Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is quickly becoming a more prevalent health concern, especially considering that the medications alone can leave you feeling absolutely sapped. So how do you protect your wellbeing against the damaging effects of RA in a natural way? We spoke to certified nutritional therapist Rachna Chhachhi about her unique method for reversing RA.
1. What is RA? According to Chhachhi, ‘Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an immune disorder, where your immune system works against you. Unlike other forms of arthritis caused by age and lack of adequate calcium, RA is your immune system’s response to things going wrong within your body. The smaller joints get affected first, then larger ones and slowly the organs of the body also get affected. It is not very uncommon for RA patients to develop heart and other organ related diseases as their immune system works towards destroying their bodily functions.’
2. So Where Does Nutrition Come In? ‘One of the major underlying causes of RA is an accumulation of nutritional deficiencies,’ Chhachhi explains. ‘Since RA is primarily an immune system disorder, if the immune system is strengthened with the help of nutrition, the symptoms of RA reduce drastically.’
3. So Which Foods Should Make Up Your Diet if You Have RA? Chhachhi notes, ‘Generally speaking, raw foods, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds should form 60 to70% of their diet. They should also switch to green tea instead of their regular tea and coffee. Most importantly they should eliminate foods like sugar, white flour, processed meats and cold drinks. These foods are extremely dangerous for patients with RA as they only aggravate the process of inflammation and destruction of their body’s defense mechanism.’
4. What Role does Yoga Play in Reversing RA? ‘Yoga and pranayama is great for people with RA,’ Chhachhi asserts. ‘The pain and stiffness that they feel is often excruciating and causes their joints to freeze making it difficult for them to move. Therefore, a combination of yoga and pranayama helps reduce these symptoms considerably. While, yoga keeps their joints supple and flexible, pranayama helps in the efficient release of toxins from the body, thereby reducing pain.’
5. Should You Avoid Drinking Alcohol if You Have RA? Chhachhi instructs, ‘A person with RA should have only red wine. Red wine is anti inflammatory agent that helps relieve the inflammation and the resveratrol in red wine helps reduce the pain that one experiences when they are suffering from RA. That being said, a patient should make sure that he/she does not drink more than two goblets (150ml per goblet) three to four times a week.’
6. Does Your Body Type Determine the Kind of Nutrition and Exercise Prescribed? ‘Yes, it is highly personalised,’ says Chhachhi. ‘When I meet a patient, I chart out a plan for him/her depending on their gender, age, blood reports, family history and personal history.’
7. What Schedule Does a Person with RA Generally Have to Follow? Chhachhi points out that the causes of RA ‘lead to inflammation inside the body, and the only way to reduce inflammation is to attack it with an anti inflammatory lifestyle. Hence, treatment cannot be restricted only to diet or one form of science. Some people think only Ayurveda treatment can cure RA but it’s not true. If you have RA, a specialised plan on the basis of your age, gender, blood reports and temperament is developed, that combats inflammation inside the body. This includes some anti inflammatory agents, mild yoga to keep the joints supple, pranayama to release toxins and stress, supplements to fulfill the nutritional deficiencies that caused the compromised immune system, long periods of rest and sleep as fatigue is very high, and an Ayurvedic massage schedule for 14 days to repair joint damage.’
