Hi, first time post here. I was diagnosed with RA back in 2009, and spent 2 1/2 years on methotrexate. It managed my flares ok, but I started noticing "other" changes going on. I was getting cold all the time and body temp was changing. Was this part of disease progression or was the methotrexate impacting my thyroid? I also noticed what I thought was my testosterone levels dramatically start to fall, almost to the point where i felt worse than the day before.....and this continued. I knew I needed to make a change, but that's not an easy decision when the Methotrexate seemed to manage the disease ok. That's when I started doing extensive research on my own on the disease, and yes I read the common sites like webmd, mayo clinic sites, arthritis sites and one thing was consistent with all those.....how to manage the disease and live a more comfortable life. That didn't satisfy me, so I started doing more searches for "alternative" medicine and stumbled across a book by Dr. Brownstein called Overcoming Arthritis. Let's just say it was life changing. And not that I follow everything he recommends, but the fact that it felt like 95% book was written about me. Every page I read, I was like "yep thats me". I then decided to start looking for a local Naturopathic doctor to "see" what they could do. Well, I found one that said I can have you medication free in 3 months. Well, I was as skeptical as I'm sure all of you are. So the recommendation was to start with food allergy testing, and not the one that pricks your arms or legs for environmental allergies....I already knew what I was allergic too....a lot. It was a simple blood test that looks at food allergies and immune responses. (not a doctor here so can't quote the Igg or Iga, etc.) Needless to say, I was allergic to dairy, gluten, eggs, cranberries, sesame seeds, and a couple other odd ones. So the plan was cut everything out and then slowly wean off the methotrexate and see what happens. This was a very scary thing to think about. What if I stopped and I get destruction that could have been avoided, etc. So, as I walked out the door, I made a decision from that day forward to give 100% to her recommendations knowing that I could go back on meds. There were a few other recommendations that were made too like cleaning out the GI system , getting a few vitamins that I was low on, and avoiding sugars like the plague.......and of course the obvious to me was to shed some body fat.
Well......3 years later....I am medication free, feel better than I have in years, and I was even able to have some (what I thought was permanent swelling) go away. I live today as though I don't even have the disease. So, am I in remission??? doesn't matter to me what it's called. I have CONTROL over my disease versus just MANAGING it. I still continue to do my own research. I go back to my rheumy in a couple months (haven't seen him in 3 years) and plan to continue to share my story of success, which he is absolutely amazed. It hasn't been an easy road, and there have been a lot of tough decisions along the way, but oh was it worth it. Has anyone else been to a Naturopathic doctor.....or maybe would you consider it now.