Update on this, that may or may not be of use to
@SnakeCharmer and/or others. I really dug in deep on ways to fight inflammation without meds around the time of the above post. One of the things that I found really compelling info on was the beneficial effects of various forms of fasting on inflammation markers through autophagy. Basically when your body is in the fasted state it starts scavenging unhealthy cells, taking what it can use, and then flushing those cells out. Growth hormones are then activated and replace the unhealthy cells with new healthy ones. Time restricted eating (aka intermittent fasting) is purportedly a good vehicle for this. More profound autophagy is achieved in prolonged 3-5 day water fasts (probably not done more than quarterly).
@SnakeCharmer , one reason I thought of you on this is a recent podcast I heard between Tom Bilyeu and Dr. Peter Attia (I can't remember who was on whose podcast) where Tom was talking about chronic profound wrist pain that he'd had for a long time, that disappeared at around the 3 day mark into a fast. For myself, the Reactive Arthritis that I referenced above (shortly after the post above the doc said he thought it was more likely Seronegative RA) caused constant inflammation in my S.I. joint that was easily aggravated, along with neck, shoulder, elbow, and hip pain. The shoulder turned out to be torn, which has been repaired, and the neck pain has proven to be more of an injury/mechanical deficiency issue than a systemic inflammation issue. I've been doing 16/8 time restricted eating religiously for the last 5-6 months. One study indicated that doing it 5 days a week provides essentially the same benefits as doing it everyday, so on days when I'm going to ride early I break my fast early on those days. I am completely off of all prescription meds, and am virtually pain free everywhere except my neck. I only occasionally take ibuprofen as needed specifically for my neck, though I seem to be rounding a corner on that as well. Anyway, the science on fasting to treat inflammation and autoimmune issues is really compelling. Might be worth checking into. I do take a daily CBD capsule, and use the topical oil on my neck, but I feel like the benefit I get from those, at least as far as pain goes, is minimal at best.