Rheumatoid arthritis is a pretty common, but still an unpleasant and painful condition that is usually treated with a number of medications that alleviate the symptoms, but never really treat the root of the problem. That’s why many people choose to try alternative ways to treat it and notice significant improvements.
Sarah Allen is one of those people, and she put her rheumatoid arthritis in remission using alternative and natural method. So she decided to share her amazing story with us.
She started experiencing symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis when she was 24. She says:
“I thought I was very healthy. I was young. I was a competitive triathlete. I believed I had a pretty good diet. So, I didn’t really understand why I was experiencing so much pain in my fingers and in my feet.
I had migrating pain, and a lot of tendonitis issues all throughout my body. It took the Western doctors a long time to diagnose me. It took about three years going to different doctors before they knew what was wrong.
It didn’t show in my blood; I didn’t have the RA factor, and my C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were normal. But it showed up on an X-ray.’”
The first and most common symptom of RA is pain in the hands/feet, usually in the joints that are closest to the palms. If you are experiencing such pain, and if that pain is symmetrical, you most likely suffer from rheumatoid arthritis or some variant.
Keep in mind that this is a complex auto-immune disease, and that it sometimes has terminal outcomes, because the pain can be unbearable. And just 1% of all patients experience spontaneous remissions. Conventional treatment methods involve toxic drugs, like prednisone, methotrexate and medications that interfere with tumor necrosis factor.
When she was diagnosed with RA, Sarah went to see a renowned rheumatologist in Milwaukee and he suggested her to stop running, because she had an increased risk of permanent disability, so he prescribed to her a low dose of methotrexate, which is might cause very serious side-effects.
Sarah analyzed her liver status every month, but her hair started falling three months after she started her therapy. That’s why she decided to see another rheumatologist and they told her to proceed using the medications, which will save up to 20 years of her life.
Sarah continues:
“I was really afraid of what that drug was going to do to my body. The physical therapist who recommended I get tested for RA said there was a lot I can do naturally. So I read a lot of books about rheumatoid arthritis and different alternative treatments.
I read there’s a possibility of it being connected with an infection, and that a low dose of antibiotics was being prescribed. I then came across one name in a book. I looked him up, found him in Chicago, and made an appointment.’”
The book she read was titles The Road Back: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cause and Treatment by Henry Scammell and doctor Thomas McPherson Brown.
Doctor Brown was a renown rheumatologist, who rejected the conventional treatment drug for RA – prednisone. He claimed that RA was due to mycoplasmas, so he treated this disease with antibiotic tetracycline instead. His work saved over 10,000 patients and put them in remission.
Doctor Mercola was motivated by Brown’s method, and he started applying protocol with small modifications. When he first met Sarah, he thought that disease may be caused by genetics because she was Irish-Scottish, and many of her relatives had autoimmune problems. Also he thought that she may be having wheat or gluten intolerance.
“He said I should eliminate that out of my diet as well as processed foods and sugar. He also did a metabolic typing. I did a very thorough questionnaire about how I metabolize food, about my energy levels, and about the stress in my life.
Along with my blood type, I was given a very special protocol of which foods would help me heal… I did a lot of vegetable juicing, which really helped me. I juiced probably 48 ounces a day of green juice.
I also ate a lot of organic grass-fed beef, ostrich, bison, free-range chicken and raw dairy. You even recommended raw eggs and raw egg yolks. Because I was in Wisconsin, I found an organic farm close to me. I got most of my meat, raw milk and my eggs from there. I bought all my fresh vegetables from local farmers markets. I got to know area farmers and learn about their farming practices.
I would buy a variety of vegetables and meats from them because I knew how they grew their food and raised their animals. I even used to meet the ostrich farmer in a parking lot across from the co-op where she used to sell her meats and buy it direct at a lower price.
I also incorporated a lot of probiotics in my diet, and increased my vitamin D levels. Instead of suppressing my immune system with drugs to control my disease, I was using food to redesign my immune system and make it as strong as possible.
Apart from diet, the other important issue he advised me to address was the level of stress in my life. At that time, I was a teacher, new and passionate about the field.
I worked very long hours, beyond what was healthy. Additionally, I dedicated several hours per week to triathlon training, and had some emotional stress in my life is well.
Dr. Mercola emphasized how stress and emotions impact immunity and now that I am studying Eastern medicine I have learned it is one of the primary causes of disease. I still question whether it was the amount of work and stress in my life which triggered the onset of my disease.
After I began seeing Dr. Mercola, I cut back on the amount I was working and doing, and made more time for rest and enjoyment. Dr. Mercola also taught me Emotional Freedom
Technique, a method of tapping along traditional energetic acupuncture meridians to help relieve emotional issues.
I began incorporating EFT into my daily life, which was a simple and time-effective method to help me better deal with everyday stress and anxiety.”
Moreover, he reminded Sarah about how important vitamin D is, because it has the ability to stimulate over 250 anti-microbial peptides that are strong than antibiotics in their ability to boost the immune function.
She noticed that her symptoms worsened in winter, and she felt better in summer. In the winter the exposure to the sun is the lowest, so it’s really important to optimize the levels of vitamin D.
In addition, she increased her intake of fermented foods and avoided consuming sugar, because it weakens the immune system and feeds the pathogens.
“I learned how to ferment my own vegetables and dairy products. I made my own kombucha, yogurt, cultured butters, milk kefir and coconut kefir.
It took almost two years to get my system in balance, but right away, I noticed a difference. In about two weeks my cravings for wheat, breads, and sugar diminished…
You did a live cell analysis before and after the diet. My live cell analysis showed I had leaky gut and digestive proteins in my bloodstream.
I came back three months after being very strict with the diet. I felt better; I’d lost about 10 pounds. I had so much more energy and felt lighter.
But when they did the live cell analysis and showed me on the screen that my blood cells were perfectly round, strong, and healthy — when I saw that my blood completely changed — that’s when I really believed that food was medicine…
I was able to resume my regular activities… I was able to return to racing. That year, after following your protocol for about a year, I actually won an entire triathlon…
So I went from being told I’d never run again to winning a race. Slowly, slowly the symptoms diminished. After two years of being very strict [with my diet], my symptoms went to complete remission, and they’ve stayed that way. It’s been over 10 years.
I still work out. Right now, I train Brazilian capoeira, which incorporates martial arts, dance, and acrobatics. I’m still able to do gymnastics.
I can still do back flips at age 43. I still run occasionally. I still swim and bike. I do yoga and cross-country skiing when I’m in the north. So, I’m very active and very healthy. In fact, I feel that by you helping me, it really extended my life. I feel much younger than my age.”
These strategies are very efficient for treating other autoimmune diseases too, like inflammatory bowel diseases and multiple sclerosis. This story should be your hope and inspiration because it proves that such diseases can be treated successfully without having to use toxic drugs. If you provide the body with everything it needs in optimal amounts it can heal itself.
Sarah says:
“If I would’ve just listened to the Western doctors, and stayed the course, where I would be today? I hate to imagine it. But even when I told the doctor [about my improvement], he almost acted disappointed or angry that I dared try that method.
He said he wanted me to stay on methotrexate, and he still didn’t believe in diet even though it worked for me. I went to another rheumatologist later just to check how I was doing.
She said, ‘That disease is going to come back in 10 to 12 years, and just explode in your body possibly.’ She recommended I also stay on the drugs even though I was completely symptom-free!’”
Although Sarah’s insurance company didn’t pay her test and treatments, and denied reimbursements to her expenses, she still proceeded in her journey. She spent over $2500, but in a couple of years, she was healthy, haven’t used toxic drugs, and didn’t need to see doctors anymore.
She explains:
“It was an investment. To buy the foods that I needed to buy, I had to spend a little bit more money. I also spent a lot of time in my kitchen (about 2 -3 hours/day), but it was definitely worth it. It really changed my life. I grew really close to food. I look at it as magic.
If you look at it from an Eastern perspective, our bodies are microcosms of the universe and our universe provides us with all that is necessary to heal.
There is energy or chi in food that builds and moves the energy and blood in our bodies to promote balance and health. Food is so powerful, I think it’s one of the most important gifts we have in life.”
In conclusion, conventional treatments for rheumatoid arthritis include harmful drugs that cause numerous unpleasant side-effects, but Doctor Mercola’s protocol offers incredible effects for treating autoimmune.
These are the nutritional principles of his protocol:
• Avoid consuming processed foods, reduce your sugar intake and opt for unprocessed and high-quality organic foods.
• Eat raw food as much as possible, and drink fresh juices.
• Consume more animal-based omega-3 fatty acids. Krill oil is the best source.
• Consume about 5 ounces of fermented veggies a day, which will provide sufficient beneficial bacteria.
• Optimize your levels of vitamin D, because it’s closely associated to the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Regularly exercise.
• You can take low-dose of Naltrexone (LDN) to alleviate the pain caused by RA.
• You can take four milligrams of astaxanthin a day to relieve the pain and prevent cataract and macular degeneration in people who have been placed on prednisone therapy.
Natural ways to relieve pain
These amazing pain relievers will help you a great deal to control the debilitating rheumatoid arthritis pain:
• Ginger has powerful pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Curcumin (turmeric) alleviates both chronic and acute pain, as a result of the powerful anti -inflammatory properties. It has the ability to inhibit inflammatory pathways that are associated with rheumatoid arthritis and treat the joint pain and swelling.
• Boswellin can efficiently alleviate arthritic inflammation as well as associated pain.
