I also wanted to thank you, as a newly diagnosed person, for such a comprehensive site, the information you posted on MTX got me off a “ledge”, I was so freaked out by looking up too much information that I went into a big tailspin one night. Also my best friend has been living with SLE for over 20 years, so I have heard of most of the meds I will be getting (mtx injections, plaquenil and sulfasalazine), but ….. sometimes I get the worst case scenarios from her. So again, thank you, thank you, thank you!

If I could give you a great site to share, there are some great free publications on it as well as other information, http://www.arthritis.ca . It’s good because like your site, there is alot of info all in one place, and they have a great great medication guide (35 page pdf file).

Furthermore, anything containing gluten in it should be avoided by RA sufferers. 95% of RA patients happen to be gluten intolerant. And eating this gluten is sometimes what triggered our RA to outbreak in the first place. Doing a simple DNA test for gluten sensitivity will show this. If you carry the gene you must stay away from gluten if you want to get better. Either that, or get some really good drugs that mask the symptoms.

On a final note, it has recently come to my attention that Omega 3s are actually counterproductive for those suffering from RA. RA patients are CATABOLIC (dysaerobic) – Too Many Fatty Acids: Inducing sustaining for – Insomia, Diarrhea, Oliguria, Bradycardia, Hypotension, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rapid Aging, MS, Gall Bladder Colic, Colitis, Crohn’s Psioriasis, CVD, Non-Solid Tumor Cancers.
Opposite of this is ANABOLIC (anaerobic) – Too Much Sterols: Inducing Sustaining for – Viruses, Bacteria, Chronic Fatigue, Sleep, Constipation, Polyuria, Tachycardia, Hypertension, Osteoarthritis, Lactic Acid, Seizures, Solid Tumor Cancers. Here they state the imbalances of these two: http://www.royalrife.com/hbal.html

So for patients suffering from osteoarthritis, Omega 3s like fish oil will benefit them. But if you are suffering from RA you want to steer clear!
You can also compare the two metabolic imbalances here: http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Education/pHBalance/Test_for_Metabolic_Imbalances/1

This is the real deal people. I’m just doing my best to educate my fellow friend in need. Please pass this info on.

One last article to leave you with the day:
http://metabolichealing.com/michael-s-blog/the-painful-truth-about-omega-3-fatty-acids/#PageComments_holder

Of the top antioxidant food sources known, are you aware that according to the USDA unprocessed cocoa tops the list, acai berry is number two and blueberry is number six?

Until recently, raw unprocessed chocolate has always been too bitter for most people to be able to eat but new technology blends unprocessed cocoa, acai and blueberry into healthy (low fat and low sugar) chocolate treats that taste pretty good.

It’s been wonderful for a couple friends of mine and my daughter. The anti-inflammatory properties of the antioxidants has helped them a lot. There are products that also include the Omega 3 fatty acids and probiotics.

I have intentionally not listed my Facebook pages nor my web site because (from past experience) I will simply appear to be trying to sell something and will upset somebody. If anyone really wants more information, you’re certainly free to email me but I get rather offended by those with rules about mentioning (leading toward) such Internet presence.

I read here that if anyone has something that might help to improve the quality of life for people with RA that you would be interested in a post. Well, there it was… if anyone takes it as something other than just trying to be helpful then so be it I guess.

Thoughts??