ARTHRITIS - anyone go through it? Esp young people.

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I have had RA since I was 11...annnnnd I am 23 now. Yep. not fun.


Do you take any special supplements or dietary changes?

I tried gluten free for like a month. Lost weight, but I dont think it did anythign joint wise. I just hate taking meds and would love if there was some kind of food cure but the science behind this is very mixed.

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  • BrentGetsFit
    BrentGetsFit Posts: 878 Member
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    I recently was diagnosed with arthritis in my right shoulder. I've read that omega-3 helps reduce inflammation so I've been adding ground flax seeds to my morning smoothie and trying to eat more fish. I've only been doing it for a couple of weeks so I can't comment on effectiveness yet.
  • Drayabrat
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    I am 27 with arthritis in most of my body. I know taking the medication stinks but taking your anti-inflammatory at the least is important. In addition I have been told to drink LOTS of water and also to eat as many greens as I can. I have noticed a slight decrease in my arthritis pain. I am by no means pain free but I have noticed a change. Living with arthritis is not easy, I don't think we will see a cure-all for a while yet :(
  • Neize
    Neize Posts: 301 Member
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    I have arthritis in my knee the pain is terible but I keep moving!!! waiting to see if anyone have any suggestions!!!
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
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    I have had RA since I was 11...annnnnd I am 23 now. Yep. not fun.


    Do you take any special supplements or dietary changes?

    I tried gluten free for like a month. Lost weight, but I dont think it did anythign joint wise. I just hate taking meds and would love if there was some kind of food cure but the science behind this is very mixed.

    I'm sorry to say that you'll most likely always have to take some sort of med for RA. I've had it for 11 years. I eat all the 'right' foods(green veggies, etc), exercise as best I can and so on, but I'll never be off of my RA meds. You may go into remission briefly, but it will come back when it wants.
  • csmigin
    csmigin Posts: 30
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    I can tell you that I've never been offically diagnosed with arthritis, but it wouldn't surprise me any to learn I have it in my ankles, knees, and wrists. :ohwell: Thanks to basketball for my ankles and knees; thanks to working in a grocery store for the wrists. :grumble: I don't take any supplements, but I do use ice packs and heat pads to relax them. I also tend to use IcyHot and some other cream, which I can't think of now for the like of me, when the pain gets really severe. IcyHot, the ice packs, and heat pads work the best for me. :wink: I also think I have carpal tunnel in my right hand, but no one has confirmed that either. :ohwell: Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • pph79
    pph79 Posts: 78
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    I get some form of mild arthritis in my legs and knees mainly. First noticed it in my early 20's. (I also have flat-foot, which doesn't help.) I do know my sister has had arthritis worse off and is going to see some type of specialist in the next month or so. She's only 23.
  • Rynatat
    Rynatat Posts: 807 Member
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    I have arthritis (not RA) from the neck down due to car accidents & genetics. I work out (a lot!), I drink a TON of water each day, eat lots of veggies & minimal processed foods and DO NOT take meds. I hate taking things - to me side effects are worse than what the meds are supposed to help!

    Anyway, I also have Celiac's Disease so have no choice but to be GF - maybe that's why I have been doing so well for the last decade. I can definitely say, the more I workout, the better I feel. Even on days I'm hurting like an SOB, I still workout. I just keep pushing because I'm not going to let this get me down. It also seems the more muscle I build, the less I hurt. In the last year the pain in my knees has gone WAY down since I've built up more muscle in my legs. But, what works for me may not work for another person, we're all different & unique so need to find our own "niche".
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
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    Me. I was diagnosed with RA at 24ish, I'm 30 now...i've been on steroids and all sorts of other chemicals and rx...it was so bad I would have days I couldnt walk upright. I was so depressed thinking I'm still in my 20's and I feel like I'm 90.

    I said to heck with this. I changed my diet, not because of the arthritis specifically, but because I was having terrible headaches. But after removing not just gluten, but grains and sugar from my diet, I have such minimal joint pain, definitely nothing like I was having before.

    I can jump up and down, hop over fences, chase my kids, sit for long periods of time and not fall into "rigor mortis" haha. I feel FANTASTIC!

    Now everyone is different with different degrees of the disease, but every disease starts in the gut and eating grains, especially wheat can cause leaky gut and leaky gut leads to autoimmune diseases and for me, this change....works!
  • ashleycat23
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    I don't have arthritis, but i do have fibro. I have found that certain foods do increase the pain.

    too many carbs
    chocolate ( sugar free does NOT bother)
    Too much sugar ( From natural sources like fruit are ok, but artificial ones are evil pain bringers)
    not enough water
    gluten ( this is actually #1 for me)


    Those are the ones that i know bother me. :/
  • Kim28NASHVILLE
    Kim28NASHVILLE Posts: 33 Member
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    I was diagnosed with lupus 4 years ago. I had more of a rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Through the grace of god, I was able to vet myself off of all those medications. I gained 50 pounds just off the prednisone. A month after i got married in 2009, I had a slip and fall that resulted in a chronic pain condition in my ankle called RSD. I just got to the point where I can work out. I have came along way! Good luck to everyone!
  • adtrevors
    adtrevors Posts: 21 Member
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    I have had RA since I was 11...annnnnd I am 23 now. Yep. not fun.


    Do you take any special supplements or dietary changes?

    I tried gluten free for like a month. Lost weight, but I dont think it did anythign joint wise. I just hate taking meds and would love if there was some kind of food cure but the science behind this is very mixed.

    Go Paleo. A lot of people have had luck managing RA, diabetes, crohns, and other auto-immune diseases. Robb Wolf's website is a great resource as is his podcast.
  • adtrevors
    adtrevors Posts: 21 Member
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    Me. I was diagnosed with RA at 24ish, I'm 30 now...i've been on steroids and all sorts of other chemicals and rx...it was so bad I would have days I couldnt walk upright. I was so depressed thinking I'm still in my 20's and I feel like I'm 90.

    I said to heck with this. I changed my diet, not because of the arthritis specifically, but because I was having terrible headaches. But after removing not just gluten, but grains and sugar from my diet, I have such minimal joint pain, definitely nothing like I was having before.

    I can jump up and down, hop over fences, chase my kids, sit for long periods of time and not fall into "rigor mortis" haha. I feel FANTASTIC!

    Now everyone is different with different degrees of the disease, but every disease starts in the gut and eating grains, especially wheat can cause leaky gut and leaky gut leads to autoimmune diseases and for me, this change....works!

    Warms my heart to see people talk about leaky gut and auto-immune. Too many people live with these diseases and are never told that proper nutrition, including elimination of gluten and other lectins, can go a long way to helping alleviate problems. Does it work all the time? Probably not but what could it hurt to try? If you replace the missing calories with good healthy veggies and good fats and lean meats & fish you'll get plenty of the same vitamins and minerals (and often more, since the vitamins in breads and pastas are usually from fortification, not natural).

    Somebody else in the thread mentioned they had celiac as well. You should probably read Williams Davis' 'Wheat Belly' Turns out Celiac's get the raw end of the stick and end up with a large number of other auto-immune diseases as well.