Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment – Get Started Early
There are several symptoms which can develop due to rheumatoid arthritis [RA]. A common sign most people are aware of, is the swelling in joints and tendons. And this is when sufferers will initially begin to look into the causes of the disease, as well as what rheumatoid arthritis treatment is available to them.
RA usually affects multiple areas, most often, the hands, knees, feet, shoulders and spine. The condition can not only cause extreme pain, if and when the condition worsens, but can ultimately become disabling; the disease causing serious damage to tissues and tendons. Sometimes causing anemia and other highly problematic medical conditions. Initially your medical physician will be able to diagnose the condition, not only from the visual signs, but with blood tests and x-rays.
However, if the disease is in the early stages, ie. has been developing for less than a year, this test will often have a negative result. Usually the disease builds over time, meaning eventually the patient will show as 'positive', as the RA progresses. Once diagnosis has been established, a Rheumatologist will normally be assigned to the patient to aid with long term management and treatment. A Rheumatologist is a trained specialist in rheumatoid arthritis treatment, as well as other diseases which can occur, connected with the joints, tendons and other connective tissues.
Initially, anti inflammatory drugs, painkillers and steroids might be prescribed to suppress and control the development of the disease. Much depends on the seriousness of the condition. Occupational and physiotherapy might also be considered a necessary and suitable drug free treatment.
If the RA is considered more serious, 'Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs will be prescribed, which are highly effective at preventing damage on a long term basis. New research is introducing newer biological drug treatments all the time. In the long term, the disease can cripple joints and also affect various vital organs in the body. This is true for almost a quarter of sufferers. Sometime these problems are caused by the drugs used for the treatment. Therefore, wherever possible, natural treatments are preferable.
For rheumatoid arthritis it is suggested the patient use anti-inflammatory herbs, for example turmeric or ginger. It is also believed that certain foods can aggravate the condition and should be eliminated or reduced in the diet. For instance, some grains, like wheat and corn, plus sugar, dairy products and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Reducing refined foods, with chemical additives, is also advised.
Food specific diets are not as successful with rheumatoid arthritis, as they are with osteo arthritis. However, that is not to say there are no benefits. There is a combination of ways to deal with RA. Which RA treatment suits you best, ultimately, will be for you and your doctor to decide.
Gout and the Risk of Kidney Stones
Despite what joints may be affected by gout, this particular form of arthritis can cause another complication - kidney stones.
What are kidney stones and what causes them? Kidney stones are small masses that are rock-like in substance. They can be small enough to be passed through urination, or large enough to block the flow of urine. Passing kidney stones is often an extremely painful experience that most people don't soon forget. Kidney stones can occur for different reasons. However, in the case of gout, kidney stones form as a result of too much uric acid in the urine.
Who is most at risk for developing kidney stones? Essentially, anyone who has recurring cases of gout is at risk for developing kidney stones. However, middle aged men, and the elderly (both women and men) are more likely to develop kidney stones, due to the fact that they are the primary gout sufferers, and have higher levels of uric acid.
Furthermore, kidney stones are most likely to occur in those who suffer from secondary gout and primary gout. Approximately 42% of those diagnosed with secondary gout will experience kidney stones. However, only 10 - 25% of primary gout sufferers will develop stones.
Why is the risk so much higher for secondary gout sufferers? The reason is because unlike those who have primary gout - high levels of uric acid without a known cause, those with secondary gout have high levels of uric acid because of their long-term medication (IE. diuretics, aspirin, levodopa, etc.) or health condition (IE. alcoholism, obesity, diabetes, kidney dysfunction, etc.)
Additionally, people who have experienced kidney stones are more likely to develop stones again in the future.
What are the signs and symptoms of kidney stones? Although in some cases there may be no symptoms at all, most people who suffer kidney stones report the following:
- Sudden extreme painful cramping that occurs in the lower back, side, groin or abdomen.
- Nausea or vomiting caused by severe pain
- Blood in urine
- Fever and chills may occur if there is an infection in the urinary tract
If you have any of the above symptoms, you should visit your doctor or the emergency room to make sure that what you are experiencing is indeed kidney stones.
How are kidney stones treated? Although the sudden onset of pain may compel you to take a trip to the emergency room, the chances are after you've been x-rayed and diagnosed, a doctor will likely prescribe you pain medication and tell you to drink plenty of water and wait for the kidney stone to pass naturally. Most stones pass within 48 hours when significant fluid is ingested. Symptoms should stop as soon as stones pass.
If the stone will not pass naturally due to its size, a doctor may perform:
- Lithotripsy - A common procedure that uses a shock wave to break up the large stone into small pieces so they can be passed.
- Surgery - there are a few techniques used to surgically remove the stones. These surgeries are often uncomplicated.
How to prevent uric acid kidney stones - The following are ways a gout sufferer can reduce their risk of developing stones:
- Avoid or limit alcohol intake
- Eliminate or limit foods in your diet that raise uric acid levels such as: organ meat, red meat, shellfish, mushrooms, asparagus, dried peas and beans, etc.
- Drink plenty of water and stay well hydrated all the time
- Exercise regularly
- Loose weight realistically - If you are overweight or obese avoid crash diets to lose weight quickly. Losing weight too fast can cause a rise in uric acid levels and increase the risk of stones.
- Medication - Talk to your doctor about medication that can help lower and control uric acid levels.
Neck Braces Are Dangerous
Why would a cervical collar be harmful, don't they help neck pain? Aren't people supposed to wear them after accidents? What can happen if we wear them too much?
Neck supports offer comfort after injuries but can cause a great deal of damage, especially if they are worn excessively. Neck braces lead to bone loss or osteoporosis. They cause muscle wasting or weakness, and even lead to psychological dependency.
The human body is an amazing machine, and even knows when we use supports. The body senses less mechanical stress in areas that are being supported. When it does, it removes calcium from the bones because it assumes less is needed to hold the head up. The muscles around the spine become weaker as they are used less. Finally, people get habituated to the false sense of comfort collars offer. They sometimes wear them longer than they should and become dependent on them physically and mentally.
Cervical collars are beneficial when prescribed and used correctly. Wearing a neck brace for a few days immediately after an accident can be helpful in reducing pain and allowing for healing. As the tissues become stronger and heal, it's important that they are used less frequently.
They should never be worn to sleep, as a high quality cervical pillow (a pillow with a special curve for the neck), is much more beneficial while resting.
Hard cervical collars are useful in cases of neck fractures (broken bones). As the neck heals or, when they've served their purpose, even hard collars should be used less and less. Eventually, they too should be discarded.
If you see someone wearing a cervical collar, ask them about it. Often times they can get great relief with gentle chiropractic care. Gentle movement to the joints of the neck after accidents in particular, facilitate complete healing. Chiropractic is a safe effective way to create movements that let the body mend itself with little or no painful scar tissue. Without chiropractic, the spine heals poorly and is subject to pain and arthritis.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief
Before we look at what relief measures are available for those with rheumatoid arthritis it is best that we understand what the condition is all about and how it is caused. Rheumatoid arthritis is an acute and progressive disorder where the synovial membrane that lines the joints suffers from a state of inflammation. This then spreads across the area and erodes the cartilage causing the much dreaded pain and stiffness that comes with the condition. Further complications of the condition include Anaemia, Pericarditis and joint infections. The pain and stiffness that ensues leave sufferers frantic for some or any kind of rheumatoid arthritis relief.
Given that there is no known cure to completely alleviate the condition, rheumatoid arthritis relief comes in two forms. One is to alleviate the symptoms and the other is to prevent the condition from worsening and causing further complications or pain. Treatment for the former however does not always mean that it takes care of the latter. It is because of this that Rheumatoid Arthritis is treated by one specific type of medication and supplemented by others as and when required. Because of the absence of definite rheumatoid arthritis cure, most sufferers look to other ways and means of comfort.
Non drug treatments geared towards rheumatoid arthritis relief are many and varied and will provide mixed levels of success at best. Let's now take a look at a few of these. A common practice in rheumatoid arthritis relief is the use of hot and cold treatments. A hot treatment is basically done by applying heat and is best for chronic pain whilst a cold treatment is usually best for acute pain. Examples for hot treatments include having a hot shower or bath in the morning, use of a moist heat pad over affected areas and applying heated oil on to the affected areas and massaging.
Regular and suitable exercise techniques will also help gain some relief. This is by way of increasing general fitness levels and by enhancing the quality of movements in the affected joints. Massages done right can also offer varying levels of comfort. Topical creams that contain salicylates or capsaicin, which caused reduced sensitivity to pain, can also be used over the affected areas. Another method of treatment is electrical stimulation. This is done by sending an electrical current that is painless to large nerve fibres. This will then generate heat and the resulting heat will provide release from pain. This type of treatment needs to be specified by a physician. A close tab on what you eat can also help towards relief although the effects of a diet on relieving pain are still to be proven. One way a diet can help is by assisting in weight loss as more weight means more pressure on the joints.
Finally, given the lack of a permanent cure, the ultimate freedom from the pain and discomfort might rest in one's attitude and approach to the condition. Thus a positive attitude and relaxation methods might also prove to help a sufferer get by in life despite the pain and complications brought about by this condition.
Can Liposuction Help Reduce the Size of My Breasts?
Liposuction is a large and growing field. Even during a widespread recession, over 300,000 liposuctions (also called lipoplasty and suction lipectomy) were performed in America last year.
One of the most popular areas for liposuction is the breast. Suction lipectomy can be a very successful and minimally invasive way of performing a breast reduction. This article will discuss who is a good candidate for a liposuction breast reduction.
Most women who decide to get breast reductions have excessively large and heavy breasts. If a woman's breasts are too heavy, then this can lead to pain in the shoulders, neck and back. The weight can alter the curvature of the spine and change one's posture as one constantly has to hold up the weight of the breasts. In some cases, the constant, heavy pressure of the bra strap can cause skin and other damage around the shoulder blades.
If you have these symptoms, you may be a good candidate. Liposuction can remove up to 50% of a woman's breast mass, which could significantly ease the load on a woman's spine and joints.
However, liposuction can only remove fat, not glandular tissue. So, if a woman has a large amount of glandular tissue spread throughout her breast, a liposuction may not be able to help her, even if her breasts are large and heavy. Similarly, liposuction cannot help women who have large and pendulous breasts that have little fat. As a woman ages and reaches menopause, the glands of the breast tend to convert into fat. While liposuction of the breast can be performed on women of just about any age, it is frequently especially easy on post-menopausal women.
Liposuction works best on people who are looking to reduce the size of their breasts, not reshape them drastically. A lipoplasty will frequently provide some amount of lift to a woman's breasts, simply because it helps to counteract the effects of gravity. However, it will not typically change the shape of the breasts, merely size and position. If a woman wants drastic reshaping, she may need a breast lift. However, a woman should be aware that breast lifts and scalpel-based reductions tend to cause much more serious scarring than liposuction, which typically produces very little in the way of visible scars.
Some studies seem to suggest that liposuction of the breast has less of a negative effect on breastfeeding than other forms of breast surgery. Because this is the case, women who would still like to breastfeed their children may want to choose liposuction over other forms of breast reduction.
Women who are at a high risk for breast cancer will want to check carefully with their doctor and with their prospective surgeon about what a liposuction could mean for their future safety. All forms of breast surgery cause some amount of scarring, which can affect one's ease of detecting cancer, both through mammograms and self-tests.
If you are considering undergoing a breast reduction because of pain, you might consider speaking with your insurance company. Although health insurance companies tend not to fund cosmetic surgeries, if you can show it to be medically advisable, they may be willing to help you.
If you would like to know more about whether or not liposuction of the breast could help you to reach your goals, speak with a surgeon in your area. In a free consultation, you can learn more about the procedure. If you share your goals and wishes openly and candidly with your surgeon, you should be able to know more about whether it is right for you.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Is It An Autoimmune Mystery
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that attacks the entire body as well as the joints. Until now, it is still unclear what causes this disfiguring disease but many of the finest medical minds believe that this is an autoimmune disease. By autoimmune, it means a disease wherein the body's immune system attacks its own tissue. Instead of protecting its own body from disease, it ferociously attacks itself as if it were the enemy.
The true nature of rheumatoid arthritis is still unknown but it is certain that it begins with inflammation and progresses into tissue damage. The hands and wrists are generally the areas commonly attacked by rheumatoid arthritis although the knees, balls of the feet and spine can also be affected. Even the heart doesn't escape rheumatoid arthritis. If left untreated this type of arthritis can be life threatening and can go beyond joints and can damage further the muscles, bones and skin near the affected joints. Inflammation can occur in the membranes encasing the heart and lungs. The spleen can enlarge and anemia can develop. Complications such as these make rheumatoid arthritis life threatening.
Rheumatoid arthritis affects people who are mostly at the prime of their life but this doesn't mean that other age groups are not affected by this disease. Both men and women are equally affected although more women than men get symptoms that necessitate medical attention. There are only about 20 percent of people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis that recover completely. About 60 percent of people with rheumatoid arthritis experience disease flare up that leads to death over the years. The remaining percentage of patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffer irreversible joint damage. Luckily, this disease eventually burns itself out.
Since rheumatoid arthritis is believed to be an autoimmune disease, the key to its treatment is immunosuppressive therapy. Doctors treat rheumatoid arthritis by suppressing the immune system but only to the point of diminishing symptoms but never go beyond the point where the individual becomes susceptible to infection.
Inflammation is the enemy in rheumatoid arthritis and to combat this, doctors usually prescribe aspirin and aspirin like drugs since these drugs are powerful painkillers and anti-inflammatories. These types of drugs are usually sufficient for most rheumatoid arthritis patients and it has been observed that about twenty-five percent of patients taking these relatively simple medications recover completely.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, although good painkillers and anti-inflammatories, are usually no better compared with aspirin. NSAIDs also have some accompanying serious side effects.
For more severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis, corticosteroids are usually prescribed. These are more potent anti-inflammatory hormones with accompanying severe side effects including drug dependency. These types of drugs although effective in treating the more serious cases of rheumatoid arthritis, increase a person's susceptibility to infection and delay wound healing.
An alternative therapy to rheumatoid arthritis is diet, although this hasn't been proven effective yet but its possibility is not ignored. Studies are done to come up with the right diet to combat rheumatoid arthritis.
It has been observed in some rheumatoid arthritis sufferers that their disease becomes less too intense when they incorporated fish oils in their diet. Fish oil may reduce the symptoms of arthritis but it is still best to check with your doctor before taking any fish oil supplements as these can have adverse reactions with any medications you are currently taking like aspirin.
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