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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Is rheumatoid arthritis hereditary and am I displaying symptoms?

    Related Topics
    Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Neurology Rheumatoid Arthritis
    My mother and uncle have rheumatoid arthritis, what are the odds of me getting it as well? I have Carpal Tunnel in both hands, have had my left hand operated on twice, second time was to release the tendon.
    Both of my hands, fingers and joints ache pretty much all the time.
    When I do the gardening my hands and arms ache so bad that I can barely do anything for the rest of that day and usually takes 4-5 days before they get back to the normal everyday ache.
    When I'm cooking I can only stir for a few minutes before it starts hurting and writing if I use a regular sized pen or pencil my hands hurt.
    When I go to bed I wear the carpal tunnel braces otherwise I end up with pins & needles and more pain. I also have a number of different size/shape braces during the day.
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    Dr Adam Gavine

    Chiropractor

    I am a chiropractor who specialises in Active Release Techniques and instrument assisted soft-tissue treatment. I have a keen interest in everything nutritional as I … View Profile

    Sounds to me like you body is pro-inflammatory. It is important that you consult your GP and get tested to see if there is any pathology involved.

    Hopefully there is not and your body is just to pro-inflammatory. So the key is to work on getting your body more anti-inflammatory naturally.

    The best and cheapest approach is nutrition, we all have to eat, so might as well get your medicine from good food. In all likelihood your condition is the result of putting bad foods in your body. We all think we have good diets, I used to as well, but the fact is most of us consume many harmful foods for our bodies.

    The main culprit in systemic inflammation is usually gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, and millet. Assuming you are not gluten free, this is the best place to start. Most people have a hard time giving up gluten because gluten is in most things that we eat in our standard Western diets. What we aren't told is that gluten is harmful to our bodies - some people more than others (coeliac disease), however, we all get problems from consuming gluten. 

    The second dietary pro-inflammatory food is dairy. Usually I get people to at least decrease their dairy intake before they get rid of it. Dairy sources other than from cow's are marginally better but still result in a net pro-inflammatory affect because it make our body's pH more acidic which is pro-inflammatory.

    The third pro-inflammatory food are nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant)

    Fish oil (Omega-3 fatty acids) are anti-inflammatory, try taking 2g per day. Minimize your intake of Omega-6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory.

    Hope this helps

    Dr Adam Gavine

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    Missmum

    HealthShare Member

    Dr Adam Gavin

    Thank you for you're response, I haven't yet been tested for Gluten & Lactose intolerance but know that when I have either I'm sick, so I try to use all Gluten free & Lactose free foods & drinks.

    Michelle

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    Dr Simon Easterbrook-Smith

    Health Professional

    My research interests include immunology and the mechanisms of amyloid formation. The latter has implications for people who are dealing with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease … View Profile

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an auto-immune disease.

    What that means is that while usually your immune system recognises and gets rid of pathogens (bacteria, viruses, etc, (a good thing)) sometimes it “makes a mistake” and, in the specific context of RA, attacks normal joint tissue (not a good thing).

    The best-known genetic risk factor for RA is inheriting a gene called HLA-DR4.

    These links might help you:

    http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/ra.asp

    http://www.rheumatology.org/practice/clinical/patients/diseases_and_conditions/heredity.asp

    They are both fairly technical so if there is anything in them that you are unsure of, please discuss it with your care team.

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