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There is a lot of info on LDN and RA, tell your friend to search it and talk to her MD. It's a cheap cheap drug. Used for many autoimmune diseases but again cheap, so no great pharma profits to be had.
I googled LDN and found what it is (Low-Dose Naltrexone). You really should spell out your abbreviations for the uneducated masses, jaminhealth.
Anyway, I discovered, on this very respectable-looking site (National Institutes of Health) that it has also been found to be effective against Fibro. I'm going to ask my doctor if he knows anything about it, ask him to research it if he doesn't, and maybe give it a try. I'm tired of taking Lyrica, but I tapered down once and got completely off of it and remembered why I gave in and finally started taking it in the first place.
Yes, I was successful, but it took quite a bit of introspection and self-awareness to figure out how to reverse the problem.
I explore many different types of medicines and the one in this particular case that gave me the most clues was Ayurveda. Basically, Ayurveda posits that RA and similar chronic patterns are caused by toxins that leak into the joints and muscles and the body is simply responding to these increased amounts of toxins in the body.
There are many possible causes for overload of toxins including chemicals in the diet, polluted air out water, drugs, etc. In my case, since I live a very healthy lifestyle (organic foods high in vegetables, regular exercise, etc.), it took me a while to figure out that in my case it was poor sleep habits caused by stress in my life was the fundamental problem.
By eating past 7 and not getting to sleep sometimes as late as 2am, my body was not digesting did properly and undigested food/toxins was accumulating in my body.
What I did was change my situation so as to reduce stress, began to eat lightly and getting to bed earlier. It took about 6 months for all of the pain to disappear.
It's important to understand that there is no one cause nor is there one silver bullet. It takes lots of understanding of oneself and one's lifestyle to understand how to reverse the problem. There are practitioners who may be able to help out but it's like trying to find a needle in the haystack. Most practitioners are taught cure-by-numbers and these type of chronic problems require detective work, intuition, and lots of experience. I've been taking care of myself for 35 years so I am able to figure things out for myself.
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Hi,
I have an autoimmune disorder but not RA. My maternal uncle & maternal grandmother both had RA. The drugs that used to be given for RA were awful. The uncle is about to pass due to cancer in multiple spots. My autoimmune issues were improperly diagnosed for years. As mentioned above, doctors want to cure you by numbers & in a way that won't generate criticism from your health insurer. The underlying causes of my issues appear to be genetics (I was told by a rheumatologist that AI issues aren't genetic but respectfully disagree), stress, poor sleep, and diet (food allergies & sensitivities). I resolved about 70% of my issues by getting on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol diet. You can google for details but essentially you avoid grains, nuts, dairy, nightshades, GMO foods, refined sugars, and consume pasture-raised beef, lamb, & chicken; wild-caught fish; root vegetables; leafy green vegetables; cruciferous vegetables; olive oil; coconut oil; and fermented foods (think sauerkraut, not beer). The goal of the diet is to eliminate anything that might cause inflammation of the body & help you heal. The Paleo AIP diet proponents don't urge this but getting tested for food sensitivities & allergies is key to healing. E.g., the AIP diet permits shellfish but many people ( me included) get symptoms from eating them. You could start with the skin prick, IGE, & IGG allergy tests.
I have a neighbor who was hit with RA in her mid 60's..so it's about 2 yrs now. She is on limited income but I know being treated by UCLA doctors with all the big gun drugs. She has lost so much hair and deals with side effects. Goes off the drugs but then goes back on the very very high priced biologics. And I mean high priced. No one should wonder why the U.S. is being strangled by the outrageous insurance costs. It's so sickening as I see and understand it.
My neighbor is addicted to her breads and just won't quit these grains. Now I don't know whether these UCLA doctors talked nutrition but I wonder and doubt it. There is SO MUCH info online about nutrition and these auto immune conditions.
Now I wonder what the older folks did with their RA issues, there were no biologics back in the days before these modern HIGH priced drugs. No internet etc. Old time remedies yes and aspirin etc and and..
I deal with advanced OA and take no super duper drugs pushed for OA, but know certain foods can exacerbate OA. I don't think mainstream MD's talk nutrition with their patients. There could be exceptions but a general rule, I don't think so.
There is a lot of info on LDN and RA, tell your friend to search it and talk to her MD. It's a cheap cheap drug. Used for many autoimmune diseases but again cheap, so no great pharma profits to be had.
Hmmm, I have RA, and am also addicted to breads. In general, I eat healthy, lots of veggies, little red meat, but I do like my bread. I have been symptom-free for 50 years.
The 2 biggest ways I'VE kept RA at bay is 1) keep stress down to a minimum, and 2) stay physically active.
I work HARD at keeping stress down in my life. Nothing huge, but I force myself to not obsess about things out of my control, I keep balance in my life, and I eliminate anything or anyone that causes me stress.
I also keep moving. I have aches and pains, but in spite of them, I get up and go. I don't exercise fanatically, and prefer walking to any other exercise, but I walk a LOT. Given a choice, I will walk somewhere instead of driving. I also stand up a lot, if I can. I participate in a sport that keeps me active and moving, and I think that's been the biggest factor in keeping my RA in remission.
I see the commercials on TV for all sorts of RA drugs, and the horrific side affects, and it makes me more determined to stay symptom free.
Hi,
I have an autoimmune disorder but not RA. My maternal uncle & maternal grandmother both had RA. The drugs that used to be given for RA were awful. The uncle is about to pass due to cancer in multiple spots. My autoimmune issues were improperly diagnosed for years. As mentioned above, doctors want to cure you by numbers & in a way that won't generate criticism from your health insurer. The underlying causes of my issues appear to be genetics (I was told by a rheumatologist that AI issues aren't genetic but respectfully disagree), stress, poor sleep, and diet (food allergies & sensitivities). I resolved about 70% of my issues by getting on the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol diet. You can google for details but essentially you avoid grains, nuts, dairy, nightshades, GMO foods, refined sugars, and consume pasture-raised beef, lamb, & chicken; wild-caught fish; root vegetables; leafy green vegetables; cruciferous vegetables; olive oil; coconut oil; and fermented foods (think sauerkraut, not beer). The goal of the diet is to eliminate anything that might cause inflammation of the body & help you heal. The Paleo AIP diet proponents don't urge this but getting tested for food sensitivities & allergies is key to healing. E.g., the AIP diet permits shellfish but many people ( me included) get symptoms from eating them. You could start with the skin prick, IGE, & IGG allergy tests.
I think diet would play a huge part. Allergies and sensitivities are often the cause of RA. I've read that and I've seen that so often that I believe it. It may not be everything on the paleo diet but just eliminating what foods are causing the inflammation--maybe the dairy, maybe the citrus, maybe nightshades.
The paleo diet is pretty good although it does get expensive. It keeps you off processed foods and requires you to eat real food. I think allergy testing for foods should be on the list of things to do for anyone who is diagnosed to RA. Most doctors don't agree--who cares? Do what's best for you.
She is a doctor who was diagnosed with MS but her book and protocol are appropriate for most AI conditions as she describes in her book. It is mostly Paleo based but there are some other things that she has included that worked for her. She went from being wheelchair ridden to walking again by using this diet. It is a tough one though.....not sure I will be able to stick with it but every little bit helps.
The more I read the more I am convinced that medicines will not be beneficial and diet is the way to go. Note that this is NOT a cure.
She is a doctor who was diagnosed with MS but her book and protocol are appropriate for most AI conditions as she describes in her book. It is mostly Paleo based but there are some other things that she has included that worked for her. She went from being wheelchair ridden to walking again by using this diet. It is a tough one though.....not sure I will be able to stick with it but every little bit helps.
The more I read the more I am convinced that medicines will not be beneficial and diet is the way to go. Note that this is NOT a cure.
I want to emphasis that diet is not enough unless it is the sole source of the problem which is often not the case. Almost invariably there are emotional/stress/sleep issues that have to be addressed. Paleo is nothing more than your average veggie-grain diet that has been recommended for ever and certainly can help but it is nothing special beyond that. Just another marketing gimmick.I eat organic.
Paleo is essentially an old fashioned, healthy, made from scratch diet. It won't cure arthritis, I don't think. Even in the old days when people ate what is similar to paleo, they still had arthritis.
Paleo cuts down on sugar and carbs. It adds a lot of good fats. It emphases coconut oil. You're not eating processed foods. But people had arthritis before processed foods ever existed.
If you're sensitive or allergic to wheat and that's what's causing your arthritis, then paleo, by banning carbs, could help. But if your arthritis is caused by, say, tomatoes, paleo won't help.
I think you need to find out what particular food bothers you and avoid it. Commonly it's citrus, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers), dairy, grains. It's usually something you're eating every day or almost every day. Eat meat, carrots, squash, lettuce, beets, --drink water. Do that for a while and see what happens.
Norman F. Childers, PhD, founder of the Arthritis Nightshades Research Foundation stated: "Diet appears to be a factor in the etiology of arthritis based on surveys of over 1400 volunteers during a 20-year period. Plants in the drug family, Solanaceae (nightshades) are an important causative factor in arthritis in sensitive people." (3)
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