Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Charlene J. Nuble

A shooting pain in the knee. A burning sensation in the hand. Before you know it, you have rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks normal tissues as if they were invading antibodies. Rheumatoid arthritis also causes inflammation of the tissues around the joints and other organs of the body. The hands and feet are the most affected areas of rheumatoid arthritis although it can also affect any joint lined by a membrane. Rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systematic illness and sometimes called rheumatoid disease.Rheumatoid arthritis manifests itself over a period of a few months. However, for some, the disease appears overnight. Accelerated onset of rheumatoid arthritis does not mean the individual is at greater risk of the progression of the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis can lasts for years without symptoms. But rheumatoid arthritis is an illness that progresses and has the potential to cause joint destrution and functional disability. Usually, patients suffer cycles from severe to light symptoms. In terms of statistics, rheumatoid arthritis is three times more common in women than in men. It also besets people of all races equally. Rheumatoid arthritis can begin at any age but most often start in the early forties. What causes rheumatoid arthritis? The truth is, its cause is still unknown. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi have long been suspected but none has been proven to be the cause. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been the focus of different research activities. There are some scientists who believe that the tendency to develop rheumatoid arthritis may be genetically inherited while others believe that certain factors in the environment might elicit the immune system to attack the body’s own tissue components. This attack results to the inflammation in various organs such as lungs or eyes. Researchers have also found that environmental factors may also play a role in the cause of rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, scientists reported that smoking tobacco increases risk in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis depend on the degree of tissue inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is said to be active if the body tissues are inflammed. When the tissue inflammation subsides, rheumatoid arthritis is said to be in remission. Remissions may happen spontaneously or with treatment and can last for weeks, months, even years. During active rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms are felt. Symptoms may include fatigue, lack of appetite, low grade fever, and muscles and joint aches. Muscles and joint stiffness are usually felt during mornings and after a period of inactivity. During relapses (from inactivity to activity) of rheumatoid arthritis, joints become red, swollen, painful, and tender. This happens because the tissue lining of the joints become inflamed which results in the excess production of joint fluids. Multiple joints are usually inflamed in symmetrical pattern and the joints of both hands and wrists are often affected. Simple tasks such as turning the door knob and opening the jars can be painful. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the joint responsible for the tightening of vocal cords to change the tone of the voice although rarely. But when this happens, it can cause hoarseness of the voice. As mentioned before, rheumatoid arthritis is a systematic disease which can affect organs and areas of the body other than the joints. Sjorgen’s syndrome is the inflammation of the glands of the eyes and mouth which causes dryness. Rheumatoid inflammation of the lung lining can cause chest pains because the lung tissue itself is inflamed and nodules of inflammation also develop within the lungs. Rheumatoid arthritis can also reduce the number of red blood cells which can result to anemia and white blood cells which can result to increase risk of infections. A rare, serious complication of rheumatoid arthritis is blood vessel inflammation which can impair blood supply to tissues and lead to death of tissues. A rheumatologist is a doctor who specializes in arthritis and other related diseases. The rheumatologist reviews the history of symptoms, examines the joints, and the other parts of the body for the inflammation. The diagnosis is usually based on the pattern of symptoms, the distribution of the inflamed joints, and the blood and x-rays obtained. Until now, there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Reducing joint inflammation and pain, maximizing joint function, and preventing joint destruction is the current goal in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Early medical intervention has been found to improve outcomes in treatment. Optimal treatment includes combination of medications, joint strengthening exercises, joint protection, and patient education. Treatment is customized according to many factors such as disease activity, types of joints involved, general health, age, and occupation. But treatment is most successful when there is close cooperation between the doctor and the patient.————————-Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR’S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.————————- About the Author
Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links and information about arthritis, please go to: http://arthritis.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated links and information on all health related topics, go to: http://www.besthealthlink.net/

Remain Active with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Yoga Guide

Remain Active with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Yoga Guide
ARA Content

(ARA) – More and more people are performing the age-old practice of Yoga. Yoga can stretch you, it can relax you and now it may help people with arthritis. According to the American Yoga Association (AYA), Yoga may help people with arthritis deal with pain and stiffness, improve range of motion and increase strength for daily activities.
One of the most common forms of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which affects approximately two million Americans, of which more than 75 percent are women. RA is a chronic, autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue lining the joints, leading to pain, deformity and disability that may be permanent. Now available is a first-of-its kind online Yoga guide specifically for people with RA, developed by the AYA, in collaboration with the Arthritis Foundation and support from RAacademy.com.
For thousands of years people have used Yoga to build flexibility and strength, improve concentration, relieve stress and increase energy. Today the benefits of Yoga may extend to people with RA. According to a pilot study published in the British Journal of Rheumatology, people with RA who participated in a Yoga program over a three-month period experienced greater handgrip strength compared to those who did not practice Yoga.
“People with RA may benefit from low-impact exercises like Yoga to help improve overall health and fitness without further damaging or hurting the joints,” said Dr. Cheryl Lambing, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California Los Angeles. “Physical activity may optimize both physical and mental health and plays a vital role in disease management.”
The unique Yoga guide, Remain Active with RA, encompasses traditional Yoga poses including range-of-motion, muscle strengthening, and endurance exercises – the three major forms of exercise typically prescribed for people with RA. Each exercise contains detailed photographs and instructions indicating the proper way to perform each movement, with variation of exercises based on disease severity. It is important for people with RA to speak to their physician before embarking on any new exercise program.
“With my rheumatoid arthritis, I never thought I would be able to do an exercise like Yoga,” said Lynn McKenzie-Collins, Ph.D. “I am now reassured that there is a Yoga guide tailored for people with my disease that may help my pain and stiffness.”
The Remain Active with RA Yoga Guide is offered free exclusively at www.RAacademy.com and can be accessed when visitors to the site register. RAacademy is a disease web site, sponsored by Aventis Pharmaceuticals that provides RA-related news and information to people with the disease and their families. In addition to the Yoga guide, the site features self-care tools and tips for living with RA.
About The Author
Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com; e-mail: [email protected]

Powerful Arthritis Pain Relief For All Of Us

Powerful Arthritis Pain Relief For All Of Us
Jim Dowler

When you ask what arthritis is, professinals will tell you it’s inflammation of one or more joints. But you know it better as pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, and/or a diminished range of motion of those joints! It’s estimated that over 50 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and other related conditions. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. Osteo arthritis seems to come with the wear and tear of aging and affects nearly three-quarters of those over 50. The onset of arthritis is marked by morning stiffness, crackling joints, and perhaps some pain. As it progresses it causes discomfort, more pain, and some disability. It also causes an enormous consumption of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs that can have undesirable long-term effects. If left untreated, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis, along with other forms of rheumatoid disease, can become progressively worse… painful crippling can result. This is particularly true of rheumatoid arthritis, which can destroy joints, unless effective treatment is administered in time. Modern medicine doesn’t have much to offer for these chronic conditions… offering only symptomatic temporary relief. True, painkillers along with the so-called NSAIDs, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are effective in reducing symptoms quickly. However,these often cause serious side effects such as ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, and they don’t stop the progression of the disease. In the long run they have actually proven to worsen the condition by accelerating joint destruction. Coping with the chronic pain of arthritis can be frustrating. You get the feeling you’re all alone facing the daily challenges caused by your arthritis symptoms. And, the traditional treatments leave a lot to be desired. It doesn’t have to be this bad! The last few years of research on arthritis have brought some hope to this dismal picture. Old herbal remedies such as ginger, nettle, and willow bark, as well as fish oils and the already well-known cartilage constituents glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, are about to revolutionize the treatment of arthritis. These substances not only give symptomatic relief, but, actually intervene at the root of the arthritis problem and help the body to rebuild functioning joints. As they quickly sooth your pain, these powerful creams help repair, restore and regenerate cartilage, tendons, muscle and ligaments. Fast acting, these creams increase mobility and optimal repair of joint structures as they help reinforce the body’s protective linings and lubricating fluids by recovering cell stability and function to stop further damage. Really powerful stuff. You can learn more about this non-traditional arthritis treatment at our website. To your good health, Jim Dowler
Jim Dowler is the Webmaster of http://arthritis-pain-relief.gainstreet.com

Osteoarthritis: Causes and Symptoms

Osteoarthritis: Causes and Symptoms
John Robben

Osteoarthritis: Cause and Symptoms

In our last article, we briefly discussed Osteoarthritis and
Rheumatoid Arthritis. This article will take a close look at the
cause, symptoms, and current treatment used for Osteoarthritis.
So let’s take a second look at what Osteoarthritis is.

Osteoarthritis is known by many as “wear and tear” Arthritis. It
is one of the most common forms of Arthritis and is the result
of cartilage wearing away from the joints. This cartilage is
responsible for the smooth gliding of joints, and once it begins
to deteriorate, the patient is left with pain, joint swelling
and inflammation, and even deformity.

Osteoarthritis patients usually state that their pain is
greatest during times of movement, and then lessens
significantly during periods of rest. Osteoarthritis affects
many more women than men. There is an estimated 24 million
Osteoarthritis sufferers in the United States and roughly 74%
are women.

The cause of Osteoarthritis is not known, yet doctors have many
suspicions. Some of the symptoms of Osteoarthritis boggle the
minds of scientists and more research needs to take place to
determine the actual root of the disease. For instance, X-rays
can tell that Arthritis is present, yet the amount of pain
reported by Osteoarthritis sufferers differs from the results of
the X-ray. Though many people refer to Osteoarthritis as the
“wear and tear” disease, evidence shows that this disease and
its mysterious cause are not as simple as that definition. In
fact, “wear and tear” does not take place in just one joint, but
affects joints simultaneously throughout the body. An example of
this, is that sufferers with Osteoarthritis of the knee, offer
suffer Osteoarthritis in the hand. Also, doctors have noted that
patients don’t suffer with Osteoarthritis on just one side of
the body (as would be expected due to wear and tear) but because
it seems to affect the body concurrently, it appears that
Osteoarthritis is a systematic disease affecting all of the
cartilage at once.

One suggestion is that Osteoarthritis is a result of cartilage
that has stopped functioning at optimum level. Cartilage is
continuously undergoing a process where it is broken down, then
rebuilt. Some theories state that this process becomes
unbalanced and out of hand. This is referred to as “End Stage
Osteoarthritis.” It is at this stage that joint pain and
impairment begin to manifest. There are many natural remedies
that show promise in the management of Osteoarthritis pain and
symptoms. Look for future articles in our Arthritis Series that
will offer natural remedies that may prevent enzymes from
damaging cartilage.

Some other ideas that point to the cause of Osteoarthritis
include:

Previous Sports related or Joint Injuries Genetically
Inherited (it appears that Osteoarthritis runs in families)
Repeated Occurrences of Bleeding into a Joint (as occurs with
Hemophilia and other diseases) Repeated Occurrences of Gout
and Gout like Diseases Avascular Necrosis- this is a condition
where blood near a bone is cut off, this leads to bone death as
well as joint damage. Avascular Necrosis typically afflicts the
hip joint. Previous Rheumatoid Related Illness- such as
Rheumatoid Arthritis can lead to chronic inflammation of the
joints. Osteoporosis-due to the high risk of bone fractures
and injury, Osteoarthritis may develop in joints. Metabolic
Disorders- for example, Hemochromatosis can result in high
levels of Iron being deposited in the joints Joint
Infection-It is believed that cartilage may deteriorate in
people who have defects in their cartilage and joints.

We’ve discussed the potential causes of Osteoarthritis, now it
is time to look at the various symptoms of Osteoarthritis.
The symptoms of Osteoarthritis include:

Joint Pain- this tends to be worse when rising in the morning
Joint Swelling and Inflammation- this occurs during periods of
activity Feeling a “Grinding” Sensation when a Joint is moved
Loss of Mobility and Flexibility

There is no sure way to prevent Arthritis in any of its forms.
There are however some things that you can do to help lower your
risk of developing Osteoarthritis or any other type of
Arthritis. Some of the preventative methods that you may add
to your lifestyle today include:

Maintain an Ideal Body Weight Take steps to prevent the
development of Osteoporosis. Some of these include taking
adequate Vitamin D and Calcium, exercising, and taking
medication if needed. Do your best to prevent injuring your
bones and joints -try to avoid accidents such as sports related,
implementing joint protection by using splints and braces.

About the author:
Written by John
Robben of Ultimate Water Massage, Inc. Providing Massage
Services and Pain Relief products. Visit our Arthritis Information
Center