Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the joints. Autoimmune diseases happen when the body’s immune system begins to attack its own cells, mistaking them for invaders. With RA, the immune system attacks cells in the lining of joints, notably in the hands and feet. The result is painful swelling that over time can start to cause bone degeneration and deformities in the affected joints. The development of gnarled twisted fingers are a classic indication of rheumatoid arthritis in the hands.
Most people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis are treated with conventional drugs but there are equally as good, or better, natural alternatives. Better because they don’t have adverse side effects yet can still provide the same therapeutic benefits like pain relief and reduced inflammation. The other issue with most conventional treatments is that they only treat the symptoms rather than the cause. All this does is suppress the disease and if you come off your medications, you invariably end up with flare-ups and pain.
Like most autoimmune diseases, science is only just beginning to discover why the body’s immune system suddenly turns on its own body. They know how it does it, but why is still a long way from being 100% resolved beyond question. Unfortunately, this often leads to a ‘can’t be helped so grin and bear it’ attitude to the issue, with the prescription of the aforementioned drugs that simply provide relief from the symptoms.
However, making a few lifestyle chances is one way you can help your body help itself. Research is consistently finding that a lot of our health issues have a common cause. Namely our diet! Most of us eat far too much of the wrong types of foods, which throws our metabolism and subsequently our entire system, out of whack. Combine that with the fact that way too many foods today are packed full of artificial flavoring agents, preservatives, coloring agents and various other chemicals, and the scene is ripe for producing all manner of health problems.
Part of the problem with respect to autoimmune diseases is that some types of foods are very similar in molecular structure to that of some of our internal organs. Gluten molecules for example are similar to those of the thyroid gland. Therefore, when the immune system is ‘trained’ to recognize and destroy gluten molecules when they get where they’re not supposed to go (common with leaky gut syndrome) it may also start to attack thyroid tissue because it can’t differentiate between those molecules and the structurally similar gluten molecules. The result is thyroid related autoimmune diseases. There are also a number of ‘toxic’ foods that should be avoided at all costs. High on this list are processed sugars, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, and processed and junk foods.
Therefore, it stands to reason that one of the best ways to fight autoimmune diseases like RA is by going back to basics with diet. Remove the wrong things, and eat plenty of the right things, particularly fruits and vegetables. And for those times when you do require pain relief consider an alternative to the prescription drugs with their noted side effects. CBD oil, like the product in the Jamie Richardson shark tank episode, is a proven natural pain reliever and powerful anti-inflammatory.
