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Recovery from Rheumatoid Arthritis
A primary focus of this method is one's
intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut."
Go to the website subpage of the
supporting info page
to find out more about this topic. I believe that just about everyone with RA has
leaky gut. Much of what you see below is designed to correct this condition. The
theory (and my personal experience) is that this contributes to RA in
those that are genetically predisposed to it (like myself).
Basic Steps
in this Approach
-
Stop taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS)
as they work counter to healing intestinal permeability. You will find
after several days on the elimination diet below that you don't need them (as
the ediet removes the primary sources of immune system arthritis-causing activity).
- If you are
taking a DMARD (disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug),stay on it. This is a
personal decision between you and your doctor.
That is one of the strengths of this approach (the flexibility to
combine traditional and complementary methods if desired) and keeps your
risk at a minimum. I did this myself as I was taking methotrexate at the time.
After several months of improvement I was able to wean myself from it with my
doctor's approval.
-
Do Dr. John Mansfield's elimination diet.
He has used this diet for years with a high success
rate (85%). If you have food allergies (most people do), expect some
withdrawal, possibly very painful, after about 2 days. This is described
in detail in Mansfield's book, ARTHRITIS: THE ALLERGY CONNECTION. The
diet is also described
here on the Dietnet site.
This takes some planning to do correctly.
-
Determine Whether Other Leaky Gut-Related Problems Contribute To Your RA.
Some people do not experience significant improvement after 6-7 days
of Mansfield's elimination diet
(
primary reasons why this occurs
).
Sometimes food particles are not the only things that leak into a person's
bloodstream to cause immune system reactions. For example, intestinal bacteria
and parasites like candida albicans yeast are other candidates that can either
cause RA symptoms or make them worse.
This happened to me.
Mansfield himself mentions this situation in his book,
ALLERGIES: THE ARTHRITIS CONNECTION
. The recognition that there can be multiple factors influencing one's RA (and
the fact that there are ways to successfully address them) was significant in my
decision to follow this approach. In some situations, it may be inconvenient to
explore these other possibilities, but they can be critical in bringing about
recovery.
-
Start eating according to your inherited metabolism.
Each of us inherits how we
metabolize food in the same manner as we inherit our skin, eye and hair
color. This helps to explain why one person's food is another's
poison and will probably be
the most difficult part of this approach as significantly changing
eating habits can take a HUGE shift in one's thinking (of course,
chronic, disabling pain has a way of giving one the incentive to make this kind
of change).
This way of eating (actually multiple diets)
is described in detail in Dr. Rudolph Wiley's book BIOBALANCE and at
this
link. Key points involve moving to a whole foods orientation,
ranging from a meat-eating orientation (Hunter-Gatherer) to a
minimal meat approach (Agriculturalist). For background information,
read the BIOBALANCE
and
NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL DEGENERATION
book descriptions/quotes on the
Supporting Info Books subpage elsewhere on this site.
-
Learn and use relaxation techniques.
This little understood item is
actually very
important
to countering the effects of the high stress
society we live in. Here's the theory of how this works in relation
to RA: The intestinal lining must regenerate itself every 12-18 hours to
remain healthy. When you are stressed, one of the first things that
happens during your "fight or flight" response is that the blood from
your intestines moves to support your
muscles. If one is stressed
chronically, intestinal bloodflow is deficient and can result in
problems over time. The response obtained when one utilizes alpha
and/or theta brainwaves during relaxation helps restore normal bloodflow.
This activity should be done for at least 20 minutes each and every day.
I personally use meditation and visualization. It's actually quite
pleasant after you learn how to do it. Sound like a lot of effort?
It's a lot less than struggling to live with RA. Reference the
Kenneth Pelletier book
description on the Books subpage of the Supporting Info page.
for more information.
There is a
LOT of evidence in today's
mainstream media to support the body-mind connection.
-
Get regular exercise.
This is standard for just about any arthritis protocol. Do as much as your
pain and inflammation will allow without setting yourself back. Not always an
easy task, but worth the effort.
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