Wellness

[LilacTree]

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@aubnwa01wrote:

Since you've now found that it's related back to your RA, could you go to your rheumatologist & ask for his/her guidance on how to treat it?

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@aubnwa01

Yes I could and maybe I will.  However, I don't expect they will act on it in any way.  Not one of them have ever mentioned RA's side effects, pain, disfigurement, other autoimmune diseases, or any of it.  All they want is for me to take biologics.  I'm too old, and my RA is too advanced . . . they're not interested. 

You may not believe this, but one day you will (hopefully not because you will get RA, but for any illness).

[LilacTree]

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@GingerPeachwrote:

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@aubnwa01wrote:

Since you've now found that it's related back to your RA, could you go to your rheumatologist & ask for his/her guidance on how to treat it?

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I should let LilacTree answer, but she did mention somewhere along the way in this thread that her doc is an old "fuddy duddy" (my words, not hers) and not modern enough in his approach.  She expects she will be looking for someone with another approach.

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@GingerPeach

You would be correct.  He doesn't believe in chronic Lyme and thinks my daughter is "depressed."  (Who wouldn't be?)  He denies candida, he denies "leaky gut."  He would not approve of anything I am now about to try.  And yet, he has not helped me.  He wants to, but it just doesn't happen.

My daughter is shopping right now for all of these products.  I will start them tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.

[LilacTree]

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@DianeJ2wrote:

@LilacTree I think the Amy Meyers suggestion is also great!!  Forgot to say... I just got her book from the library....saw links to autoimmune and types of food ie: I could never eat legumes without joint pain and she talks about that connection.  

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@DianeJ2

I may get that book too. 

[cherry]

@LilacTree  you might want to have a look at DR Axe's website. He has a lot of topics to read and he accepts email questions, I think

You will never believe, we went to church 1/2 hr early, for the vigil and when we got there ,the parking lot was so full ,we couldn't park, all of the street parking was taken too. It is pouring rain , so we came home, and will watch it on TV, from Rome...

[BirkiLady]

@LilacTree  You might try pickled beets, also. Just a tiny bite at first. If you are able to stomach it, work your way up a itsy-bitsy bit each day. It may cause problems so be very careful and your urine may turn pink!

[LilacTree]

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@BirkiLadywrote:

@LilacTree  You might try pickled beets, also. Just a tiny bite at first. If you are able to stomach it, work your way up a itsy-bitsy bit each day. It may cause problems so be very careful and your urine may turn pink!

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@BirkiLady

Are you kidding?  I LOVE pickled beets!!  But it was a no-no on one of my diets.  However, since I am now starting from scratch, I'll research it again . . . would love to add them to my diet!

[BirkiLady]

@chrystaltree @LilacTree @cherry  Those questions asking for 1-10 answers have always driven me crazy. Yes, I'm either in pain or simply plain miserable or exhausted all of the time (due to several autoimmune diseases and a lifetime of epilepic seizures). What I have trouble with is, how do I know what is a 10 on those questions? It seems so elusive to me. So I usually check the 5 and say, "I'm doing find, thanks."  The meds are keeping my symptoms from flaring most of the time. My A1C runs 5.9-6.0 consistently for the past 5-6 years; prior to that, it was much higher. But I'm exhausted and sleep 14 hours. That cannot be normal for someone with RA, Lupus, epilepsy, diabetes and more? How does one answer those 1-10 questions when you don't know the absolute worst? And don't remember ever feeling really good? (I've been on disability for 19 years. Prior to that, I haven't felt really well for about 30 years but just kept pushing myself. I wasn't about to stop. My specialists made me stop working and had the disability paperwork ready for me to sign! I had no intention of ever doing so. That was the worst day ever. 

Edited:  Legumes helped with my digestive problems. I bake them and make salads with them; they are great in Mexican food and delicious soups. Actually, they go with anything if they help! 

[Zhills]

If you do pickled beets, make your own.  Easy and you can create the taste you like best.  Cheaper too!  I keep them in the fridge, just cause I like them!

[HiLo]

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@LilacTreewrote:

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@HiLowrote:

My digestive problems turned out to be a lack of seritonin in the gut.  The only thing that could be done was to take antidepressants for the seritonin.  I finally discovered acupuncture and that is one of the best things I have done for this problem and for my overall health.  Yes, I've been really keen on a few alternative methods for quite some time now and they have worked for me.

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@HiLo

I would love to try acupuncture for both the RA pain and the gastrointestinal issues.  I did call an acupuncturist's office once and asked about the cost.  Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't pay for it, and the cost was prohibitive for me.

I'm happy for you that you were able to afford it and that it has helped you so much.

ETA:  This also proves the value of our discussions here.  I had no idea that 90% of serotonin exists in the gut.  I always thought it was a neurotransmitter found only in the brain.  For all I know it might be part of my problem too.

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I once thought that about the neurotransmitters as well, Lilac Tree.  I eventually learned that the digestive system has it's own neurotransmitters, actually over 90% of the total.  You can do research on line and find out all about it; it was really a surprise!  My insurance pays for the treatments and there are even some in my area where you can pay as you are able. Since we live not too far from Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and NIH in Bethesda these treatments are becoming very popular here.  I had originally gone from Dr. to Dr. about my problem but it was a Dr. and researcher at NIH who diagnosed it for me.  Every organ in our bodies requires seritonin.  The treatments for my particular condition will be required for the rest of my life but I also take the antidepressants which do not in themselves give me all the seritonin I need.

[pdxlalesley]

@DianeJ2 Not wanting to hijack this thread, but do want to thank you for mentioning these community acupunture centers. I'd never heard of them and after your mention, Googled and there are several near me.  As Lilac Tree said, these boards offer an opportunity to share information that may just be what someone needs to know about.