Here Are Four Strategies That Don’t Work - Yet People Always Try Them Anyway:

1. Trying a  Diet From a Book

Food is one of the most powerful healing tools for people with RA.  And the sad fact is that books like Paleo diet or Autoimmune diet are often too generalized to offer breakthrough help..  

Most people will try them, maybe notice something and then decide they’ve “done it all” when it comes to diet.  When that’s simply not true, and what they need to do is follow an individualized diet that removes any inflammatory foods for them.  

See, food is not one size fits all.  Corn for one person is fine and the next it makes their fingers swell up so big a ring can be hard to pull off.  Same is true for even healthy foods like spinach or strawberries.  

(yes it’s true with the right test sometimes these “healthy” foods are actually inflammatory allergens)

If you’re going to change your diet to help your RA (and you should) work with someone who can individualize it your body. 

The bottom line is: Food is a lot like pregnancy.  You can’t be a little pregnant.  You either are or you are not.  

And the same is true for a healing RA diet.  It’s not that a paleo or autoimmune diet that many authors advise is bad for RA.  It is just that the body needs it 100% personalized to stop the chronic inflammatory cycle. 

2. Taking Extra Advil (or other NSAIDs)

It’s common to have a “back up” plan when it’s one of those bad days with RA.   And the most common back up plan is taking extra advil or other NSAIDs. 

My back up plan used to  be 800mg of Advil. And from what I can tell having NSAIDs or Advil in your purse is very common.  Because, when the pain hits or when you need to get to that family event… you have to do something.. 

But, there’s a dark side to this habit that you should know about.  The first being that NSAIDs are known to cause stomach issues. Including the very digestive issue that might have been part of the root cause of your RA (leaky gut syndrome).  

The second is in 2019 the FDA release a new warning on Advil and other NSAID’s that even short term usage increases heart attack and stroke risk.   

These drugs used to be thought of as miracles for pain and inflammation.  And they totally helped me on some of my worst days… but now the research shows relying on them is much riskier than anyone wants to admit. 

3.   Rounds of Prednisone

Everyone I know including myself who has RA has been on prednisone or another type of steroid.  If you are on long term prednisone I have some bad news for you. 

Taking repeated rounds of steroids or long term usage is like taking batteries out of your smoke detector.  You no longer hear the “BEEP-ING” but the fire is still burning down the house. 

However after the first few times you use Prednisone this powerful steroid goes from a life saver to a feel good approach with major downsides.  

Prednisone causes fluid retention, weight gain, increases your blood sugar, and can irritate your stomach. Prednisone is also known to weaken your bones so you’ll pay later for feeling better now.  

It also affects the dopamine and serotonin levels in your brain which can impact your mood . And lastly it may cause glaucoma in your eyes and decrease your sex drive.  

Prednisone is just so powerful that it shouldn’t be used long term and short term reliance on it, like a piece of candy when your sweet tooth hits, has serious consequences. 

4. Green Tea or Green Tea Extracts

 It’s common to try and take RA supplements but not all are actually helpful for healing RA. There’s reports that downing 3 cups of green tea a day or taking supplemental green tea extracts are going to decrease your swelling.  But the research just doesn’t back this up.

This myth seems to have started in 2016 when RA mice were given Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) a plant compound called catechin found in green tea.  The MOUSE study suggested ankle inflammation was reduced… HOWEVER the research in humans has not backed up this reduction in joint inflammation. 

Look, Green tea won’t hurt you and may actually help your overall health.  That is as long as you don’t accumulate heavy metals from drinking too much of it.  Go ahead and try it if you like the taste -- just don’t fall for any claims around reduced joint inflammation.  

Personally, I think there’s just too many other supplements that do specifically help RA that would be better to spend your money on. 

Here’s 4 Easy Steps You Can Take Now to Reduce Your Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain:

 If I met you at the park and you asked me to give you quick tips to help your arthritis, I’d tell you to:

1. Take the Right Curcumin Supplement:

You may have heard of Turmeric as a powerful anti-inflammatory supplement.  And the research studies support this. However, there’s confusion about Turmeric and Curcumin (the active anti-inflammatory ingredient most of the research is on).  You want to be taking curcumin and you want to be taking at the full dosage used in the research studies otherwise you might not notice any benefits at all.   

Start by taking 1500 mg curcumin (not turmeric) a day (for example 3-500 mg capsules/day with food until pain subsides).  Curcumin is a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It stimulates corticosteroids from the adrenal glands and helps swelling and pain. Articles and studies equate curcumin benefits to cortisone, indometacin and phenylbutazone, but without the side effects.  

Curcumin extracts have also been shown to lower the amount of substances responsible for the inflammation in arthritis and lessened the severity of morning stiffness, joint pain, and walking difficulty.  

My favorite brand is Pure Curcumin 500 with Bioprene. The bioprene from black pepper helps your body absorb the curcumin by up to 2000% magnifying it’s effect.

 2. Take an EPSOM SALT BATH When it gets bad

Epsom salts baths are known to relieve inflammation and pain.  The sulfates in epsom salts help to flush out toxins. The magnesium in your bath will help you to relax and boost your magnesium level. It’s a win-win for your body. 

For those of us with RA it’s best if our inflamed joints are completely surrounded by the epsom salt water.   

It’s also very easy to do, just add 1-2  cups of epsom salts to your warm bath water and soak 20-30 minutes.  If you don’t have a tub, fill a bucket of water and soak your feet in epsom salts, the magnesium will be absorbed through your skin.

Do this as often as you like, sometimes I even do it 4 or more times a week. 

 3. Stop Eating DAIRY PRODUCTS  

If you’re like me you were raised with “Got Milk” ads on TV telling us dairy makes us strong and healthy.  Sadly, the truth is dairy is one of the most inflammatory foods in our modern diet. Especially if you have a condition like Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

The reason is all dairy products contain Lactose and Casein, both often cause inflammation for people with RA.  Lactose is the sugar that you’ve probably heard about making people gassy.  

But Casein is a protein in dairy products that is also very problematic for people.  Casein can be hard to digest if you have any gut inflammation. This one-two punch is just too much for people with RA. 

Instead of milk get your calcium from almonds, kale, broccoli, or spinach.  And if you are really concerned you can also use a supplement. 

  4. Find and Eliminate Your Root Causes of Inflammation

Inflammation doesn’t just appear in a body, it has a source (like dairy products).  And your immune system doesn’t just start attacking your body without first getting provoked to do so.  

Most Rheumatoid Arthritis options (NSAIDs, Steroids, Biologics, etc.) just try and cover up a dysregulated immune system (which is why none of them fix RA).

I believe the best way to deal with RA is to go back to the beginning and figure out what is causing your inflammation and immune system dysregulation.  

If we can find and identify the root causes of why your immune system is attacking your own body. Then we eliminate or repair these issues.  The body can stop hurting and start healing in amazing ways.  

This is what happened to me (and what happens with my clients more on this below).

Look, our bodies are smart, there is a reason (usually several) that you developed inflammation and then RA.  And it’s not just because you got some dreaded genetics or family history.

RA is not your predestined path in life and it can be stopped.  

In fact, most of my clients have at least 3 out 9 of these root issues:

1.  Leaky Gut Syndrome

2. Inability to process proteins

3. Gluten or other food sensitivities

4. Poor sleep patterns (or inability to sleep)

5. Diets high in processed foods

6. Small intestine bacterial overgrowth

7. Chronic Infections

8. Exposures to heavy metals, pesticides, and or chemicals

9. High stress or Traumatic Experiences 

Had I taken this quiz years ago, I would have tested positive for 6 out of the 9 above!

Look, I would have never considered anything other than conventional drugs like Humira (a biologic drug).  But when my doctor told me I had to go on it or end up with significant joint damage… 

My body shuddered and I chose a different route.

The route of figuring out my root causes, removing them, and healing the damage. 

I’m Lisa Cornwell,  registered nurse (RN), certified American Institute of Health Care Professionals Health Care Coach, I have a Masters of Science in Technical Teacher Education and I am a graduate of the Intensive Functional  Nutrition Alliance Full Body Systems course.

I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Rheumatoid Arthritis, called seronegative.  And I was headed for significant joint damage and a short life span on biologic drugs.  

But some very smart doctors helped me find my root causes (all 6 of them).  I was surprised as I eliminated them one by one how much better I felt each time.  

After this life changing experience, I knew I needed to help others like me.  So, I went back to school to understand how nutrition effects the body and supplements that were given to me.  

I’m now planning to live another 30 years (well past my 80’s) to see my grandkids grow up and help others with their RA issues. 

I hope you learned something that will help your RA even if we never talk on the phone.  

I was scared when I  learned that prescription drugs were NOT going to fix my RA and instead I was headed towards looking like the people in the waiting room with twisted fingers, toes, walkers, and wheelchairs.

If you’re someone looking for other solutions then sign up for the free consult and I’ll do my best to support you.  

In good health,
Lisa Cornwell

References:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/fda-strengthens-warning-that-nsaids-increase-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk-201507138138

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8646/the-dangers-of-dairy.html

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321627.php