Medication prescribed for my Auto-Immune disease

I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease a few years ago. Getting to the point where I received that diagnosis took about three years. I was poked, prodded, and referred to this doctor, and specialist tests were completed the entire time I was prescribed medications to mask the symptoms. I was prescribed a few different pills, and I refused to take them since they only hid the issue upon reading about the prescribed drugs. They also came with side effects I did not want to deal with. However, I took some topical creams/ointments, desperate to find relief from the non-stop itching!

Prescribed medication made my flare-ups worse!

But, I soon stopped taking those also because although some initially provided relief, they seemed to intensify when I was experiencing flare-ups. I began to suspect that these prescribed treatments were making the flare-ups intensify. These flare-ups were extremely painful, and although I have a high pain threshold, it took me to levels of pain that I’d never experienced before. It took all my willpower to focus on the pain when it hit, ride those pain waves, and concentrate on getting through them while remaining civil towards others. It was rough, and I can remember thinking that the pain would stop if I did not exist anymore; since that was not an option, I continued to search for ways to get past that pain. It worked since no one knew that I was going through that much pain unless I told them. So not only did I look like nothing was wrong with me, a characteristic of auto-immune diseases, but I also made sure people weren’t aware of how it affected me.

After further investigation, I discovered that others referred to what I was experiencing as flare-ups, and the pain that I described as bone-deep or “deep-rooted” was also a description made by others with similar issues. Initially, I thought the cause of my suffering was environmental and set about adding air purifiers into the home. Cleaning products weren’t the issue since I already used natural products within the home. However, after investing in the air purifiers and still having reactions/flare-ups, I turned to what I was eating.

I was already eating healthy but eliminated additional produce that triggered flare-ups.

I’ve been following a whole foods lifestyle for 30+ years. I eat whole and minimally processed foods. I noticed that my flare-ups became worse, depending on what types of whole foods I ate, so even though they were healthy, some foods I later identified as high oxalate foods would trigger the itching. I’ve learned to avoid those foods. Admittedly, it was a bit frustrating since some of the foods that I love, like tomatoes and kale, would cause my flares; however, the intense pain associated with those flare-ups, I chose to avoid the foods after learning what caused the flare-ups, a bit easier.

As mentioned, I was eating whole foods, with very minimally processed foods. I preferred savory, so I did not consume a lot of sugar. However, I did notice a reaction when consuming sugar, so I eliminated that from my diet. I continued to get flare-ups and dialed that back even more by avoiding foods high in oxalates. In addition, I’ve been only juicing with produce recommended for those suffering from an auto-immune disease.

Flare-ups are still occurring; however, diminishing

The good news is that although I’m still getting the flare-ups, the intensity is not as strong. I experienced that this morning, around 1:30 a.m. The itching was so intense it awakened me, and I did what I usually do during that time: use the restroom and ride it out. That has become my new norm in dealing with flare-ups related to my auto-immune disease and topical steroid withdrawal.

I’m thrilled that modifying what I eat even more is helping. The only other thing I’m doing differently is actively juicing. Since juicing is powerful, since you’re expressing the produce essences and consuming them with very little fiber, I see first-hand results and relief from some of the debilitating symptoms associated with auto-immune/topical steroid withdrawal flare-ups.

 

 

I’ve been juicing for over 20 years; recently, I upgraded my “fast juicer” to the Nama J2 Cold pressed juicer. I made the switch from the Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL Juicer. What I love about the Nama J2 juicer is that I can fill the hopper with a lot of produce and walk away if I want. I sometimes do; however, I usually don’t. But… the juicer now means I’m not constantly feeding every piece into the hopper. I also have the Tribest Greenstar GS-P502-B Pro Jumbo Slow Masticating Juicer, which I’ll still use for my greens and herbs, but I’ll use the Nama J2 for everything else.