Reactive Arthritis: What I’ve tried

Hi all, I was diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis about 2 weeks after contracting Strep throat. I'm currently about 5 weeks in.

The M.D. sent me home with advice to rest and take Ibuprofen, and that's it. I had already begun a course of antibiotics from a walk-in clinic Dr. I'd seen previously.

Being a Naturopathic Dr. myself, I couldn't allow myself to wallow in misery and do nothing to help myself. I hauled out my old textbooks to see what course of action might be advised.

I knew that certain foods increased inflammation and immune reactivity. I decided to start off with an old-school water fast to help calm down the inflammatory cytokine activity.

I'm used to intermittent fasting for about 19 hours per day, which helps increase one's tolerance. It also helps to eat ketogenically for a couple of days beforehand to get your body accustomed to burning your fat instead of glucose.

First attempt, I managed 52 hours. 12 hours after eating, the pain came roaring back. I next managed a 5 1/2 day fast with some electrolytes ( potassium, magnesium, and sea salt) in water. My body hit a wall at that point, so I broke the fast for 2 days. the pain increased again, so I did one final fast. The idea is to fast until 1-2 days after resolution of symptoms. I made it another 5 1/2 days. That seems to be the maximum my body can tolerate, and I was feeling very weak. The electrolytes were no longer helping. Time to stop. My pain was considerably better and stayed so this time as I carefully reintroduced foods.

I researched the Autoimmune Paleo diet (AIP) to come up with a plan. I wanted to avoid any foods which were known to increase inflammation.

I also saw a traditional Chinese (TCM) doc, who checked me over and declared that my case was no longer very severe, but that I needed to build up my strength ( Kidney Qi in TCM language). Not really a surprise, considering all the fasting. I had lost about 20 lbs in 2 weeks. It really helped the inflammation, but it comes at a cost.

I began eating the following foods: homemade bone broth with some organic bouillon mixed in for flavor. Well-cooked broccoli, kale, cauliflower, asparagus, steamed sweet potatoes, cinnamon, turmeric, coconut oil. Canned health food store wild salmon. Fresh juices from beets, ginger, lemon, grapefruit together, or cucumber lemon kale ginger sometimes.

Aroy-D coconut milk in tetrapaks mixed with chia seeds and frozen wild blueberries.

Symptoms really improved and stabilized. I also added some chicken liver paté to help rebuild Qi, and raw walnuts.

I also got 3 home visits from an RMT who does myofascial work. Helped a lot. On the last visit he used a Dolphin Neurostim on my back and neck acupuncture points. Amazing!

I now only take ibuprofen at bedtime. I can walk around my neighborhood and do errands. If I eat inflammatory foods, I feel it.

I still feel more fatigue than usual. I try to take it easy. But I'm functional again. I feel pretty confident that I'll have this resolved in a couple of months rather than years.

If you're out there and suffering, perhaps this will give you some ideas.

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