‘My arthritis was excruciating – but then I tried natural remedies’
Emily Johnson thought the condition only affected people as they got older but, after living in agony, she knew something had to change
Emily Johnson is the author of Beat Arthritis Naturally
Credit: LOUISE ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY
When Emily Johnson developed rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 20, the pain was excruciating. But she soon learned to manage the condition with a change in diet and lifestyle.
Emily was in her final year of university when the ring finger on her right hand started to swell up. Soon the painful swelling had spread to another finger and thumbs and her skin became sensitive to touch. “It was excruciating. I couldn’t move my hands as they were stiff with fluid. It was too painful to type and I could barely hold a pen,” says Johnson. Next came the sneezing fits. “I couldn’t sleep or even talk for sneezing, but I passed it off as a cold or hay fever.”