Wow! I never knew that there was a RA presence here on Steemit, im incredibly excited by this discovery! I have had RA for most of my life and I have been heavily sedated with opiates and other drugs to deal with it. Recently I have started meditation which has caused me to take a better look at my life and why I am not getting better. The drugs! That is why, partially anyway. I feel like the fact that I have been on opiates for so many years has caused me to almost quit breathing all together. We all know that they depress breathing but after half my life on them, I am pretty sure that my autonomic response to breathing has been seriously effected. I plan to get of the drugs and I have already begun taking measures to do so. The hardest thing so far though has been retraining my body to breath. I have been very depressed and just crappy feeling the last couple weeks. That led me to the meditation which lead me to my breathing. Realizing that my natural breathing has been effected, I have begun practicing correct breathing 24/7. My depression has went away, and I feel like I am on the right track. Now the drug and my diet are next. Thank you for this post, it is truly inspiring my friend!