Hi all,
Would like to share with you all my one year journey in self treating RA and ITP, without any meds , except for some supplements.
As you are all aware, not Only am I chemically very sensitive , I am also unable to take any meds as it interferes with my platelet count. Tried homeopathy, but ended up suffering more.
So I embarked on treating myself by avoiding certain foods and making some other changes in the way I consumed food.
I am very elated to say that in one year, my RA factor has reduced to 50 from 150.
My platelet count is steady at 70 k.
I now have very rare instances of gum bleed, no more purpura even if I walk a km or 2, every day.
I do not get low grade fevers any more. At one point of time, I had low grade fever for 3 consecutive months.
Though my joints never used to swell, all the small joints including the spine were painful 24/7. My fingers , 2 each in both hands are a bit off tangent, and my toes too are no more straight. I may or may not be able to stem that disfigurement.
But now except for very mild pain, now and then, I am totally pain free.
My eyes and mouth which started drying up were a constant source of irritation, have now become much better. I don't keep coughing any more, due to throat irritation.
Of course, if I veer away from the new diet, I do get flares. That helps to keep me in check, as I have now learnt that certain foods may never agree with me.
What has made me extremely happy is that I have begun cooking again . Can stand for half an hour and cook from scratch, making fresh food every time I eat. Of course, my husband cuts the veggies and helps with other things. I am not as dependent on others as I was earlier.
Well I am not following any magic diet.
I avoid the following:
Dairy
Gluten
Sugar
Processed foods
I regularly consume the following:
Veggie juices
Veggie soups
Lot of fruits
Lots of vegetables except cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes
Lot of leafy greens
Just 25 grams of cooked rice every day
sesame seeds, soaked overnight and eaten raw, the next day
Nuts like walnut -2, and almond -5
Only rice based foods for breakfast and dinner.
I get the required sugar from fruit, so no sugar cravings.
I take the following supplements
Vit d, if it goes below 30
B complex
Vit c
Calcium with k2 and magnesium
High dose steroids made my life miserable. It was tapered and re started, and then a maintenance dose, nothing made a difference to the destruction of platelets. So I searched for an alternative and found papaya leaf extract.
I also take papaya leaf extract in tablet form, for my platelets. This increases the platelet count, without any side effects. Without this, my platelet will be below 10 k and I will have internal bleeding too.
I undertook this self treatment, as no doctor was willing or able to help treat me without drugs. I was prepared to go ahead, come what may, as I was unable to withstand the pain, 24/7.
I am so glad that it has worked for me, so far. Sure, the disease has not been cured, it can never be, I am aware of that.
But the quality of my life has improved way beyond I thought it possible.
I have started my crochet again, and donated 10 sets of ponchos and Caps for needy children. It took me six months to make them, a looong time , I know, but I am overjoyed that I could make them, in the first place.
Maybe someone in this group will want to try the diet route to wellness. That is why I wanted to share my experience.
Thank you all for all your inputs, without which I could not have started this path.