Natural Supplements I Take for Rheumatoid Arthritis

I’m surprised that I’ve been getting a lot of post requests on what supplements I take for rheumatoid arthritis. Hello everyone! I’m Kaycee and I’ve been battling rheumatoid arthritis since I was 11. For those who aren’t familiar I’ll give you guys a quick summary and I’ll be sharing the natural supplements I take to manage it.

What is Rheaumatoid Arthritis?

Long Explanation

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system – which normally protects its health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses – mistakenly attacks the joints. This creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (the synovium) to thicken, resulting in swelling and pain in and around the joints. The synovium makes a fluid that lubricates joints and helps them move smoothly.

If inflammation goes unchecked, it can damage cartilage, the elastic tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint, as well as the bones themselves. Over time, there is loss of cartilage, and the joint spacing between bones can become smaller. Joints can become loose, unstable, painful and lose their mobility. Joint deformity also can occur. Joint damage cannot be reversed, and because it can occur early, doctors recommend early diagnosis and aggressive treatment to control RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis most commonly affects the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. The joint effect is usually symmetrical. That means if one knee or hand if affected, usually the other one is, too. Because RA also can affect body systems, such as the cardiovascular or respiratory systems, it is called a systemic disease. Systemic means “entire body.”

My Explanation

Joint pain everywhere. Causing muscle tics. Swollen joints. Muscle pain. Back pain. Weekly massages. Stress. I’m tired. SALONPAS. TAI CHI. OMEGA PAIN KILLER. EFFICASENT OIL. #RELATE ba kayo?

When Was I Diagnosed?

I was rushed to the hospital when I was 11 years old because of a minor heart attack. After some series of tests and almost staying in the hospital for so long; they diagnosed me as having a rheumatic heart and rheumatoid arthritis. The possible cause? Poor dental hygeine. I hated brushing my teeth when I was little. This is my karma.

Supplements I’m Taking to Manage My Rheumatoid Arthritis

My doctor used to prescribe me penicillin and tons of steroids to manage the pain. But I abhorred the nasty side-effects. Taking the steroids made me look bloated. Like I was a huge dimsum of siopao. I was also teased a lot in school because of this. I stopped taking all my prescribed medicines when I was 20 years of age. Doctor said I wouldn’t last past 21. Look at me, I’m 31 and even do weight lifting.

I went to different medical practitioners just to help relieve the pain I’m experiencing everyday. Even now while I’m typing this all my joints feel annoying. The only one that sort of helped me was the chiropractor. He recommended me the ff along with the supplements I’m taking now:

• LESSEN SUGAR INTAKE – This I’m still struggling to do because of my sweet tooth
• EAT A LOT OF EGGS AND PROTEIN
• LESSEN WHITE RICE INTAKE BECAUSE OF SUGAR

FISH OIL

A weapon against arthritis. The two types of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil are DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). EPA and DHA can reduce inflammation, which causes swelling and pain. Some studies have shown that the acids might also suppress the body’s immune system

MAGNESIUM CITRATE

Magnesium has anti-inflammatory properties.

According to research conducted, it has been reported that an increase in the concentration of magnesium decrease inflammation whereas when there is a deficiency in magnesium, it activates inflammatory response.

What does this mean?
This means that magnesium deficiency leads to an activation of inflammatory responses in arthritis. This becomes a hindrance for people as it leads to arthritis. Find out if you are magnesium deficient by taking this online test.

GLUTATHIONE

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis have increased levels of Glutathione Peroxidase as a response to high levels of oxidative stress. It makes sense to supplement Glutathione to ensure that these individuals can match this high demand for Glutathione.

MY CURRENT STATUS

Here’s the raw deal. I don’t care if it’s placebo or not but I feel a significant difference when I’m taking these supplements vs without. When I miss my usual dose of magnesium, fish oil, and glutathione; my body feels lethargic and my tourettes seem to worsen.  I’ll be taking these till the day I die and hopefully not anytime soon.