A reduction in symptoms

Now that it is nearly a decade later, I have to share what has worked for my Rheumatoid Arthritis.

I used to take a lot of supplements to decrease inflammation. Occasionally I took prednisone when things got really bad, but I would try to keep this for emergencies only.

One year, I had an opportunity to sleep-in on a regular basis. I slept probably 9 to 10 hour days for the full year. I still went to work, but it was something I had worked out with my employer and I wanted to test a theory.

My theory was that sleep would eventually heal me.

And for the most part it did. I still have to take it easy, get enough stress and not overdo anything. I can’t eat a bowl of pasta unless I’ve come to terms with myself that I’ll deal with the extra inflammation it will bring on. But that’s extra inflammation, it isn’t extreme inflammation and disability. I certainly won’t eat pasta for a week or else I might get myself into trouble. I have to get rest, take naps, whatever I have to do to catch up on sleep. If I don’t I’ll most likely suffer some consequences. But I no longer have Prednisone in my cabinet. I no longer take oodles of supplements like I once did. I no longer need to take baking soda and epson salt baths to feel as good as I do. I do of course try and eat healthy, meaning, the more organic vegetables I can get in me, the better I feel.

But I can’t just get a weight trainer and start weight training my body, or training for a marathon. I stepped onto the elliptical the other day. I did a 30 minute gentle workout. I have been walking for an hour every day for two years. But the elliptical works out new muscles, so I knew to be careful.

Sure enough, even though I made sure to keep it gentle, that evening I woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water and I realized I couldn’t walk on one foot. The tendon in my left foot was so inflamed that I realized I would have to go without getting a glass of water. My husband was asleep. I took one last sip of what I had left in my glass and did my best to fall back asleep.

The next morning, my ankle had healed some and I walked to go get some water. And by the end of that day I was fine. But I certainly knew I couldn’t get back on the elliptical for probably a few days just in case.

I once got a trainer at the gym. I don’t know what I was thinking, except that his ongoing sales pitch had worked. I was especially healthy so I figured I could handle it. I told him about my health issues and to take it easy on me and that I couldn’t work out in the sun. But although he said he would be gentle, he didn’t truly listen and I didn’t put my foot down. After that I canceled. I was out of the gym for three months as a result of too much too fast.

Sleep is my go-to whenever I’m inflamed. I have a second go-to as well.

But that is for the next post.

Best of luck to you all in these trying times.

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Exercise Tips for Alleviating Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

image courtesy of WebMD

Post Contributor::  Valerie Johnston :: Healthline.com health and fitness writer

While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, there are several things that you can do to reduce joint pain, joint stiffness, and other symptoms of the disease. A well-rounded, healthy diet; relaxation techniques for reducing stress; and achieving improved sleep are a few lifestyle changes that you can work toward in order to manage your symptoms.

Exercise should also be a key component of your long-term treatment plan for rheumatoid arthritis. Regular exercise will increase your range of motion, increase joint protection, reduce joint stiffness and pain, improve muscle strength, and boost endurance.

Getting Started with Exercise

If you are not accustomed to regular exercise, it is important to discuss your exercise plan with your doctor. Begin with exercises that you can comfortably perform, such as walking, swimming, or bicycling. Only increase the intensity of your workouts after you have built a solid foundation (increased endurance, strength, etc.). A fitness trainer or a physical therapist can provide guidance so that you know how to perform exercises safely and in a way that is suited to your current fitness level.

Before any exercise, it is important to warm up and to stretch the muscles. This will help you to avoid injuries and to comfortably perform a wide variety of range-of-motion exercises. If you experience pain or inflammation during or after exercise, be sure to give your body adequate time to recover. Pain is common during and after exercise, but it should not be excessive. Of course, joint pain comes with the territory if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Using a cold pack on sore joints and muscles after a workout can help quite a bit with pain management. By progressing slowly over time, you can avoid injuries and will be more likely to make a habit out of exercise.

Exercise Techniques for Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis

Tai Chi

There are specific exercise techniques that can help in reducing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. For example, tai chi is an ancient Chinese practice that has helped countless people with arthritis to increase their mobility, sense of relaxation, and overall quality of life. Tai chi incorporates many of the essential management tools—stress reduction, physical activity, mental focus, controlled breathing, etc.—that you can use to manage your condition.

Low-Impact Exercises

Low-impact aerobic exercise is one of the best forms of physical activity for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. Swimming, cycling, resistance training, yoga, Pilates, elliptical training, and walking are all examples of low-impact aerobic exercises that will not cause stress to your joints. High-impact exercises such as running, tennis, and plyometrics add a lot of stress to the joints and bones of the body, which can be especially problematic for people with arthritis.

Resistance training has grown in popularity among people of all fitness levels. Free weights, elastic bands, and resistance machines are a few types of resistance exercise tools that are, in general, safe for people with rheumatoid arthritis to use. The degree of resistance can be adjusted according to your current level of fitness and strength.

Swimming is an excellent way for people with rheumatoid arthritis to exercise. Water supports your body during movement so that the stress on your joints is minimized. If you enjoy walking, try walking exercises in a pool. A swimming instructor can show you how to perform various swimming techniques that will help you to increase muscle strength and mobility throughout your body.

Consistency by Customizing Your Workouts

Discovering physical activities that you enjoy will help you to maintain your exercise routine long-term. If you already enjoy going for walks, for example, make it a habit to get out for a walk every day. If you enjoy variety, design an exercise plan that includes walking, cycling, swimming, yoga, and other fitness techniques. Finding your exercise niche will help you to manage your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms more effectively.

Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer for Healthline.com, keeping up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.  With ambitions of one day running a marathon, she resides in East Texas.

Supplement substitutes (for Biologics)

Hello All!  If you are on a biologic, specifically for the treatment of an autoimmune disease or if you are considering one, then it’s important to realize how they work.  Here are a list of biologics that might be suggested to you:

• Actemra
• Cimzia
• Enbrel
• Humira
• Kineret
• Orencia
• Remicade
• Rituxan
• Simponi

Some of these biologics work by reducing tnf protein.  Those biologics include:

Cimzia, Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, and Simponi.

In my opinion, Kineret appears to be the safest of all biologics.  It works by blocking the action of the chemical messenger interleukin-1.  The only real drawback is that it is a daily injection and it is expensive.  But I am not here to tell you about these drugs really, but I did want to give you a brief bit of information on them as we go forward.

There are in fact, supplements that reduce tnf protein.  I can’t say how they work in comparison to a biologic that also reduces tnf protein.  I can’t tell you how much you should take either.  But I will say that if you are on a homeopathic adventure to controlling your disease, then you may want to give several avenues a shot.  Like drugs, supplements are powerful and for lots of people, have been proven successful.  If you are smart about it, you will attack your disease like a doctor would and figure out what supplements might actually work.  If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis, chances are you have too much tnf protein.  You probably have too much Fibrin as well.  But let’s talk about supplements that naturally reduce tnf protein.  Here are your options:

N-AcetylCysteine-click link to learn more about how N-AcetylCysteine reduces tnf protein.

-reduces tnf protein, chelates metals, breaks up mucus, and fights cancer.  For dosage and precautions click here.  For product recommendations, click here.

Lactoferrin-click here to learn more about how Lactoferrin reduces tnf protein.

-binds iron, fights yeast, helping with anemia, reduces gut inflammation, reduces skin reactions, anti-microbial activity-fighting against ecoli, immune defense, anti-inflammatory.

Reishi Mushrooms-click here to learn more about how Reishi Mushrooms reduce tnf protein.

-antioxidant, treats mononucleosis, bronchitis, lowers cholesterol, fights cancer and inflammation and improves sleep

Resveratol-click here to learn more about how Resveratol reduces tnf protein.

-anti aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, lowers blood sugar and gives cardiovascular benefits.

Monolaurin (lauric acid)-click here to learn more about how Monolaurin reduces tnf protein.

-prevents heart disease, increases metabolism, lowers cholesterol, fights candida, anti-microbial and much more.

There are other supplements that lower tnf protein, but this at least gives you a start.  Off hand, I don’t know what they are but perhaps I could research and add to this list sometime. I just know that if you are fighting an auto-immune disease, it’s important to hit it at all angles and tnf protein is definitely one of them.  Good luck on your quest to health!

((GENTLE HUGS))!!-Sarah

How to Reduce Inflammation FAST… On a Budget!

I’ve had a lot of experience with this. If you’re flare is really severe, it can take time. And for some people, making these changes simply won’t do all that much if your disease isn’t being suppressed or changed by either medications or alternative treatments. BUT, in general, these switches will help, or at least I think they will! Good luck!

1. Switch from butter or margarine to OLIVE OIL.

2. Stop drinking milk and start drinking ALMOND MILK (unsweetened). Trader Joe’s carries it if you can’t find it elsewhere. Sugar is inflammatory so please don’t buy the sweetened version. And yes, honey IS sugar.

3. Start eating ORGANIC CELERY. Celery is known to reduce inflammation. It is also known to carry lots of pesticides if it isn’t organic.

4. STOP eating BREADS, PASTAS,RICE, WHITE POTATOES and CHIPS. You CAN eat Sweet Potatoes and Yucca. They are both Anti-inflammatory.

5. Stick with foods that are all natural. Buy the book, “The Inflammation Free Diet Plan” used at Amazon to understand more about inflammation and how much each food either decreases or increases inflammation. (Everything is in a point system).

6. Take COD LIVER OIL. It is one of the most anti-inflammatory fish oils to choose from AND it contains Vitamin A and Vitamin D. So it’s more bang for your buck! It can increase liver enzymes however, so don’t over due it and pay attention closely to your ALT levels. Once the flare is over, you may want to make the switch to something else, however, at this point I don’t have any great suggestions since most oils will increase your chance of higher ALT levels. Borage oil is pretty great as long as you choose one that is free of alkaloids. Just call the company and ask since most are unclear if they are PA free.

7. Get some light EXERCISE even though it hurts. Exercise will reduce the inflammation. Increase your exercise on days you feel better.

8. DON’T EAT SUGAR OR CHOCOLATE! If you need something sweet, buy bio-active Whey Powder and use Almond Milk. It’s sweet with a natural vanilla flavor. The almond milk will reduce your inflammation and the whey powder will reduce your tnf protein, thus reducing inflammation.

9. Get extra sleep! ZZZZZZZZZZ

10. EAT GASSY VEGETABLES. You heard me! Onions, Brussels sprouts, Asparagus, garlic, chard and cabbage are great sources. Gassy means it contains Sulfur and sulfur decreases inflammation. You’ve heard of Sulfasalazine and MSM right? Both contain sulfur, reducing inflammation.

11. If you don’t suffer from gastric reflux or ulcers, use CAYENNE PEPPER. I love to put it in my coffee. It’s a great anti-inflammatory and also helps, believe it or not, to make you feel calm.

12. If God gives you Lemons, you make lemonade, right? Well, if God gives you RA, you make LEMON WATER. Lemons reduce inflammation and they also help rid your body of toxins.

13. If you’re broke but need supplements, choose SWANSON. I did my best to research the company. From what I can tell, they are not ISO certified, however I had a hard time finding any company that was. I do not have experience with Swanson until my recent purchase (today-so I can’t tell you how the quality is), but I can tell you it was CHEAP, if nothing else!

14. Get some SUN if you don’t suffer from Lupus. Nothing compares to the real thing, even though supplements help and btw, you also get Vitamin K which helps suppress your appetite!

15. Speaking of appetite, just losing some weight and LOWERING YOUR CHOLESTEROL will reduce your inflammation. Cholesterol reducing medications have been shown to reduce inflammation in people with Arthritis. So be mindful of what you eat and know that lowering your cholesterol will do so much more than make you look great at your next doctor’s visit!

16. ACE BANDAGES can help push the swelling out and brace your joint for more comfort. And when you take it off, it forces the blood to rush back in, helping with circulation.

17. ICE PACKS in combination with heat, or even Ice packs on their own, depending on where the inflammation is can do wonders. I was able to reduce inflammation considerably by using an ice pack daily on a tendon due to RA.

18. Buy some airborn or the cheaper equivalent. Most drugstores carry their own version and it’s the same exact product. Airborn contains anti-inflammatories like vitamin C, zinc, ginger, etc. Take a few a day for a week and you’re flare should be easing up on you!