Rheumatoid Arthritis
Background
Rheumatoid arthritis is inflammatory and results in hot swollen joints. It is an autoimmune disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack the joints. Infections are likely common triggers for this attack.
Diagnosing
The American College of Rheumatology has defined the following criteria for rheumatoid arthritis:
- Morning stiffness lasting over 1 hour
- Arthritis and soft-tissue swelling in over 3 of 14 joints or joint groups
- Arthritis of hand joints
- Symmetric arthritis
- Subcutaneous nodules
- Rheumatoid factor at a level above the 95th percentile
- Radiological changes suggestive of joint erosion
At least four of these criteria need to be met for a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, although patients are sometimes treated despite the criteria not being met.
The childhood form of this disease is called "Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis."
Treatments
The treatments discussed in the section on arthritis apply to rheumatoid arthritis as well. In addition to those, add the following:
General Diet Advice
Anti-inflammatory diet
It is worth considering dietary changes. Diet can play a major role in inflammatory arthritis. A recent study tested the role of diet in 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. 30 patients were given a standard American diet and the other 30 an anti-inflammatory diet low in meat and high in fish oil for eight months, with supplements given to supply high levels of omega 3 fish oils daily. The patients on an anti-inflammatory diet had a 28% decrease in the number of tender joints. In addition, decreasing inflammation by giving borage seed oil (supplying 1.4 g of Gamma Linolenic Acid, or "GLA") decreased the swollen joint score by 41% in the active group vs. a 40% worsening in the placebo group.
Recommended Supplements
Multivitamin powder
Many other nutrients, including pantothenic acid, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, boron, copper, zinc, and selenium have been found to be deficient in those with rheumatoid arthritis, and supplementation with these is important. These can be found in a good multivitamin powder.
Fish oil
Take 2-3 tsp fish oil daily (through meals or supplements).
Curcumin and boswellia
Take a special highly absorbed curcumin that also contains boswellia, DLPA and nattokinase (the higher dose is recommended). This is especially important. Research combining this unique curcumin with boswellia showed it helped in RA.
PEA
Research is mounting that for chronic pain, a supplement called PEA (Palmitoylethanolamide) 600 mg a day, can be quite remarkable in both decreasing pain and the “brain pain” and changes caused by RA. It takes three months to start seeing the effect however, so give it time.
Cartilage repair
Glucosamine sulfate 1,500 mg day, chondroitin 400 mg 2x day, hyaluronic acid and type 2 collagen in combination.
MSM
MSM 3,000+ mg a day.
Medications
Antibiotics
Long-term antibiotic therapy with minocycline can be very helpful in rheumatoid arthritis.
If the inflammation is persisting despite these treatments, then it is worth considering other pricy medications that are used as DMARDs (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs). The key concept here is that early prevention to settle down rheumatoid arthritis disease activity can prevent later damage, unlike medications for regular arthritis. Unfortunately doctors are largely only taught about the very expensive (i.e., profitable) treatments.
Low-dose naltrexone
Naltrexone is a remarkable medication with dramatically different effects at different doses. At standard doses, it blocks the effect of narcotics. At 1/20,000 of the dose, it increases the effect of narcotics. At 1/50th the standard dose, it has marked immune balancing effects and can be very helpful in autoimmune illness in general. I give 4.5 mg (not more) at bedtime, starting with a lower dose if it disrupts sleep. If this medication was still patentable, it would be a $10 billion+ per year medication and every rheumatologist would be using it. But it is generic and inexpensive, so they have been shown the research by the drug companies, as occurs with expensive medications. Visit LowDoseNaltrexone.org to learn more. Show the research to your rheumatologist and give him or her the information from the site on how to prescribe. If they still won’t prescribe it, see a holistic physician for it (The Institute for Functional Medicine®).The PEA above can also have a similar (and perhaps better) effect without a prescription.
DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs)
Although I suspect the very expensive biologic/immune modifying drugs are used too early in many conditions, in RA they are best used early to prevent joint damage.
Other Therapies & Advice
Address secondary fibromyalgia
I have discussed earlier about treating fibromyalgia with S.H.I.N.E. The combination of insomnia, fatigue, and widespread pain suggests that fibromyalgia is also present. If so, do the free Energy Analysis Program and read my book From Fatigued to Fantastic to determine what you need to do to get well. This is present in 1/3 of RA cases, and usually missed, resulting in people then simply getting pounded unnecessarily with more steroids and immune suppressants when they could much more easily, safely and effectively also address the secondary fibromyalgia.