Healing Rheumatoid Arthritis With Naturopathic Medicine
People living with Rheumatoid Arthritis compare the pain and inflammation to a fire raging out of control. RA is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease causing swelling, stiffness, and pain in the joints. It can result in joint deformity and damage to other organs, including the nerves, heart, and lungs.
Approximately 1.5 million Americans have Rheumatoid Arthritis: most are adults over age 40 about 12,000 children under age 16 have juvenile-onset RA.
Symptoms of RA
- Swollen, painful, hot and disfigured joints on both sides of the body
- Pain, stiffness and limited movement making daily activities difficult
- Fatigue, muscle aches, and fevers
The prevailing, conventional theory is that inflammation results from an over-reaction of the immune system that may include genetic factors. Doctors of naturopathic medicine believe there is a deeper, root cause for this haywire immune system response. They theorize immune dysregulation originates in imbalances that involve a persons genetics, lifestyle choices, nutritional status, gut health, stress, environmental triggers and emotional wellbeing.
Treatment of RA
Conventional treatment includes physical therapy and prescription medicines to treat pain and swelling. While these drugs may be necessary for some people, they have side effects including hair loss, liver damage, stress on the kidneys and heart, and risk for addiction, without correcting the underlying imbalance.
An Anti-inflammatory Diet
Keep Moving
References
Medication For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Some of the medications you may take include:
- pain relievers , such as paracetamol, for temporary pain relief
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications , such as ibuprofen, to control inflammation and provide pain relief
- corticosteroids, such as prednisolone, to quickly control or reduce inflammation
- disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs , such as methotrexate, to control your overactive immune system
- biological and biosimilar medicines , such as infliximab these are biological disease-modifying drugs that work to control your immune system, but in a much more targeted way.
Depending on your particular symptoms, and how much pain and inflammation you have, you may take one medication or a combination of different medications.
What Makes Ra Get Worse
Different factors affect the pace and progression of individual patients RA. Some things you cant control, like whether you have a family history of the disease. In addition, although women are more likely to get RA, when men get rheumatoid arthritis, their prognosis is generally worse, Dr. Bhatt says.
But there are factors you can control and change. We know smoking makes RA more aggressive, so smoking cessation is key, Dr. Lally says. Also, people with heavy manual occupations might stress the joints further and might have quicker progression, Dr. Bhatt says. If your workplace can make accommodations for your disease, that will help. Read more about how to make working with arthritis easier.
Exercise and maintaining a healthy weight can also help reduce stress on the joints, Dr. Bhatt says. But talk to your doctor before starting a workout regimen. A physical therapist can advise patients on the right type of exercise, he says. If patients do exercises wrong it could stress the joints even further. In addition, getting enough sleep, starting an anti-inflammatory diet, eating less red meat, and possibly using herbal remedies like turmeric may help control RA, Dr. Bhatt says. Here are more healthy habits to adopt if you have RA.
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What Are The Complications Of Ra
Rheumatoid arthritis has many physical and social consequences and can lower quality of life. It can cause pain, disability, and premature death.
- Premature heart disease. People with RA are also at a higher risk for developing other chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. To prevent people with RA from developing heart disease, treatment of RA also focuses on reducing heart disease risk factors. For example, doctors will advise patients with RA to stop smoking and lose weight.
- Obesity. People with RA who are obese have an increased risk of developing heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Being obese also increases risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Finally, people with RA who are obese experience fewer benefits from their medical treatment compared with those with RA who are not obese.
- Employment. RA can make work difficult. Adults with RA are less likely to be employed than those who do not have RA. As the disease gets worse, many people with RA find they cannot do as much as they used to. Work loss among people with RA is highest among people whose jobs are physically demanding. Work loss is lower among those in jobs with few physical demands, or in jobs where they have influence over the job pace and activities.
The Pain You Feel Isnt From Your Bones Grinding Together
A popular myth about RA is that the characteristic joint pain is caused by your bones rubbing together at the joint. Not so, says Ed Levitan, MD, of Five Journeys, a functional medicine practice in Newton, Massachusetts. Studies have shown that even if an X-ray shows bone on bone that does not equal pain the pain comes from inflammation of the joint, he explains. So while its important to protect your joints from further damage, with RA its equally important to work on reducing inflammation in your body, he says.
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Maintaining A Healthy Weight Matters
When it comes to weight and RA, the connection is clear: Excess pounds not only put extra pressure on your already over-taxed joints, but being overweight or obese can also contribute to inflammation throughout your body, which can further worsen your symptoms, Dr. Levitan says.
A 2017 study from the Hospital for Special Surgery of nearly 1,000 people with RA found that overweight patients were 25 percent less likely and obese patients were 47 percent less likely to experience a sustained remission compared to healthy weight patients, even though all received similar treatments. Losing weight may reduce RA symptoms and help drugs that treat RA work better.
Other research indicates that weight can be a factor in the onset of RA. A Mayo Clinic study from 2012 found that obese people were 25 percent more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those at a healthy weight. The connection may have to do with the inflammatory activity of fat cells.
Treatment May Make You More Susceptible To Other Illnesses
Many medications work by lowering the bodys immune system, says Orrin Troum, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Southern California and rheumatologist at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica. This helps the body to stop attacking the joints, but at the same time can make you more susceptible to outside infections, like pneumonia, he says.
This does NOT mean you should stop taking your meds, but its important to know so you can take extra steps to protect yourself from germs and get treatment as soon as possible when symptoms of infections occur, he adds.
Its not just the newer biologic drugs that affect infection risk. Conventional DMARDs like methotrexate and corticosteroids to manage flares can raise your risk of infections as well. Any time your doctor prescribes you medication, its a good idea to ask about infection risk and any precautions you can take to minimize them.
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Can Carnivore Diet Heal Rheumatoid Arthritis
The Carnivore Diet is one of the best approaches to naturally cure or heal arthritis. Its taboo to say the word cure, but by definition cure means: to relieve ones symptoms from a disease or condition. Try not to get caught up in irrational terminology. Carnivore does a great job at relieving RA symptoms. I know your main goal is to get rid of the pain and get back to enjoying life.
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.
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Forget What Youve Read On The Internet: There Is No Secret Cure
More than 1 million Americans have rheumatoid arthritis, and unfortunately there is no cure, Dr. Ware says. Despite what you may have read or heard, there are no special diets, oils, secret protocols, or trial medications that can permanently banish the disease.
But while doctors may not yet be able to cure RA, the right treatment plan can help many patients achieve low disease activity or even degrees of remission. Years ago, before the sophisticated disease-modifying drugs of today were widely used, RA and other forms of inflammatory arthritis could cause severe, permanent joint damage. This is usually no longer the case for people who take these medications and see a rheumatologist for ongoing testing and monitoring. More and more biologic therapies are in development, so people who dont respond well or stop responding well to a certain medication will have more ways to target their immune system and reduce symptoms and long-term damage.
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.
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Probiotics To Reverse Rheumatoid Arthritis
As with most ailments your diet is very important. Probiotics are living microorganisms and provide health benefits when taken in the right amounts. They help colonize your gut with health-friendly bacteria. You find them in a range of different foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, tempeh and kimchi.
One type of probiotic is kombucha, a fermented mixture of yeast and bacteria taken in the form of a tea. Certain types of yeast can also act like probiotics. Thats because different probiotics address different health conditions. Talk to your nutritionist or doctor. They also need to ensure that that they dont react with any medication you may be taking.
Supplements can also contain probiotics . Some supplements contain a range of different probiotics. Again, seek advice from a nutritionist if you want to reverse rheumatoid arthritis.
How Diet Can Impact Ra Symptoms
Now that I’ve told you the bad news, here is the good news: although diet doesn’t cure RA, it can influence it. And like most things RA, the issue is complicated. Research has found that dietary habits can play a role in the development of RA.1 There have been studies documenting the benefit of a vegan diet, fasting, and elimination diets, however these studies have all been small ones and not repeated.2,3,4 The biggest excitement in the rheumatology world right now is the investigation of the microbiome, the makeup of bacteria in our gut. There has been some strong evidence showing that the relationship between certain types of bacteria, specifically one called Prevotella, and rheumatoid arthritis. And what influences the microbiome? Diet.5 Along with research on specific diets for RA comes concern about maintaining body weight and proper nutritional levels, as both of these things are extremely important for maintaining health when you are living with a chronic, painful disease. So, what is one to do with all this information?
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Who Should Diagnose And Treat Ra
A doctor or a team of doctors who specialize in care of RA patients should diagnose and treat RA. This is especially important because the signs and symptoms of RA are not specific and can look like signs and symptoms of other inflammatory joint diseases. Doctors who specialize in arthritis are called rheumatologists, and they can make the correct diagnosis. To find a provider near you, visit the database of rheumatologistsexternal icon on the American College of Rheumatology website.
Lifestyle Is The Key To Beating Your Rheumatoid Arthritis
I know this is a easier said than done. Most of us know what we have to do but have a hard time committing to things over the long run. The key to overcoming your RA is to adopt healthy habits that eventually become part of your lifestyle. Chances are that youll fall off the wagon a few times but who cares get back up and keep on going. Be okay with small failures knowing that their a part of the process. Before you know it these habits will be ingrained in your routine. A few healthy habits can completely change your life.
My life changed when I took personal responsibility for my health. I cant change my genes or better put my genetic susceptibility. But I can affect how my genes are expressed by controlling what goes into my body . I can do more of the things that promote wellness and less things that promote sickness. fortunately for me this approach worked awesomely and Ive enjoyed great health for over a decade.
I believe passionately that you can overcome your Rheumatoid Arthritis. You might be in a rough place right now but this is only temporary. Ive watched many others reclaim their lives from autoimmune conditions, so can you! Your body knows how to heal, its built in. Your body is a marvelous self healing and self regulating machine. Remove the toxins, give it nutrients, and let the body do its thing.
You got this!
Also, if you try Carnivore or Keto and it makes a difference please let me know about your experience. Feel free to reach out anytime.
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Ra Is Linked To Food Allergies
Rheumatoid arthritis is found to be linked to food allergies. In many people, their RA is made increasingly worse if certain foods are eaten. Even if you are not allergic to a food, you can still have an intolerance to it. An intolerance is a sensitivity to a certain food. To find out if you are intolerant to a certain food, an elimination diet would have to be in order. A doctor or nutritionist should be called to help you. They can run blood tests that can help you to establish and food allergies.
Finding and eliminating food triggers can be very beneficial to alleviating symptoms, and to possibly stopping the progression of the disease.
Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a lifelong disease. When its treated, it may go away for a little while, but it usually comes back. Its important to see your doctor as soon as symptoms begin. The earlier you start treatment, the better your outcome. Some of the damage from RA is irreversible, so finding the disease and treating it early is very important.
If left untreated, RA can cause other health problems. Your hands may become bent or twisted. Other joints can become deformed. Inflammation will affect your cartilage and bones. Lung and heart problems also can occur. Talk to your doctor if you notice any new symptoms or problems.
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How Is Ra Diagnosed
RA is diagnosed by reviewing symptoms, conducting a physical examination, and doing X-rays and lab tests. Its best to diagnose RA earlywithin 6 months of the onset of symptomsso that people with the disease can begin treatment to slow or stop disease progression . Diagnosis and effective treatments, particularly treatment to suppress or control inflammation, can help reduce the damaging effects of RA.
Ra Treatment: What Is The Safest Treatment For Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis has no cure, but doctors recommend that patients adhere to suggested treatments early in diagnosis to decrease the severity of symptoms. There are a variety of treatment methods used to control symptoms and stop joint damage, including medications, surgery, and daily routine and lifestyle changes. Communication with a doctor or rheumatologist is necessary for choosing the most effective treatments. Your physician will ensure that treatments are safe and the medications are prescribed correctly based on each unique situation.
Treating RA will not cure the disease, but certain treatments can significantly reduce the pain and prevent permanent damage to the body. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, the goals of treatment will be to gain tight control of RA, meaning the diseases activity is kept steadily at a low level. Keeping RA in tight control can prevent long-term joint damage.
These goals primarily focus on:
- Reducing inflammation
- Preventing further or permanent damage
- Improving the quality of life
- Reducing daily and long-term side effects
Following a strict treatment regimen could bring RA into remission. Remission means that the level of disease activity has decreased in the body. It is never an indication that symptoms will not return, but following remission, many patients can go for long periods of time without experiencing symptoms.
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