Carolee888, I just happened to see your post and am floored!

My mother had severe RA and I've learned recently that Vitamin D3 deficiency can be a contributing factor. Sure enough, she got almost ZERO sunlight on her skin (burned so easily that she avoided it), didn't take supplements, smoked heavily.

I promise I won't launch into a lecture but my spontaneous reaction to a few other posts was, "Are you nutrient deficient? Have you been taking vitamins, minerals, herbs, enzymes, amino acids, etc.? Do you know about, and have you been taking, natural anti-inflammatories? Have you been tested for deficiencies?"

How am I so well informed? I'm a health nut for a variety of reasons. I DVR three different health shows every Mon - Fri. I research! I subscribe to two magazines that devote a good part of each issue to health tidbits. One is a weekly. The other is a monthly publication. I am motivated by and passionate about my husband's health and well-being.

FWIW (For What It's Worth), my husband and I submit hair samples to Advanced Food Intolerance Labs twice a year. The results are comprehensive and informative. For instance, I learned I was deficient in choline. Choline deficiency is a contributing factor in cognitive disorders (dementia, Alzheimer's). I was on an H2 Blocker Antihistamine for decades for my cutaneous mastocytosis to relieve the ferocious itching. Those H2 Blockers, which are also antacids, deplete choline or make it difficult for our digestive systems to process and utilize choline. Now that I'm no longer exposed to "triggers" in the workplace, I've ceased taking my Tagamet/Famotidine. And, yes, I am now supplementing choline! Looking forward to the results from the hair sample I'll be sending in on February 14.

BTW, AFIL offers discounts via Groupon.com. Granted, blood tests may be better for some indicators; however, do they really reveal over 1,000 items? Food Intolerances, Drink Intolerances, Vitamins, Minerals, Fatty Acids, Heavy Metals, Toxins, Gut Biome, Candida & Yeast, Digestive Enzymes and more?

No, I don't receive a referral fee or commission. I just want to tout a laboratory that has helped me and my beloved focus on and correct our deficiencies. Wishing everyone the best! Goodness is meant to be shared!

Not bragging, just so grateful! I am now on zero Rx medications and 1 Claritin per day. Yes, Claritin is an antihistamine but it's an H1 Blocker, not an H2 Blocker. Who knows? With the addition of a handful of natural antihistamines, I may be able to cease 35+ years of daily Claritin! Yes, I've been on Claritin for so long that, in the beginning, it was available by Rx only.

I have a motto: God's Pharmacy First! For atheists, my other motto is: Mother Nature Provides!