Resources to help understand Arthritis

(photo source: Rhonda's Cooking)

How did I learn how to live a drug free life after being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis?  That’s the question that I always get whenever I meet people who struggle with this or have family members who do.  For the record, when I say drug free, I mean free from the prescription medications like Plaquenil, Prednisone, Vioxx, Celebrex, Arava, Methotrexate injections (weekly), and cortisone injections, etc.  I took ALL of of those drugs for several years thinking that they would help cure me.  Needless to say, I was wrong!!  Besides a miracle from God, there is no cure for arthritis today.  Did you know this?  I really had no clue, at that time, I was only 25 and I did whatever the doctor told me to do.  So for TEN long years, I just learned how to deal with this dreadful pain that felt so bad that I could not even hold a toothbrush or put on my clothes.  The inflammation in my wrist was so intense that it felt like someone was squeezing my wrists so hard until there was no blood flowing to the fingers!

Thank goodness in 2005, I met Dr. Colbert!  He talked about healthy eating being the natural cure to heal various diseases.  I purchased his books, followed his recommendations and over a period of time, I no longer consumed prescription medication for the arthritis!  Can you belive it???  I couldn’t, but I felt great!  So I continued to study and research, more and more to understand the healing properties of certain foods and I never looked back.!

Listed below are the books that freed me from the dreadful pain and inflammation of Rheumatoid Arthritis. As I read more, I’ll add to this list.

• The Bible Cure for Arthritis, Dr. Don Colbert
• The Inflammation Free Diet Plan, Monica Reinagel
• Arthritis, Ellen Kamhi and Eugene R. Zampieron
• The Glycemic Index Diet, Rick Gallop

Do you have any books or resources that you have read that has helped you overcome your pain with arthritis?

Follow Me on Twitter: @rhondapeters

Gluten-free food finds: Blue Bottle Coffee – San Francisco

Since learning that coffee is an inflammatory food, I have not been able to drink coffee on a regular basis due to my challenges with arthritis.  However, it was very difficult for me not to experience coffee during a trip to San Francisco.  So, I decided to cheat for the day and to indulge in the caramel, nutty, lightly roasted, and rich taste of a delicious cup of coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee.  Tucked in the corner of Mint Plaza in downtown San Francisco, Blue Bottle Coffee is the perfect place for a coffee connoisseur.  In fact this unique coffee bistro, is so popular that the line is oftentimes wrapped around the building!  Upon entering the building, there is so much to hold ones attention. Some customers were enjoying conversations with each other and others working on their computers in between eating the popular Acme toast or local poached eggs.   All of this activity, definitely made me even more eager to get inside and experience the Blue Bottle Coffee!

As I stood patiently waiting, I admired all of the unique coffee gadgets and accessories.  I also was captivated by the coffee making process; it was like being in a physics lab.  There was an interesting glass apparatus with two parts—the bottom filled with water and the top filled with ground coffee—sitting over a bunsen burner.  As the water reached the boiling point, it flowed to the top container holding the ground coffee.  The barista (coffee maker) stirred the coffee slowly with a wooden stick.  After a couple of minutes, the barista slowly inserted a probe into the coffee to check the temperature to insure that the coffee reached the optimal temperature.  Once the ideal temperature was achieved, the coffee flowed to the bottom glass container.  I later learned that this process is called siphon or syphon (also known as siphon coffee).

To my surprise, Blue Bottle Coffee did offer gluten-free menu items such as a gluten-free muffin.  Even though I was unable to eat there due to the lack of vegan and gluten-free options, I still recommend Blue Bottle Coffee as a must try!  Blue Bottle Coffee is located throughout the San Francisco bay area; visit the website to find a location.  In 2010, the company has expanded to Brooklyn, New York.  People can also purchase this delicious light roasted coffee online.

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