Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that can be very painful.
I worked with clients with rheumatoid arthritis for years, and I noticed that every patient I saw with an autoimmune condition had preexisting issues with their gut.
In my opinion, there is a significant connection between rheumatoid arthritis and a faculty gut microbiome. Genetics also plays a role, but it’s also possible for mothers to pass on microbial communities to their children.
I mentioned before that I have a collection of old medical books. I have a British Medical Journal from the 1930s that includes a chapter on rheumatoid arthritis. The author recommends that “in all cases, look for the hidden infection.” I think they may have been smarter back then than we are now.
If you intervene earlier, before the structural joint abnormalities develop, it’s possible to stop rheumatoid arthritis in its tracks. You can reduce the pain very significantly. The gut has to be in a good place to reduce the inflammatory mediators that play such a big role in autoimmune conditions.
Further readings:
- The Connection Between Your Mood And Your Microbiome
- Why You Need To Fix Your Gut To Lose Weight
- What Is The Connection Between SIBO And GERD?
- Is Your Immune System Holding You Back?
The gut is the seat of immune dysfunction because much of the immune system is located in a part of the small bowel. In fact, I think it’s the first three inches of the small bowel that contains about 60% of the body’s entire immune defense system.
When people eat an unhealthy diet, drink too much alcohol, take drugs, don’t sleep enough, and live a highly stressful lifestyle, their gut will suffer. When the gut suffers, so does the immune system.
But what if you have an exemplary diet and you’ve got rheumatoid arthritis? How do you get rid of it now?
The key starting point, and I can’t emphasize this enough, is to get a three sample comprehensive stool analysis, so you know exactly what’s going on with your microbiome. It’s essential to cleanse the gut of harmful bacteria. Get rid of the Citrobacter overgrowth and the yeast overgrowth.
If you have no choice but to take pharmaceutical medications, make sure you don’t take more than prescribed. Steroids, disease-modifying drugs, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can themselves have negative side effects, including on the gut. But, remember, don’t ever feel bad about taking medication to improve the quality of your life.
If you work on getting the gut healthy by eating the right foods, taking a few supplements to take the microbiome back in balance, and living a healthy lifestyle, you’ve made a huge step towards improving your rheumatoid arthritis. Digestive enzymes and probiotics are also crucial for improving the gut in the hopes of mitigating the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
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