by Healthy Latina in the City
A good friend of mine has had Rheumatoid Arthritis, also known as RA, for over 10 years. She is 31 years old. She is not sure how she acquired it, but she knew she could not live with this for the rest of her life.
RA is a form of inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease. When one has RA their immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, specifically a thin membrane that lines the joints. These attacks create a buildup of the joints which can cause tremendous pain. RA is considered to be a chronic condition, meaning there is no cure.
To combat this disease, my friend has taken various types of prescription pills that were to suppress the immune system from attacking and lessen the rate of inflammation. In the beginning, each medication would work for a while but later her symptoms would repair. After 5 years she decided she needed something different that would work long term. After consulting with her doctor, they decided to have her take regular protein injections twice a month to aggressively combat the disease.
While still on the medicine she decided she wanted to take other approaches to try and heal herself. She went to acupuncture, did yoga, exercised regularly, made sure to get lots of sleep and tried to stay on a very healthy diet. She did see results but not enough for her own satisfaction. Her condition was frustrating so much that she felt she could not live her normal day to day life like she would like to.
In 2011 her disease took a turn for the worst and her pain and fatigue became worse than ever. The doctor suggested that she double her medicine. She did not want to do that so she decided that she needed to make a change for herself and began looking at alternative resources. She researched articles, stories and blogs about RA and found information about foods leading to remission. She experimented with different diets in attempts to relieve herself of this condition. Over the past two years of trial and error, she had found that a strict plant based diet had made a tremendous impact on her health and day to day life. She has committed to a plant based diet over the past year and feels literally no pain or fatigue. She is still taking the medication but hopes to be off of it soon. While this might not be the right approach for everyone I think it is a good reason to look at what we are putting into our bodies and determine whether what we are eating and drinking is helping or harming us.
From my own personal research, which I have talked about in previous articles, I have come to learn that eating a plant based diet can have tremendous health benefits. From my friend’s experience, I have learned about how what we eat (and what we do not eat) can truly affect our health. Some research indicates that eating a plant based diet can overhaul our health and possibly prevent future diseases.
For more information about the benefits of a plant based diet check out these links here:
- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/plant-based-diet_b_1981838.html
- http://www.foodmatters.tv/
- http://www.forksoverknives.com/
Before making any changes to your diet or medications always consult your professional doctor or healthcare provider. This is the story of one individual not a cure for all. For more information about rheumatoid arthritis visit http://www.arthritis.org/.
Healthy Latina in the City is a contributing writer with a personal passion for nutrition and healthy living. While she is not a nutritionist, doctor, or personal trainer she wants to take you on her journey to live a healthy lifestyle and share tips that have worked for her to incorporate good health and nutrition into your life.