Re: Naturopathy or Holistic Treatments for PA?

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

I am going that route and I also take an occasional tylenol athritis pill.

What you need to do with P.A. is relax your immnune system. To do this avoid

spicy foods and peanuts. Almonds are ok. Take lots of vitamin B12 . get 15

minutes of sunshine a

day. Get lots of sleep. Avoid stress when posssible. Eat whole foods. And

finally the word everyone hates .....exercise.

Take care,

Jim

lessthan_two <lessthan_two@...> wrote:

Hi there. I'm new to the PA group here. I'm 26 years old and was

recently (and finally) diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. I have

actually been living with (what I presume are) the arthritis symptoms

for five years and the psoriasis symptoms for about a year. I have

heard many " I don't know " s from doctors over these past five years..

which validates my mother's comment that.. that is why doctors say

they are " practicing " medicine (she says they haven't figured it out

yet lol).

But anyway, a friend of mine has been bugging me to go see a

Naturopath for a while. I am wondering if there is anyone out there

who has tried this route or other holistic methods. I'm just creating

this post to save time searching through posted messages pertaining to

my question. If anyone has dealt with naturopathy or the like, please

leave me a message or refer me to past posts on this topic.

Thank you very much.

- Joy

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

If you search the posts using " Natural " Or " Holistic " You will likely

find all the things posted that may or may not have helped folks.

Off the top of my head, I remember posts that mention eliminating

nightshades from your diet, reduced or no carbs, cat's claw, and many

more. Unfortunately, while some folks may be helped by one or many of

these, Other folks find no relief using the same treatments.

Sadly, it is probably about the same success rate for conventional

medicine. I'd advise reading up thoroughly on anything you may try,

especially if you have little or no experience with holistics. Me, I

gave conventional meds a try first. Similar to you, I had arthritis

symptoms prior to Psoriasis, thus making diagnosis difficult.

Methotrexate has helped me immensely. I've used it successfully for 4+

years. Longterm I'd love to find a holistic remedy, but most seem to

require a change in diet or change in lifestyle or a commitment that I

am not likely to continue.

If you find something that is your " cure " I'd love to hear of it, even

if I lack the commitment to follow it through.

Stay Well,

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy-

First and Foremost- You should see your doc

(Rheumatologist) b/c you may just be postponing the

inevitable.

Why? My story: In a Nutshell- In the mid-90s I worked

as a nurse in a Thriving Rheumatology Office. Had a

fleeting thought and asked the doc about PA- with his

answer I KNEW it wouldn't happen to me. I also passed

many patients off as hypochondriacs and people just

trying to get handicap parking.

Okay flash forward 10-12 yrs. Although I have had P

since I was very young it has always been VERY MILD.

just a few small places tucked in my scalp and ear

canals. No one would have ever known.

When I got pregnant with my 2nd boy I noticed pain in

my ankles- so acute I couldn't walk in the mornings

for an hour. I thought that with my small frame,5'9''

and always weighing about 128lbs- that the extra

weight 10- to eventually 30 lbs was putting stress on

my ankles. After the baby I became really tired/weak.

P began growing all over my trunk- I was beside

myself! I found out my Thyroid went out- and got help

for the P. Then a few months later my finger swoll up

for no reason and stayed that way for 8 weeks. I knew

then my DX and went to the Rheumatologist quickly. I

also joined this group.

Why Im responding to you is because for the last 2

years I have WRACKED my brain trying ANYTHING but

conventional medicine. I read the post in here and I

have panic attacks. I'm still in denial- I think this

is a bad dream....I feel cheated on my

life...angry...bitter....and then I read more in here

and I know I don't have it quite so bad. Im 35 by trhe

way...to tiny boys 2 and 4- and I never quite pictured

being 35 and feeling 85.

Okay- Now or the stuff you want. This is what I have

learned through friends and the web- Naturopath-

homeopathic...you name it. Please understand- I'm not

a doc on this...and this is simply what I personally

have figured out- Hope it helps.

First I have learned- Any stress you go through

(family dying/ having a baby) will most probably cause

a flare up. Each Flare up gets worse and worse-

affects more and different things.

So, try to avoid stress!

Avoid strenuous exercise and/or activities. This also

can put you under for a while.

Cats Claw/ Devils Claw/Boswellia: Natural medicines

talks about these- I took them all(not at the same

time). I noticed they all are blood thinners and I'd

bruised easily. As with helping my PA- Nope.

Reishi Gano: Some type of asian mushroom which is

suppose to help increase immune system. Didn't note

any change.

Fish Oil with Omegas: This has been proven time and

again to help people (from the information I

recieved). Im not sure how much to take- I took 6 a

day because that sounded good to me.

Mate': This gives you energy- Fatigue is a biggy with

this chronic illness.

Folic Acid: Don't really know why- but a lot of people

on the website seem to take it- I take it too but

never really stopped after being pregnant.

Vit B's: I have heard people taking high doses of

Vitmamin B's- increases energy and makes yu feel

better.

Hot Tubs: I have found sitting in a hottub for 20

minutes or so- really helps. It increases blood flow

to the sore joints- naturally helping pain.

Acupuncture: I go about twice a week- it is nice he

does a whole bunch of stuff in there including:

TENS: Elecrtoshocking certain areas

Cupping: I found this to help my fibromyalgia and

other achy pains.

Full Body massage: Who wouldn't love that!

I became very spiritual- reading the Bible- praying to

God and learning all that I can- I KNOW He can help

slow this down!

Oh, and the last natural thing I did was have all of

the AMALGAMON sp? Fillings taken out of my teeth. They

are said to contain Mercury- and Mercury can cause

these types of chronic conditions to exacerbate.

I have also read a lot of material on how Thyroid dz

and endometriosis go hand in hand. So, if you have

endo- in your family history its worth looking in to.

Where am I at now? I have tried everything 'natural'

in fact for these last 2 yrs. I just now a month ago

decided to try Plaquinel. Before that I took only

etdolac which is a strong Ibuprofen. Im starting to

notice more change now...I don't feel so achy all day.

I do have pain in my ankles in the mornings along with

my hands feeling a bit swollen and achy. But, within

10 minutes it is all gone. I do take High B vitamines

which seems to improve my energy. And I try to do 2

miles on an elliptical as much as possible. I think I

will eventually have to give in and go to something

stronger- as much as I hate to. Time is kind of golden

with this illness and you want to get a hold of it

before it gets a hold of you. One day you wake up- and

something out of the blue is wrong/painful/swollen-

I'm also still in complete denial about having

this...it really sucks! And I have a crappy Rheummy to

boot!

So, study up on it- I hope and pray you find something

that works for you-

Rheumatoid Athritis and the medicines have come A LONG

WAY in the 10 yrs since I worked. I was back in the

old days giving shots of Gold! They won't give that

anymore.....and the meds they do give are totally new

to me.

Hope I helped - Most people in here know way more than

I...these are strictly my opinions/observations-Good

luck and God Bless.

Tricia

P.S. You're still young- I assume you haven't had kids

yet. Be prepared!! Pregnancy is a true stressor to the

body....I have heard a million times how people got

the first symptoms after a pregnancy. Me

included.....Good Luck and God Bless.

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 23/08/2006 12:46:16 GMT Daylight Time,

lessthan_two@... writes:

Hi there. I'm new to the PA group here. I'm 26 years old and was

recently (and finally) diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis

Hi Joy,

Welcome to the group. I'm sorry that I can't help you with your search for a

Naturopath. Hopefully someone here will be able to help. I just wanted to say

hello.

Good luck,

[Guest guest]

Hi Tricia. Thanks for responding to my post with so much information.

I certainly know what you mean by feeling 85 but only being 35...

though I feel 85 and I'm only 26.

I have been seeing my rheumatologist and he has me on Methotrexate

(and folic acid... which is taken to counteract the effects of mtx on

the liver) and is monitoring my progress with it. Unfortunately, I

have not really seen any improvement with it and I will me on my 8th

week in a couple of days. I am starting to feel a bit sick (to my

stomach and some loss of appetite) now that my dosage has increased. I

also take two Aleve before sleeping because without it I feel much

worse in the morning. I just got to thinking that maybe if

Methotrexate does not end up helping me that I could try a holistic

approach next and see how that goes.

A while back my rheumatologist had given me Plaquenil... prior to my

PA diagnosis and it did not help me. However, I'm glad that it is

working for you.

Thank you again and I wish you the best of luck!

>

>

> Hi Joy-

> First and Foremost- You should see your doc

> (Rheumatologist) b/c you may just be postponing the

> inevitable.

> Why? My story:>

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

I am also 26 but I have had PA for 15 years, since I was 11. I

haven't been on anything but tylenol and motrin for the past five

years because I have been pregnant and nursing with two girls which

are now 2 and a half and 9 months, pretty much back to back. I have

had really bad progression between pregnancies where pretty much all

of my joints are covered, and my fingers are starting to deform. My

pain has been so bad, motrin does nothing but offer little comfort.

Last month I read a great article in Reader's Digest about Vitamin D

supplements helping people with chronic pain, mainly because we

don't get as much sunlight as our ancestors did, yada yada. So I did

more research and decided to try it, along with Flax seed oil caps,

which has claims to be good for psoriasis.

I started taking the supplements 8 days ago and found that they are

helping substantially with the pain, along with my motrin, which I

am taking less of. I have a better range of motion, although the

swelling has not gone down, and the muscle pains are almost

completely gone. It was a completely unexpected wonderful surprise.

I went from pain level 12 (on a scale of 1-10) to a 3-6, depending

on the time of day. I am taking 400iu Vitamin D3 twice per day and

1000mg of organic Flax seed oil 4 times per day, and they are so

cheap at your local drugstore. I can't tell you which is helping

more, but I am certainly not going to stop taking one to figure it

out, I just go with what works!

I would love to hear from you if you take them and they help, I

would be curious to know if other people are having the same type of

results. I thought if I felt anything it would be over a longer

period of time from the articles I have read, but I found relief as

soon as the next day. I keep thinking I am going to wake up from

this dream, but everyday it is the same relief....

Hannah

>

> Hi there. I'm new to the PA group here. I'm 26 years old and was

> recently (and finally) diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. I have

> actually been living with (what I presume are) the arthritis

symptoms

> for five years and the psoriasis symptoms for about a year. I have

> heard many " I don't know " s from doctors over these past five

years..

> which validates my mother's comment that.. that is why doctors say

> they are " practicing " medicine (she says they haven't figured it

out

> yet lol).

> But anyway, a friend of mine has been bugging me to go see a

> Naturopath for a while. I am wondering if there is anyone out

there

> who has tried this route or other holistic methods. I'm just

creating

> this post to save time searching through posted messages

pertaining to

> my question. If anyone has dealt with naturopathy or the like,

please

> leave me a message or refer me to past posts on this topic.

>

> Thank you very much.

>

> - Joy

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Joy,

I agree with others that you should definately seek modern medicine

treatments for this disease, because it can progress quickly. My

suggestions for Vitamin D and Flax are to help with pain, they are

not disease modifying or healing. One thing I can't go back and

change is the damage that has been done from not being on good meds,

but I wanted kids, so I made the sacrifice while I was young and now

I am ready to get back into agressive treatment. I highly recommend

you listen to your rheumy about the best route for your type of PA.

Hannah

>

> Hi there. I'm new to the PA group here. I'm 26 years old and was

> recently (and finally) diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. I have

> actually been living with (what I presume are) the arthritis

symptoms

> for five years and the psoriasis symptoms for about a year. I have

> heard many " I don't know " s from doctors over these past five

years..

> which validates my mother's comment that.. that is why doctors say

> they are " practicing " medicine (she says they haven't figured it

out

> yet lol).

> But anyway, a friend of mine has been bugging me to go see a

> Naturopath for a while. I am wondering if there is anyone out

there

> who has tried this route or other holistic methods. I'm just

creating

> this post to save time searching through posted messages

pertaining to

> my question. If anyone has dealt with naturopathy or the like,

please

> leave me a message or refer me to past posts on this topic.

>

> Thank you very much.

>

> - Joy

>

[Guest guest]

> I agree with others that you should definately seek modern medicine

> treatments for this disease, because it can progress quickly. My

> suggestions for Vitamin D and Flax are to help with pain, they are

> not disease modifying or healing. One thing I can't go back and

> change is the damage that has been done from not being on good

meds,

> but I wanted kids, so I made the sacrifice while I was young and

now

> I am ready to get back into agressive treatment. I highly recommend

> you listen to your rheumy about the best route for your type of PA.

> Hannah

I agree with Hannah... you cannot ever go back once your joints are

damaged... I didn't have permanent damage until I went off meds for

having & nursing my 2 kids. I had joint fusion surgery on two hand

joints in the past year, and I would have given a lot to not have had

to go through that. And those were just tiny surgeries.

On the alternative remedies route, I *have* done everything....

supplements of all sorts, acupuncture, massage, cleansing diets &

teas, etc etc. I tried it all over the past 10 yrs... All those

things help a touch... but the reality is this can be a vicious and

aggressive disease... if you are in a long term flare, run to

mainstream meds, and once your disease is under control, THEN start

with the natural remedies to keep your body in balance.

Best of luck!

-Marietta

[Editor's Note: Very few people would be foolish enough to treat a severe heart

condition with berries and brews and I for one think it is similarly foolhearty

to think that such things will be enough to treat severe PA. PA is an

aggressive disease that worsens over time if left untreated. Natural remedies

help " on the margin " but do nothing to stem the progression of the disease. It

is therefore essential that people ALSO pursue a proper allopathic medical

protocol. If you are allergic to things such as nightshades and you therefore

avoid consuming nightshades, this will undoubtedly help treat the SYMPTOMS

caused by the allergy but these will NOT in and of themselves, retard the

progression of PA. Kathy F.]

[Guest guest]

If there is one thing that I have learned it is that lack of

improvement cannot be compared to not getting worse. I was on

methotrexate years ago, only for a little while before I got off of

it to have my kids, and I felt the same as you. No pain reduction,

no swelling reduction. There have been many stages in my life where

I thought my condition was as worse as it was going to get, and now

I realize that this disease is ruthless and it can always get worse.

What I am trying to say is that there is no way of knowing " the

unknown " of what your condition would look like if you WEREN'T on

methotrexate. 8 weeks time is not long enough to make a judgement on

a disease modifying medication. Just because you're not seeing

improvement does not mean that it is not doing it's job of blocking

the progression of the disease. I know it is difficult, because I

felt the same way you did, it is really discouraging not to see any

results or improvement, but I can guarantee you if I had not decided

to go off of it to have kids I would surely have less damage today.

Don't mess around with controlling this disease, you have an

opportunity to really get a hold of it before it gets a hold of you.

Pain managment is a little more flexible, there are alternative ways

of coping and reducing pain with supplements and exercise. But

please don't pass this window of opportunity looking for something

less than these disease modifying prescription medicines, because

once you realize what you passed on it may be too late. Just

something to consider.....

Hannah

> >

> >

> > Hi Joy-

> > First and Foremost- You should see your doc

> > (Rheumatologist) b/c you may just be postponing the

> > inevitable.

> > Why? My story:>

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome Joy, It's a great group here...

Love and Peace Always

Shaun and Barb