Arthritis... Really?!?!

Hey all. I usually post in O35, and even then I haven’t been active for awhile, but I’m back to try and get some good information from some fellow muscle-heads.

For those who don’t know I’m a bodybuilder, competed once, still train like crazy man, and I find an annual excuse to get ripped up so I can maintain the sexiness.

I am developing early symptoms of arthritis. I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to reverse/prevent/ manage this. It’s early days, but I have to admit it’s really upsetting. It’s mostly in my hands and my big toes. Most days I feel completely normal and have full function. Some days I have a low grade feeling of heat, kinda like lactic acid burn in my fingers. Some days it just plain hurts.

I eat a low inflammatory diet. I tend to be a meat and veg kinda guy. I don’t eat much dairy except for whey, I don’t eat much sugar, I don’t eat a lot of grains either. I still eat like a bodybuilder. I take my fish oil, and am going to start introducing theracurmin/circumin again.

I need to be better informed so I can manage this myself. My doctor, who is really quite wonderful, isn’t much help. Her philosohpy is to take meds when there’s pain, and live with it otherwise. I want to be more focused on prevention. This is part of my reality, and I want to do everything I can to stave it off.

So has anybody got any advice to offer? Websites I should visit? Communities I should join? Books I should read?

And just to prove I’m not some no-talent windbag, here’s a photo from last year when I got ripped up for an event.