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Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission: Off All Meds in 2 Years Without Biologics

MYAutoimmuneMD

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Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission: Off All Meds in 2 Years Without Biologics - Amy Suto, former Hollywood TV writer and bestselling author, shares her incredible RA remission journey—going from debilitating joint pain and hair loss on methotrexate to being completely medication-free for 2 years.

She reveals how she refused injectable biologics, discovered American food triggered flares while Italian pizza didn't, and combined Rinvoq with glutathione patches, vitamin D, and toxin detox to achieve remission.

Her current protocol: strength training 3x/week, Zone 2 cardio, mostly vegetarian diet, no alcohol, and vegetable juicing—proving RA remission is possible.

Key Takeaways
RA remission without biologics possible—2 years medication-free
American food triggered flares; Italian pizza/pasta didn't
Glutathione patches detoxed heavy toxin load
Vitamin D deficiency common in RA—fixing reduces inflammation
Combining Rinvoq with holistic approach accelerated remission
Strength training 3x/week + Zone 2 cardio 4x/week critical
Quit alcohol, reduced sugar, mostly vegetarian essential
Vegetable juicing reduces inflammation flares
Mindset: believing remission possible is first step
Targeted approach better than 30 supplements

Chapters & Timestamps
01:00 Diagnosis 2021: Joint Pain & Typing Struggles
02:00 Methotrexate: Hair Loss & Side Effects
03:00 Refusing Injectable Biologics
06:00 Italy Changed Everything: Pizza Helped RA
08:00 Switching to Rinvoq & Holistic Protocol
09:00 Glutathione Patches for Toxin Load
11:00 Vitamin D Deficiency Game-Changer
13:00 Going Off Rinvoq in Argentina
14:00 2 Years Medication-Free & Pain-Free
18:00 Current Protocol: Strength Training & Zone 2
20:00 Vegetable Juicing & No Alcohol
24:00 Mindset: Believing Remission Is Possible
26:00 Where to Find Amy

Guest Details
Amy Suto — Writer, Author & RA Remission Success
Background: Former Hollywood TV writer, bestselling author. Creator of top 25 Substack Make Writing Your Job (30K+ subscribers). Author of Write for Money and Power, Six-Figure Freelance Writer, The Ash Trials.
RA Journey: Diagnosed 2021. Medication-free 2 years. Protocol: glutathione patches, vitamin D, strength training 3x/week, Zone 2 cardio 4x/45min, mostly vegetarian, no alcohol.

Connect:
Website:AmySuto.com
Substacks: MakeWritingYourJob.com & SutoScience.com
Social: @sutoscience (all platforms)

About Your Hosts:
Micah Yu, MD, MHA, MS, ABOIM, DipABLM, IFMCP
Dr. Micah Yu is a triple board-certified integrative rheumatologist who blends conventional medicine with holistic, nutrition-based healing to treat autoimmune and chronic inflammatory conditions. A patient himself, Dr. Yu brings a deeply personal perspective to his work, having reversed his own autoimmune arthritis through lifestyle and integrative medicine. He is certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, integrative medicine, lifestyle medicine, and functional medicine. As the founder of MyAutoimmuneMD and co-founder of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic, Dr. Yu empowers patients to address the root causes of illness and reclaim their health from the inside out.

Melissa Mondala, MD, MHA, MS, DipABLM
Dr. Melissa Mondala is a dual board-certified physician in Family and Lifestyle Medicine, with advanced training in Integrative Psychiatry and Integrative Medicine. As President of Dr. Lifestyle Clinic in Newport Beach—recognized by UC Irvine as a Public Health Site of Excellence—she pioneers a holistic, patient-centered approach to chronic disease. Dr. Mondala is a nationally recognized Lifestyle Medicine Intensivist, core faculty at Loma Linda University’s Preventive Medicine Department, and a passionate advocate for plant-based nutrition, mental health, and women's wellness. A sought-after speaker and educator, she combines cutting-edge science with deep compassion to empower lasting healing, especially for those silently suffering from autoimmune, mental health, and long COVID conditions. She shares practical inspiration for healthy living and cooking at @drmelissaskitchen.

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Autoimmune Website: www.myautoimmunemd.com

My clinic is located in Newport Beach, California. I see patients virtually throughout USA and worldwide.

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20 Comments

@MYAutoimmuneMD Creator 6 months ago Pinned

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@pixiecrossing 6 months ago

This gives me so much hope! I have not been diagnosed, but I am heading home from a road trip where I had a major flareup from what we think is rheumatoid arthritis. The pain has been debilitating, and the brain fog and fatigue has me down for days at a time. Really encouraging that if I stick to the plant-based diet and supplements, it will help me, I’m trying my best. It’s hard!

@LindaColeman-f5y 3 months ago

So happy for her..

@LindaAnthis 3 months ago

I use Endrol once a week. At the same time I began my injectable, I also stopped sugar, processed foods, seed oils etc and began eating tons of organic veggies, berries, grass fed beef and organic eggs, and organic coffee. I stopped eating breakfast, and only eat lunch and dinner. Even my suppliments aren't synthetic anymore! Well, I've been in remission for a while now, praise Jesus, and I'm wondering if I should stop my injectable and see if I could also be fine without it.

@Klondon56 6 months ago

Very impressive! Happy for you. I'm still working towards my remission and hoping I get there sooner than later. Very inspiring! Thank you for sharing. Thank you Dr. Yu for sharing this story

@jglenn2282 1 month ago

Thank you both! Just saw my doctor and was wondering how I can help myself...Thanks again.

@IPEMH 6 months ago

This is awesome! Gives me hope!🎉

@Senorita_Belo 6 months ago

Love that you address nutrition for RA. I'm a physician living with RA and the most important thing I've done for my treatment is leaving gluten behind (became sensitive) and eating the most vegetables I can, along with some supplements like omega 3. Really game changer along with medical treatment in my case

@karlint39 5 months ago

@14:04 That's amazing that Amy was able to go into remission even after quitting Rinvoq. MY RA doctor warned me that, Rinvoq in particular (and perhaps other JAK inhibitors in general) are really hard to go off of due to their mechanism of action (JAK inhibitors in general are said to work much more quickly than biologics, so I imagine it as "instant on / instant off" and if you try to transition from something that is "instant off" to something that takes time to ramp up, that could be hard. In any case, my doctor's message: Rinvoq is really hard to transition off of. So that's even more amazing that Amy was able to do it. It feels like the Holy Grail of RA treatment.

@RedNicole22 4 months ago

I was recently diagnosed with RA, and I’ve been gluten free for 14 years, and on many of these supplements, and still got it. I think mine is related to chronic stress, trauma, mold, etc. I am reducing dairy and sugar now. Upping my movement as well. I’m still not well, and dealing with pain and fatigue, and insomnia. I’m exhausted

@lupegonzalez2689 6 months ago

I’m glad I heard about this healthy diet because I have RA and OA and taking methotrexate but I have to stop taking them after the injections because I have stomach problems and the specialist doesn’t believe that the medicine is causing it also taking hcq now I am getting a new med but I will try try the paleo diet and thank you for sharing

@karlint39 5 months ago

@22:50 Yes! Very insprirational!

@Dr.S.Chanamolu 6 months ago

Hi, I'm Dr. Sankeerth from India. I have been a seronegative rheumatoid arthritis patient for the last six years, and I am currently in the 3rd year of my residency.
I have been experiencing secondary failure with my medications. All the DMARDs and biologicals worked really well for a few months, but then my symptoms returned with higher intensity. I am currently on Methotrexate, HCQ, and Adalimumab, but I feel their effectiveness is slowly reducing as my pain and joint degeneration in my elbow, wrist, and left knee is worsening.

Thanks for the videos and knowledge you share on YouTube.
I am planning to start making dietary changes now to see how I progress. I hope to get better.

@katiescape 6 months ago

I'm on a similar journey, I already do most of the things mentioned (ty for your podcast) but will be adding the patch and some magnesium.

Strength training is interesting, deffo need to work my way up to that, it makes sense, the muscle being able to carry to load instead of the joint is going to make it better.

@janweber6055 6 months ago

Could you share the name of the Glutathione patches, where to source them Please

@karen-w 6 months ago

I’m so happy for you!!! You hit it on the head! That’s when I realized the food in the USA wasn’t good! I was in Italy for two months and I ate exactly what you said pizza bread the bread was wonderful. The pizza was wonderful. The food was delicious and I ate everything I wanted to eat no flareup. As soon as I went back to the states I got extremely sick. The pain was the worst it had ever been. I have to definitely change my diet. They also gave me biologic that did not work for me. My hair also was falling out. I wasn’t hungry. I lost a lot of weight, but I am so excited for you and I wish you well

@Cholita.1979 6 months ago

I was diagnosed with RA 2 years ago. Been working with a naturopathic doctor and found I had gut permeability, about 10 infections like c diff, h pylori and a parasite. I also had latent viruses. I had to be on a carnivore diet for 18months bc I was flaring from almost everything. As of today I am symptom and pain free. I have joint damage from RA but I haven’t had any flares for few months now. My point is, find the root cause and treat it! Apart from working with a naturopathic doctor I did almost everything I can to help my body heal. There’s hope. RA doesn’t need to be a death sentence

@studentaccount4354 6 months ago

A cardiologist with another person wrote a book, Body On Fire about lifestyle changes to mitigate inflammation. I think the thiamine mononitrate or fat soluble fortification of processed flours might be part of the problem. Thank you!