That piece of chocolate cake you had for dessert last night may or may not make your rheumatoid arthritis worse in the morning, but there’s definitely a connection between your rheumatoid arthritis and your diet.

We know being overweight puts stress on your joints. So…keeping your weight down helps alleviate joint pain and stress. To help keep your weight down, start by eating a healthy diet and exercising. (There is a lot more to it than that but we’ll talk more about these issues at a later date.)

A daily walk or swim is a great way for you to get in some exercise without putting too much stress on your joints.

It’s also important to eat a balanced healthy diet following these basic guidelines:

· Eat lean proteins and lots of fruits and vegetables

· Eat nuts and seeds

· Drink lots of water

· Avoid sugar, fat, and salt

· Drink alcohol in moderation

Following these tips and guidelines will help you manage your rheumatoid arthritis. Stay tuned…we’ll talk more about special foods and diets that may significantly improve your rheumatoid arthritis.

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell

Just imagine, wouldn’t it be great if we had an alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis that could relieve your tension, lift your spirits, lower your blood pressure, and fight fatigue?

And wouldn’t it be even better if this alternative medicine treatment had no side effects and was free of charge?

I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “Well, sure! That would be fantastic! But there will never be an arthritis alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis like that!”

Well, you’re wrong. There is an alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis like that…. and it’s called meditation.

That’s right… meditation…. the ancient practice to bring about relaxation.

Join me in the coming days as we take a look at how meditation just may be one of the most cost effective alternative medicine treatments for rheumatoid arthritis you’ll ever find.

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell

We all know stress is unavoidable.

But, let me help show you how to recognize some of the physical symptoms of stress, and teach you how to prevent them from making your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms worse.

This one strategy is a key alternative medicine treatment for arthritis.

Some of the common physical symptoms of stress include:

· Fatigue

· Stiffness

· Headaches

· Sleeplessness

· Nervousness

· Indigestion

When you add these physical symptoms of stress to your physical symptoms from rheumatoid arthritis, you create a dangerous cycle. The more stress you bring into your daily life, the more your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms worsen. And, the more your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms worsen, the more stress you experience.

Join me in the coming days as we continue to look at how stress affects rheumatoid arthritis, and learn some great stress management techniques…alternative medicine at its finest.

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell

You’d be surprised how often I’m asked this question.

And…I’m sorry to tell you the answer is both “Yes” and “No”.

New research is clear. There is a type of stress that is a cause of arthritis. It is called “oxidative stress” but…it’s not the type you usually think about.

We all know “regular” stress can affect just about every aspect of our bodies – so it’s only natural to think it might also cause rheumatoid arthritis. Although this type of stress doesn’t cause rheumatoid arthritis, we believe it can make your rheumatoid arthritis more difficult to manage.

We all know it can be really tough to escape or manage the stresses of life. And… if you have rheumatoid arthritis and are dealing with a lot of stress in your life, it can definitely make your rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation worse.

Join me as we continue to look at how stress affects your rheumatoid arthritis, and how living with rheumatoid arthritis can affect your stress level.

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell

Okay, so we know that meditation is a great alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. But, now let’s take a look at the different types of meditation techniques available.

Meditation is the use of different awareness techniques to quiet the mind and relax the body.

Let’s take a look at the 3 main types of meditation:

· Concentration

· Transcendental Meditation

· Mindfulness Meditation

Concentration techniques allow you to quiet your mind by concentrating on silently repeating a word or sound, or by focusing on your own breathing. This allows your mind to focus on a single thought, idea or movement, and allows your body to gain a deeper state of physical, mental and emotional relaxation.

Let’s wrap up our focus on meditation as an alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis by taking a look at how meditation can affect your rheumatoid arthritis.

Sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis are all too familiar with flare-ups.

And… we know that a lot of the time your rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups are caused by stress.

We also know that meditation is a proven way to lower stress, chronic pain, and anxiety – all causes of rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups.

So, if you use meditation as an alternative medicine treatment for your rheumatoid arthritis, you will lower your stress level, and, in turn, you’ll experience fewer flare-ups.

You see, meditation actually changes the way your brain and body work.

By meditating, you can slow your heart rate down, lower your blood pressure, increase your melatonin level – which helps you get “healthy” sleep, and you may even reduce the fatty buildup in your artery walls.

Join me in the coming weeks as I continue to share with you great alternative medicine treatments for your rheumatoid arthritis.

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell

Can you answer “yes” to any of these statements?

I watch TV or use the computer daily

I skip breakfast and/or lunch

I stay up later at night on weekends

I drink more than 16oz. of caffeinated beverages daily

If you said “yes” to any of these statements, it sounds like you need to use rhythmic entrainment to synchronize your body. This just may be a critical alternative medicine treatment for your rheumatoid arthritis.

“What’s rhythmic entrainment?”

Rhythmic entrainment is simply a way of synchronizing your body’s rhythmic internal waves.

“How does rhythmic entrainment work?”

By synchronizing your body, rhythmic entrainment keeps your body’s natural bio-rhythms from colliding, and works to keep your body fat regulating system working properly.

In the coming days we will take a look at the great benefits of rhythmic entrainment, and I’ll show you how to use it as an alternative medicine treatment for arthritis and…so you can feel more rested, lose more weight, and have more energy.

Stay tuned!

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell

One of the best things about rhythmic entrainment, is it only involves 3 steps – so it’s really easy to incorporate rhythmic entrainment as an alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and…into your every day lifestyle!

Let’s take a look at the first step of rhythmic entrainment: paced-breathing.

Paced-breathing is a great way to get your biological rhythms in order.

Simply follow these steps:

· Breathe in for 5 seconds, and then breathe out for 5 seconds.

· While breathing at the 5 second rate, focus on your heart. Breathe deeply and imagine the area around your heart “opening up”.

· Keep breathing, and begin to focus on the quality of your breathing. Try to keep your breathing flow smooth and constant.

· Smile! While you keep focusing on your paced-breathing, think of all the wonderful things in your life you’re grateful for. This will put a smile on your face!

Keep checking back as we unveil the other 2 rhythmic entrainment steps.

In the meantime, practice your paced-breathing! You’re 1 step closer to creating perfect order for your biological rhythms and using it as an alternative medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis!

Steps to Improve Your Health

Dr. Steven Dell