Rheumatoid Arthritis

I recently changed health insurance companies and moved to a a new state so therefore I am in between doctors and treatments as I can't pay for either right now. I am waiting for my records to be sent to a local doctor so I can go in for an appointment, but until then I need help with this painful swelling I've been experiencing. My hands are the worst and they continue to get worse, but like I said I have no access to medication or a doctor for another couple weeks. I need to know if there are some home remedies or over the counter drugs I can take to help my swelling go down. Any help would be MUCH apppreciated!

Newly married person: my heart goes out to you. RA, I have found, is a lonely disease, but it makes you strong.I have had it all my adult life (40+ years), lurking in the background. But it has taught me to take care of myself. After doing a lot of independent research at medical libraries, and now online, and experimenting on me, I know to steer clear of doctors who push drugs and surgery. I rarely have flareups since I found the importance of no-to-minimal animal protein in the diet, because it encourages inflammation. Learn to be vegetarian - it actually was fun, and now after 30 years, the only way I know. Also, you must learn to rest when your body says you are tired - don't argue. And manage stress - get rid of any one or situation who is too hard on you. Thats it, the Magic Formula: veg diet, stress management, rest when tired. It works.

Hey! Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it. I recently have started doing my own personal research. I am keeping a journal of how I feel, what I eat, and what supplements I am taking. The pain is really bad when I first wake up and still super stiff throughout the day and it is SO HARD to not run to a doctor to get that "fix". But like you, after reading so much and experiencing the side effects for myself, I want to find a natural cure. When you say no animal proteins, do you mean ONLY eating vegetables, fruits, and breads? As in no cheese, no milk, no meat of course. I am just wondering how extreme you had to go with your eating habits to get the results you did... I want to change, I want the pain to stop and well, I just need more guidance so anything will help

Thanks, Judy, for the excellent advice. I have been vegetarian for many years (Not RA related), and my doctor has always said that she is amazed that I am not hurting, that I have a high tolerance to pain. Ask me if I do when I get a headache hahaha Not all of my inflammation is avoided with a meat free diet, but I seriously believe that removing that from ones diet is the best thing that can be done. It's just not healthy in large portions and since most people eat WAY more than one portion in a sitting with contributes to high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease. I personally do consume some egg and dairy products however cheese very EXTREMELY moderately. Cheese is very high in fat and, like meat, easily overeaten because a true portion of cheese is like the size of your pinky finger. LOL Who REALLY eats that little?

My doctor has recently taken me off of Naproxen due to a reaction to it, and I REFUSE to take steroids, so I researched and found many people who have given wonderful reviews on the herb Boswellia. I will begin taking that this week.

My PCP is also a complimentary physician, she once told me that the most harmful meat for RA, Lupus, etc is pork. Of course many people say there isn't enough research to prove it and continue eating it, but I think I would err on the side of caution. There are so many WONDERFUL meat free dishes and meatless "meats" that one never has to miss their favorite dishes. I am the queen of corndogs. Addicted to them!!! Morningstar has a corndog that tastes better than the real thing and has 80 cals compared to like 180 cals for a real corndog. Worth exploring