Types of Arthritis - Articles - Zimbio

Assessment Of Relentless Pain Relief For Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mon, 18 Nov 2008 10:47:39 GMT

posted by conquerapathy

Over time, the human body - no matter how strong in earlier years - begins to break down. Though we all struggle at various times with medical problems, a frustrating disease, or other ailments that restrict our lifestyles, some can be more debilitating than others.

If you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, pain relief is likely your primary interest. This degenerative disease can be extremely painful and uncomfortable when it flares up. Basically, rheumatoid arthritis typically affects the joints around the ankles, wrists, fingers and hands.

When the tissue around these joints becomes inflamed, it destroys the bone and cartilage and can adversely affect mobility.

No one knows what triggers the inflammation, but it’s thought to be an autoimmune disease in which the immune system creates antibodies that fight against the body’s tissues. It is unclear why this occurs, but it’s a common illness that affects millions of people and tends to run in families. It can develop at any age, but usually starts in the latter part of middle age.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include acutely painful and swollen joints, inflammatory skin nodules, puffy joints, fatigue, weakness, fever, aches and pains, morning stiffness and flu-like symptoms.

Following are typical methods to treat this painful disease.

Traditional Pain Medication

Typically, rheumatoid arthritis is managed using traditional pain relievers like acetaminophen or anti-inflammatory drugs. If the disease is far advanced or progressing rapidly, corticosteroids are sometimes administered.

Physical Therapy

Hydrotherapy is effective for soothing pain and is one of the oldest treatments for arthritis pain relief. It’s often used in conjunction with other treatments. Thermotherapy is the application of heat or cold to sore joints, which can also ease pain.

Most physiotherapists recommend regular exercise and joint and muscle strengthening activities. Generally, an easy exercise routine that includes both strengthening and aerobic activity is recommended.

Managing the Disease Through Diet

If you’re overweight and suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, weight loss is important. Follow an anti-inflammatory program that excludes dairy and processed foods, avoids excess gluten and sugar, and includes the herbs ginger, curcumin and tumeric.

In addition to relieving pressure on the joints, the diet associated with weight loss can also improve your overall health. Finally, fish oil and flaxseed oil are critical anti-inflammatories that can be very helpful.

Bryonia Pain Relief

This homeopathic rheumatoid arthritis pain relief remedy can be helpful for reducing heat, swelling and stiffness in joints that normally respond well to rest and are aggravated by even the slightest movement. Joint pains can be accompanied by a generally “toxic” feeling with associated symptoms of frontal headache and constipation.

Homeopaths believe that applying pressure to the joints can provide both temporary and ongoing pain relief.

Getting to Know Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptom

Sun, 17 Nov 2008 06:53:00 GMT

posted by hotpassion
by Kaye Fretz

Are you concerned about identifying a rheumatoid arthritis symptom? Maybe you should be. Rheumatoid arthritis is after all, a common condition that affects the joints. There are other kinds of arthritis. This one in particular affects the lining of the joints. In time the disease may destroy the joint tissues and seriously hamper movement. What symptoms of the disease should you watch out for?

Symptoms

Since the joints are affected, they are of course the parts that will show symptoms too. People with the condition have joints that swell and stiffen. This can result in tenderness and pain that will vary from one person to another. Aside from your elbows, knees and fingers, other larger joints may also be affected. These include neck and shoulder joints. Symmetrical swelling of joints typically happens.

Aside from swollen joints, you could also suffer from a number of other symptoms. Bumps known as nodes may appear in some parts of the body. Flu-like symptoms are also common. One may experience fever and general fatigue. Sufferers also lose their appetite which may lead to weight loss.

The gradual progression of a rheumatoid arthritis symptom may happen across several months. Joint swelling and other symptoms usually fade away after a few days. They recur however after a period of time. Symptom recurrences are typically called flare ups. These flare ups can lead to the more serious condition of movement impairment.

Disease Causes

There is no final word on the causes of rheumatoid arthritis. It is possible that the condition runs in the family and that you are naturally predisposed to it. Certain life habits such as cigarette smoking may also make the condition worse. Like other autoimmune diseases, this one results from the action of the immune system. For some unexplained reason, white blood cells have a negative effect on the lining of the joints. You are at particular risk of developing the disease if you are female and within the 40-60 age bracket.

Solutions to Rheumatoid Arthritis

Since the disease causes are not fully understood, there is no current cure for the condition. Doctors however still recommend some form of treatment. Certain medications can help reduce the symptoms, slow down damage and stop total disability. Some possible medications include NSAIDs, DMARDs, steroids and immunosuppresants. In some cases, the disease can be so severe that surgery is required.

Your doctor would usually recommend lifestyle changes along with medications. You would have to stop smoking. You would also be told to eat only specific healthy foods and to perform exercises specifically made for arthritic patients. You should work closely with your doctor on your diet and exercise program. Some foods and movements may not be good for you. Following your doctor's advice will help you deal with the pain and challenges brought about by rheumatoid arthritis.

A rheumatoid arthritis symptom is something to worry about. This doesn't mean though that you can forget about leading a normal life. Your world doesn't have to end because of rheumatoid arthritis. As long as you follow your doctor's advice, you can deal with your condition effectively.
Joints Pain Relief

What Are The Arthritis Psoriasis Treatment Options?

Sun, 17 Nov 2008 07:07:00 GMT

posted by hotpassion
by Andy Austim

Arthritis psoriasis, also known as psoriatic arthritis, is a disease with both inflammation of the joints and the skin. Psoriasis is characterized by raised, patchy areas of skin that are red and scaly. Inflammatory arthritis develops in around ten percent of the people who have psoriasis. When this occurs, arthritis psoriasis is diagnosed.

In psoriatic arthritis, the arthritis and psoriasis rarely occur at the same time. Psoriasis occurs first for around 80% for most sufferers, while 15% with arthritis psoriasis will experience arthritis symptoms first. Years can pass before the other condition exhibits symptoms.

Arthritis psoriasis can occur in both men and women and onset typically happens when the person is in his or her forties or fifties. The cause of psoriatic arthritis is unknown, though it is, in part, a hereditary disease. While treatments are available, there is no cure.

Psoriasis can occur anywhere on the body. The scalp, knees, and elbows are three of the most common areas affected by psoriasis. Arthritis causes joints to inflame and become swollen, hot, painful, and red. The hip, knees, ankles, and wrists are some of the most affected joints with arthritis psoriasis.

A variety of medications exist to control the inflammation. Your doctor may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), immunosuppressant medications, or TNF-alpha inhibitors. For severe cases of psoriatic arthritis, immunosupressent medications or TNF-alpha inhibitors may be prescribed. Both are effective but can cause damaging side effects.

Corticosteroids are useful for mild cases of arthritis psoriasis. These can be taken orally or injected into the joint. They can have serious side effects and are not prescribed long term. NSAIDs are another drug that should be used on a short term basis. These can be over-the-counter, like aspirin, or be prescribed by your doctor. DMARDs can take months to work, but they can limit joint damage. They may be prescribed with a pain reliever.

Arthritis psoriasis is a serious and painful condition, but more treatments are always being developed. As with any illness, your doctor is the best source of information for the most effective treatments for your psoriatic arthritis.
Arthritis Psoriasis Treatment

Rheumatoid Arthritis Breakthrough

Tue, 12 Nov 2008 15:42:00 GMT

posted by KeithConnects

Web address:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/
081111203455.htm

Rheumatoid Arthritis Breakthrough

enlarge
Specific immunosuppression with inducible Foxp3-transduced polyclonal T cells. (Credit: Andersen KG, Butcher T, Betz AG et al.)

ScienceDaily (Nov. 12, 2008) — Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself. A new article reports a breakthrough in the understanding of how autoimmune responses can be controlled, offering a promising new strategy for therapy development for rheumatoid arthritis.

Normally, immune cells develop to recognise foreign material – antigens; including bacteria - so that they can activate a response against them. Immune cells that would respond to 'self' and therefore attack the body's own cells are usually destroyed during development. If any persist, they are held in check by special regulatory cells that provide a sort of autoimmune checkpoint. A key player in these regulatory cells is a molecule called Foxp3. People who lack or have mutated versions of the Foxp3 gene lack or have dysfunctional immune regulation, which causes dramatic autoimmune disease.

Scientists at the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, and funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign, have genetically engineered a drug-inducible form of Foxp3. Using this, scientists can 'switch' developing immune cells into regulatory cells that are then capable of suppressing the immune response.

Dr. Alexander Betz, Group Leader at the MRC laboratory, explains: "We have generated a modified form of Foxp3 which can be introduced into immune cells using genetic engineering techniques and then activated by a simple injection. When administered to and activated in animal models of arthritis, the modified cells inhibit or even reverse the disease process."

Further work is now aimed at elucidating the detailed molecular mechanisms involved in Foxp3 function, and transferring the experimental approach to human cells.

"First, we will develop a human Foxp3 factor and then assess its function in human arthritis models," said Dr Betz. "To be viable as a therapeutic option, the regulatory cells must fulfill certain criteria; they must be tissue matched to the patient for compatibility; they must only block the targeted disease and not the whole body immune response; and they have to home correctly to their target tissue. Establishing these criteria will be the key focus of our research.

"If Foxp3 functions as a key developmental switch in human immune cells, there is potential for a new avenue of therapy development that could transform arthritis treatment is substantial," he added.

Journal reference:

Andersen KG, Butcher T, Betz AG. Specific immunosuppression with inducible Foxp3-transduced polyclonal T cells. PLoS Biol, 6(11): e276 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060276

Adapted from materials provided by Public Library of Science, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats: APA

MLA Public Library of Science (2008, November 12). Rheumatoid Arthritis Breakthrough. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from www.sciencedaily.com style="FONT-SIZE: 1px"> /releases/2008/11/081111203455.htm

Arthritis In Dogs

Sat, 16 Nov 2008 14:17:59 GMT

posted by gilesvineu
by Dane Masters

There’s nothing worse than having to watch your pooch suffer from arthritis pain. You can tell by the look in their eye they hurt. Chances are you desperately want to do something to ease their misery. The good news is there are things you can do to slow down the progression of this painful disease, or perhaps prevent it from ever happening at all!

Arthritis is considered by many to be an auto-immune disease which causes the body to attack its own healthy tissue in the joints, causing pain and inflammation. In dogs, arthritis can appear in many forms and can’t affect canines of all ages.

When arthritis strikes, it causes cartilage to break down. Cartilage is the dense connective tissue that protects the joint between bones. In dogs, these areas include the hip, knee, and ankle joints. However, arthritis can occur in other locations such as the feet or spine. As the cartilage wears away the bones rub together, leading to pain, inflammation and stiffness.

If you suspect arthritis in your dog, consider these major symptoms:

- Problems getting up, sitting or standing
- Keeping weight off a leg
- Tiredness, less active and not interested in playing
- Weight gain
- Behaviour changes
- Appearance of stiffness
- Swelling or warmth around the joints

In humans there are many different ways to treat arthritis, and many of these methods involve multiple forms of treatment and many doctors visits. This may not be an option with your dog, but don’t despair as there are methods of treating your canine’s arthritis without shelling out tons of money to your vet. Glucosamine is considered one of the best ways to help with arthritis, as it provides a compound that is often lacking in older dogs or dogs with arthritis and can help their bodies regenerate cartilage tissue.

Chondroitin is another great arthritis compound which is found in cartilage and can given as a supplement can help slow down the breakdown of the cartilage by preventing the enzymes that consume cartilage from working. Glucosamine plus chondroitin is considered one of the best ways to help dogs with arthritis.

Glucosamine plus chondroitin has been clinically proven to prevent arthritis symptoms in rats with arthritis in up to 54% of cases, as opposed to 96.5% of the group that received no treatment. What this means is that by giving your dog this compound you have an over 50% chance of helping them get rid of some, if not all of their arthritis symptoms.

Secondary arthritis usually occurs as a result of surgery or injury. This conditions as well as osteoarthritis show promising results when treated with glucosamine and chondroitin supplements.

Last, but not least, studies indicate Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements are a safe and effective supplement to add to your dog’s diet at an early age. However, there are conflicting reports on this topic and it’s best to consult with your veterinarian and determine if this is the best option for you and your dog.

About the Author: Dane Masters is an accomplished author. To learn more about domed cat litter boxes, please visit corrugated litter boxes for current articles and discussions.