Rheumatoid Arthritis: Will It Strike You?

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Will It Strike You?
Travis Lawrence

Many think that when they get older they will deal with rheumatoid arthritis. But, many are sadly mistaken if they think that this condition is far off for them. In many cases, it starts much earlier than you would think. Having the knowledge you need, though, can help you to see the symptoms, understand what is happening to you and to seek out the right treatment for it. Rheumatoid arthritis strikes thousands of people every day. Will it strike you?
An Overview
Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that is chronic meaning that it does not go away. Most of the time, it is thought of as a condition of inflamed joints. Long term damage to the joints is what leads to severe pain. Eventually, it will worsen to an extreme in which the individual can no longer use the joint and can become disabled for it.
There are three stages of the disease. In the first, there is often swelling in the synovial lining. This is the lining of the joints. The swelling will cause pain, stiffness and even a feeling of warmth in the area. The joint and the area surrounding it will be swollen.
In the second stage, the disease is characterized by the growth of cells. The cells will grow and reproduce quickly. This causes the lining or synovium to thicken rapidly.
In the last stage, these cells are now inflamed. They are releasing enzymes that will begin to actually work away at the bone and cartilage of the joint. The joint will become misshapen and its alignment will be off. In turn, this causes more pain and leads to the loss of function of the joint all together.
It is also important to note that Rheumatoid arthritis can lead to other conditions throughout the body. The disease can effect many organs and therefore cripple the lifestyle that you know. It is important to seek treatment early on before the condition worsens beyond control.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects about two million people within the United States. There is no cure for it, but medications can slow and even stop the progression of the disease and therefore prevent it from becoming severe. The cause of the disease is also unknown.
Do I Have it?
Understanding the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can help you to know when you should take action. It can affect any joint within the body. Smaller joints are the most common area for it to begin. For example, fingers, the hands and the wrists are the mot common first signs of the disease. Most common systems include the following.
 Stiffness in any joint. It tends to be worse in the morning or after sitting still for long periods of time. The longer this stiffness lasts, the worse the diseases is.
 Fatigue can be a symptom as well.
 Flu like symptoms including a fever may be present.
 Feelings of weakness.
 Pain may be evident especially when there are long periods of sitting or stillness.
 The disease can go into remission in which it may not feel as bad. Many mistakenly think that they are better. But, it will flare up again.
 Muscle pain may be evident.
 Also, a loss of appetite, the onset of depression, anemia, sweaty hands and feet and weight loss can be a sign that there is something happening.
As the disease progresses, symptoms will worsen. Pain becomes more so and there is a withdrawal from activity because it is just too painful.
Seeking Help
The treatment that you will receive will be fitted to your specific conditions. Because the disease of rheumatoid arthritis is so varied, treatment must be administered to your severity and your symptoms. It is important to seek the advice of a doctor when you begin to experience pain because early detection can slow and stop the progression of the disease. It can help to stop the spread as well.
It is important for you to seek early treatment for any joint pain that you may have. As mentioned, rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that can affect other systems within the body. These will worsen as the disease progresses. Taking the first steps when you first see a problem can help you to maintain your lifestyle without having to stop because of the pain that rheumatoid arthritis is bound to cause.
About the Author
For more rheumatoid arthritis treatment information visit http://www.rheumatoid-arthritis-info.org/ . You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice, link and URL remain intact.

Options for Dealing with High Blood Pressure

If you are battling high blood pressure do not be discouraged. Did you know that as many as seventy two million people in the U.S. 20 and older have high blood pressure? Twenty eight percent of these do not even know they have it.

Some people do not worry about their blood pressure until they get older. While this might make sense to an extent, it is never too early to monitor your blood pressure. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, you want to start right away.

How many people wait until they are diagnosed with something before attempting to prevent it or cure it? Too many. By taking control of your blood pressure today you can prevent a stroke or developing heart or kidney disease later in life.

When you are young you might be more active than when you get older. Try to stay active and if you aren’t, get active. All it takes is thirty minutes a day of physical activity or exercise to control your blood pressure and better your health.

Eat healthy foods. Try to stay away from salty and fatty foods. Salt increases your blood pressure and fatty foods might cause weight gain, which causes high blood pressure as well. Try to eat more vegetables and fresh fruits. You might find you like more than you thought you would.

Stress can cause high blood pressure but there are so many ways to de-stress. Do you have a favorite hobby that has no stress? If so, try to do this every time you feel yourself overwhelmed or stressed out. You will be surprised at the wonders it can do.

If you take medications talk with your doctor to make sure they aren’t affecting your blood pressure. Certain medications can raise your blood pressure. Antidepressants, cold medicines, oral contraceptives, steroids, even nasal decongestants might be affecting your blood pressure without your knowledge.

If you are unsure of your family history, check it out. If you have a family history of high blood pressure chances are you will end up with high blood pressure as well. If you are aware of this early on, you can start monitoring and controlling your blood pressure before it gets a chance to become high.

There are many different kinds of blood pressure medications if you are unable to see results with regular lifestyle changes. Sometimes these medications are needed along with a regular healthy diet and exercise to be more effective.

The best thing you can do is talk with your doctor. They can suggest something that will help you control your blood pressure and even prescribe you some medication. If you start medication be sure you tell them of any other medicine you are taking as well.

You want to be in charge of your health and not wait until something happens to take that control. When it comes to your health you can never be too late so start as early as you can. You are never alone when it comes to dealing with your blood pressure and other health issues.

Schizophrenia Affecting Mental Health

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about mental health to be dangerous? Let’s see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from mental health experts.

People fear schizophrenia in a loose sense. There is a banal mentality that when one has schizophrenia, bringing back mental health is impossible. That would be customary, if early signs are not observed and treated. Here, you will get to know what really schizophrenia is and how it converts a persons personality in a whole new level.

Defining schizophrenia

According to studies made, schizophrenia is kind of virtuoso disease that is chronic and severe. It is a devastation to mans illness because of misinterpretation, it is not given enough attention to be treated, making it worsen as time pass. There is a probability that out of the entire population, there will be at incipient one percent that will hold office affected. Every year, there are about two million Americans that suffer from schizophrenia.

Who are affected?

Patterns of age and gender are usually affected. Men and women can get the disease in an equally related frequency. Schizophrenia is often conversant by sexuality during their early stage which is usually upon their later teenage years and earlier twenties. While in women, schizophrenia is seen when they have reached their early twenties or during their early thirties. Children who are olden five and above can also develop the debilitating disease but has light occurrence during adolescent years.

Facts about sustenance

Although there is no exact cure for the case, there are long hopes that schizophrenia can be cured. Research has stated that medications can ease some of the larger symptoms and it has and paved the way to unravel the different complicated causes of the disease. Science are using different kinds of approaches and alternatives that may be derived from molecular genetics stunt to population study in aligning to learn more about schizophrenia. Newer insights have been decision-making in order to image an affected persons brain structure and further gain knowledge about the disorder.

Signs and Symptoms

Confusing and shocking behavior that is apparent in the quarters of behavior of the person.

Sudden occurrence of psychotic symptoms which are severe and can be described as the acute phase of the disease.

Psychosis which can appear as referred to as the impairment of the brains normal status and is marked by certain delusions and hallucinations.

Withdrawal from the public and isolation of oneself.

Behavior, thinking process and speech pattern are prodigious.

Those who have schizophrenia may or may not have several signs and symptoms. Some may manifest three to four while others are still vague.

Chronic schizophrenia which can also be parallel with a recurring or continuous pattern of the illness has the littlest chance of recovering from the persons normal body functioning and somehow requires a longer need for treatment that may build in inclusion of different drugs in order to control the diseases symptoms.

How do schizophrenics view the world?

1. Perceptions of reality that are distorted by delusions and hallucinations. They can also feel unusual fear, confusion and anxiousness.

2. Illusions and hallucinations are referred to as the disturbances of a persons perception which are common in people who suffer from the illness. The voices that one hears are oftentimes the persons view of impending dangers or their way of carrying on conversation.

Contrary to what people perceive, schizophrenia is not a type of split personality and are not violent. They are those who are referred to people who hold a world of their own. Mental health can be attained through early recognition of the signs and symptoms that are shown by the diseased person.
Now that wasn’t hard at all, was it? And you’ve earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert’s word on mental health.

Difficulty in an Accurate Dual Diagnosis

In today’s world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.

Dual diagnosis is defined as the recognition of two possible reasons for a person to cope as so. It is a diagnosis of mental disorder and disorders combined with substance or alcohol hurt and addictions. Out of two million Americans, there are about fifty percent that is suffering with sever mental illness and abusive avail of illicit substances and drugs. The problem counts as this if there are two or more kinds of reasons to explain a persons behavior, how can someone predict the most accurate diagnosis?

Know onions counselors and psychologists are having difficulties in diagnosing accurately a persons behavior because of the person having mental illness over involved in alcoholism and drug addiction. Abusive use of any substance for that matter can cover, aggravate further even mimic various disorders of the mind.

It is known that one of the most obvious sidekicks of mental disorders is alcohol again drug dependence. Hole up alcoholics, there are overlapping tendencies to mental illnesses and other substances. Dependence with original substances can cover serious problems pertaining to psychiatric illnesses. On the other hand, depression has the capability to disguise a disorder that is caused by substances.

Patients who are troubled twice as much is very difficult to recognize because there are cases wherein only one headache is diagnosed and identified while the other is left untreated. Someone who is diagnosed with a mental illness may deny his present status and point the finger on substance abuse and alcoholism while some of those who are classified as obvious substance abuse have the capability to disguise it complete mental health disorders.

The notably difficult part of the diagnosis is bringing veritable out from a teenager. There are thoughts of doubt regarding separating a teenagers normal mood swings to intentional manifestation of bipolar disorder besides alcoholism. Variables tend to stagger because of the combination of mood fluctuations and substance and alcohol abuse.

It is common for people to mask one disorder from the other. A client may admit the mental disorder but not the addiction or vice versa. And once the psychiatrist has already laid out the plans and treated the disease, they will instantly drop out from the treatment besides go on with their addiction.

Some clients may deny the grief through being a junkie is less threatening than accepting a psychiatrists diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Depression and frustration will hinder the clients ability to peg and recognize the problem, thus, not wanting to ask for help.

The clients families are fake burly time. Someone within the family who manifests the problems that are compounded by elements and substances lets the entire group face graver problems in proportions that are enormously laid out. Services for involved mental health and substance problems are not yet equipped to deal with clients who are experiencing the affliction. Sadly, they may also get lesser support from their families and close friends.

Single of the most prevalent behaviors for someone who is diagnosed dually is violence to himself again the people that surrounds him. Violence within the familiar is severe and the person may manifest suicidal attempts that develop into one of the most common attempts made by the client. Mentally ill people who get locked up in prisons are most likely drug addicts and abusers.
You can’t predict when knowing something extra about diagnosis will come in handy. If you learned anything new about diagnosis in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.