First of all do you test positive for RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)? I was diagnosed with Sero Negative Rheumatoid Athirst, which means you do not test positive, but have most of the symptoms. I took meds for about Fifteen months before getting my Sed Rate and C -Reactive Protein back to normal and then starting weaning myself off the meds. Peroxicam, Sulfasalazine and Methotrexate plus Folic Acid in this order.

For the first 6 months after being diagnosed I went on a really strict diet. No coffee, alcohol, wheat, sugar, flour, soy, cow, gluten, mushrooms and no nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, egg plant). Generally anything someone can be allergic to. I have never had allergies, but I saw a Naturopath who thought this would be the best way to start. I also did 2 colonic treatments, the Maker’s Diet by Jordan Ruben and lots of Epsom Salt Baths with Baking Soda and foot massages.

I started every morning with a half a lemon squeezed into a cup of hot water with organic Tumeric - you get used to the taste. Regularly I add a tablespoon of Organic unsulphured Molasses to the lemon drink for calcium, potassium and iron. The Turmeric is great for inflammation and so are cucumbers. I still do this first thing in the morning. The lemon is very alkaline to the body, which you want to eat foods that are more Alkaline than Acid - two books available from Amazon The PH Miracle and the Acid - Alkaline food guide.

Basically America eats wrong. I am not strict about eating any more, just cautious. I basically ate veggies and raw almond butter, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sprouted bread or brown rice, home made chicken and brown rice soup, lots of salads and avocados, rice cakes and buck wheat pancakes and as much organic as possible. I lost about 10 pounds and felt great. Losing the weight was good for my knees, which is where my problems started. My left knee felt swollen and hot in one spot. I would use knee braces, to keep going. Then the stiffness started migrating to my left foot, then right foot and knee, right elbow and ended in my right wrist. I also got TMJ during this time, which I had never had. TMJ is like arthritis in the aspect of they do not know what causes or what cures it. It’s gone now too.

A year after being on the meds I started Nutritional Response Testing, which again is used a lot for people with allergies (it’s hard to explain - so I just call it short of Voo - Doo), but it works! Yoga was a steady exercise to keep moving (twice a week) I could hardly do it when I started, but I modified moves and kept going and really started to limber up. After about 2 months of NRT I got my blood test back to normal and eight months later I was med free. I still continue with the Whole food vitamins from the Nutritional Response Testing. The vitamins are called Standard Process and are only made of real food and no fillers. In April 09 I started taking Blue Green Algae and Rich’s Pure MSM daily and that really made a huge difference in my stiffness and overall healing.

I continue to have some issues with my wrist, but I use it all the time and some with my elbow. I just started Yoga again and actually I see I have greatly improved in the flexibility of my wrist. My knees are doing well and I walk and ride my bike all the time. My ankles are pretty good too. Some of my toes are stiffer than others and my thumb on the right. All and All I am back to my old self - hiking.

I am now taping my wrist with Kinesis tape prescribed by an amazing Physical Therapist, Jillene Lund. In hind site I think if I would have seen a Physical Therapist much earlier I’d realized the amazing knowledge a therapist has of joints and corrective exercises. Perhaps all things must come together to become whole again at the right times. I also see a Chiropractor who adjusts my knee, elbow and wrist. I think that because of the stiffness / inflammation your joints settle into incorrect patterns.

So save your self a lot of grief and money by getting the right vitamins - find someone who works with Standard Process Vitamins. Most of the over the counter vitamins are low - low quality! If you cannot find them contact Brenda Duzan RN 253 576 8278

Re Cap: Try not to wait until you are so disabled like I was to start cleansing. Change your diet; get some MSM and Blue Green Algae. Do Nutritional Response Testing. My insurance did not cover this, but if you consider the long term scenario - you can stay on the meds keep seeing a Rheumatologist, stay on the meds forever, which compound other illnesses and cost you more money and your life. If you are not crippled by the RA the medication side affects will kill you.

Major Stress starts Nov 06

• June 07 Symptoms
• Nov 07 I can hardly get up and down the stairs and can barely walk ¼ mile, Diagnosed with SNRA. I start taking 3 medications Peroxicam, Sulfasalazine and Methotrexate plus Folic Acid
• Nov 08 Nutritional Response Testing
• Jan 09 Blood Test Normal - Beginning testing was Sed Rate 73 C- Reactive 3.1 both were 3 times the normal. I start weaning myself off the meds in the order I started taking them
• March 09 Prayed over at Church by the Congregation. (Missionary Terry Perritti)
• Aug 09 off all Prescription Meds completely
• Continue Standard Process vitamins especially Vitamins D & C
• Continue Blue Green Algae & MSM and Lemon Juice with Tumeric daily
• Pure MSM by Rich’s I get it at the health Food Store (Make sure this is the PURE)
• Blue Green Algae - Elements for Life Inc www.noblelifeelements.com
• I also take Organic Hemp Seed a tablespoon a day and a package of Emergen-C 1000 Mg
• I get the Hemp Seed at the Health Food Store - but Emergen C - you get at Fred Meyer, Wal-Mart, Trader Joe’s (cheapest) sometimes Costco.

You could try Blue Green Algae & MSM with the Lemon Juice and Organic Turmeric, diet change, yoga and a physical therapist for 3 - 6 months to see how it works. I definitely recommend alternative options! Do not ignore things that are different after your better. The RA could have changed your joints and you need to correct the alignment of those joints or the problems will worsen with age and time.

Please feel free to contact me at anytime - Tanna Osterhaus,

PS- I wish I could have found something positive and natural of Testimonies when I was sick. If anyone else has a testimony they can share please email it and I will post it as well. What works for one may not work for another, but keep trying!!!!! I cannot tell you how thankful I am to God and everyone who prayed for my healing and to feel normal again.

Easy start up: If you are not close to a major city

MSM 100 mg	$10.00	Rich’s Pure MSM
Blue Green Algae	$30.00	Freeze Dried from Klamath Lake in Oregon
Shipping & handling	10.00
	______
	$50.00	Total --Visa or Master Card Only
		Email your name, address and phone number and best time to reach you

Diet Change: Start slow if you need to!

1. Stop eating all Wheat - Brown or White bread is wheat - substitute brown rice crackers and rice cakes or brown rice bread and gluten free. Some things can be really dry so toast it and add raw crunchy Almond Butter (available at Fred Meyer cheapest at Trader Joe’s)
2. Try to eat Organic Chicken or Turkey - skip the beef and pork and eat small amounts
   Nothing processed - since it is laced with words you cannot pronounce.
3. Veggies & Fruit, Nuts & Beans lots - (These are the most Alkaline foods - try to get Organic) Asparagus * Black Berries * Raspberries * Cantaloupe * Lentils * Chestnuts * Lemon * Lime * Mandarin Oranges * Tangerines * Collard Greens * Horse Radish * Endive * Honeydew * Kiwi * Mango * Papayas * Watermelon * Persimmons * Pineapples * Ginger Root * Parsley * Kale * Kelp * Kohlrabi * Collard Greens * Mustard Greens * Lotus Root * Pumpkin Seeds * Onions * Parsnips * Sweet Potatoes * Radishes * Rutabagas * Sea Salt * Winter Squash * Strawberries * Celery * Burdock Root * Parsnips * Yams * Garlic
   PS Garlic * Onions * Fresh Ginger Root & Turmeric are great for inflammation - make scrambled eggs with the above
   http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/acidalkfoods.html
   http://www.trans4mind.com/nutrition/pH.html understand PH
   http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html
   http://www.betterbones.com/alkalinebalance/alkalineformingfoods.aspx
   Get the book The Acid - Alkaline Food Guide you’ll be shocked at what you should be eating more of and way less of.
4. Avoid cow cheese - Eat goat cheese for a treat. Surprisingly a lot of it tastes great. Feta can be cow - so read the label.
5. Avoid Fast food & Pizza & All sweets - eat Almonds if you need a treat - the craving will disappear as you start weaning off
6. I avoided Soy & Corn and Canola Oil and anything Hydrogenated or has more than 10 ingredients on the label or words that look unfamiliar
7. Here is your encouragement - just get started - you won’t know until you try!
   You can start eating foods in moderation after you are better and realize what’s acidic.
   
   This has really help my skin (someone recently told me I looked 16 again) - my hair stopped turning gray, my sugar issues, sleepless nights, night sweats, energy and joints and I had a really dark liver spot on the side of my eye as big as a dime and it is so faint you wouldn't see it unless I told you to look. This is just to name a few - I really do not know what other organs it has help to heal internally!

Our bodies are designed to heal - believe in Yourself!