Tag: sulfasalazine

The Difference Between Arthritis and Rheumatism

The Difference Between Arthritis and Rheumatism
Leong Y.H..M.D

‘Rheumatism’ is a traditional and non-specific term used in the East and West to refer to a variety of conditions affecting the bones, joints, skin, heart, kidneys, lungs. This term is rapidly falling out of favour in the West today because modern medical science has discovered that most of these conditions have different aetiologies (causes) requiring very different treatments.
You can say that it’s a word mainly used in Chinese (& traditional) societies; it’s also used by a minority of Westerners into homeopathic and alternative medicine. The only common characteristics among these conditions are: 1) they cause long-term chronic pain, and 2) they are very difficult to treat.
‘Arthritis’ is a broad term refers to inflammation of the joints, but doesn’t say anything about the cause. Includes conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, infective arthritis, gouty arthritis, etc.
Generally, I’d divide arthritis into 2 big groups:
1) Osteoarthritis (OA)
This is primarily a ‘wear and tear’ condition affecting older people. Arises from overuse (e.g. marathon runners), previous injuries (football players), overweight, heredity. A lot of older Asian women get OA of the knees while the Americans and Europeans get it in the hips. The pain is more mechanical than inflammatory. So you get pain in the later part of the day after a lot of walking and climbing stairs.
Because it’s mainly a mechanical problem, treatment with painkillers is only a temporary solution. Long-term lifestyle changes are more important – reduce weight, mobility and muscle-strengthening exercises, reduce all kinds of weight-bearing activities (walking, jumping, running, carrying heavy objects). In severe cases, surgery may be warranted.

2) Inflammatory (‘Rheumatic’) Arthritis
This group comprises the various types of arthritis which are mainly inflammatory , not mechanical, in nature. They usually result from an auto-immune condition, which causes the body’s immune system to go haywire and attack the joints and other parts of the body. E.g. rheumatoid arthritis (RA), SLE (skin, kidneys, joints, brain), psoriasis (skin, joints), ankylosing spondylitis (back, heart), gout (joints, skin, kidneys), rheumatic heart disease/fever (joints, heart, skin). All these conditions require different forms of treatment.
I’ll talk a bit about RA, the commonest condition in this group. Unlike OA, RA can occur at any age and is usually hereditary (we now have a test for the RA factor in the blood). Pain is usually in the early morning, worse when it’s cold, and gets better with activity and use. That means an RA sufferer suffers from morning stiffness and pain, but gets better in the afternoon when it’s warmer and when he has moved around a bit.
Treatment, unlike OA, is mainly through drugs – painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, cytotoxic drugs like sulfasalazine and MTX. In Asia, treatment is mainly through accupuncture, medicated plasters and ointments. With the vast arsenals of drugs and non-drugs alternative treatments available today, RA can be controlled very well and the sufferer can actually lead a very active life. Many OA sufferers on the other hand may eventually require surgery since we don’t have very effective drugs for OA. About the Author
Dr Leong Y.H is a western trained medical doctor with a keen interest in Oriental medical treatment. He contribute articles to http://www.quick-pain-relief.com and http://www.chinese-culture.net. You may distribute this article as long as mention is made of the author and the website.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment
Robert Kokoska

Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition where involves inflammation
of joints which leads to further swelling and pain. It causes an
upset inside the body where the immune system starts attacking
joint tissue, cartilage and other organs.

However the causes of rheumatoid arthritis are still not known
fully. This type of arthritis is the most common and affects one
in every 100 people. Rheumatoid arthritis affects people of all
ages but mainly effects people within the ages of 30 – 50. Women
are three times more likely to be effected as men. Patients
carrying this form of arthritis most often complain of
fluctuating pain and inflammation of joints, which can get gets
worse during flare-ups.

This article aims to offer an insight into several treatments
that can be used against rheumatoid arthritis.

There are two main kinds of drugs used against rheumatoid
arthritis; first line drugs, fast acting drugs, and second line
which are slow acting drugs.

First line drugs include nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Examples of NSAIDs are
aspirin, ibuprofen and etodolac. These can be used to reduce
pain and swelling of joints.

Aspirin has long been used to decrease inflammation. It can be
used to treat rheumatoid arthritis by using doses that are
higher then those used during fever. Newer types of NSAIDs are
effective as aspirin and require fewer intakes per day. However
just like all medication, it has its own side effects which
include stomach pain, abdominal pain and a few others. In order
to minimize the side effects of NSAIDs, they are regularly taken
with meals.

Another type of first line drugs includes Corticosteroids. They
are more powerful then NSAIDs and are given either orally or
through an injection to the inflamed areas such as joints.

Corticosteroids are given in small doses, mainly during
flare-ups as it reacts more strongly to inflammation. However it
can have serious side effects on the body if given for an
extended period of time in high doses. These include weight
gain, easy risk of infection, easy bruising and others. The side
effects can be minimized by decreasing the level of doses given
to the patients slowly as the condition of the patient improves.
A sharp decline in the doses given to the patient is discouraged
as it can lead to flare-ups and other symptoms of the disease.

Second line drugs include Disease-modifying
Anti-rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs. These drugs are mainly used to
prevent destruction of joints and deformity. DMARDs are used for
an extended period of time in order to be effective. DMARDs can
often be used with a combination of other second line drugs as
therapy.

Some examples of DMARDs include Sulfasalazine,
Hydroxychloroquine, D-penicillamine and others.

Apart from the above methods, there are some other approaches
that can be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. The patients can
undertake exercise that can help them improve their physical
condition and improve joint mobility. Additionally it is
important to have a healthy intake of food.

Many often patients with rheumatoid arthritis can experience
weight loss. This can be combined with medication and therapy to
come up with a more potent combination against the condition.
Depending on your position, you can under go either
physiotherapy or occupational therapy. This will help improve
flexibility, mobility, and reduce pain in your joints.

The aforementioned approaches to rheumatoid arthritis have been
used time and again. However it is essential to seek your
nearest doctor to get firm guidance. Each arthritis case shall
be dealt on an individual basis.

With the passage of time, new and more effective treatments
against arthritis are starting to come through. However the only
way to gain the maximum benefit from the existing treatments
will be to remain punctual throughout the course of the
medication. It is important to constantly consult your doctor
and keep him or her up to date with your condition, so that the
doctor can advise you further and give more effective feedback.

About the author:
Are you sick and tired of arthritis pain?

Relieve your arthritis pain naturally with Ea
zol Arthritis Capsules

Read the online press release about “I Cured My Arthritis,
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Learn about arthritis and how it can affect you

Learn about arthritis and how it can affect you
Dr Leong Y.H

‘Rheumatism’ is a traditional and non-specific term used in the East and West to refer to a variety of conditions affecting the bones, joints, skin, heart, kidneys, lungs. This term is rapidly falling out of favour in the West today because modern medical science has discovered that most of these conditions have different aetiologies (causes) requiring very different treatments.
You can say that it’s a word mainly used in Chinese (& traditional) societies; it’s also used by a minority of Westerners into homeopathic and alternative medicine. The only common characteristics among these conditions are: 1) they cause long-term chronic pain, and 2) they are very difficult to treat.
‘Arthritis’ is a broad term refers to inflammation of the joints, but doesn’t say anything about the cause. Includes conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, infective arthritis, gouty arthritis, etc.
Generally, I’d divide arthritis into 2 big groups:
1) Osteoarthritis (OA)
This is primarily a ‘wear and tear’ condition affecting older people. Arises from overuse (e.g. marathon runners), previous injuries (football players), overweight, heredity.
A lot of older Asian women get OA of the knees while the Americans and Europeans get it in the hips. The pain is more mechanical than inflammatory. So you get pain in the later part of the day after a lot of walking and climbing stairs.
Because it’s mainly a mechanical problem, treatment with painkillers is only a temporary solution. Long-term lifestyle changes are more important – reduce weight, mobility and muscle-strengthening exercises, reduce all kinds of weight-bearing activities (walking, jumping, running, carrying heavy objects). In severe cases, surgery may be warranted.

2) Inflammatory (‘Rheumatic’) Arthritis
This group comprises the various types of arthritis which are mainly inflammatory , not mechanical, in nature. They usually result from an auto-immune condition, which causes the body’s immune system to go haywire and attack the joints and other parts of the body. E.g. rheumatoid arthritis (RA), SLE (skin, kidneys, joints, brain), psoriasis (skin, joints), ankylosing spondylitis (back, heart), gout (joints, skin, kidneys), rheumatic heart disease/fever (joints, heart, skin). All these conditions require different forms of treatment.
I’ll talk a bit about RA, the commonest condition in this group. Unlike OA, RA can occur at any age and is usually hereditary (we now have a test for the RA factor in the blood). Pain is usually in the early morning, worse when it’s cold, and gets better with activity and use. That means an RA sufferer suffers from morning stiffness and pain, but gets better in the afternoon when it’s warmer and when he has moved around a bit.
Treatment, unlike OA, is mainly through drugs – painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, cytotoxic drugs like sulfasalazine and MTX.
In Asia, treatment is mainly through accupuncture, medicated plasters and ointments. With the vast arsenals of drugs and non-drugs alternative treatments available today, RA can be controlled very well and the sufferer can actually lead a very active life. Many OA sufferers on the other hand may eventually require surgery since we don’t have very effective drugs for OA. About the Author
Dr Leong is a Western trained doctor with a keen interest in Chinese medical treatment. He contributes articles to http://www.quick-pain-relief.com. This article may be republished provided acknowledgement is made of the author and the original website.

Arthritis medications

Arthritis medications
Robert Kokoska

Patients suffering from arthritis have to undergo a wide range
of treatments which includes medication. There are over 100
medications that are presently being used to treat arthritis.
However medicines at this stage can only help people suffering
from arthritis, and not act as a cure. The medicines can be used
to reduce pain, improve joint mobility, decrease flare-ups and
reduce inflammations.

The aim of this article is to present an insight into 4 main
types of medicines that can be used by arthritis patients.

The first category is called pain-relieving medicines which
include aspirin, paracetemol and ibuprofen. As a matter of fact,
aspirin and ibuprofen are mainly anti-inflammatory drugs;
however they also contain small amounts of pain killing doses.
These pain relieving drugs are available at almost all chemists,
without subscription from doctor.

Anti-inflammatory medicines can be used to
decrease flare-ups and reduce swelling. It comes in two packages
which include Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and
steroids. NSAIDs need to be taken over an extended period of
time so to make it more effective. However its side effects
include stomach problems. It is the most common prescribed
medicine against arthritis. Some NSAIDs include naproxen
(Naprosyn), fenbufen (Lederfen), piroxicam (Feldene) and Cox – 2
inhibitors. However there have been concerns raised about the
safety of Cox-2. Steoids are very effectives against
inflammation. However they can cause harm to the body is used
for a long period of time. They are mainly used to bring severe
cases of arthritis under control before any further
prescriptions are given.

Disease-modifying medicines are used with cases
which involves damage to the immune system such as by rheumatoid
arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. They can be either
taken in by mouth or through injections and deals with the whole
of immune system, instead of the symptoms. Some types of this
kind of medicine are methotrexate, sulfasalazine and gold
(sodium aurothiomalate).

Biologic response modifiers (BRMs) are
increasingly being used in the treatment of arthritis. They were
used to treat severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, however now
they have assumed a new role and are used to treat patients in
the early stages of arthritis, so to prevent profound damage to
the joints. Although many people with rheumatoid arthritis find
BRMs effective, it is still not suited for everyone with
arthritis. The downside of these products is that they are
expensive and can only be given through injections or infusion.

All medicines contain some side effects. Also these side effects
may vary from patient to patient. Many patients undertaking
arthritis related medicines experience certain side effects such
as stomach pain. Nevertheless arthritis medicines can be very
powerful and can have a profound effect on the body. There are
certain approaches in order to reduce minimize the side effects.
It is important to take to take medicines according to
instructions such as 2 times in the day. Your doctor must be
constantly supervising you so that he or she can see whether the
intake is going according to the plan. Another important aspect
to be taken into account is that the benefit of taking the
medicine shall be weighed against the harm of not taking them.
Arthritis can get worse if no medication is taken.

The reason so many medicines for arthritis has been produced is
to meet specific demand of arthritis patients. Also using one
can have side effects. Therefore the range of medicines allows a
person to choose ones that gives least side effects to him or
her. Before you start taking any medicine, it is essential for
you to contact your family so to great a grip of the actual
situation and choose the medicine that best caters to your
needs. Additionally, it is very important for pregnant women to
consult their doctors. Some medicines contain strong side
effects and can be harmful to the baby. Therefore it is
essential to adjust medication in such cases.

About the author:
Are you sick and tired of arthritis pain?

Relieve your arthritis pain naturally with Ea
zol Arthritis Capsules

Read the online press release about “I Cured My Arthritis,
You Can Too”