Hope you’re doing well. We’ve dug out from the big snow storm here in Pennsylvania and wish you a warm week. Let’s discuss another common question we receive.

Q: “How do I stop a flare?” has come from many locations including Bartlett, IL; Arima, Trinidad; Canova, SD; Clemmons, NC; Kaplan, IA, Mississauga, ON, Canada; Gloucester, ON, Canada

Answer: The easiest way that I’ve found to stop a flare uses these six basic steps:

First, it’s important to figure out what is triggering your flare. This first step can be a real challenge. Now, I like to think of it as a game of clue.

First, I ask myself what did I recently change? Any new foods? Any new furniture, rugs, cleaning solutions, any infections? Where did the pain start—where is it most intense? Recently, it took me several days to figure out that the “all natural, nail treatment that was rubbed on “without any chemicals” triggered a flare. It took a couple days because it never occurred to me that the “all natural treatment of 1 nail” could cause such agony.

As I went to bed the second night, I asked my subconscious mind to figure out what was the problem. Within an hour, I remembered about the nail treatment—used an emery board to remove any residue, and by morning, all the efforts for stopping a flare were working. I thank God for these small blessings.

Second, support your body nutritionally to help it resolve the issue. Throughout this process, I supported my body nutritionally—lots of organic fresh vegetables and fruits. I ate plenty of foods with essential fats, like salmon, sardines, walnuts and ground flax. In addition, I took several food based supplements including cod liver oil for omega 3 oil and vitamin D.

Third, remove the substance or infection that began the flare as soon as possible. For example, moving any new furniture or items outside to air can help decipher what is causing the flare. I add extra garlic to my salads. Garlic is known to help kill or suppress the growth of disease causing bacteria, viruses or fungi.

Fourth, help your body to continue to eliminate the trigger. I increased my level of detoxification to help my body get rid of it. Now, every day my shower includes a ¼ cup of Epsom salts in the water at the bottom of the tub. I also usually take 500 mg NAC (n-acetyl cysteine) which is a precursor for glutathione, one of the major molecules that help remove toxins.

Fifth, continue to encourage your body to heal. I also ask my subconscious brain to help me learn whatever She’s trying to teach me as soon as possible. After all, I now view RA as a teacher. As I’ve learned its lessons, I shed its painful grip.

Sixth: exercise to help refresh all the fluids in the joints. While I prefer walking and fast walking for a quarter mile twice a day as well as callanetics daily, any type of exercise that you enjoy helps refresh your joint fluids.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Kathy

www.Rheumatoid-Arthritis-Decisions.com

P.S. The first one hour telephone seminar on 11 nutrients important for joint and bone health is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 23 at noon.

P.P.S. 60 second commercial: Kathy is available for consulting with you or your loved ones on your case of rheumatoid arthritis as a health coach.