Need advice for friend with RA

Hello - A close friend of mine (45 y.o. female) was diagnosed with RA within the past year, however I believe she has had it for many years. She has a lot of pain that is frequent and severe. She refuses to take any medication at all, as she is concerned about side effects, such as damage the meds may cause in the future. She doesn't trust doctors and believes all medications are bad for us. I am asking for any advice and suggestions that you all may have, as I plan on sharing this with her once I receive responses. I just feel the best advice will come from those who are going through the same thing that she is. I am concerned that she is living with all this pain that could be avoided with the proper meds., and also, from what I understand the meds can help prevent further damage that RA causes. Thank you so much in advance for your advice!

You could always mention to your friend the possibility of joint damage if she doesn't take any medications. That is what keeps me going and trying new meds when others don't work. I really hated taking Humira because the injections caused me so much pain (also have fibromyalgia) but I hated the idea of possibly being in a wheelchair more than the pain. Good luck to your friend!

Hi Neenaa,
Actually RA can go away with liquid biocell collagen. It's the only product on the market that can regrow cartilage in your joints. It's a naturally occuring matrix of HA, collagen, and chondroitin sulfate which is 98% bioavailable in the body and some people see results in as little as two weeks. It's important you get the liquid form, though, because the pills are only 40% bioavailable.

All the best,
Tony Pajunen

I was born w/ what's now called J.I.A. (jr. rheumatoid arthritis) I used to take a lot of meds & when I became a teen I stopped it all & didn't worry about my health. After having my second child I noticed it was coming back w/ vengeance, I went to a Rheumatologist who did a lot of tests & found out me leaving it untreated caused a lot more damage. I'm 34yr. & 10yrs. Ago after my tests & 15yrs. of leaving it untreated I now have J.I.A., osteoarthritis, osteopinia, osteoparosis, & degenerative bone disease. Its scary trying meds I've been threw them all at least twice & some work for awhile & some I get side affects (that's never fun) but for me & co.cidering how i feel off my meds its worth the trial & error. I had corrective surgery & fusion of my right foot & altho I'm young & now getting joint replacement of my right wrist within the next month. Let your friend know this will not go away, or get better. My mom n law is bad about reading the warning & sees death as side affect & it scares her off of trying meds. If this is how your friend is, let her know chances of that side effect is so small & its just listed cause all meds. put it on there. If she takes over the counter meds like Alieve, tylenol, ibuprofen, or even cold pills it lists death on there also, as far as other side effects they are never fun, but never last long & if she can find one that works for awhile she'll feel like a new person. This can be scary & reading about it can be over whelming. One thing R.A. can gradually do is attack your internal organs, & she needs to way out pros & cons & decide if trying meds that can prevent R.A. from attacking the organs is worth a SLIM POSSIBILITY of a side affect vs. finding an antinflamatory that works... you'll find out fast the reason people w/ R.A. change meds so much is not because side effects, but its because it stops working. Its trial & error. So seriously think about the pros & cons you can find out w/ 100% absolute your R.A. will progress rapidly if left untreated & can attack major organs leaving you w/ either a crippling disability or even death as a for seen outcome, if treated its will slow down the disease enough you can enjoy life a little better w/ out so much pain, swelling, stiffness, fatigue, or just unable to get up & go. Which option would you prefer cause as crappy as they both are those are it.

If so, it's the first I have heard of it and I would love to read some clinical studies to support it. You will find with RA many people will say things like this and provide absolutely no proof of it. I take it with a grain of salt, generally if this is true I'm going to hear it from my rheumatologist before I will get it off the internet from some dude.