The effect of Stress on Rheumatoid Arthritis – by Rosemary Wellman
This is my second blog about living naturally with Rheumatoid Arthritis having come to realise that stress plays such an important role in the everyday management of this disease. Being still in remission, I’ve been fortunate in not having any painful flares in the past.
But after a particularly stressful day at home recently, which ended with many of my joints being inflamed and painful making any normal movement excruciating. It was a revelation to realise that stress is a major cause of inflammation, not of course just in the case of RA. So, having experienced my first very unpleasant flare, what could be done? I certainly didn’t want to revert to my previous medication having kept away from it for so long. I immediately took some of the Turmeric supplements (liquid and capsules along, which calm the inflamed joints down. Add to this Richard’s regular exercises the next day and a calming qi gong session, I am active again.
More recently, I have also found CBD gummies are a great help in calming down inflamed joints.
How stress affects Rheumatoid Arthritis
As we know, stress can interfere with your health in many ways, it’s a risk factor for heart disease and especially harmful if you have RA.
The link between stress and Rheumatoid arthritis has been identified in numerous studies. An analysis of many of these studies published in heathline.com/health/rheumatoid arthritis/stress found that stress tends to make RA symptoms worse. Those with post-traumatic stress disorder have a higher risk of developing RA and other auto-immune diseases. A diagnosis of an autoimmune disease such as RA points to the possible link between stress and flares and It has been found that stressful events often precede the onset of RA, and I can personally back up that idea as I can probably pinpoint almost exactly the day my RA started 12 years ago, when I tripped and fell in the street on the way to work. I remember being very shaken up and shortly after that trauma, a chain of events led to my diagnosis of full-blown rheumatoid arthritis and a new life coping with a painful, debilitating disease.
I was fortunate to be referred and treated quickly at Charing Cross hospital and have learned by experience how to deal with occasional flares brought on by stress and to stop them in their tracks by practising meditation, Qi qong and regular appropriate exercise with Richard.
Author: Rosemary Wellman – Co-founder The Lifestyle Physiologist