8 members attended (Robin, Nanette, Ruchi, Pat H., Jeff, Scott, Terry, and Jennie)
Robbin facilitated as we had a family emergency
Collected in Donation Can: $20
Avg. Monthly Cost of Operation: $100
Icebreaker: What's something about you that others don't know or wouldn't have guessed?
We have guest speakers scheduled for March and May. In March, we will have an attorney who will talk about disability, and May's speaker will tell us about essential oils.
Those who attended the holiday party last December said it was a lot of fun. They enjoyed the gift exchange and all the good food that was shared.
A member with RA mentioned Orencia infusions have been giving her good pain relief. She gets the infusion once a month at her doctor's office. She is in a copay assistance program; otherwise, the treatments would cost about $20,000 per month.
A member mentioned getting Celebrex injections in his knees which he finds helpful for pain relief. His doctor told him the poor condition of his knees could be due to his autoimmune disease.
Another member followed that by saying autoimmune could be the reason why the incision from her skin cancer removal is taking a long time to heal.
A member mentioned she was able to avoid knee surgery for a torn meniscus by taking ginger, tumeric, bromelain (an enzyme from pineapples), Glucogel (a product made by Youngevity), and Aleve. Her doctor told her it takes a year for a knee to heal on its own (without surgery).
A member mentioned Epsom salt baths are good for pain relief. Another member added that Epsom salt baths also help him sleep. They spend 10-20 minutes in the bath.
A member mentioned that they have had some improvement by eating anti-inflammatory foods. These include wild salmon (not farmed salmon), turmeric, tart cherry juice, and pineapple/bromelain.
A member mentioned that she has been taking Luvox for anxiety. She feels a little better, but nothing significant. Her doctor wants to increase the dosage, but the member is concerned about the side effects she is experiencing - feeling very tired, having sleep issues, and her thyroid tests came back too low. Here is a link on that medication: https://www.drugs.com/mtm/luvox.html
A member mentioned that she found the ketogenic diet helpful for reducing inflammation and losing weight. We encourage you to do your research and arae attaching a link to get you started, as always, please discuss your diet with your doctor and decide together if this might be worth a try. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-101
Artificial sweeteners were also discussed - Equal and aspartame are bad for health, I've seen blogs both for and against Stevia. Please try to get your information from reputable websites, not blogs or any site trying to sell you a product (if they are selling something, they want you to buy it!). Don’t forget pure cane sugar has only 16 calories per teaspoon. Here is an article by Mayo Clinic discussing the impact of artificial sweeteners on autoimmune disease. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936
A member mentioned C-reactive protein or CRP - it's a blood test you can ask your doctor to order that measures inflammation. For more, https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/c-reactive-protein-test#1
A member mentioned acupuncture has been helpful. There is an affordable option in Flemington - $20 at Jersey Community Acupuncture. (we have highlighted this in previous meetings, look back in the meeting minutes for more info)
A member asked about leaky gut syndrome. Chronic Fatigue and pain have been identified as potentially being caused by leaky gut syndrome. You know I love Mayo Clinic for it's information, but what I found there is that they are actually in the process of recruiting people to be in a study about leaky gut. Even this link from WebMD starts out with "Physicians don't know enough about the gut..." It's important for you to research this one and draw your own conclusions and discuss your thoughts with your doctor. Here's a link to get you tarted: https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/leaky-gut-syndrome#1
The nexty meeting will be held: Saturday, February 9th, 2019. We will of course be playing our Annual Valentine's Day Card Game :) Please feel free to bring a snack to share if you are able, and we will call it our Valentine's Day Party!
Again, apologies from Patrick and myself that we were not there last minute. Our daughter had an emergency which brought us to the emergency room (all is well now so thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!
And a huge THANK YOU to Robbin for facilitating! and to Jennie for doing the Meeting Minutes!!! You ladies ROCK!!!
Hope to see you there!
-Joanne & Pat
