The Curious Case of My Mom's Health

My mother has been suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis since her early 40′s. The cause of this disease is not totally known. Some people would say it’s because when the hands or feet are tired and you wash them up, you’d surely get RA in the future. I would like to believe it to be an old wives’ tale because it doesn’t have a scientific explanation.

I really pitied my mom because I saw how she suffered. She used to sew dresses for me… but now she couldn’t because the moment she starts putting her hand on the sewing machine, she would start to feel the pain. And she became very grumpy and grouchy everytime she felt the pain. To me, she was never the same again. I didn’t know that arthritis could indeed affect people emotionally, mentally and physically.

What really is Rheumatoid Arthritis? As researcher as I was, I turned to the internet to see more about it the moment my mom was diagnosed of this kind of disease. And according to wikipedia.org, is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing a inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, pericardium, pleura, and sclera, and also nodular lesions, most common in subcutaneous tissue under the skin. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, autoimmunity plays a pivotal role in its chronicity and progression.

My mom was prescribed some medicine like Celebrex, Prednisone, and Plaquenil… but after years of taking these medicine, we realized she’s still suffering from RA. We almost blamed her doctor for giving her wrong medicine. There were in fact some side effects which truly disappointed us. Her kidney was, in fact, affected. Now she’s got complications not only she’s suffering from RA… she’s got problem in her kidney as well. But actually, as I have searched further, there is really no known treatment that can cure this disease. There are of course some treatment that can alleviate symptoms and/or modify the disease process.

Now everytime I see ads for these treatment (like Enbrel, Arencia, Humira, and Remicade), I become very cynical. They only talk about the benefits. They never mention any side effects! And it truly hurt people. People would see the ads, buy the medicine thinking it could alleviate the pain… but at the end of the day, people suffer more because of its side effects. I just wish there is a regulation for all the ads to say the benefits and at the same time, the side effects so that people are warned before using the treatment.

Actually we have tried some herbal medicine for her. And it truly worked! Nature’s way is a lot better compared to the synthetic ones. Now everytime my mother feels the pain, she would staright away go for the herbal medicine. What are the herbs that can treat RA? There are just sooo many. In fact, you can even find them in your garden. My parents love gardening and my dad would plant some herbs in the garden. So now they’re using them to treat not only RA but other diseases as well.

We have angelica in the garden. Angelica is an herb that has been used in European folk medicine since antiquity. It can be used to treat arthritis. The Western variety of angelica has 12 anti-inflammatory constituents, ten antispasmodic (muscle relaxant) constituents, and five anodyne (pain-relieving) ones. The Chinese sometimes use their native variety of the plant (Angelica sinensis) for the same purpose. The Chinese species is sold in North America under the names dang gui or dong quai.

How to prepare it? Place 1 tablespoon of the cut roots of either species of angelica in 1 pint of water and bring to a boil. Cover and boil for two minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until the water cools to room temperature. Strain and drink the tea in 3 doses during the day for two to three weeks at a time. Then, take a break for seven to ten days and start the treatment again if desired.

Now we don’t need to spend a lot to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis. We go the nature’s way. We can be sure of its effectivity… with ZERO side effects!