An Inspiring Story Of A Woman Fighting Rheumatoid Arthritis
Written by Editorial Team | Updated : October 8, 2015 7:38 PM IST
Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease, where the body’s defense mechanism attacks it. The condition is extremely painful, debilitating and requires the patient to take very strong immune suppressant drugs. But in an attempt to change what doctors told her, Rachna Chhachhi, fought all odds to reversed her rheumatoid arthritis — naturally. In an endeavour to spread her knowledge she then got certified as a nutritional therapist specialising in reversing chronic lifestyle diseases without medication.
When I woke up, the last three days were a blur, where I remember groaning, tossing and turning in between, and being woken up gently, to eat something. For everyone else around, I was alternating between being up and about and resting, but in my mind, I remember nothing. Thirteen steroid injections jabbed into my bones my knuckles, wrists and two of my fingers, one elbow and one thumb. Okay, do the math. Four knuckles of each hand, two fingers, two wrists, one elbow… is thirteen. I m not counting the thumb. My left thumb was so swollen that despite trying to shove the needle in thrice, the needle wouldn t go in, so the rheumatologist gave up.
What Is The Prognosis For People Who Have Rheumatoid Arthritis
Although there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, there are many effective methods for decreasing the pain and inflammation and slowing down the disease process. Early diagnosis and effective treatment are very important.
Extensive research is being done to learn the cause of rheumatoid arthritis and the best methods of treatment.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/17/2017.
References
Herbal Remedy For Arthritis
Joint Aid Plus is a blend of unique herbs described in Ayurveda as best anti-inflammatory herbs. These rare herbs are beneficial in moderate and severe forms of inflammation, swelling and pain. Joint Aid Plus contains extracts of Nirgundi, Shallaki, Guggul, Ginger, Giloy and Ashwagandha. These herbs act together in a synergistic manner that control acute and chronic inflammatory reactions. Joint aid plus is an effective herbal supplement for acute and chronic arthritis pain and inflammation.
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New Research On Treating And Curing Ra
Because RA is an autoimmune disease, most of the current research on treating RA focuses on the immune system.
Researchers are looking at ways to disrupt the faulty immune response that causes RA inflammation at both the cellular and microcellular level.
A explained why its important to understand how the immune cells work in treating RA.
Healthy Diet And Exercise
Maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise are things everyone should strive to do but are especially important for people with arthritis.
Regular exercise combined with a healthy diet consisting of fruits and vegetables and foods with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D can help promote joint and bone health.
In addition to their primary benefits, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise can also help control weight which helps ease the symptoms of arthritis, boost the bodys immune system for those with RA, and lower uric acid levels in gout patients.
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Consider Learning More About Medical Marijuana
If you grew up in the just say no era, you might be hesitant to try this remedy, but it may help RA patients, says Jordan Tishler, MD, a Harvard-trained emergency medicine physician and founder of InhaleMD. There are certain types of cannabis specifically grown for medicinal purposes that might help treat the pain of RA pain, he says.
I have seen improvements for patients in pain control, stiffness, and increased mobility with cannabis, he says. Most importantly, I have seen significant improvement in reported quality of life., and according to a new Medscape poll, 80 percent of health care providers say it should legalized nationally.
If you are interested in trying cannabis and its legal in your state, talk to your doctor or another provider whos experienced in this area. There are many different strains of the plant, and cannabis products contain varying ratios of the active ingredients CBD to THC . Its important to remember that cannabis can interact with other medications you may take or affect other health conditions you have, so make sure to talk to your doctor before you explore this option.
Should I See A Doctor
Its common to have aches and pains in your muscles and joints from time to time. This may especially be true if you take part in unusual or strenuous physical activities.
So, how can you tell the difference between the early signs of arthritis and normal pain and stiffness? And, how do you know when you should see a doctor about your symptoms?
If you have swelling or stiffness that you cant explain and that doesn’t go away in a few days, or if it becomes painful to touch your joints, you should see a doctor. The earlier you get a diagnosis and start the right type of treatment, the better the outcome will be.
Here are some other things to think about that might help you decide whether you need to see a doctor:
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What You Eat Can Help Manage Your Symptoms
An anti-inflammatory diet consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids from such sources as grass-fed meat and wild salmon, and limited sugar and carbohydrates is a secret weapon for helping to manage RA for some patients, Dr. Levitan says. Reducing inflammation can help limit flare-ups and pain, he says.
Medication Is Key To Achieving Remission
The most important factor in rheumatoid arthritis remission is early and aggressive treatment with medication that improves or alleviates symptoms and halts the progression of the disease, experts say.
Because RA is a systemic inflammatory disease, it can affect all body systems, not just joints. When untreated or undertreated, RA puts patients at higher risk for developing coronary artery disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular disease compared with those whose disease is in remission. While even well-treated people with RA have higher cardiovascular risk both because of the disease and medication side effects, tight RA control substantially improves CV risk, experts say.
Why? Effective treatment reduces chronic inflammation and reduces the need for high doses of steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , Dr. Blazer says, noting that both of these can raise cardiovascular risk.
Although RA drugs do have side effects, the repercussions of the disease, including permanent joint damage, are generally much worse than the side effects associated with the medications, experts say.
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Modern Understanding And Pathology Of Arthritis
Arthritis is a an inflammatory condition that could involve one of more of your bodys joints. According to modern medicine, there are several different kinds of arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The main symptoms of this condition is pain and stiffness in the joints. Since this is a progressive disease, it may worsen with advancing age. It could be caused by normal wear and tear of the joints or the formation of uric acid crystals that cause increased friction between the knee joint structures.
How Do I Know If Im In Remission
Remission and disease activity can be defined in several ways, says Jonathan Greer, MD, a rheumatologist in Boynton Beach, Florida.
Most rheumatologists follow the remission guidelines established by the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism back in 2011. The guidelines recommend the use of several scales that have been shown to reliably predict RAs impact on the body.
One of the most commonly used tools is the disease activity score known as DAS28. This assessment measures:
- The number of swollen or tender joints your physician finds in an examination of 28 separate joints in the body.
- How active you feel your disease is on a 100-point scale.
- The results of certain blood tests:
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate , which measures the rate at which red blood cells settle in a test tube .
- C-reactive protein , a protein the liver makes when theres inflammation somewhere in the body.
According to the 2011 criteria, a DAS score less than 2.6 indicates remission.
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All Sensations At Once
Synesthesia is not a disease, but simply another way of perceiving things. Most people find their additional sensations pleasant, but they can also push them into the background. Alexandra Kirschner and Martin Schmiederer, for example, both say that they don’t like to wear scratchy woollen sweaters because this feeling evokes an unpleasant color.
Synesthesia when sounds are colors, tastes and smells
Who Gets Rheumatoid Arthritis
RA is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis as previously mentioned, it affects as high as 1% of the world’s population, occurs three times more often in women than in men, and in most cases, develops in adults between the ages of 25 and 50. However, children and the elderly are also at risk.
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Why Was My Immune System Broken
Excitedly, I told a good friend of mine about my success. You shouldnt be reacting to nightshades, he said. If youre reacting to nightshades, you have a problem with your immune function. You should look into whats wrong with your immune system.
Wow, I thought. He was right. Most people dont react to nightshades. If they did, nobody would be eating pizza or French fries. McDonalds and Dominos Pizza would go out of business.
So, what was wrong with my immune system?
I was glad I had tested the nightshade theory, because even though it wasnt the ultimate answer, it had convinced me that you can stop pain by changing your diet. This was huge!
I didnt know anything about the immune system, so I went back to the library.
I searched on the computer at the library computer for immune system and I found a book called The Yeast Connection by Dr. William Crook.
I checked the book out from the library and read it cover to cover . Dr. Crook said that to have a healthy immune system, you need a healthy gut. Dr. Crook said that in order to have a healthy gut, you need a healthy amount of good bacteria. Without enough good bacteria, your digestive tract gets overrun with yeast and other pathogenic bacteria
It all made sense. I had grown up on antibiotics and sugar. My good gut bacteria had been killed off by the antibiotics. And all the sugar had fed the bad bacteria and yeast.
Is There A Well
If microorganisms are involved in the pathogenesis of at least some cases of RA, it is more likely in an indirect role, such as contributing to the development of autoimmunity through mechanisms such as molecular mimicry. A persuasive case has been made for immune responses to endogenous heat shock proteins that have been shown to share sequences with those of a number of microorgan-isms . One of the microorganisms incriminated is Escherichia coli, a ubiquitous part of the gastrointestinal flora. Intriguingly, these sequences are also present in the HLA-DR4 alleles that are associated with RA . If gut bacteria are indeed involved in precipitating immune responses to endogenous antigens, the elimination of such etiologic agents is obviously not a realistic goal. More viable approaches might be specific immunomodulation using strategies such as oral tolerization, induction of T-regulatory cells, or redirection of T-cell function.
Figure 1
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Which Natural Remedies Can Eliminate Pain And Discomfort
While treating the cause in order to eliminate the source and therefore curing rheumatoid arthritis, regular symptoms will probably persist or even worse.
The worsening may occur as a symptom of detox. Things get worse before they get better.
The following lists and briefly describes a few, but not all, of the available natural treatments for relief.
Turmeric tops the list as a superb anti-inflammatory. Though its vastly known for its uses in Asian and West Indian cuisine such as curry, it deserves to be even more well-known for its medicinal properties.
Turmeric has been used for ages to combat pain, which is mostly caused by inflammation.
Its most essential component, which attributes to its yellow and orange pigment, is curcumin.
Curcumin can be just as useful as ibuprofen drugs when it comes to alleviating pain.
Furthermore, as documented by V. P Menon and A. R. Sudheer, curcumin is such a powerful anti-inflammatory that it can even prevent cancers related to tumor growths. This is because tumors have a correlation with inflammation.
MSM stands for methylsulfonylmethane and is a sulfur compound also known as an organosulfur.
It is extracted from vegetable sources and has many uses. One of those uses is to help repair and reconnect damaged tissue.
MSM is essential for rheumatoid arthritis since rheumatoid arthritis includes painful joints due to inflammation and depletion.
Tart Cherry Juice contains anthocyanins, which give cherries their deep red and purplish tint.
Can Ra Go Away On Its Own
Spontaneous remission is possible, particularly if your RA is in the early stages. This natural remission causes disease activity to disappear. With no signs of disease, medications are no longer needed.
Some patients who experience spontaneous remission may have what is known as undifferentiated arthritis , a common inflammatory form of arthritis that includes joint swelling, pain, and stiffness but its not classified as a specific rheumatologic disorder.
Many people with UA achieve spontaneous remission, though a number of other people do eventually develop RA.
Researchers suspect that treating UA with therapies normally used to treat RA could prevent more cases of the milder condition from developing into a chronic disorder.
Yes!
In fact, the primary goal of most current RA treatments is to force the disease into remission.
Whereas RA treatment once focused on managing symptoms to prevent disability and long-term joint, bone, and soft tissue damage, a recent survey showed that achieving remission is the treatment goal of 88 percent of people with RA.
The availability and effectiveness of DMARDs has transformed the view of RA from being a chronic disabling disease to a condition commonly pushed into remission.
Its possible that, the earlier you start treating your RA, the more likely it is that youll achieve remission.
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Effects On Your Daily Life
- See a doctor or other relevant healthcare professional if youre unable to do everyday tasks due to joint or muscle pain.
- If youve lifted something heavy and hurt your back, for example, take some painkillers, apply some heat and try to stay active. If the pain doesnt ease after a couple of weeks or so, see a doctor.
Its important to see a doctor if you get any new symptoms or if you have any trouble with drugs youre taking.
If you have an appointment with a doctor, to help make sure you get the most out of it, you could take a list of questions with you and tick them off as they are discussed.
You could also keep a symptoms diary with details of how youre feeling in between appointments. Some people find that taking a friend or relative with them to an appointment can provide support and ensure that all important points are discussed.
It Runs In The Family
Synesthesia isn’t just an illusion. MRI scans have shown that the brain areas are active for different senses. There are also genetic connections. But many people don’t know they have synesthesia because their impressions are completely normal. Famous synesthetes include Lady Gaga, Pharell Williams, as well as artist Wassily Kandinsky and philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein.
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More Ways To Treat Ra
Over-the-counter medications treat RA symptoms, but not the underlying disease.
These medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , like ibuprofen and naproxen sodium .
Your doctor may prescribe you stronger NSAIDs, available by prescription only, to combat the inflammation and pain caused by RA.
Corticosteroid medications may also be used to reduce RA inflammation and reduce joint damage. Prednisone can be effective in relieving acute symptoms of RA, but long-term use carries risks.
Physical or occupational therapy can help keep your joints flexible. Assistive devices like beaded seat covers in cars and book stands to give the hands a break can reduce stress on joints when going about daily tasks or enjoying leisurely activities.
Surgery, which can reduce severe joint pain and improve everyday functions, is sometimes elected by people with RA.
What Are The Risk Factors For Arthritis
Some factors make you more likely to develop arthritis, including:
- Age: The risk of arthritis increases as you get older.
- Lifestyle: Smoking or a lack of exercise can increase your risk of arthritis.
- Sex: Most types of arthritis are more common in women.
- Weight: Obesity puts extra strain on your joints, which can lead to arthritis.
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Know The Causes And Causes Of The Causes
As with any illness, finding a genuine cure requires looking within to pinpoint the actual cause.
As mentioned above, autoimmunity is one suspected cause. However, some medical experts fail to delve even further the common treatments for this disease are meant to suppress symptoms and the immune system and go no further than that.
One of the reasons so many people chronically suffer from and continue to be diagnosed with this disease is continuous treatment versus healing.
To actually cure this disease, more doctors should do what some are already doing: discover the culprits that trigger an autoimmune response.
Whats The Outlook For Someone Living With Arthritis
Since theres no cure for arthritis, most people need to manage arthritis for the rest of their lives. Your healthcare provider can help you find the right combination of treatments to reduce symptoms. One of the biggest health risks associated with arthritis is inactivity. If you become sedentary from joint pain, you may face a greater risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other serious conditions.
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