Posted 1/23/2013 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
I am newly diagnosed with RA (Oct. 2012) and am on Plaquenil and Doxy along with mega multi-vitamins, mega Vit D, Vit C, Lauricidin (natural coconut antibiotic). I am trying to change my diet to a whole foods way of eating and have started juicing. I drink a "green" drink every morning (handful each of kale and spinach, 1/2 lemon, small piece of fresh ginger, 1/2 cucumber, then add a piece or two of fruit - pineapple is good for pain (with the skin), apple, pear, peach, whatever you have that is fresh). I also add carrots or other vegies - whatever is in the fridge. I use a Vitamix which keeps the healthy pulp instead of extracting it like a juicer does. I started about 2 weeks ago and I definately notice my energy level has increased and my brain is more clear and working better at work. Yeah! The swelling in my hands has gotten better, but I still have joint pain and "shooting" sharp pains in my hands and feet that feel like my bones are breaking when I move them a certain way. I say my RA doc Monday who now suggest I take Enbrel as I have some kind of "bump" on the joint just below my right big toe. I'm a little confused as he doesn't subscribe to that kind of medication usually and is leaving it up to me. He's a very smart man, but has NO people skills and NEVER gives a straight answer to my questions. I'm researching Enbrel now and don't like what I'm reading. Anyway, to help with your fatigue I recommend you watch a movie called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". What an eye opener. It is about a guy from Australia and his journey to lose weight, get healthy and get rid of his autoimmune disease and all the toxi meds he was on, including methotrexate. He did all those things through a whole foods juice diet and inspired many people in the process. It certainly can't hurt to eat this way. You can also read a book called "The Road Back" which is all about the infection theory and antibiotic treatment. I found this book on Amazon and ordered it when I was first diagnosed and the first Dr. I went to discouraged me from researching RA online and immediately put me on methotrexate which scared me to death and I only took one dose before going to my current Dr. who believes the cause of RA is infection and uses the antibiotic treatment method. Another Dr. to check out is Dr. Franco in Riverside, CA. I haven't been to him yet (I live in Reno), but plan on it as I've heard nothing but good about him and when I called his office to ask some questions, they couldn't have been nicer. You can Google him and will find a ton of info.
Sorry to ramble, I hope this information is helpful.