Rheumatoid Arthritis

6 Natural Tips to Lowering Pain and Inflammation

Learning that you have a serious illness is life-changing. Learning that the illness that you have, also has no cure, is… let's go with devastating.

Then they tell you that the first choice of treatment is a medication that is not only a chemotherapy but also used for abortions. If you are female, they go into great detail about how important that it is that you NOT get pregnant on this medication. They literally tell you that if you plan on having a baby, you must be off this med for a full year before it can even be a consideration. Because if it doesn't cause you to abort, it will cause very serious and possibly life-threatening birth defects.

You can’t help but go home and do some research. Because there must be some other options that aren’t so poisonous. Doctors are amazing, but they tend to lean towards prescriptions instead of a more natural route.

In fact, every rheumatologist that I have had, I have discussed diet with. They have all said the same thing food does not affect the illnesses that we have.

I respectfully disagree, as does my primary physician. You can feed you inflammation and illness, by eating processed junk.

Or you can feed your body and health by eating quality nutrient-dense foods.

Here are a few natural things that can help manage your RA pain levels. What works for me, may or may not work for you. We are as different as our illness.

Six Natural Tips to Manage Your Pain

1) Start a food journal. Write down everything that you eat and drink every day. And I mean EVERYTHING!!! Also, track how you feel. Note down any adverse feelings. Joint point, joint swelling, headache, brain fog, stomach discomfort of any sort (including diarrhea/constipation), and or exhaustion are just a few symptoms of food sensitivity triggering an inflammatory response. Cutting foods that cause an inflammatory reaction can reduce pain.

2) Cut Junk Foods. No processed foods, soda, sugar, dairy, breads, or fast food. (Just to start the junk list there is so much more.

3) Autoimmune protocol diet, commonly referred to as AIP, is a super strict diet that is commonly used to help relieve inflammation.

*Note: At the beginning of my journey to regain my health, I could not commit completely to AIP. So, I started with the food journal. After about six months I could see patterns. Certain foods would cause pain and swelling. Some foods, within a few hours. But some foods it was the next day before a reaction occurred. After a few months of noticeable difference, I was able to commit to AIP, and it made a vast difference in my pain and swelling.

3) Yoga/Pilates and or Exercise. For the first year after my diagnosis, I struggled. Prior to my pain setting in, I had been very fit. And had exercised frequently. But I hurt. So, I did not exercise. Which made me more out of shape, which made physical activity even more painful.

It was like a vicious circle that perpetuated my pain. If you are in pain, you still need to work out. If your hands hurt, focus on your legs. Work the muscles and joints that do not hurt. Even if that means you only work out one arm that day. Make the attempt to do a gentle workout at least five days a week, ideally, daily.

4) Proper nutrition. Make sure that you are getting a diet rich in nutrients. Eat your rainbow. In other words, eat something from every color. Red strawberries, sweet potatoes, pineapples, green apples, kiwis, spinach. blueberries, blackberries, One way to get a lot of nutrients is to start your day with a smoothie.

My smoothies usually have protein powder or Greek yogurt for protein, a variety of whatever seasonal fruit is available, (frozen fruit when fresh is not available), local honey to sweeten if needed, plus a cup or more of greens, like spinach. I use milk, juice, aloe water, or coconut water for my liquid. Then I blend everything up in my blender and enjoy.

5) Supplements. This is something that you should discuss with your doctor. But if you are not eating a variety of healthy foods, then you need to purchase quality supplements. The first being a quality multivitamin. Next is vitamin D. It important to have those D levels tested because low vitamin D is common in RA patients. Followed by Fish oil, turmeric, probiotics, glucosamine, omega 3, folic acid, and or calcium, are just a few that are common for those with RA to need or take.

Please note: All supplements should be discussed with your doctors because some can actually interfere with your other meds.

6) Functional Medicine doctor. If you can afford it, find a functional medicine doctor. The only cases of complete remission came from people seeing these doctors.

Why? Because they focus on finding the root cause of your health issues. They get your nutrition in check. They also check your vitamin and nutrient levels and set you up on the proper supplement program. This program and supplements are not covered by insurance. Nor are the doctors, which is why more people aren’t in remission.

I have lived with RA for almost 20 years, so far, it took ten just to get diagnosed. Then I went through the fiasco of finding a decent doctor. It has been an uphill battle. But I have found that I have learned more doing my own research than most of my doctors know about my condition.

It’s not their fault, they have to learn about a lot of different health issues, I only have to research mine.

That being said, you should always talk to your doctors before starting any medicine, supplement, or health program to ensure that it will not interfere with the treatment plan that they have created. Do your research, talk with your doctors, and make informed decisions about what's best for your health. Gentle hugs.

Rowen Quinn is a Mother, Wife, Domestic Violence Victims Advocate, community volunteer, and nature lover. Most of her time is spent with her family or volunteering in her community. Rowen has a degree in Psychology, with a concentration in Family Counseling and Minoring in criminal justice. Writing has been her passion since high school and she enjoys using it to help others.