My rheumatologist is very conventional and refused to consider reducing my meds even though I was in remission within a short time. She said I would be on the maximum dose of MTX forever. I asked her about LDN (Low Dose Naltrexone) which is used by many people with various diseases, with good results, and no side-effects. She said ‘no’.

My symptoms had vanished and I felt good, so I began my research into RA, the meds, rehabilitation, natural remedies, supplements, diet, and anything that seemed like it might help. With the Internet it is so easy to research everything and I spent a big part of each day doing just that. I learned that dairy is often a culprit in many diseases, so that had to go. Somewhere else I read that RA is called ‘the cooked food disease’, so in June 2010 I changed my diet to raw vegan. My eye doctor said that 5000 mg. of Omega 3 per day is very helpful in RA, so I added that. Ayurveda says that castor oil is the only thing which will pull out the toxins that contribute to RA, so I followed their guideline and took one teaspoon in juice every day for three weeks. Then take a break of a few weeks and repeat as often as needed. Another holistic site said what I already believe, that all diseases are curable. But a cure requires us to supply the body with tons of nutrient-rich foods, mostly raw greens in a smoothie to make them readily available. Organic foods are grown in a vastly superior environment and as a result they have more nutrients. So I am organic.

Exercise is important but the kind of exercise is crucial. Rebounding (jumping on a mini trampoline) is the best because the three forces of gravity, acceleration, and deceleration flush the lymphatic system of toxins. Other exercises cannot do that.

From my own personal experience, I noticed that the diet-digestion-assimilation-elimination process is fundamental. Most of us have been eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) and are now paying the price. So I spruced up everything I could in that department, and it is a work in progress.

This post is already long so I will stop here and simply say that today I am med-free and pain-free. My rheumatologist is delighted, which is not what I expected. In fact she actually said ‘your diet did this for you’. I did all this behind her back when I began to get some bad side-effects from the drugs. I do not recommend defying your doctor! It was my choice. I thought it would work because I’d been on a superior diet for 5 months and was already in remission… and it did.

I am not calling this a cure… yet. I continue to stick to my raw vegan diet and take good supplements. Maybe my research will help someone else cope with RA. By the way, I am 67 years old, at a time in life when we don’t usually have as much energy to heal conditions, and I have more vitality now than I did in my 30s.