supplements etc

[Guest guest]

THank you for replying to my posting as someone coming to terms with RA. I

think the idea of choosing an illness helps me look at my self-beliefs and

try to choose different ones. For example I am someone who is super capable,

I run a small school that I helped start, and I have 4 children aged 7-15,

and I wonder whether having RA reinforces my belief of myself/chosen role as

a super-hero (something I adopted when I was 3 when my mother died in

childbirth leaving me and three younger ones - of course this mistaken role

no longer serves me). 'She can do all that AND battle with such a

debilitating illness!' By realising this, I'm working on being less driven

and controlling and more 'in the flow', trusting etc. I find it lessens the

stress and the resultant flares.

REgarding supplements, I used to be as cautious of those as of

pharmaceuticals, but I feel so much better after 9 months on fish oils,

multivitamins, glucosamine, and Mag/Calc as well as acidophilus - as well as

a dramically changed diet to one of low-acid forming foods including wheat

(to which I am totally intolerant, it seems) and other gluten, potato/tomato

family and other things like citrus and red meat. Basically I eat a lot of

veg, nuts, seeds, pulses, fish, chicken etc which is a really healthy diet -

and I feel fitter generally than ever before practically. I came to this

approach by reading 'Say No To Arthritis' by Holford, a British

alternative practitioner who comes at the issue with his head screwed on (as

they say over here) and it's based on a regime of diet, exercise,

supplements, attitude etc.

However, I've got a nearly permanetnly stiff shoulder and hips, and

sometimes I can't stand or walk for long. I get pain in other joints if I

overdo things much at all like carry a suitcase. Am I in denial?!

Reading your posts, I wonder if I'm setting myself up for worsening the

outcome by not taking these great pharmaceuticals. The side effects sound

potentially gruesome. Would I know if my joints are becoming eroded? Are

there tests to tell? I have no inflammation and no pain in my hands so it's

a mysterious form of RA to my rheumatologist.

Can any of you shed light on this? THanks for the previous replies; I've

found this site really helpful.

Adrienne from England.