Tracie Bertch has been living with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) since she was in her 20’s. After being misdiagnosed with carpel tunnel and tendinitis she was officially diagnosed with RA in 2009.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease primarily affecting one’s joints.
Tracie at 210 lbs
The severe pain from RA made Tracie’s life very debilitating. She was using a cane to walk, sometimes resulting in crawling because of the severe pain, and missed a lot of work due to her illness.
The doctor’s prescribed her with high doses of Prednisone, Methotrexate, Folic Acid to curb side affects from the other medication, and a 3-4 hour infusion called Remicade. Once funding ran out for that treatment plan Tracie began injecting herself with Embral to manage the joint pain.
While the medications were managing her pain Tracie had a very low quality of life. She was not able to enjoy outdoor activities anymore or go on evening walks. As a result she knew something had to change and she needed to take back control of her life.
Per her doctors recommendation Tracie started to taper herself off the medications. She also learned that through conscious food choices that she could reduce inflammation in her body. As a result Tracie began eliminating sugar, caffeine, and most meats from her diet.
Tracie decided moved to California in 2014 where she was able to apply for her medical marijuana license and utilize this plant medicine for pain management. By the time she started using cannabis she was off all the big Pharma addictive drugs she was previously prescribed.
Due to changes in her diet, her daily routine, and cannabis usage Tracie was able to lose over 65 pounds. As a result Tracie began to gain her healthy lifestyle back by hiking, camping, and fishing – all actives she deeply missed due to her illness.
Today Tracie lives in Colorado and enjoys the same benefits as a registered medical marijuana patient. Tracie is maintaining healthy eating habits to reduce inflammation in the body and daily physical activities to keep her joints in motion. While she still has RA and is in pain on a daily basis the cannabis usage has allowed her to stop using these highly addictive drugs.
Tracie after losing 65 lbs
Tracie now uses a combination of CBD and THC remedies such as tinctures, edibles, and muscle salves to alleviate pain.
In the future Tracie hopes to be able to strengthen her joints enough to be able to enjoy yoga, weightlifting, and other activities that are still restricted from the RA.
Tracie is a strong believer in medical marijuana and is a true success story that showcases what profound effects cannabis can have on one’s medical condition.
She hopes through her story that she can show others with RA and other autoimmune diseases that cannabis can be an option to those dangerous and addictive prescription medications so readily prescribed today.
To further her knowledge on cannabis Tracie has enrolled in Cannabis Training University to learn more about the profound medicinal benefits of this plant.
Stay Ripped Apparel and Greenlove Denver appreciates Tracie allowing us to share her story with others breaking down stigmas of cannabis users one success story at a time.
