Holistic Doctor
Has anyone tried seeing a holistic doctor to help treat the symptoms of RA? I'm 29 years old and have suffered with RA since I was first diagnosed at 12 months. The RA has also decided to attack my eyes, as I've developed uveitis as well. I have been able to maintain relatively good health until about 7 months ago when I had my first major flare as an adult, and was unlike anything I had experienced. My right hand became extremely swollen and the fatigue had become so severe that I was unable to get out of bed for a few days. After seeing my rheumatologist, who suggested I take 4 separate drugs and thrn proceded to tell me the side effects of each one, I decided to take a different approach and see a holistic doctor. I figured it was worth a shot, as I was willing to try anything that didn't have cancer as a potential side effect. So far, after 5 months of treatment with small doses of a form of potassium, my experience with the holistic doctor has been very positive and effective. Within the past month, her "remedy" has enabled me to get off of my steroidal eye drops that I have been on since I was 4 years old. I've also changed my diet, elimimating all dairy, white bread/flour, sugar, and trans fats. I have a strict vitamim regimen I stick to every day, and have started drinking ginger water instead of my usual fruit juices. I have also tried to include more leafy greens into my diet, as well as other fruits and vegetables, turmeric, and whole grains. It's crazy how I can physically see the swelling increase once I've eaten unheated foods. Its also rewarding and satisfying watching the swelling go down once I stick to the original strict diet. I have noticed a significant change in my energy levels as well as an overall healthier feeling. I can see, now more than ever, how diet directly affects your mental and physical health as well as the level of inflammation. However, the effectiveness of the holistic remedy honestly does not make any sense to me. But at this rate, I am willing to try just about anything to lead as normal of a life as I possibly can with RA.
Has anyone else had any promising and/or remotely effective experiences with any forms of alternative medicine?
I realize this is a very old post, but my 8 yr non-symptomatic RA has also flared up by eye and I am looking to find out if you a) found a holistic doctor b) did that help with your eye issue? Please let me know!
I would love to find out some easy to follow diet options for my daughter who suffers from JRA & Uveitis....
Hi
. Here is an article about RA and diet that you might find helpful: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/clinical/aip-diet. It can be awfully hard to get a child or teen to stick to a specific diet, but I would imagine even little changes might help. Wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member) Thank you so much!
I have had RA for thirty years and have always poo-poohed diets thinking they don't work. Then, about a year ago after a bout with cancer, someone kept harassing me to try a low carb, no sugar, basically keto diet. I finally did it just to shut them up and be able to say, "see, I told you, it doesn't work!" Well, you can guess what happened I'm sure. It turns out that sugar and to a lesser degree carbs are probably what triggers my RA personally, so now I feel much better each day (and lost some weight, too). So I can't say diets don't work any more but I will say that every person in different, and every person's RA is affected by different things so it's impossible to say what will work for anyone besides yourself. That means you'll have to do your own research and decide what's best for you but I do now know that they can work. Keep on keepin' on, DPM Worth a try
