Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that attacks joints. It's not the typical kind of arthritis you get from age, misuse, or falling off a horse. Rather the immune system went rogue and is killing healthy cells in joints. When the immune system is actively killing these cells it's called a flare. I run a low grade fever for the first few days and the effected joints get hot, swollen, red, and painful. It feels like rug burn inside the joint. The joints stay inflamed for a couple of days, weeks, or months. Over time, this severely destroys the cartilage and bone, which can lead to deformities.

The mechanism for going rogue is complicated and not very well understood. We know genetics play a role. We also know that a combination of factors spark it. These factors are things like stress from planning a wedding, working full time, and going to school full time or terrible eating habits or antibiotics… and the list goes on.

There is no cure. The holy grail is 'remission', which entails some combination of normalized lab results and flare free. The only treatment modern medicine has to offer is lifelong prednisone and immune suppressants, which just block communication and inhibit immune cell function. This does not sound very healthy for my body long term.

Understanding and accepting this is daunting. I am not one to sit around and watch my clock tick; so I turned to natural remedies to suppress my immune system and hopefully reverse factors that triggered my RA. To do this, I needed to understand my body and how it reacts to my choices.

Beginning an Elimination Diet

I started by reading Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre’s Elimination Diet. The first half of this book has a great introduction into factors effecting autoimmune and hypersensitivities. It talks about leaky gut syndrome, our GI bacteria, the science behind chewing, and much more.

The second half walks through an Elimination Diet. Phase 1 is a detox phase with 2 days of only liquid, pureed soups, water, coconut water and green tea. The hardest part for me was giving up coffee, but I am so glad I did it! By the end of day 2 my energy immediately peaked. I no longer rely on my morning cup of coffee, which has been freeing in so many ways.

Phase 2 is an elimination phase for 11 days. Major food categories, like gluten and dairy, are eliminated. This was surprisingly easier than I expected, and Alissa and Tom's recipes really help. Retrospectively, I wish I had done this phase for 3-4 weeks and eliminated whole grains, legumes, sweeteners, and fruits, as well. My body needed a longer time to calm down and re-balance. I've also found sweeteners, including fruit, are potential triggers for me. I do them in moderation now, but it took a few flares to recognize this.

Phase 3 is a re-introduction phase for 15+ days. All eliminated food groups are re-introduced into the diet over this time period. I noticed my flares weren’t an immediate response to re-introduction. It sometimes took 48 hours for my body to flare as a reaction to something I ate or drank. This is tried and true for me and alcohol. It’s like clockwork every time. I would recommend introducing 1 new food (not food group) at a time and introducing at a slower pace than the book recommends. For example, introduce almonds and wait 72 hours to 1 week before introducing peanuts.

Learn Your Body

I learned SO much about myself in this short period of time. I learned that alcohol causes a new joint to flare, dairy causes major nasal congestion (which is an immune response), and processed sugars cause a full fever-riddled flare. But most importantly, I learned to read my body. I learned the signs, symptoms, and stages of my flares. I learned to take inventory of my pain throughout the day. I learned to think about everything that was going in, on, or near my body. This ability to listen to ourselves is crucial in understanding our RA.

Elimination Journal

I recommend keeping a journal, and carrying it with you everywhere! Admittedly, I was not the greatest at doing this. If you struggle with this like me, then buy yourself a nice new journal and pen. Find a time of day that works for you to write in it everyday, whether it's in the morning before work or at night after putting the kids to bed. Find that time, then make a commitment to yourself and your health to write and become aware of your lifestyle and your body's reaction.

Write everything. This is a journal of food, emotion, pain level, joint inflammation, stress levels, bowl movements, skin health, and anything else you can think of. This is your time and place to document what your body is telling you.

Forward Thinking

After completing Alissa and Tom's Elimination Diet, I adjusted the food I eat. I don't eat dairy, processed sugars (including organic cane sugar), alcohol, gluten, gluten substitutes, corn, and yeast. I eat nightshades, red meat, fruits, and whole grains in moderation. But, the majority of foods I eat are vegetables, eggs, and white meat.

I'm still refining this. Trial, error, refine, repeat until I have my recipe, my way, my lifestyle.