Have you or anyone you know put Rheumatoid Arthritis in remission with food, herbs or supplements???

[busyasabeecrg]

It's scary how a person can go from good health at ideal weight taking no meds whatsoever to a knee injury in July that I ignored too long and inflamation set in "big time" to a possible severe case of RA...last 2 months I'm relying on DH for almost everything since I can barely walk or use my hands and arms. Excruciating pain in every joint and swelling (and inflamation c-reactive protein 140, which Dr. says is about as high as it gets). No meds the whole time but now I have a huge decision to make.

My blood test did not have the markers (antibodies) showing RA, but Dr. said
20%-30% of people have it without the markers. Symptoms point to it, but I
am in DENIAL!

Dr. is pushing a nasty medicine called Methotrexate which requires 6 other meds plus 2 shots to deal with some of the more serious side effects.

It seems crazy to take medicine that causes multiple serious side effects.

I need a miracle...LOL...I will try anything but medicine right now. DH has been
beyond what any wife can expect...he even said we could move to Florida or other warm winter area. Dr. says that won't help, but I've heard many retired
persons find some relief and I know I have more pain and freezing of joints when the nighttime temp drops to freezing here.

TIA for any info

[Whispered]

I'm glad I was scanning the board.
Yes, I have Ra.. i'll be super blunt.. get ON MEDS.. ASAP..
You're already experiencing the beginning.. the beginning.. and its going to get worse.. sadly.
This is a degenerative disease, I don't want to scare you.. sigh.. i was planning to do just casual posting tonight!

This, I can't ignore tho.. its finally taken,.. hmm over 3 yrs, to get where, i'm so-so.. and i have a helper, who does most of the work, and carrys stuff, for me. I was lucky, and already on disability, for other stuff.. and this hit. .out of the blue. Suddenly, i couldn't do any of the housework, it hurt to even hold a dish. I had to move from the upper apts, to a downstairs one.

Your Dr, sounds like he wants to do a really aggressive treatment, right away.. w/ the shots and all.. what kind??
Are they just cortisone.. or the heavy duty stuff.. like Embrel, Humria..?
Most people start taking predisone and methotraxate.. (pred, Will cause weight gain, but.. its better then the pain).

I would start doing homework, I think everyone goes into denial, when we first get sick.. nooo.. not happening and think we can make ourselves better.. yet, somethings.. we simply can't fix.. and have to rely on medicine to work.

Knowing how FAST and quick this disease is going to be .. without meds..
scares the heck out of me!!
So everything has side effects and me, not being on meds, and getting worse, scares me more!!!!!!!!!!

I have it really bad in my wrists and hands ( i send coupons out, not cut neatly or i send in pairs, when i can, lol).
My knees are bad.. and to make you feel less alone, check out some ra boards. I haven't been in a long time.. but, it'll give you an idea, of all that can happen.
I really hope, for your own sake, you'll get on meds..remember to rest
put on either heat or ice ( ice eeek.. i like heat tho)..
Elevate..
ohh.. one big huge thing, i've learned that ohh RA has extreme fatigue, w/ it and is an autoimmune disease.. meaning you have no immune system!
so stay far away from sick people!!

bc of the horrible fatigue, i've learned that if i go out, for even 2-3 hrs, one day, i might be housebound, for the next 2-4. .. drives me crazy, but it is how it is.

Be nice to yourself.. gentle hugs

hope some of this helps~

ps: Right now, sounds like you're in a major "flare".. and if you get on the meds, etc.. it will get better..somewhat, do keep in mind, this IS degenerative and fast acting.. so be kind, take the pain meds and
the MEDS are to stop the disease from Progressing~
thats the plan~

[chitownmelli]

I was just coming here to tell you to PM Whispered, but she beat me to it lol! Hope you are feeling alright, will be thinking of you!

[rbunnymom]

Sorry you are suffering. Whispered gave great info. Most likely with the crp as high as yours, you will need the heavy duty meds to bring down the inflammation - even a short time on Prednisone can help. There are diets that decrease inflammation, so that is something you could investigate - Good luck. Wishing you the best.

ETA: Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet | Foods that Cause Inflammation

You should add probiotics to your daily regimen.

There is some theory that milk and gluten(wheat, oats, barley, rye) and other foods contribute to inflammation in those with autoimmune diseases. You may be able to radically change your diet and decrease your symptoms without having to stay on the meds recommended for you now.

Performance without Pain :: Optimal Nutrition via Nutrient Dense Foods - I met the author at a conference. Her story is amazing. She improved her health through changing her diet. I highly recommend checking out what she has to say. She is in support of this site info The Weston A. Price Foundation

[busyasabeecrg]

Thank you for the info Whispered...pretty much what the Dr. says. No cortisone, but PredniSone with Methotrexate plus the meds for side effects, like bone loss, etc. DH is concerned about the deformity without meds, but I tell him not everyone gets it. Glad you are in a better place now, Whispered but I now know how you have suffered and how frustrating it is.

Really appreciate you thinking of me chitownmelli .

And rbunnymom I'm so happy to have the two links, which I can't wait to check out, as well as the info about milk. I put some probiotics on my grocery list just now, and hope DH can get them tomorrow.

I feel so fortunate to have this site to post my concerns and get these helpful responses Many thanks to these wonderful members!

[Whispered]

I'm glad we helped, and i'm also grateful for mellis & rbunnys support and yours and everyone elses
I think the food plan, in addition to the meds, probably would help.. I admit to being a terrible foodie..and I can't afford organic.
.. ohh tonight is delightful, its shot night, can't wait!.. sarcasm..
really its not a big deal, its 10-. 20 seconds of argh.. (diabatics have to do this a couple x a day).. its once a wk.. and this is for Embrel.
Costs 2,-3,000 a month..(I'm lucky, my insurance stuff pays for it.)
...
Just to get an idea, of how serious this stuff is, my dr tried me. on an
Infusion.. guess, just guess how much ONE Infusion cost??
FIFTEEN Thousand Dollars!!.. yep.. faint 15,000..

Its supposed to take 3 hrs, w/ the meds flowing from a bag, into your arm.. me, it took over 6 hrs!! The poor nurse, was planning to fly to Vegas!! lol and thought she'd have plenty of time to get ready.
The next time, my body simply refused it.. (started to not be able to breathe).. so they literally had to pour 15,000$$ down the sink.. i was sick..
I so wanted it to be able to at least, go to someone else, but they couldn't.
~~~~~~~~~~~
ok, on to the helpful stuff!

Epsom salt baths!!.. HOT, hot (if heat works for you, don't go over what you can stand)..

I'm just soo happy, toay, I'm not in a flare and I'm doing ok.
To explain it to your friends, its like constantly having the flu, at times.
I never know, from day to day, how its going to be.. or how much I'm going to overdo.. (but I don't do much, actually frustrating). which is something, I'm working on.. finding that balance..

ps: I'm soo glad you have a supportive husband!

i do think vitimins, rest, etc help. Be careful you get enough folic acid
(think New 25 dollar prescription.. its cheap.. got to get something out of this!! lol).. and always humor! ... well somedays.. not all.. not all~

[leqet]

Hi, the answer to your question is yes. I know many people on my celiac disease board that saw their RA go into remission once they were on a gluten free diet. Research supports their experience as well:

Arthritis and Celiac Disease

Studies Show High Instance of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoporosis in Patients with Celiac Disease

My advice to you if you want to first try to treat this without drugs, get a test for celiac (It's a simple blood test to start) and then go gluten free. The blood tests are not very sensitive and often false negative, so try the diet even if the test says you don't have celiac. It's possible to have gluten intolerance without being formally diagnosed as celiac. I had very bad joint pain to the point of being bed ridden before I went gluten free. It did take a couple months on a gluten free diet for the pain to subside and I found I also had to cut out soy and dairy to see a major difference, but I am now able to do normal activities again with no medication. I hope this can be a solution for you as well. If you go on the forums at celiac.com they can help you with any questions you may have.

[Whispered]

hi leget, I respect your opinion.. but i also have to disagree.
RA is extremely progressive.. and extremely impt to get IMMEDIATELY Treated.. w/ meds..to stop the progression.
Its known, if you even wait a month.. or more.. it can be very deterimental.

There are studies on that, too. That if not treated right away, you can incure furthur damage. This is too painful.. imo.. to not get on meds.

I don't know much about celiac.. and you're talking about celiac and ra..
so to me, thats different things.. but feel free, to start a new post on
celiac :).

What I've gone thru w/ the Ra, myself, I don't care about the side effects..this has totally changed my life. Nothing is the same. Driving hurts, stairs are now a huge thing, walking too. The fatigue, omg.
I was really "wanting" to be able to do stuff today.. but I can't.. its that simple. I would just hate, for anyone,.. to get worse, in anyway.. tho I know you mean well. This can also cause internal damage, furthur down the road, internal organs, the liver, etc.. Bc of the autoimmune, etc.
People Do die from this, a sad fact, but true.

There are days when even water hurts, and I do love my baths, but..
I'm soo thankful I did get on meds!.. I can not imagine, how I could have got around.. or no way, could I have dealt w/ the pain.. no way..

[rbunnymom]

Leget - I agrre with your post totally. My only concern is whether she has time to try diet and no meds. Something to look into for sure. It is totally possible to put the disease in remission by diet and there is high correlation between celiac or gluten intolerance and autoimmune diseases including RA.

Whispered -i understand where you are coming from but celiac is relevant here since she asked about diet. There is lots of research connecting the two. Taking gluten out of ones diet can do more than cure the digestive issues esp in autoimmune diseases.

[meems]

Please have your vitamin D levels checked, those were my symptoms exactly. That & extreme fatigue. All my markers turned up neg, RA, Lupus, etc...script vitamin D regiment & magnesium completely turned it around, it took about 3 months to have total results though.

Wanted to add..that is why so many peole who retire to fl find relief..it's the additional D they are getting.