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You are here: Home / Archives for Autoimmune Diseases / Psoriasis

Patients Feel Better with Functional Medicine Treatment of Arthritis

November 6, 2020 by Dr Kar

A study recently reported from the Cleveland Clinic in the USA looked at people living with rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritides are chronic inflammatory autoimmune conditions that affect multiple body systems and cause considerable joint pain and low quality of life.

Both these autoimmune conditions do not have a cure at present. Though the recent addition of several DMARDs (Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs) has given hope to many, not everyone achieves long-term remission.

Moreover, these newer medications can cost a lot of money out of your pocket. In many countries like India, insurance doesn’t cover the cost of medicines used outside the hospital.

Going back to the study, it included about a hundred people, mostly women, in the sixth decade of life, who were under Rheumatologists’ care. They had either rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis. All of them received the standard of care as recommended by the American College of Rheumatology.

One group of people was under the standard of care, and the other self-selected group was under a Functional Medicine model of care, in addition to guideline-based care.

What did they find?

At the end of 12 weeks, people who used the Functional Medicine model experienced improvements in several parameters compared to those under regular care. 

What were the areas of improvement?

People using the Functional Medicine Model experienced:

  • Less pain
  • Better mental wellbeing
  • Better physical health

What did the people in the Functional Medicine group do?

In Functional Medicine, we use food as the first line of therapy. People in this group were encouraged to follow an anti-inflammatory elimination diet. 

1) What did they eat?

  • Nutrient-dense “real food” and not food that comes from a factory.
  • Good fat like avocados, nuts.
  • Fish rich in omega 3s.
  • Fresh, brightly coloured vegetables rich in phytonutrients (beneficial plants chemicals)

2) What did they avoid eating?

They did not eat gluten, sugar, processed food, dairy.

3) What supplements did they take?

They took supplements based on their advanced laboratory reports. Most commonly, they took supplemental vitamin D3 and Omega 3 fatty acids.

4) What else did they do differently when compared to the standard of care?

They had a team of providers supporting them. Their care teams included a physician or advanced practitioner, registered dietitian and health coach as part of the initial visit and ongoing support. Making lifestyle changes can be challenging at times. Therefore, continued support is crucial in achieving and maintaining good results.

5) How many of them were on medications?

Of the 109 people in the study, 54 people were in the Functional Medicine group and 55 in the standard of care group.

Thirteen people in the Functional Medicine group did not use any medicines because they were not keen to use DMARDs as initial therapy. 

All 55 people in the standard of care group were on medications.

Interestingly, disease activity scores were similar, despite the differences in treatment. This means that people who did not take DMARDs were not necessarily worse off.  (1) Ref

Bottom line: What does this mean for you?

  • Though Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic arthritis are both chronic long-term painful conditions, it IS possible to get into remission!
  • Lower levels of inflammation, being a non-smoker (includes passive smoking), negative rheumatoid antibodies status, no obesity, and sleeping well are important factors.
  • Early treatment of RA or PsA can help you achieve remission. Your success is decided by your personal goals and how well you can implement the recommended changes.
  • While many of you would prefer a more “natural” approach, for some of you, it may include adding prescription drugs, perhaps at lower doses or if you do not respond adequately to a well-formulated Functional Medicine program.
  • A functional medicine model’s success is dependant to a great extent on the type and duration of support available to you. 

Other articles:

Food and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Psoriasis Treatment: Does your lifestyle matter?

References[+]

References
↑1 Ref

Filed Under: Autoimmune Diseases, Psoriasis, Rheumatoid Arthritis

Psoriasis Treatment: Does Your Lifestyle Matter?

Psoriasis Treatment: Does Your Lifestyle Matter?

March 13, 2020 by Dr Kar

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition of the skin, which results from a faster skin-cell cycle. The extra skin cells build up as red patches and scales, which may sometimes bleed or itch.

Psoriasis is not contagious. This means you cannot get psoriasis from being in close contact with person with psoriasis or from coming in contact with his/her clothes or other personal articles.

Like all autoimmune conditions, psoriasis occurs because of an interaction between genes (more than 80 susceptibility genes (1) Ref have been identified) and the immune system, triggered by different environmental factors in association with gut barrier dysfunction.

What is lifestyle?

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, lifestyle is someone’s way of living; the things that a person or a particular group of people usually do.

In this post I will consider the acronym SEMM under “lifestyle”:

  • S-Sleep
  • E-Eat (Food, drink)
  • M-Movement/Exercise
  • M-Mind-body Interventions
[Read more…]

References[+]

References
↑1 Ref

Filed Under: Autoimmune Diseases, Non-celiac Gluten Sensitivity, Psoriasis Tagged With: MBSR, Psoriasis, stress management, Weight Loss

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