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...

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My Story!! Medication free!!

Happy_Heart_888
Happy_Heart_888

Hello I’m new to this group, thought I’d share my findings.


I researched my own “anti-inflammatory diet” Which is mostly a Mediterranean Diet, gluten free, dairy free, increase H2O intake, no alcohol. There are certain foods that increase inflammation and certain that help. Like the black stuff of food after grilling... worsens inflammation. Berries help reduce inflammation. I also take supplements: turmeric with the pepper and ginger. When I strictly stick to this diet and do 30 minutes of yoga every single day... my pain is a zero. If I veer from diet, even if it’s a few beers, I’m in pain. I’m no longer on ANY medication. After I tried sulfasalazine (gave headaches), Plaquenil (hives), methotrexate (lost hair but didn’t work), then Enbrel (constant infections). Start your research on anti-inflammatory diet.. it’s life changing!!


I also do 30 minutes of yoga every single day! It’s free on YouTube. My fav is Yoga With Adrien. She’s a great instructor for beginners. You can even type in yoga to relax on your days you feel fatigued. This is an important part of my Med free RA life. If I miss yoga... I flare up. 

Happy_Heart_888
Happy_Heart_888
Hi-def... thank you for sharing!! Yes I'm most definitely interested!!!
gingergirl1961
gingergirl1961
I do yoga too... I've done it for forty years.... LONG before it was the thang....
It has helped me a LOT. I do ProArgi9 and that stuff has been great for my energy. I also do meditation.
I have gone anti inflammatory and it did help a lot with pain, but I struggle w/ staying on it. This is great news for you. It makes me very very happy that u are med free.
Happy_Heart_888
Happy_Heart_888
Yes it's very hard to stay strict. When everyone around you is eating burgers and beer. Then when you go off the diet...boom!!! It's back and takes weeks of STRICT diet to get pain free again. But the med life wasn't fun either. Looking into ProArgi now... thanks for sharing!!!
WarriorGal
WarriorGal
I just went from vegetarian to vegan and feel better! I also REMOVED ALL PROCESSED FOOD! Nothing but WHOLE FOODS - fruits veggies, grains and beans. I am following this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CdwWliv7Hg

It's supposed to help lose weight, but I am still NOT losing!

I also heard that many who think they are gluten sensitive may actually be having a reaction to the Monsanto chemical sprays used on wheat.
MarleneJ
MarleneJ
WG, that is very interesting about Roundup and other chemicals. When I used to eat wheat, I bought it from an organic farm in Saskatchewan, and ground the grain myself.

Now here is the strange thing. I have all my old cookbooks and measuring cups and spoons from 45 years ago. (Pack rat!? You better believe it! LOL)

I was using the exact same recipes, but the measurements weren't working. For example, pizza dough used to use 1 1/2 cups flour. Now, it is done with one cup flour. I find this for everything.

I suggested to my husband some bizarre science fiction scenerio where the fabric of the space time continuum was being warped. He replied its probably just that the flour is different! And he was right!

Now chemicals is something I utterly destest. However, my wonderful organic garden has been subject to massive amounts of forest fire smoke the last three years. The tomatoes and eggplants actually get spots where the water lands and the smoke film is. Now, I know there are some good things in ashes, that help the garden grow. Not so sure if I eat it? Or maybe just washing is enough?

Anyway, another banner year for the garden! And great change for you, WG. I can't do vegan. I tried in the 1970's, when I was young and healthy and thin! I just ended up craving oil after 6 months. I suppose that could be fixed, these days. With supplements. But, I am glad it seems to be helping you.

I think Orencia is not working for me, after 3 years. I am living on prednisone. I thought first it was the lack of mthx, but I have been back on for 2 weeks, and the only days I am good, especially at night, after the prednisone wears off, is the day I take Orencia and the day after. My rheumatologist says my body figures out how these drugs work, and destroys them. Not fun!

As for supplements, my liver specialist took me off all of them. I had already pulled myself off minerals when a friend suggested they might be hard on my kidneys. The liver specialist told me to eat red meat every once and a while to keep my iron up! Well, I have never done anything I hated more. I hate the taste, the hardness and chewing. But, 1/2 after, my liver sac was extended and hurt like mad, still hurting 2 days later. End of that horrible experiment - although my iron did go up nicely, after being perilously low for 2 decades. I have had no incidents of Restless Legs, which I get from low iron.

So, back to beet juice fasts. That cleans out the liver well, and I really like it, with fresh garden veggies!

Oops! Long post! Sorry!
Happy_Heart_888
Happy_Heart_888
Just started a cleanse myself. I feel so much better, just on day 1!! Thank God... this is the least I’ve hurt in months. It’s a great jump start to getting back on my strict diet. Horrible that these organic produce are sooooo expensive and hard to come by! Wishing all veggies were organic!!