A reader wrote:

I'm a 29yo (VERY) active male who was finally diagnosed with reactive arthritis about a year ago. Like you, I suffered immensely. After weeks of research, I found a proven protocol to beat RA with tetracycline. I’ve been on antibiotics for 6 months and I'm getting better. (I'm also eating very healthy...organic fruits and veggies).

Here's the site I'd like to share with you: https://www.rheumatic.org/faq.htm   This is based on the theory that RA is caused by an INFECTION and antibiotics cure your arthritis by killing the source, not by treating the symptoms. I'm VERY interested in your book, however, I'm wondering how your book differs from using antibiotics to kill your infection. I would agree that some arthritis cases are caused by a food allergy, or leaky gut syndrome, however, I really NEVER ate that poorly in the past. I've always been active, and I could tell you the day I started to get my RA...after a urinary tract infection! So I'm really curious if the information in your book will help, if my case is purely a resolving infection. Any thoughts?   Barbara's Response:   Hi, Thanks for writing me and sending the informative link. For some people antibiotics seem to work. If it works for you, there is no arguing with success. Interestingly enough, recent work indicates that tetracycline, which is one of the antibiotics mentioned on the website you mention, works not only as an antibiotic, but also as an immune system modulator, so it may be having its effect on RA by ratcheting down autoimmune responses, not by combating infectious agents. Other classes of antibiotics that only function as antibiotics don't seem to have as beneficial effect on RA. The problem with antibiotic treatment for arthritis is that many people have to stay on it for years and years, or even the rest of their lives, which to me says to me that for them it really doesn't eliminate the cause—it only lessens the symptoms. My book has nothing to do with taking tetracycline or any other antibiotics. It does include lots of information about checking for food sensitivities, avoiding a personalized list of problem foods, and then healing your system so that you no longer have food sensitivities. Not everyone with RA has food sensitivities, but many do. When this is the case, the info in my book is invaluable to getting well. Like you, I never had any problems with food allergy and ate a healthy diet up until I developed the infection that triggered my reactive arthritis. It was a sudden change for me. Although my reactive arthritis lasted for years, once I was able to correct the underlying problem the arthritis went away completely and has remained gone ever since.   Importance of Exploring Both Sides of an Issue Photo by ktulinho  I do not endorse, nor have I personally explored antibiotic based treatment for arthritis because of my concerns about the long term health implications of taking any kind of antibiotic, especially on a long-term basis. However, it is always good to learn what thoughtful, well-informed people have to say on both sides of an issue. Furthermore, the complex nature of arthritis as a disease means that different strategies work for different people. That is why I was willing to include the informative pro-tetracycline treatment link in the letter above. In response to publishing the letter above, I received the following letter from a reader who tried tetracycline for her rheumatoid arthritis. For her, the negative side effects were just too bad:   Ingrid's Negative Experience with Tetracycline but  Profound Healing with Other Methods   I would like to comment to the chap using tetracyclines. I've had RA for many, many years. I also tried every so called cure, and believed I ate healthily. I did the tetracycline thing for about three years, and yes it did lessen the pain dramatically, but I was desperately ill after the weekly (once every 6 week) course of this medication. Headaches from hell, unbelievable nausea, in fact I even entertained thoughts of suicide. I stopped using these drugs 5 years ago and am still struggling to get my intestinal flora back where it should be. Surely this is not the way to go!!! So I started researching (thank goodness for the internet). I read Dr. Hulda Clark's book The Cure for All Diseases and implemented several of her protocols. Big step forward. Then I progressed to buying a QXCI (now SCIO) and that helped me immensely. But it was only when I read Barbara's book and understood that food sensitivities could play a roll that I hit the jackpot. This coming September will be 2 years that I am totally free of any medication and the pain is almost non-existent, in fact far less than when I was in medication. I believe that the little bit of joint pain I have now is due to the damage the disease has caused over the years and only manifests itself when I accidentally bang any of the affected joints. Drugs will never ever cure an autoimmune disease. (Yes they help take the pain away and thank goodness for that), but as soon as you can pinpoint the cause and remove it your body will heal itself. We are very complex creatures and what works for one may not work for another. We forget that our bodies function on a physical, emotional and spiritual level and these levels are totally intertwined. Often an emotional or spiritual blockage can prevent healing, so we must look at those levels as well if healing eludes one. What I do know, without a shadow of doubt is that we were not meant to be ill, and that nature has supplied us with all the tools to be well. We, sadly, are no longer in tune with her. Kind regards, Ingrid from South Africa ~~~~~~~~~~ Anyone else out there willing to share their experiences with tetracycline or any other alternative treatments? The more we share with each other our stories of what does and doesn’t work, the better able we all our to understand exactly what is needed to heal. Of course, I am always most interested in what works, but sometimes it is important to also warn people about treatments that may seem reasonable but in practice can be quite damaging. →Learn How to Research Promising Therapies Using PubMed →Read More Success Stories