Tag: Modern Medicine

The Variety Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications

The Variety Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications
Matthew Landsmann


There is a variety of prescribed arthritis medications which health professionals can give to help with rheumatoid arthritis. While these arthritis medications may not cure, they can relieve pain, alleviate symptoms, and even slow the development of rheumatoid arthritis.
Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs can reduce pain and assist with inflammation. These drugs may be used as an arthritis medicine and may be obtained over the counter and in prescription form. (Most people are familiar with aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium.) The only negative aspect of these arthritis medications is they can lead to stomach problems, such as bleeding and indigestion. They can also raise blood pressure in a person and cause susceptibility to fluid retention.
COX-2 inhibitors are a class of Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs which do not cause as much harm to the stomach. This class of arthritis medication functions by suppressing an enzyme called cyclooxygenase which is a factor in inflammation. However, fluid retention and elevated blood pressure may result as side effects of COX-2 inhibitors. Reports are also coming in that people who use this class of drug may be more liable to a stroke or heart attack.
Corticosteroids are arthritis medications which are able to reduce pain and inflammation. They can also moderate the damage to joints caused by rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, numerous arthritis sufferers who take corticosteroids have stated that they feel significantly better. However, after a time the effectiveness of corticosteroids may diminish. There is also the risk of suffering severe side effects such as diabetes, weight gain, and decreased bone density, after long-time use of corticosteroids.
It is important to see a doctor at the earliest signs of rheumatoid arthritis. While modern medicine has not been able to find a cure for arthritis, they are making strides in pain relief and slowing down the progression rate of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. Immunosuppressants can be supplied as an arthritis medication to help control the immune system. Without such treatment, the immune system in rheumatoid arthritis patients is not balanced and it is out of control. TNF blockers are sometimes prescribed in combination with an immunosuppressant. TNF blockers operate by blocking the protein which inflames the joints. Those on TNF blockers report reduced pain and less stiffness.
Those diagnosed early with rheumatoid arthritis can be given arthritis medications known as disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. These drugs slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, if the arthritis is caught early, much damage to the joints can be forestalled.

About The Author

Matthew Landsmann is the proprietor of Great Arthritis Choices.
This site has easy to read articles containing excellent information about Arthritis.
Visit: www.great-arthritis-choices.com

Iodine For Radiation Therapy-Treatment For Thyroid Cancer

Cancer is a disease we hear about far too often. In decades past we figured we would have cured cancer by now, and even though doctors and sentients strive to find a cure, there is not anything out there yet. Even despite there modern medicine has a variety of treatments with varying success to deal with cancer. The treatment required of course depends on the type of cancer and how early it was caught.

Thyroid cancer is one such type. Iodine for radaition therapy is one of the treatments for thyroid cancer. Essentially they pass radiated iodine through your thyroid gland in the hopes of eradicating the cancer cells. Like all radiation therapy there are problems with it.

Depending on how early the cancer is caught one of the preferred treatments is simply to cut it out. If caught early enough, the cancer can be confined to the thyroid gland and doctors may opt to just remove the tumor and infected tissue outright. This method has a very high chance of curing the patient entirely by removing all traces of the cancer. But like all surgeries it has it’s risks and if caught too late it is not even an option.

The best defense against cancer is to simply catch it early on. In almost all cases, if caught early enough it can be treated effectively. Surgery and Iodine for radaition therapy can work, but their odds of working are increased exponentially the earlier the cancer is discovered.

Unlike a lot of types of cancer out there, thyroid cancer has symptoms you can look for and check for yourself. Some of these symptoms can include a small tumor on the front of your neck, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing and pain in your neck.

If you have these symptoms you should immediately see your doctor and have them run tests to determine whether or not you have thyroid cancer. Your doctor will run standard tests to determine whether or not you have thyroid cancer.

If you do have it, then he will talk with you about it and give you options and information. If you are fortunate and do not have thyroid cancer then you will need to figure out what was causing those symptoms to begin with. Even if it is not cancer it still might be something serious so it is important you do not just give a big sigh of relief and call it a day.

Your thyroid gland is an important part of your body that regulates your metabolism and creates hormones that benefit a lot of other aspects of your body. You want to take care of it as best you can and get it treated if it does present a problem.

Cancer is a major issue and if you catch it early enough then surgery or Iodine for radaition therapy can help treat it and ultimately get rid of it. However if you wait too long it might be too late. So if you even suspect you have it then you should see your doctor as soon as possible as any delay could have dire consequences.

Natural Ways To Relieve A Headache-Sometimes The Old Ways Work

Natural Ways To Relieve A Headache-Sometimes The Old Ways Work Better

Having frequent headaches can range from being a nuisance to affecting your ability to function. Modern medicine’s typical response is to shove pills down your throat and see what happens. If the first pills don’t work then new pills are tried, and so on until you are able to find some relief. However, there are also some natural ways to relieve a headache so you won’t have to pop pills.

A warning is in order before we get to any of those methods: Nothing in this article is meant to be medical advice. You should always consult with your doctor before trying to treat any health condition, including headaches. If your doctor has prescribed medication, then you should always take it unless they instruct to stop taking it. Okay, and now onto the good stuff!

Cold or heat therapy is one of the oldest natural ways to relieve a headache. Placing a cold pack on the head, face or neck can lessen the severity of a headache, but don’t use anything that’s too cold as that can make the headache worse. Heat can be applied in the same way, and excessive heat should be avoided as well. Everybody is different, so you may need to see which temperature works best for you. How this works is still the topic of discussion, but what really matters is that it does indeed work, not how it works.

The body is covered with pressure points that affect other parts of the body. You can find pressure points that will help alleviate headaches. They can be found on the temples, the bridge of your nose, the hairline, the crook of your arm, your back and certain parts of your feet. Using a bit of trial and error, you should be able to zero in on the areas that bring you the most relief; however, if you want to be more precise then you can find information that shows you exactly where to apply pressure.

Aromatherapy can work wonders on your headaches, but you need to be careful. The reason is that some people are highly sensitive to certain scents, and they could end up making your headache worse. On the other hand, there are sure to be some aromas that soothe and clam you and lessen your headache pain. Some of the more popular scents for the treatment of headaches include lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint.

Staying in good health isn’t always the easiest thing to do, but it can definitely help control your headaches. After all, what could be better than preventing them in the first place? Make sure that you drink plenty of water throughout the day, eat right, exercise on a regular basis, practice stress reduction techniques and get a good night’s sleep.

The cool thing about all of these natural ways to relieve a headache is that they can be done by just about anyone, and you don’t have to worry about popping pills and adding chemicals to your system.

Do Magnets Relieve Pain-It Depends On Your Experience

Being in pain isn’t any fun, and many people are willing to go to just about any lengths to find relief for their pain. There are all kinds of products that promise to ease pain, but some work better than others while others don’t work at all. Magnets are one of the more controversial methods of pain relief, so it’s only natural for you to ask do magnets relieve pain.

As of now, there appears to be no definitive answer. Modern western medicine and science tell us that there is simply no way that magnets can have an effect on your pain. They don’t “realign the blood”, or cause “energy vortices that change the chemistry of your body to stop sending pain transmissions through the ether”. There is nothing that a magnet can do to the body that will reduce pain, at least not according to the current understanding of western medical science.

So, we know what modern science has to say about magnets, but what are some of the claims in support of their ability to relieve pain?

History tells us that the ancient Greeks used magnets to cure or reduce many types of pain. It’s possible that older cultures from other parts of the world believed the same thing, but the Greeks offer us the earliest known documentation. There is a tendency for some people to assume modern medicine doesn’t know what they’re talking about and that the ancients somehow knew more than we do now. It would be hard to argue that we know less now, but it would be fair to say that there are still things that we don’t understand.

Perhaps the ancients knew something that has been lost to the ages, or maybe not. However, magnets are not only touted as curing pain. Some have gone so far as to claim that magnet therapy can cure (not just treat or alleviate) arthritis, depression, nausea, immunity disorders and cancer. The mechanisms by which these “cures” take place will vary by whoever is giving the pseudoscientific explanation. The sad part is that they could be profiting from the terminally ill, from the very people who should be seeking treatments that work, and not some oddball claim.

So, back to the question of do magnets relieve pain. It looks like each side of the debate has a definitive answer, but they each contradict each other. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that if they do relieve pain it is only because of the placebo effect. In other words, the only reason the reported pain level goes down is because the person using the magnet believe magnets work. Okay, does it really matter?

Ultimately, you will have to see for yourself. Even if it is the placebo effect at work, who cares? The main thing is that the pain starts to go away; and whether that’s because of some modern mystery, some pseudoscientific jargon, the placebo effect or something just doesn’t matter. The best answer is to try them for yourself and see just effective they really are.