Avoid unnecessary effects from the damaging cancer drug used to treat arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the cruelest, most painful chronic conditions around. And if you suffer from RA, you know exactly what I mean…

Most arthritis patients have osteoarthritis, which is the painful damage caused by wear and tear in joints. But RA is different…

And while it’s classified as “arthritis,” RA is in a league of its own. It causes physical damage to your body, as well as the excruciating pain that comes along with it.

It’s an autoimmune disorder that triggers chronic joint inflammation and pain, typically in the small joints of the hands and feet.

What’s worse, RA can also damage your skin, blood vessels, heart, nerve tissue, and even your eyes.

When these miseries are coupled with severe joint pain, you might be willing to try just about any drug — no matter how harsh — to get some relief. And who could blame you?

But unless your doctor is well-versed in traditional Chinese medicine, it’s likely they know nothing about a powerful RA herbal remedy, proven to work better than methotrexate — one of the most commonly prescribed RA drugs.

This is great news for RA sufferers, especially since methotrexate comes with a troubling amount of risks.

Beware of this aggressive cancer drug used for arthritis relief

Methotrexate may be known as an “RA drug,” but it’s actually a chemotherapy drug used for various cancers.

That’s red flag warning number one.

But according to an article on the Arthritis Foundation (AF) website, methotrexate is “one of the safest arthritis drugs.”

As the AF article explains, doses of the drug for RA are hundreds of times smaller than doses used to treat cancer. Even so, AF advises patients to use a folic acid supplement along with methotrexate because the drug kills cancer by depleting your body of folate.

And there’s red flag number two. Folate deficiency causes gastrointestinal problems like nausea and vomiting. As many as 65 percent of methotrexate users experience these side effects, along with others, including…

  • Fatigue
  • Fibrosis (scar tissue buildup) in the liver (a precursor of liver disease)
  • Hair loss
  • Headaches
  • Inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs
  • “Methotrexate fog” (feeling “out of it”)
  • Mouth ulcers or sores

Regular blood tests are also necessary with methotrexate use for RA due to the potential for a drop in white blood cells (which protect against infections) and reduced blood platelets (which can cause abnormal bleeding).

According to one doctor quoted by AF, “There’s no reason to be afraid of methotrexate.”

Really? Because I see well over half a dozen reasons to avoid this drug if at all possible. And it is possible when you use a strong, but safe, herbal remedy with an imposing name: Thunder god vine (or TGV).

Exceeding expectations for sweet relief

In Dr. Fred Pescatore’s Pain-Free Life Protocol, he cautions that methotrexate should not be taken lightly. And he adds, “Any alternative that can help eliminate or even minimize its use is a pretty exciting discovery.”

And TGV is that discovery.

Dr. Pescatore recently came across a study that he calls “incredibly compelling research” where a preparation of TGV — as used in traditional Chinese medicine — was tested against methotrexate.

The study included more than 200 patients with active RA. The researchers hoped that TGV use would achieve a 50 percent improvement in joint swelling and inflammation.

TGV achieved all that — and then some.

Dr. Pescatore describes the remarkable results: “Response rates reached 46 percent with methotrexate, and 55 percent with thunder god vine. But combining the two treatments delivered even better results, improving disease markers by more than 75 percent.”

Safe, but don’t go it alone

Dr. Pescatore recommends visiting a local Chinese herb shop or your local health and wellness store.

But Dr. Pescatore adds an important caveat…

He says, “The herbal extract used in this study appeared to be safe as prepared. But the leaves, flowers, and outer layers of thunder god vine are notoriously toxic.

“So needless to say, thunder god vine really isn’t suitable as a do-it-yourself therapy. You should definitely work with a specialist in Chinese herbology if you want to try this treatment.”

He adds that it’s fairly easy to find acupuncturists who are well versed in traditional Chinese medicine and herbs. To locate a knowledgeable practitioner near you, Dr. Pescatore recommends consulting the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine’s website at www.nccaom.org.

If you don’t have access to this type of practitioner where you live, Dr. Pescatore points out that many other safe and effective strategies for treating RA without drugs are available.

You can learn more about these alternative strategies, as well as other ways to combat RA and manage all types of pain in his Pain-Free Life Protocol. Click here to explore more details about this safe, integrative pain-relief program, or to get started today.

SOURCES

“Methotrexate: Managing Side Effects” Arthritis Foundation. (arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/medication/drug-types/disease-modifying-drugs/methotrexate-side-effects.php)