Today is World Arthritis Day? | Arthritis Information

Who knew? Not me. As a group of "sufferers", we're not too great at raising our profile, are we? Maybe that's why RA research progresses at a snails pace. HEY! I just noticed in that article it says "What is known is that Rheumatoid arthritis is the body’s response to an obscure antigen"...more vindication for Dr Thomas McPherson Brown, AP Pioneer! He was saying that since the '40's. Hey Gimpy, is that why Plaquenil is effective for some? I understand it's an antibiotic. Jesse, no one actually knows why plaquenil works on arthrits, but I and many others (including some doctors) believe that is the reason. Also, that's why many people have found relief from their arthritis with antibiotic protocol therapy---it helps rid the body of the mycoplasmas which releases the antigen. That's the theory, anyway. Thanks, it sure sounds tempting. I'm doing well on my current meds, but I do worry about the long term effects. Somehow antibiotics don't seem as scary, although I've had some nasty yeast infections in my day. But I'm sure that can be addressed as well as building up an immunity. I'm watching this whole AP thing from the sidelines and keeping it in the back of my mind for future reference. I understand...it is a little sacry going off the beaten track. So far it's working well for me, but I'm still in a transition phase so I'm still also taking 12.5mg mtx every week, and plaquenil, as well as the AP. I'm doing a lot better on the AP than I was before I started it, though. I am going to look up Plaquenil and see what group of antibiotics this is. Does it work really well for you. ? Plaquenil is an anti-microbial used primarily for malaria.

Well, I really don't know how plaquenil works on me...I started it and MTX on the same day so I've never just used plaquenil. Some people here are on plaquenil only---Lorster come to mind. MY RD was willing for me to go off MTX when I started AP, but told me to keep taking the plaquenil. My AP is 200mg Minocin on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I also take a lot of probiotics to replace the beneficial bacteria killed by the antibiotics.
Gimpy, how long ago did you start AP? How long was it after you were diagnosed?Linccn, I got full blown RA May, 2006, started mtx and plaquenil in Sept, and started AP in Feb 2007. I eased into each drug regimen and am weaning off mtx, pretty slowly, I might add. I started at 20mg and am down to 12.5 And then when you're off the mtx, the plaquenil will go?Well, I'm not even off the mtx yet, so I'll see how it goes. That would be ideal, though. Most people on AP just use very low doses of Minocin once they have their RA under control. Some people can go as low as 25mg twice a week.

So then, AP is not supposed to "cure" RA, it is another way to manage it? I hope things continue to improve for you.

Some people do get the 'cure'. They get rid of all symptoms and signs, go off antibiotics and are never heard from again. We really need to start tracking people better. Not just with AP but with the traditional meds too - think about how that would pan out when tracking reactions etc.

But I digress. Whatever the percentage of people that manage to get off the ABX, it's low. Most posts I've read say that if people didn't get rid of the 'infection' and went off the Mino - the RA or Lupus or whatever comes back worse than before and usually around the 2 year mark. I've seen one post of a person who was Mino free 5 years when it came back.

So, I'm trying to figure out how to be part of the small percentage that live the rest of their lives in a happy-antibiotic-free-existance.

From my research - I think the key is the gut. You have to deal with what probably got you sick in the first place AND get rid of all the buggers hanging out in muscle and joint tissue.

Hope nobody minds that I jumped in here!

Pip

Pip, I know I don't! You're my AP guru.

I've noticed when people go on the Harvard Protocol as soon as the RA shows up, they can be actually cured after about a year and a half of AP. However, the odds of being diagnosed immediately, and knowing about or having an AP doctor are so slight this almost never happens.

Plus, once you have developed the antibodies the RA will come back if you get reinfected (many people have mycoplasma infection that does not result in RA because they don't develope the allergic reation to the antigen).

Some people go from antibiotic protocol to the Marshall Protocol, which is a lot more involved but has a higher rate of cure. Like Pip mentioned, it has a lot to do with the gut.

The problem is mycoplasma are really tricky, good at hiding, change shape, and are really hard to get at. ABX doesn't kill them, it just lures them out of where they hide (white blood cells and in the cells of synovium tissue, as well as other body tissues) so your immune system can actually get at them. The odds of getting all of them are tiny. If any are left, they slowly repopulate and the RA comes back.

Personally speaking, I would rather be on a low maintenance dose of ABX all my life than go up the drug ladder that is the conventional approach to RA. Even if AP only worked for a few years for me, I would still have those few extra years before getting on that ladder!

You don't have to wean off mtx like I am...you can just stop and start AP, but I selected this method to avoid having bad herxes. My not-so-bad herxes are trying enough for me. But that is another chapter of the AP story...
Gimpy-a-gogo39367.6668055556I never got the memo that today was Arthritis Day - anybody else get the memo? Funny, every day is arthritis day for us, what are we suppose to do, throw a party?

GoGo -

Did you notice that from posts? Because that Jean person keeps posting about the pulsing method being better at bug killing. And people post about herxing again when they go to a maintainence dose when they get to remission. If you're feeling anything at all herx-wise you are not cured IMHO.

Cathy -

I've got a hat! The noise maker is 6! LOL

Pip