RA Three Years I am much better now .

[Valsmum]

I had to come and share some good news. After three years with painful RA I have normal labs, normal bloodwork. I have not had normal labs the whole three yeas I have had RA. My lab sed rate is 25 and my crp is 0.78. I have been on a strict raw fruit and veggie diet only, no nigtshades. I do eat nuts too. I was desperate because of the pain and that was my motivation to start juicing veggies and fruit as well as eating fruits and veggies.
I am feeling better, but I still have some pain, and I have only started this diet recently, so I read it may get better with time as intestinal healing occurs.
If I am pain free you can bet I will update this ASAP, until then I am more optimistic about the future.

[Valsmum]

I am still eating a 90% raw fruits and vegetables diet, the other 10 % is some meat, fish, dark chocolate, dried fruit,some nuts.I feel so much better than I ever have in three years, I am a little scared I feel so good. I think that happens when you live in severe pain for long time…years. I am nervous the really bad pain will come back, since I am feeling so much better, the foods I used to cheat with don’t look so good because I have gotten up so many mornings in dibilatating pain.

I watched an interesting youtube video of a woman named Pat Blair that used raw food to cure her rheumatoid arthritis and her father’s pancreatic cancer. She has a two part video on you, they are only 8-12 minutes long.
Hope this diet works for someone else like it is working for me, it does take some time,but it is well worth it!

[Valsmum]

My knees are the best they have been in three years , they look normal 😉
I wanted to share some good stuff. It is from an old book and it is similar to what has been making my joints feel better.
“Back To Eden ” by Jethro Kloss,
The Eliminating Diet, page 728
All the good food that may be eaten cannot do the body any good until you have cleansed the body by eliminating excess acid and mucus. The intestines retain these poisons and they are the main causes of disease and premature aging. By eating an abundance of alkaline or base-forming foods, one can rid himself of these poisons and acids. To correct these unnatural and unhealthful conditions and make it possible for the food that is eaten to be assimilated and absorbed by the system, the body muct be flushed and cleansed…These foods should be eaten raw or cooked as little as possible so as not to destro the life giving properties…….
If pure and alkaline, the bloodstream , which provides nutrition to every cell in the body, will dissolve all poisons and carry them away. No disease can exist in a pure bloodstream.
FRUIT: Use all kinds of fruit liberally. All fruits must be ripe before picked or else they will not have the eliminating qualities.
Eat at least two grapefruits a day, six oranges and three lemons. Do not use cane sugar with your fruit or lemonade.
Frsh pineapple, ripe peaches, cherriesplums, pears,apples,ripe strawberries, blueberries and paspberries are excellant.
If fruits do not seem to agree iwht you take one fourth teaspoon of golden seal in one half glass water twenty minutes before you eat.Persons wishing to eliminate who have ulcerated stomach and cannot take fruits should drink two quarts of potassium broth a day. This is excellant for invalids.
VEGETABLES:
The best vegetables to use are spinach,celery,carrots, tomatoes,asparugus,mild green onions,red or green cabbage(best raw), lettuce,cucumbers,radishes,okra, eggplant etc. Eat a large raw vegeatbale salad each day.
Cook all vegeatbles in aslittle water as possible and salt is necessary, use only a small amount for seasoning.
GENERAL RULES WHILE ON THE ELIMINATING DIET:The diet is not a fast. It is a feeding process. It feeds the body through the blood with the life giving minerals that everybody needs. Eating large mounts of fruits and vegetables prevents shrinkage of the stomach and prevents lines and wrinkles from forming on the face and body. Drink water copiously between meals. Take moderate exercise in open air. Eat nothing but fruits and vegetables…It is highly important for the bowels to move freely. If they do not empty once a day it is wise to cleanse them once or twice a week with and herbal enema. We have 5 organs of elimination-skin,lungs,bowel,kidneys and liver. The bowels witl be greatly improved by these foods and help of nonpoisonous herbs. A daily bath shuld be taken by everyone…Use 3 pounds of epson salts to a tub full of water.Drink plenty of water while in the tub.Massage the body while in the tub…. Befroe beginning to eliminate, cleanse the system with a herbal laxative. This will rid the body of much waste matter and mucus and prevent such a great stirring up.
HOW LONG SHOULD I STAY ON THE ELIMINATING DIET ? This depends on the individual. If you have been sick for years or eating unnatural foods for years, or almost a lifestime, you may have to follow the diet many times… When all pains and discomfort in the body are gone, the poisons will have been eliminated. Until they are you will have to go on the eliminting diet again.Everyone could safley eliminate seven days in every month. Very little healthy tisue will be lost.The most that is lost is unhealthy tissues and waste, and the sooner you rid your body of these, the better it will be for your health.

I liked most of this book and since I have been eating mostly fruits and veggies has helped me more than anything so far, I am all for it!

[Valsmum]

Coffee Enemas work for pain and inflammation. I started the Gerson Therapy and it suggests coffee enemas. I only do one or two a day but my mood is better and it lessens my pain, weird.

http://www.coffee-enema.ca

[Valsmum]

I woke up today with hardly any pain a 2-3, this has been happening more and more latley. I avoided the Gerson Therapy because I knew how hard it was going to be to eat just fruits and vegetables and oatmeal. However had I known it would work so well at getting rid of my pain and swelling I would have tried it long ago. Sometimes when I get a break and I see something finally works it gives me a boost, it gives me hope to keep on trying. I watched the Gerson Miracle for free on my computer on hulu, I did not sign up it just played when I clicked on it, I would recommend watching it, it has a lot of testimonials. http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/180363
I’ll keep my log updated with my Gerson Therapy, so far so good. Ps If you dont have cancer you do not have to do alot of Coffee enemas per day, just one or two is what I am doing and it is helping me.

[Valsmum]

Gerson Therapy is still going well for me. I am waking up in less pain still and I have less pain and swelling in my knees, but there is still some visible inflammation in one of my knees . I get my labs back in a couple days, I am excited to see what they say. Juicing carrots and apples is not so bad.

At the Gerson Institute there is a story of a man that recovered from Lyme Disease. I just read the story this week. The story can be found on the Gerson Institute website. http://www.gerson.org
2/21/13
Its been another week and I woke up without pain today. I don’t know if the juicing is helping or the coffee enemas or if its not eating animal products. It might be a combination of all three, but I think getting nutrients into the body to restore the immune system is part of it.

[Valsmum]

I am still benefitting from The Gerson Therapy. I would recommend the diet and coffee enemas to anyone dxd with RA. It has made such a big difference in my pain when I wake up inthe morning. I feel well, not sick and tired. I am not anemic anymore, and I am hopeful. I am still tapering off of prednisone, at 7mgs ,since I have been on it longterm, even though a low dose I have to taper 1mg a month , that is what works for me. I haven’t taken antibiotics in over a year, they don’t seem to work well with my body. They seem to help a lot of folks here at RB.

http://www.gerson.org , and http://www.coffee-enema.ca both great resources.

ora et labora

[Valsmum]

I have no more nodules in my elbow, they just kept getting smaller and smaller and now they are not there!! Had to share the good news.

Juicing everyday is something I would tell anyone with an autoimmune disease to do because I believe we heal from the inside out. I think those of us with RA have damaged guts/immune syatems and lots of nutrients and raw fruits and veggie can heal our bodies. I think it takes awhile but it WORKS!!!!!!!

[Valsmum]

I forgot to mention how good my knees look. They look the best I have ever seen them since my dxs, they are regular and I can straighten them out, usually I would have one that was swollen and I could not straighten it out, now they are fine!!

Juice just fruits and veggies for one week and see what it does for you, it has been a miracle for me. I just juice one to two times day now. I keep away from starches(wheat, corn & potatoes), dairy and too much animal products. I eat the fringe foods in very small quantities and I’m ok.
Eating 85% fruits and veggies made all the difference for me.:) !!

I was a gal that was in pain everyday all day with this wretched disease and now I wake up in no pain.

[Valsmum]

I am writing to check in and say I am still improving. I may have to stay on the strict diet of fruits, veggies, fish dark chocolate forever but its ok, I have been done the other path with little to no improvement, so I am grateful at this point. I will be honest I love sourdough toast and butter but my body does not. I have new improvements, such as several nodules getting smaller until they disappear I am encouraged to say the least, to keep on going until I can run 2 miles again. I used to run a few miles a day pre RA and I would like to do that again, that is my goal. I can move my joints and ride a bicycle now whereas last year I could not because I was so stiff, swollen and in pain. However, I am in a healing process so I can ride a bike a block and that is it if I want to avoid too much pain the next day. Baby steps will get me to my goal I know it.

What I do not eat: Dairy, nightshades, corn, wheat, not too much meat, and I avoid starchy foods, they make my si joint hurt.
What I eat that makes feel good: I juice carrots and apples everyday, I eat my greens, salads, chamomile, tuna, salmon, fruits & veggies of all colors and shapes 🙂 I ‘ll drink a soda a couple times a week too. I am learning how to make treats and desserts from vegan blogs such as http://www.bettyrawker.com and raw food blogs.

Mercola RA diet, a good resource too http://www.mercola.com/article/rheumatoid_arthritis/index.htm

[Valsmum]

I wanted to update that I am continuing to improve, my sed rate was in normal range when I got my labs back from my appointment!!!!!! My sed rate was around 25 and at its worst it was 55.

I read the article below recently and wanted to share it even though I have not water fasted for longer than two days.

http://www.nutritionalresearch.org

[Valsmum]

I am grateful that I have improved so much. I still have to eat mostly fruits and vegetables to feel well, I cannot eat whatever I want or else I have inflammation/pain. I feel as though I am in control of this disease instead of it controlling me. My labs are all normal but one(crp). I am excited to get my new labs back and see if my crp is lower and near normal range, then ALL my labs will be in normal range. That is so different from a hemoglobin of 8 ,(12-15 is normal), ESR 55 (normal 1-28)and CRP 300-1015 🙁
I was taking magnesium last month and felt crummy, I read it lowers cortisol in the body.

For flares, I just drink fresh juice from a juicer for a couple days and I don’t take any supplements , and it usually knocks out the flare pretty fast.

SIDE EFFECTS,
I should make my own movie, and Jude Law could be in my movie. It would reveal all the lousy side effects I have gotten from meds, but I didn’t know it or think of it. I had night sweats and ended up getting poked for a bone marrow biopsy, OUCH What was the cause of my night sweats??????? a common prescribed med!!!! I did not know it was a side effect because I did not read the list of side effects.
Next , Blurry Vision is from dry eyes which is a side effect of a med I had taken.
Anemia, I knew this was a side effect , because blood disorders was written clearly on the package insert, but I took the stuff regardless.

Now I try to remember when I get a new ailment to ask myself if it is a side effect from a med I am taking . 9 times out of 10 it is a side effect, wish I would have known this a few years ago.

[Valsmum]

I am still improving , a few years ago I had six labs that were all out of range. Now I just have one lab marker that is high and that is it. Eating and juicing fresh fruits and vegetables has made such a difference for me. I started doing something new and I like how it is working for me. Every other day I eat only fruits and vegeatables. I eat some junk like too much chocolate still, but then I feel better about it because half the week I am eating only fruits and veggies.

I am so grateful for my vast improvement!!!

Link for Lenten reading : http://www.olrl.org/snt_docs/trustful/

It is one of my favorite books 🙂

[Valsmum]

If I had to recommend a diet to anyone that suffers an “autoimmune disease” I would choose Dr. Mercola’s Dietary Guidelines for RA. If you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease your body can heal itself if you stop putting toxins into it. Those toxins include food that has been processed and is void of and nutrition.

Dr Mercola’s dietary Guidelines:

Eliminate Sugar and most grains

Eat whole foods not processed junk

Try to eat local produce from a Farmers Market, and grass fed meat

His link is below:
http://www.mercola.com/article/rheumatoid_arthritis/index.htm

My knees are not swollen anymore, they were swollen for 2-3 years and my frozen elbow would not straighten(for two years), now it is fine. My five nodule on my wrist have gotten smaller and then disappeared, but it took 6 months. I could not brush my hair and now I can brush it, unless I eat grains ,sugar and dairy then it swells up again. There is always hope, it might take 1-3 years, but that is ok with me.

[Valsmum]

My knees have been great for more than 6 months, no more pain, no swelling, I am grateful EVERYDAY. I can walk for hours and stretch my legs out straight, that was something I could not do for years, they would not straighten out, they would bend a little but I could not flex them straight out,… ya know like you do in the morning when you wake up in bed. I can do that now, I am so grateful.

If you want to get better heal your gut by juicing celery cucumber for a couple days, this will also clear out some toxins. Next eat clean for a week, no meat, no dairy, no oils ,low fat, no nightshades, no grains and no sugar.
Eat your greens , a lot of raw greens ,sweet potato, quinoa and (rice if you can handle it), EAT YOUR GREENS, salad twice a day no dressing just add some onions you will feel better ,have a little bit fruit. You will see a difference and stick with it, then add in a food every other day and see how your body reacts, if you feel crummy avoid that food for now and test it out later.
The NSAIDS are not good so if you start feeling better , cut back on the NSAIDS, they are ruining the mucousal lining in your gut and all sorts of food proteins can get through these cracks into the bloodstream.Once they are in the bloodstream they find their way to our joints and our body thinks it is a foreign protein and starts to attack it, that is when we feel pain and inflammation OUCH!!! I can feel pain right after I have dairy in my coffee, no joke.

“Let thy food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food” Hippocrates
“You are what you eat” Mum

“Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” great documentary https://vimeo.com/102211215

https://olrl.org/snt_docs/trustful/ Awesome book for coping

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