And Now For An Inflammatory Post

Actually, I meant "anti-inflammatory". But whatever.

Surely I can't be the only one considering aching joints these days. If so, well then move right along. This post is not for you.

The following has to do with dietary practices to help reduce inflammation. Which should help alleviate soreness and joint stiffness. Which would help the (above-) average arthritis suffer to suffer less. Good idea, no?

The Arthritis Foundation puts out a magazine every couple of months that shares arthritis-related studies and research that may be helpful to its readership (that's me). This last installment featured several useful pieces of information, of which I will be sharing two or three with y'all. Good stuff.

Before I begin, let me just state that the information shared is based on scientifically conducted studies by scientists, who are not me, and I do paraphrase. If you'd like real references, please follow the links and then follow those links. You will see the words "may" and "might" because these people are cautious and also because they want to cover their hienders against lawsuits.

Also, please understand that I'm not recommending the replacement of medicines, only the addition of good dietary habits. They can work in tandem. (I would never stop taking my meds. They make me feel good, why would I do that?!)

Now, on to the helpful interesting stuff:

• An apple a day really is good for you. See here:

"Apples also may help fight inflammation. They lower levels of CRP – a marker of inflammation that can spike during a rheumatoid arthritis flare – according to a review of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a government database. And you don’t even have to take the time to slice an apple: Along with those who ate apples, people who ate applesauce or drank apple juice tended to have lower blood pressure and a smaller waistline than those who didn’t consume apples."

• Higher amounts of fiber = better for you:

"Fiber is good for the heart, may prevent some cancers and now appears to lower C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation found in the blood. A high CRP level signals general inflammation and could indicate anything from an infection to rheumatoid arthritis to heart disease."

Also, the tested amount of fiber was 27-28gm/day. Just so you know. Side note: there are many things that amaze and delight me about my mom. One of them happens to be that she is the Fiber Queen. She includes more fiber in her diet (30g for breakfast) than anyone I know. She is Awesome. And she doesn't have arthritis. Coincidence?

• Probiotics = happy digestion. Probiotics being the good bacteria in your digestive tract. Not really inflammatory-related but interesting, nonetheless. I'm always interested in keeping my GI tract happy and healthy.
  

• Green tea: a natural medication? Inquiring minds are working on this one. It looks like including green tea in the diet may help to reduce the effects of RA. How nice would that be? Very. I know how my biologic drugs have helped, which is to say SO MUCH. Having a natural addition to that may very well put me into running marathons. You never know. (Actually I do know -I hate running, even before RA.) Maybe I could do a bike race with Burton. We shall see.

What about the WoW, you may ask? To that I say, indeed. I follow the word of wisdom and I also want to take care of my body. If green tea will improve my body's ability to function, then I will drink it. Methotrexate is a drug used for abortion -I have no qualms taking it. If you have a compelling argument to the contrary please let me know. (I'm not saying it's impossible, I just haven't thought of one I would accept.)

Okay. Now what I want to know is, how soon can I expect to see the benefits of my good habits?. I ate a FiberOne bar for breakfast washed it down w/ a DanActive drinkable yogurt. Then I had a cup of green tea (which tastes like essence of grass -eww). I will be eating two small gala apples with my lunch.

So. I should be running circles around Grace by dinner. Right, guys? Guys?