Recent research has shown that fermented foods can not only improve gut microbiome diversity, but lower the inflammatory response in your body that affects conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While I was still in active practice, I was passionate about helping people with RA. In fact, I treated more than 3,000 people with this disease, 80 percent to 85 percent of whom experienced significant recovery, if not remission. One of the hallmark symptoms of RA is pain in the proximal joints of the hands or feet. These are the joints that are closer to the palm of your hand as opposed to joints further out in your fingers. RA is also often symmetrical, which means it affects the same joints in both hands or feet. The condition is far less common than osteoarthritis. In joints that are affected by RA, the lining becomes inflamed from an autoimmune and inflammatory …