Recovery
from Rheumatoid Arthritis
Below are the additions to this website, starting with the most recent.
1/31/2004. My Current Health Status
I've tried to review the things that could have contributed to my RA returning. I think the primary
thing I dropped (we're all human) was the relaxation techniques. Stress affects us all, and I took
my recovery for granted a little too much. Relaxation techniques are again a part of my daily routine,
along with the other things (diet, exercise, supplements) I have always done. I'm not doing badly, but I
want to do better.
As I state elsewhere on this site, no one has all of the
answers to the RA/autoimmune question, least of all me. I do know that the things that I have
done, while not the only path to take, have proved helpful for many. After several years in
total remission, my RA is active again, although it is MUCH less severe. I'm able to
work and exercise (although at a lower level than before - yardwork, walking and a few light
weights right now). After several months, I've improved significantly, but I still have moderate morning stiffness/swelling
in my hands and feet. This is minor compared to the agony I experienced several years ago, but it does exist, and there
is some pain for me.
The vast majority of the questions I receive are along
the lines of "how do I get started?" or "how do I do an elimination diet?" The link below,
from the extensive
Dietnet site, provides a great starting point, although it is recommended
that people do some up front learning prior to starting this process. Included are things
such as the purpose of this e-diet, the 4 stages (preparation, elimination, testing, healing),
and a large number of typical questions asked and answered.
10/26/2002. Blood Test Results
2/18/2002. Leaky Gut Article
Several books, authors and websites are also referenced. ArthritisInsight is
primarily a traditional medicine site in terms of the approaches to
arthritis that are emphasized, but I do give them credit for accepting
articles like this one. You may want to take a look.
12/1/2001. 4 Year Anniversary
Although I have occasional twinges during intense exercise (full court basketball)
and slight stiffness for a few minutes when I wake up in the morning (I
experienced damage in my feet and ankles within months of my diagnosis), this is
still slowly improving. It continues to amaze me.
I have no arthritis symptoms
and take NO medicine.
I continue to be encouraged by my progress. I have been in total remission for
over 3 years.
10/4/2001. Latest Blood Tests
See my latest results on the
Timelines page.
7/17/2001. New Frequently Asked Question
Does this approach benefit OA?
5/27/2001. "The Doctor Within" website
Are you interested in understanding the fundamental differences between traditional
and holistic approaches to chronic disease? How about learning more about how your
colon functions and how it relates to allergies, autoimmune diseases, etc, in
layman's terms? This site accomplishes this and more.
I've also added this site to the
Websites subpage of the
Supporting Info page
on this site. Click on the link below.
http://www.thedoctorwithin.com
5/27/2001. Created subpages from the Supporting Info page
3/24/2001. New Site Search Function
2/10/2001. Latest Blood Tests
02/05/2001. Update to "RA Approach" page.
01/21/2001. Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diet site
10/20/2000. Frequently Asked Questions Page
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page
As I increased my exercise intensity about 1 month before these tests
(jump rope 1,000 times 2-3 times a week and more running on hard pavement), my thinking
is that the bone spurs that exist where my ankles meet my feet (still there from when
the RA was active), are causing this slight inflammation/antibody increase. I'm still exercising
at this level. When I jump, I sometimes do have some discomfort.
My podiatrist, who has x-rayed my feet multiple times, agrees that
this is a distinct possibility. I am in the process of scheduling outpatient surgery
to have these spurs removed. See my latest results on the
Timelines page.
Click on
this link for a more detailed description of this site within the Websites
subpage of the Supporting Info page.
Questions? Comments? Send me an
If you have looked at the "Timelines" page of my
site recently, you will notice that I have not posted new blood test
results since May 2001. I have a very good reason for this:
I do not need them. The money spent for each round of tests was not worth it
as the results have continued to be good and I continue to feel good!
If you have read the "RA Approach" page of my
site, you know that I have used a protocol to resolve my RA based on the
existence of an abnormally permeable intestinal tract, or "leaky gut."
Recently I wrote an article about Leaky Gut Syndrome that was published
on the site Arthritisinsight.com. The following items are discussed.
I started Dr. Mansfield's elimination diet just hours
after eating my Thanksgiving dinner (painfully as my jaw and most major joints were
hurting) in November
of 1997. After 4 years, I have experienced tremendous improvement, first relatively
quickly and now on a slower pace. Along with diet changes, I have also relied
heavily on relaxation techniques, an antifungal for yeast overgrowth and light
exercise. I took methotrexate for the first 6-7 months.
In June of this year I learned firsthand that
sed rate rate and rheumatoid factor are not tests specific to rheumatoid arthritis.
These test results were worse. I was concerned, although I didn't have any arthritis
symptoms. Shortly afterward I discovered my body was fighting a cold as two days
after these tests I came down with one. Now, about 4 months later, I still have no
arthritis symptoms (the cold is long gone).
There have been several people that have asked
whether this approach to RA will also benefit those with osteoarthritis (OA).
For some people (not all), the answer definitely appears to be
yes.
For much more detail, follow the link below.
The "doctor" in this case is your amazing body, which,
under the right circumstances, has the ability to heal itself as mine has (although
in the case of RA, joint damage may still remain if extensive).
This page has always been very long. I added
links from Supporting Info to lead to individual pages for Books, Studies, and
Websites. Hopefully this will be easier to use.
I have added a new search function at the bottom of each
page on this site. Searches are not heavily used here as this is not a large website,
but Google's search should be a little easier to use.
I had another round of blood tests on 1/31/2001. Things
continue to look very good. My sed rate
has now been in the normal range since July of 1999. I last took traditional arthritis
medicine (NSAIDS, DMARDS) in August of 1998. See my latest results on the
Timelines page.
The foundation of the approach I have followed
is diet modification. However, as I have specified in other places on this site
(such as question on the "FAQ" page called "I haven't improved significantly
on Dr. Mansfield's elimination diet? Why?"), some people have additional "leaky gut"
related sources of immune system reaction which affects their RA symptoms.
I modified the "RA Approach" page to reflect this fact. Take a look at the fourth step
on the
RA Approach page called
"Determine Whether Other Leaky Gut-Related Problems Contribute To Your RA."
This site has a very good collection of research, books,
commercial sites, etc., related to diet and rheumatoid arthritis. My site is also
included. If you want to look further into this subject, this is a good place to
start. I've also added this site to the
Websites subpage of the
Supporting Info page
on this site. Click on the link below.
I regularly receive questions of many types
related to this method of approaching RA. This page is a first attempt at providing
more detail concerning some of the more difficult things to explain, such as how to
determine one's metabolic type and how to add back foods after the elimination
phase of Mansfield's elimination diet. Click on the link below to go to this page.
9/23/2000. Latest Blood Tests
I have my blood tested about every 3 months. I have finally
added my test results for 8/18. Note that these results are slightly higher than before.
As sed rate and rheumatoid factor tests are both general tests that are influenced
by items other than RA, it's impossible to know exactly what's going on here.
9/1/2000. Diet Website
I've recently become aware of a
website (
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/rwgully/)
that does a nice job of sharing information about several of the popular diets
out there today (Atkins, The Zone, Eat Right for Your Type, etc.).
Also included is the metabolic diet I have followed and
substantial portions of Robert McFerran's manuscript for his upcoming book
"ARTHRITIS -- Searching for THE TRUTH -- Searching for THE CURE",
which can help a person
understand much of the theory behind this approach. Go to the
Site Map page to see this. The site also has a pretty comprehensive
nutrition reading list.
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