Drug-Free Duo Targets Psoriatic Arthritis
If you’re living with psoriatic arthritis, you know all too well the joint stiffness, swollen joints, tendon pain, and fatigue that make it difficult to get out of bed in the morning.
You probably also have a medicine cabinet full of drugs to reduce your pain.
But can any of those “Band-Aid” pills truly target the disease…or improve the condition?
It’s unlikely. But fortunately, I’ve got two pill-free solutions to do just that.
Researchers studied 279 people with psoriatic arthritis, while 76 patients with psoriasis were the control group. They all filled out questionnaires about their diet and exercise habits.
The researchers found that as folks became more active, ALL of the following vital measures decreased:
- disease activity scores,
- joint tenderness,
- swollen joints,
- inflammation levels (measured by erythrocyte sedimentation rates), and
- measures of disease severity.
In addition, the participants who followed a Mediterranean-style diet were more likely to have reduced inflammation and decreased disease severity.
A higher body mass index (BMI) was connected to worse psoriatic arthritis activity. However, being more active and eating a Mediterranean diet were linked to lower BMI.
Ultimately, this research revealed that something as simple as diet and exercise can significantly improve a complicated condition like psoriatic arthritis.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should stop taking your prescription drugs, of course. Only you and your doctor can decide if and when that’s appropriate.
But it shows that you CAN make a significant difference in how you feel—and how your psoriatic arthritis progresses—with simple lifestyle changes that we should all be making.
P.S. Research reveals THIS natural pain-relieving combo works just as well as a risky NSAID painkiller.
SOURCE:
Katsimbri P, Grivas A, Papadavid E, et al. Mediterranean diet and exercise are associated with better disease control in psoriatic arthritis. Clin Rheumatol. Published online July 25, 2024. doi:10.1007/s10067-024-07080-6
