First, let me make mention that yesterday, February 2, was World Rheumatoid Awareness Day. RA is the original beast in my world, having brought with it the disability and the broken feets and the CRPS and all the other mean and nasty stuff.

By itself, though, RA is more than enough. . .

This past week was a very stressful and busy one. As I wrote a couple of posts ago, my Henry got really sick, but then got better and is home, thank God. I had several appointments and just a lot going on. It was just one of THOSE. . .

For a healthy person, when THOSE weeks are over, they are relieved, they go home, and feel better and get on with it. . .

For me, I also plan to go home and rest and relax once the craziness is over – but, instead, my body tends to abruptly completely shut down instead – and it did. I collapsed in bed involuntarily for about 24 hours – and then got up to go to our dear friends’ beautiful wedding.

I was so grateful to have been able to get there – and then came home and, more or less, went back to bed – and now have some strange cough/cold/body pain/yuck stuff going on.

Ahhh, yes. The post-stress plague cometh.

This is just what my body does.

And I am not alone.

Many of my fellow spoonies, with RA, MS, Lupus, Ehlers Danlos, CRPS, MCTD, POTS, and all the rest, can attest to similar experiences.

Our bodies are in a constant state of inflammation.

So, as I wrote in my previous post, I am in the process of changing to an anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet to hopefully help my body along. I am also looking at other treatments and complimentary therapies that might help me.

While there are definitely some foods that have “bonus” anti-inflammatory properties, here is the most simple, paired down version of what is inflammatory vs. anti-inflammatory:

And I do like this article very much as well:

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22607/antiinflammatory-diets-11-rules-for-optimal-health.html

I’ll be making that swap this week.

I also found this interesting chart – that I am sharing – but will be researching it further before I fully recommend:

Some of these suggestions make total sense to me; others I need to look into more. Before I recommend them all, I want to be sure that they aren’t tinfoil hat type ideas. 😉 They do look promising though. 🙂

I am also expecting my acupressure yoga mat to arrive at the beginning of the week and will start that right away. Fingers and toes crossed that it will be helpful.

Another addition to dealing with this inflammation issue – especially for me this week, with the plague nipping at my heels – is a trial of a batch of turmeric gummies.

If you’ve done any health reading recently, turmeric has likely come onto your radar – and for good reason. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is shown to relieve joint pain in those suffering with arthritis type discomfort. It is also helpful for sinus inflammation – as occurs with allergies, colds, and flu.

This combo makes turmeric gummies my new favorite trial thing right now.

So. . . .

Healing Turmeric Gummies

Ingredients: 2 cups water, 1/2 Tbsp ground turmeric, 3 Tbsp honey, 4 Tbsp unflavored gelatin powder.

May use a 9 x 6 Pyrex container or ice cube molds for gummies.

1. In saucepan, combine water, turmeric, and honey, and heat on medium-high for five minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Check sweetness and adjust to taste.
3. Remove from heat and sprinkle gelatin powder over warm liquid.
4. Pour into dish or molds and refrigerate for two hours or until gelatin is firm.
5. Store in air-tight container. 

We will see if this helps.

And, finally, to deal with the inflammation station, I start physical therapy this week – as it is the primary recommended treatment for CRPS. Please send ALL prayers, warm fuzzies, and good vibes this way. It is super important.

As I’m working on getting a more structured writing schedule together – and working on a few nifty projects I’m really excited about 😉 – I’m adding a day a week where I plan to blog specifically about spoonie inflammatory issues and complementary therapies that may help us. We all struggle so mightily to find resources so I feel that I can be of service with these posts. 🙂

Wishing you all a fabulous Sunday!

Be well, everybody.

Grace and Blessings. ❤

#drinkwater