tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post1729234055247721072..comments2023-09-26T04:33:42.206-07:00Comments on Sitting Knitting: The Sleep CureGrandma Annhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01489523959321155220noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3363730087661467442.post-68941582338157093612008-01-19T22:09:00.000-08:002008-01-19T22:09:00.000-08:00That's very interesting.When I last saw my rheumat...That's very interesting.<BR/><BR/>When I last saw my rheumatologist, and he found out that I had not taken methotrexate in 6 weeks, and he found that my arthritis symptoms were as mild as when I was taking methotrexate, he asked me what I had done.<BR/><BR/>I said that I had severely cut down my activities outside of the bare minimum (get Iris to school, go to work, eat dinner, go to bed). <BR/><BR/>I walked 10-15 minutes 3 times a day, stretched a bit in the mornings and evenings, and then went to bed early. <BR/><BR/>The house could be a mess, but I ignored it. I didn't make the mess so it was not my problem. I slept 8-10 hours each night. <BR/><BR/>On weekends, I cooked large batches of healthy foods with mostly organic ingredients and reheated them for lunch and dinner on weekdays.<BR/><BR/>He said, "Congratulations, you rediscovered the 10-day rheumatoid arthritis cure." He elaborated that doctors used to hospitalize rheum. arth. patients for 10 days. Patients rested whenever they weren't in physical therapy. Healthy meals were brought to them. They got well and were sent home.<BR/><BR/>Insurance companies stopped paying for this treatment when it was discovered that, after 12 months, the group who got this "cure" were no better than the the group that didn't. I said that was to be expected if you sent the patients back to the lifestyles that were making them ill.<BR/><BR/>He didn't even mention this "cure" to me. He put me on a chemotherapy agent instead. When I couldn't hold it down, he upped the folic acid supplement dose (which ups the colon cancer risk). When the acid reflux was giving me pain and exacerbating my asthma, he prescribed Prilosec for the acid reflux and inhaled corticosteroids for the asthma. <BR/><BR/>I didn't follow his advice, preferring to split the methotrexate into twice weekly instead of weekly doses.<BR/><BR/>So, instead of behavioral modification, the protocol is to prescribe a dangerous drug and then pile more drugs on top of that. Insurance pays for pill popping so let's switch to that! <BR/><BR/>No one even told me there was an alternative. Do we let insurance companies determine our treatment?badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.com