avatarDr Mehmet Yildiz

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Here’s How I Defeated Arthritis Symptoms with Lifestyle Habits.

My journey to overcoming inflammation and freeing myself from pain

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According to my healthcare professionals, I was supposed to be disabled or dead by now. But I’m healthier, happier, and more successful. Knowledge is power but using knowledge wisely is more powerful.

The words of my rheumatologist still echo in my mind. He authoritatively confirmed that my arthritis was a lifetime condition. He pointed out that there was no treatment for this condition.

He wanted me to accept and move on with my life by reducing the symptoms with painkillers. Even though I initially and naively believed these claims, I later debunked these words by taking personal responsibility for my health.

I believe in having immense healing power in my genes, mind, and spirit.

I had many medical tests using state-of-the-art technologies such as MRI. My tests showed severe arthritic degeneration in my bones.

According to arthritis.org:

“Arthritis is very common but is not well understood. Actually, “arthritis” is not a single disease; it is an informal way of referring to joint pain or joint disease. There are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions. People of all ages, sexes, and races can and do have arthritis, which is the leading cause of disability in America. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children have some type of arthritis. It is most common among women and occurs more frequently as people get older.”

I experienced many symptoms, like stiffness, debilitating pain in my joints, and decreased motion. I couldn’t walk properly and couldn’t climb stairs. Limping gave me shame and lowered my self-confidence.

Let me share a few lifestyle changes that made a massive impact in substantially reducing arthritic decay, excessive inflammation, and suffering from symptoms.

Lowering chronic inflammation was the most critical aspect of defeating arthritis.

Optimizing vitamin D played a critical role.

However, my rheumatologist mentioned that my high vitamin D was not sustainable. I agree that, like anything else, excessive Vitamin D could be toxic for the body. However, keeping my vitamin D at the higher end of the spectrum played an essential role in healing my arthritis.

Vitamin D3 helps absorb calcium well. I also included other minerals in my diet gained from my broth.

I know the ramifications of sunlight, but I never fear exposing my body to the sun. I do it cautiously and moderately. I never burn my body. 20–30 minutes of daily sunlight exposure to 70% of my naked body helped me increase my Vitamin D reserves. I do not use sunlight protection cream.

In winter, I use high-quality and high-dose Vitamin D3 supplementation. I always get my Vitamin D levels checked as part of my routine blood tests.

I get my calcium from natural sources. As I mentioned in a post, I cook my bone broth using cow and sheep bones rich in glycine and gelatine. When bones are cooked for 24–48 hours in a slow cooker, they get soft. I eat soft bones every day with my meal. I don’t supplement calcium.

I substantially increased my magnesium. I use smart ways to get adequate magnesium in my body. The best one is using my skin. I still supplement with 400 mg of high-quality magnesium. Since I don’t eat plant foods and am in ketosis, additional magnesium intake is essential for me. Please see how I get an adequate amount of magnesium with no side effects:

Regular use of a dry sauna provided many benefits in reducing inflammation and removing toxins from my body. Dry sauna provided me with many more benefits, as pointed out in this story:

My allergies and food intolerances disappeared when I cut the plant sources. I used to eat excessive green vegetables and used to drink celery, carrot, and spinach juices.

Solving my digestive issues and improving my gut conditions had a tremendous effect on my life. I shared my problem with fiber in this story:

Optimizing my hormones and controlling the master hormones played a vital role. Learning to keep my glucose level in the correct range helped me optimize my insulin. When insulin was under control, everything started working better. Insulin has a domino effect on our lives.

Optimizing insulin has reduced my elevated cortisol and increased my testosterone and growth hormone. Intermittent fasting in the form of one meal a day is my secret weapon to keep my insulin under control. I shared my experience with excessive cortisol and how I managed it.

Exercise plays a critical role. I had to create my exercise and fitness regime according to my unique biology and genetic makeup.

As I got older, I tweaked my exercises. Nowadays, exercise is a lifestyle for me. It is not a burden and not a stressor anymore. It is pure joy.

Restorative sleep was one of the best medicines to improve my health conditions. When I learned to get quality sleep, especially long, deep, and rem sleep, my body felt fantastic.

The pain originating from arthritis diminished, and the inflammation markers showed optimal results.

Small things like barefoot walking on grasses helped me balance my energy.

Talking of energy, understanding the role of mitochondria significantly impacted my recovery process.

Simple habits like daily cold showers made my mitochondria stronger. You may get insights from how I use cold showers for many benefits.

Learning about autophagy, the process of the body eating the damaged cells, was profound. I proved it worked by removing my excessive loose skin naturally.

Discovering the benefits of genetic tests also contributed to my health awareness. They enhanced my intelligence by giving me more information about my body. I don’t regret investing in DNA tests, even though my medical advisors characterized them as a waste of money. I wish I had had my DNA tests earlier.

I explained the benefits of DNA tests in a different story.

I learned to reduce my stress and cope with anxiety. And I stopped my fear of salt. I Used To Fear Salt, But It Is My Best Friend Now.

More interestingly, I pay attention to mindfulness and spirituality.

These are only a few examples of vanishing my debilitating arthritis and becoming a new person.

A combination of these lifestyle changes made a massive impact on vanishing my arthritis, reducing inflammation, and getting rid of arthritic symptoms.

When I discussed my progress with my functional medicine physician and naturopathic doctors, they believed in my achievements. They encouraged me to continue with these best practices suiting my needs. They agreed with me on my individual approach rather than assessing my health with population studies.

Don’t get me wrong. I have high respect for medical professionals, especially specialists who dedicated their lives to learning and exploring human conditions. They do their best to inform patients using body knowledge.

My point is that despite many breakthroughs, the body of knowledge is still at a nascent stage. There are still many unknowns. And unknown unknowns in life.

We are all unique. Something that works for me may not work for another. The more options we have, the better we are informed.

Reviewing exceptions helped me a lot to gain new perspectives. Being open-minded and having a growth mindset was paramount.

I have an optimistic outlook on life and want to share my optimism with others. I don’t recommend anything to anyone. But I do point out what worked for me. Who knows if my learning can give others insights and help them discover their healing journey?

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

I also shared the experience of another friend who significantly reduced his arthritis pain.

I aim to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and write about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, glutamate, and histamine.

One of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.

Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.

Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.

I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.

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