Before I get to the meaty NAD and Rheumatoid Arthritis love story, a little background.
Then
After searching for non-DMARD options to heal my arthritis that developed after my second pregnancy, I have finally found my miracle. Praise God! Thank goodness I had not given up; my vigilance has paid off and I can’t wait to get the word out so that someone else may find the healing I have.
The search was on for three and a half years finding something that would allow my body to heal itself. Cause that’s the thing! Our bodies are incredible. God created them with the incredible ability to fix themselves. And that’s what my fervent prayers have been about: finding something to allow my body to heal.
This journey of mine has obviously been a p r o c e s s. I’ve documented the monumental milestones throughout my healing journey here and here if you haven’t yet read the full story. So now comes the most exciting and monumental finale of this saga.
If you have been following, you’ll realize that in NO way has my journey been one-dimensional. I’ve always taken a multi-faceted approach, knowing that one supplement or one pill is not going to be a cure-all.
In my last update, I explained how I found out I had PCOS. So, now healing the arthritis has a best friend in tow. I will quickly outline what I have added to my routine to address this beast after sharing with you the miracle that I’ve found. The changes that I made were all done in the same month and they proved to be life-changing for me.
NAD
So of course, I’ll begin with the power player, NAD. NAD stands for Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. If you’ve ever taken a biochem class you’ll be verrrry familiar with this cofactor. If not, that’s okay. Very simply put, NAD is required for metabolism. I have decided to put my nerd hat down and not teach you how it works in the body and fast forward to the good stuff (read a little about it on Wikipedia if you’re intrigued). 😉
I went to my med spa physician (who is also an ER doc) for something completely unrelated to my arthritis. After a super long side discussion of alllllll the things I’ve tried to naturally heal myself, she suggested I try NAD. And no, she was NOT talking about a random supplement. This was the real deal. Either a subcutaneous or sublingual dose of real liquid gold is what she suggested I should try. After all, there are no known side effects, as it is already made and required in the body.
She went on to explain how she went to a lecture given by an incredible pharmacist who was educating on NAD. Graciously, she reached out to him and gave me a prescription to take. I opted for the most potent option, so that meant subcutaneous (via a tiny insulin needle right under the skin). She explained it would act as a powerful anti-inflammatory.
The Research
Of course, excited to research about my next possible cure, I ran home and researched this topic. Yup, right there as big as day, in the European Medical Journal appeared, “THE ROLE OF NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR TREATMENT” published in Nov 2018.
And, “New Discovery in Regulating Autoimmune Diseases: A natural molecule delays disease onset and reverses disease progression” published on the Harvard Medical School News website in 2014!
The list goes on. This is one of my favorite quotes explaining NAD,
“Restoration of NAD+ levels in old or diseased animals can promote health and extend lifespan, prompting a search for safe and efficacious NAD-boosting molecules. Such molecules hold the promise of increasing the body’s resilience, not just to one disease, but to many, thereby extending healthy human lifespan.”
So, what in the world? Why has this not gone anywhere? Pharma? Mmmm, don’t get me started!
The Result
What really matters is that THIS STUFF WORKS. I have tried almost every supplement, diet, and natural remedy out there to cure my arthritis and swelling without avail. Then this. Then. This.
Let’s just say, I’m not looking back. I continue to be blown away.
No shuffling to the bathroom after I get out of bed. No swelling. No tight fingers. I can make tight fists! I can sit on my knees and pop up without a thought. I am living my life like I used to.
As you can see from the above before (left side) and after (right side) the healing I’ve undergone is incredible. Now, the before and after pictures show the progress in the past 3.5 years, so the beginning change from NAD was not as drastic as the pictures illustrate, but my journey has been.
And this NAD is the cream cheese frosting on the carrot cake. It made THAT big of a difference. Like totally WIPED it out.
The past 7 weeks have been the most incredible pain-free time I’ve enjoyed in 3 and a half years. I am still not as limber in my right wrist, but I wonder if it’s due to past damage vs. current inflammation.
I have yet to learn if this really is a “cure” for me or if it’s just an amazing band-aid. Regardless, I don’t care at this point! It’s the most amazing thing I’ve come across.
I am forever thankful to Mrs. Angela Straface (who takes virtual appointments!). She has changed the course of my life. She has been an answer to my prayers. So, with the healing I’ve experienced, I cannot keep it to myself. I must spread this word.
NAD and rheumatoid arthritis go together.
Well, after all of that, are you even interested in what else I did?! Ha!
I Further Addressed My Gut Health
These days, any functional or alternative doctor, blog, or book will beat your head in with, “heal your gut”. Yes, I do believe this is true, but to an extent. It’s not the whole answer. In my case and opinion, there was obviously something causing the gut issue, and I fully believe hormones were my issue. So, to fully heal my gut, I had to fix the ROOT problem and then fix the damage it made.
I had a stool analysis to see what it could tell me. Well, according to my functional physician, the bottom line was that I should not change my diet whatsoever because “what I was doing was helping”.
How was I eating? I was eating a healthy balanced diet. A diet full of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, occasional dairy, meat and fish and wine. Bottom line, my Mediterranean style approach was working. I didn’t need to deprive myself of gluten, cheese or carbs. I will do another post after this one explaining more in detail about what my typical diet looks like.
The Genova test also told me that my gut was actively healing and that I had some inflammatory reaction going on. Not too informative, only gave me reassurance.
What I needed to do was to seal my junctions to complete my gut healing. And I am doing so with this:
Remember, I only advocate purchasing supplements via a reputable source – not Amazon. Through my professional discount on Wellevate by Emmerson Ecologics, that I pass to you, the cost is usually cheaper than Amazon anyways. (Omg and they have skincare too… I spend waaaay too much money here!)
- Inflama-GI by Innate Response
- SBI Protect by Ortho Molecular
I also began Progesterone and upped my Spironolactone so I could stop the Nuva Ring.
That’s it! My month of healing in a nutshell.
The beautiful thing is that I’ve noticed I keep getting better. I have missed a few days of the NAD and it doesn’t phase me.
I hope this information will change your life. If you’re reading this, I know you need a life change. I pray you can find healing.
If you can’t find a doctor to prescribe NAD, here’s Mrs. Angela Straface (who takes virtual appointments!).
Share This Article
I just want to say thank you for being selfless and sharing what works for you. I too have RA. I was diagnosed this year and am looking for alternative medicine. I too, believe our bodies can heal themselves. I purchased NAD from a reputable compound pharmacy. They are fast melting tablets. Any idea where I can get the subcutaneous injections?
Thank you for your comment, I have linked in this post the doctor I have used. If you still need help and can’t find it, please email me and I’ll send!
Hi Jessa and others living with an autoimmune condition. If you haven’t already done so, look into Low Dose Naltrexone and how it’s used off label to help regulate the immune system. It has been a game changer for me. I wanted to share.
Thank you so much!!!
I have heard that it’s been wonderful for some, unfortunately, for me it didn’t make a lick of difference. So happy it works for you!
Thanks so much for the info on NAD. I had some minor swelling in knuckles before pregnancy and got better during 2nd tri and then much worse postpartum, like stiff tight fingers upon waking on one hand. Was trying to naturally find ways and found myself on same path as you working my way down the list of options but definitely know nightshades are not helping me. Great to know NAD is working for you. Are there any long term side effects you’ve heard about? Ive only seen anecdotal stuff posted on Reddit so am curious to know if you’ve come across any studies regarding long term usage. Thanks so much for the update!
Of course!
No, no side effects that I’ve read about, nor experienced.
Good luck!
What dosage do you inject subq and at what frequency (mg/day, mg/week, etc.)? I just had my first NAD+ IV Therapy and wanted to augment with injections.
I was prescribed 0.5 ml/day.
Currently, I’m only taking it twice a week, more maintenance!
Please email me/contact me and let me know if you find it’s helpful for you! I’d love to know!
How long did it take once you started the injections before you saw a noticeable change for the better?
Literally days!
What brand/type of nad were you prescribed?
Trying to see if my doctor would prescribe for me. I was diagnosed with RA after the birth of my first child a few months ago and I am in the very swelled stage right now.
I’m so sorry to hear that.
There is no brand-it’s a prescription-the doctor I spoke of above can help you maneuver this!
How quickly did you see an improvement in your RA symptoms after taking NAD?
Within the week!
Hello! I tried the NAD+ and it kickstarted my healing process as well, doing much better than I was. Before I took it I could barely walk and my hands and wrists were so completely swollen I looked deformed. Almost every joint in my body was inflamed after the birth of my baby.
I felt like a hit a plateau with NAD+though, it was just kind of maintaining but not continuing to get better. For the past 2-3 weeks I have been taking baking soda (1/4 teaspoon, to a little less than 1/2 teaspoon) in a full glass of water every day or every other day. I am feeling so much better. Just wanted to put it out there in case anyone else wanted to try it. Rheumatoid arthritis is so difficult. I am trying to find a way to help my body heal itself. Praise the Lord Jesus for guiding me to this article and to others that are more natural minded.
What a wonderful account. I’m so happy to hear you are finding some relief. Thank you for you this!
Hello Jessa, I have been reading all of you information on your website about NAD and RA. I have a similar story to you and I’m looking for that final missing piece to get me back on track and get rid of my crippling inflammation. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I have one question for you. Do you take NAD, or NAD+, and what is the difference?
Thanks so much for your time
Hi! To my knowledge with chemistry, it’s one in the same and has to do with the oxidation.
Hello Jessa, thank you so much for sharing your story. I have been searching, for 3 years, for a more natural healing for my RA. I completely changed my diet and lifestyle, but I still have inflammation. I am going to give NAD a try. One question I had is do you take NAD, or NAD+? And can you tell me what the difference is?
Thanks so much, Rebecca
Hi, to my knowledge with chemistry, it’s one in the same and has to do with the oxidation.
Hi Jessa! I stumbled upon your blog. I also have RA and wanted to see if you could provide an update with how you’ve been doing on NAD? Is the doctor you mentioned in your blog still seeing patients virtually for this specific reason to prescribe NAD?
Hi! I was thinking of doing this, as I have taken a large break from it. Yes, she is still in business and able to prescribe NAD.
What are your thoughts on NAD fueling glioma brain cancers? I was so determined to try it until I read a few (reputable) articles about it..