I am extremely scared to quit my medication cold turkey I have arthritis and my flare ups I think might return I take Enbrel and methotrexate...I hate taking them...anyone else out there who had any success or tips quitting meds....should I fast...etc. Thanks

Hi DRV, In Dr. Joel Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" book, his case studies indicate that he gradually weaned patiets off of medication. He didn't typically make them quite cold turkey.

I'm not sure what your diet consists of as you don't indicate. I know from personal experience, I experienced Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms a couple of years ago even though I wasn't eating any pork or animal by-products. Pork is notorious for causing RA and cancer. I was also parasite zapping on a regular basis. My diet was modified raw vegan which means that I ate some cooked. I had already excluded canola oil, soy, caffeine, sugar, chocolate, coffee, and non-herbal teas. However, I hadn't excluded wheat or gluten. It was only when I developed a rash on my knees that wouldn't go away with Neosporin, acne cream with sulfur, diomatceous earth, aloe vera, etc. that I became concerned that something was happening to my body that seemed outside of my control. I felt like my skin was crawling in that area and the little cysts would break and I had raw skin underneath like little rivers of blood. When the shower water hit my knees, the sting was painful. The rash was also spreading. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I thought that maybe I had contracted that disease where fibers come out of one's skin and since I don't go to the doctor, I was in a quandry.

I did internet research of various skin ailments and I came up with nothing. Then, a memory came to me. It was a memory of a Caucasian friend of mine suggesting that maybe I had Celiac's Disease. I had immediately denied it at the time because I didn't have the rash at that time. He had described a rash on his elbows. After the memory came to me, I looked up Celiac's Disease and there was my rash! I had to give up all gluten. The RA symptoms quickly diminished and have now disappeared.

With all that, if you haven't given up pork, that is the first place I would start. Give up cheese as most is cured with pork rennet, unless the label states veggie rennet. Give up most marshmallows and gelatin, including gel-caps (unless the label states veggies caps). Eliminate all gluten from your diet. This includes rye, wheat, barley, and possibly, oatmeal (most are contimated with gluten).

Once you have eliminated pork and gluten (if you have Celiac's or Candida), you can work on purifying your diet and transitioning to raw vegan. I would reduce the dosage rather than quitting your meds cold turkey. Once your diet is purer and you no longer need any medication, you can then do a 10 day water fast to remove the medications from your body.

In the meantime, you can juice cilantro and other greens to help boost your immunity and cleanse your blood.

Hope that helps. Therese

Thanks for the feedback!! I'm a partial raw vegan...I still eat cooked rice and beans occasionally..and sometimes salmon...I've tried weening , but the symptoms persist....thanks again...I'll try more green juices and avoid gluten...any other books to recommend???? Peace

From your symptoms, 101, it sounds like perhaps an outbreak of shingles (chicken pox virus that lays dormant for years). Although usually only hits people over 50, I worked with a woman, about age 35, who had a bad case on her torso, and have heard of teenagers who get it. A friend lost her eyesight in one eye---getting it around the face & ears is the most dangerous. According to the Mayo Clinic, in 4 out of 5 cases, the rash & pain symptoms go away in about 6-8 weeks on their own without medication; the fifth case is problematic.

While you're weaning off the meds, you can try this muscle relaxant to help deal with the pain. It's key to start out using it in 4-5 doses of 2 caps daily until you know it's working, then you can cut back. Once you've switched over, you can then address a real cure. For me, it was my thyroid & taking iodine resolved the inflammation. Turmeric is a recommended supplement for many as well.

(They all have almost perfect reviews.)

muscle relaxant: [www.amazon.com]

Turmeric:
[www.amazon.com]

Iodine (this was better than food-based iodine for me):
[www.amazon.com]

Simple Raw Recipes & Health Tips



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2013 01:37PM by GilmoreGirl.