How do people manage something that can be as debilitating as rheumatoid arthritis? There is no cure for it and there doesn’t seem to be any single solution that will help in and of itself.
When you do the reading and researching about the various common medications prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis you may come to the conclusion that you need to cut down on them because of all of the bizarre side effects. Sometimes the cure can seem worse than the disease, you know?
There is something that many people have tried and seem to have good results with. That is what we are going to be discussing in the next few paragraphs.
There are many foods that are known as “trigger foods” because they can trigger inflammation and pain that will aggravate or exacerbate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
If you are intolerant to gluten this is a huge trigger food and should be avoided at all costs. Most of the trigger foods are ones that are high in acid or sugar or they may just be common allergens.
When you can remove these foods from your diet and replace them with natural, healthy alternatives you will see changes in the level of your pain and discomfort.
Foods that you could make an effort to eliminate are:
- tomatoes
- wheat
- potatoes
- foods containing yeast
- corn products
- dairy products
- high fructose corn syrup
- artificial sweeteners
- products that contain corn derivatives and even corn itself such as certain types of toothpaste with xanthum gum as an ingredient and table salt
- fast food
- deodorants that contain aluminum
- processed foods
- processed meats
Try replacing those things with these:
- spinach
- salmon
- avocados
- tuna
- free range organic eggs
- olive oil
- almond milk
- almonds
- carrots
- butternut squash
- berries
- green drinks
- salad dressings that are all natural
- smoothies containing greens and fruits
You can make your own fresh juices and smoothies at home for a lot less than you can buy them and when you make them at home they will have more of the key nutrients that you need.
Juicers and Juicing
If you want to substitute fruit and vegetable juices for some of the trigger foods then you may want to invest in a juicer. You don’t have to get a top of the line juicer or even one that is very expensive.
They all pretty much do the same thing. Here is a recipe that you may want to try that is actually pretty good.
Cucumber Carrot Surprise
- a bit of fresh spinach
- 1 cucumber
- 3 carrots
- an apple
- a cabbage leaf
Rebounders
You can get a rebounder and you do not even have to jump on it. You can walk in a place and that is enough to get your lymphatic system going.
Because there are no metal springs in the rebounders, you can watch a movie or TV while you are using it without having to turn the TV up to deafening levels.
It is also nice to have exercise options at home because when you suffer from RA you don’t always feel up to going to the gym.
Yoga
Yoga can also be helpful. With yoga, you get to stretch your muscles at your own pace and without doing a lot of bouncing around.
You can generally get some good yoga videos from your local library and you can also download them or get them at pretty much anywhere that sells DVDs.
Stretching
Stretching, yoga-related or not, can truly help and it is good to stretch and wake those muscles and joints up. Lymphatic massages are also helpful.
The lymphatic system is the part of the body that assists in ridding the body of wastes. Since there is not a central pump for this system, it relies on muscle movement for power. The more you can keep your muscles moving, the better you will feel.
Another thing that will help is adequate sleep. However, with RA that is not always possible due to the pain. Breathing exercises can also help.
Deep and controlled breathing can assist in lowering stress levels and when your stress levels lower, your muscles relax a bit and every little bit helps.
When all is said and done, you can read this article and a thousand more here on the internet. You really need to talk this over with your physician.
Dietary therapy can be an incredibly useful tool but this tool needs to be wielded only under the supervision of a qualified individual.
