my approach is do what I want within moderation and I still have some wine, beer or martinis with my family and friends. It just seems when a flare is going to happen, it is going to happen. I was scared to death of using percocet or pain killers and my sister a nurse lectured me on using when appropriate and did my Dr. and I now take up to 3 low doses daily and it alleviates much of the pain..........just waiting for the Orencia to kick in......good luck.

I get overwhelmed when I hear about strict dietary guidelines for any of my various health problems/diseases !
I just had to say that. I remember long ago, being told that foods in the eggplant/tomato species are supposed to be real bad for arthritis-
That was told to me way before my RA dx...back when I only knew I have osteoarthritis and fibro .
But since I also have HepC, as well as big family history of cancer....not trying to sound all dramatic , just to make my point which is I'll hear about one type of food being a great thing for one of my illness's, and then I go and hear it flares up the RA for example.
which is why it feels TOO MUCH to take in , to think about, worry about , and figure out......
Does anyone relate to my food guideline dilemma??
One thing I picked up from this thread that I can see is a reasonable idea is to keep a food diary and only that way , would I know what might make me feel worse or better -
This feels so overwhelming right now.