Rheumatoid Arthritis Online

Posts Tagged ‘Arthritis Rheumatoid’

Arthritis

Arthritis

Arthritis covers a broad spectrum of disease. To many, the term arthritis means pain and inflammation of the joints – but, arthritis is a much more complex medical condition. The term arthritis comes from the Latin phrase, “arth” meaning joint and “it is” meaning inflammation. There are over 100 illnesses associated with the term arthritis. Arthritis can range from something as simple as tendonitis to something as chronic as rheumatoid arthritis.

Three Most Common Types of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis – the most common type of arthritis. This degenerative joint disease affects over 16 million Americans. This form of arthritis is caused when the cartilage surrounding the ends of the bones begins to degenerate and the joints are no longer cushioned. This caused the joints to rub together and in severe cases, you can hear the bones grating against one another. At the onset of osteoarthritis, the symptoms are usually mild and consist of pain and stiffness of the joints. As the disease progresses, inflammation and loss of motion can occur. In some severe cases, deformity can occur if the grinding joints wear one side of the joint more than the other.

Rheumatoid arthritis – This is the second most common type of arthritis and the most severe. Symptoms usually begin appearing between the ages of 25 and 50 – however, children and senior citizens can experience the onset of this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease because factors other than wear and tear of cartilage can cause the disease and the disease can affect other organs, such as the eyes, lungs, and heart.

Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the joints on both sides of the body – for instance, both hands will be affected, both wrists will be affected, and both legs will be affected. The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, redness of the skin, fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever. Not only affecting the joints, rheumatoid arthritis can give you an overall feeling of sickness. Rheumatoid arthritis can be a debilitating disease, however patients can experience periods of remission in which the symptoms disappear and they can lead a normal life.

Fibromyalgia – This is a type of arthritis that does not directly affect the joints. Rather, the inflammation and pain affect the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues under the skin. Many patients have tender spots under the skin that are painful when any type of pressure is applied. The symptoms for Fibromyalgia include deep muscle pain, fatigue, sleeplessness, and depression. Symptoms may come and go, but the disease is long term and chronic.

Other Types of Arthritis

Anklyosing Spondylitis – a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the spine. The common symptoms include lower back pain and stiffness that lasts for more than a period of three months, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever.
Gout – this disease usually affects the joints of the big toe, but can extend to the ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbow. The common symptoms are tenderness, pain, redness, warmth, and swelling of the affected joint.
Infectious Arthritis – this type of arthritis is caused by an infection, and can be caused by both bacterial and viral infections. The onset of infectious arthritis is sudden and the symptoms include swelling of the joint, soreness, warmth, leakage of tissue fluid, fever, and chills.
Cervical arthritis – this type of arthritis affects the upper back and can cause pain in the neck and arms. Cervical arthritis is caused when the cartilage protecting the discs that support the neck deteriorate. The most common symptom of cervical arthritis is chronic neck pain, but can include loss of balance, headaches, muscle weakness, and stiffness.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – this inflammatory arthritis affects children. The most common symptoms of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis are swelling, pain, and stiffness in joints. The symptoms are usually worse in children upon waking in the morning and after a nap. There is no known reason for the onset of arthritis in children and, unlike rheumatoid arthritis in adults, children sometimes outgrow the disease and the symptoms disappear.

These are just some of the many types of arthritis. In general terms, arthritis is any disease that involves inflammation – swelling and pain of the joints or muscles. If you suspect that you suffer from arthritis, you should consult your physician to determine the type of arthritis and learn what treatments are available.

{youtube}

Although we usually think of arthritis as one single disease, it is actually a complex disorder comprised of several distinct conditions and characterized by a common symptom: pain and inflammation of the joints. One of the most common forms of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA), otherwise known as degenerative arthritis.

Signs of osteoarthritis start to occur during the onset of the breakdown of the cartilage of one or more joints. Eventually, as the disease progresses, the cartilage becomes completely damaged, resulting to loss. The common affected areas include the hands, feet, spine, and large weight bearing joints, such as the hips and the knees.

Osteoarthritis occurs in over 20 million people in the United States, comprising 30% of the 70 million people in total affected by arthritis and other rheumatoid conditions. It is also more frequently observed among women over the age of 55.

What causes it?

Osteoarthritis is most primarily related to aging. As the person ages, the cartilage (the connective tissue that provides cushioning in the joints) increases in water content, in turn, causing its protein content to degenerate. And as the cartilage is mostly protein, this change entirely upsets the cartilage makeup.

The cartilage thins as a result of wear and tear. Without the cushioning provided by the cartilage, repetitive use of the joints over the years causes friction, which in turn results in irritation of the joints and eventually swelling.

As osteoarthritis progresses, the cartilage begins to flake off or forms tiny crevasses. In some cases, the cartilage of a person with osteoarthritis may even form new bone outgrowths called “spurs.” Eventually, when the case is so advanced, there is total loss of the cartilage, leading to extreme pain and limitation of joint mobility.

Symptoms

Unlike the other two common forms of arthritis (lupus and rheumatoid arthritis), osteoarthritis is not a systemic illness. That means, it only affects the joints and not any other organs of the body.

The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is, of course, joint pain, often after repetitive use. The pain is worse later in the day usually though pain could also occur right after an extended period of rest. Patients with osteoarthritis may also observe swelling, warmth, and creaking of the affected joints. Some stiffness and pain may occur as well.

Osteoarthritis may vary from patient to patient as some may be so debilitated by the disease that they cannot move. Others may suffer only few symptoms despite the degeneration of the joints.

Additionally, the symptoms of osteoarthritis can be intermittent. That means that patients with osteoarthritis may suffer pain for several years and then suddenly enjoy pain free intervals the next. As there is no cure yet, the disease may never completely go away.

How to Diagnose

X-rays of the joints affected by osteoarthritis are the most accurate method of diagnosing patients with this kind of arthritis. The x-ray will show whether there is loss of joint cartilage, or there is narrowing of the joint space between adjacent bone. X-rays are also helpful in order to determine what caused the joint pain – whether it is only caused by overusage or whether there are really the beginnings of the disease evident.

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

In addition to the various pharmaceuticals designed to alleviate pain and modern treatment methods recommended by doctors all over the world, many patients also seek natural remedies for arthritis. The reason for this is varied and may include the following:

• Other medications are not working or cause adverse side effects for the patient seeking natural remedies for arthritis.
• Holistic or organic healing is believed to be more effective than doing it with the aid of chemicals.
• Some prescription medications are so expensive the patient seeking natural remedies for arthritis may not be able to afford it anymore.

Below is a list of some of the most pervasive natural remedies for arthritis in use today. However, before you decide to take any of these natural remedies for arthritis, you are strongly advised to consult with your physician first. Understand that most of these natural remedies for arthritis do not have any scientific proof to prove their medical claims. Some of them may react to the drugs you are already taking or may have undesirable side effects.

Acupuncture:

Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and one of the oldest natural remedies for arthritis. It consists of inserting hair thin needles with smooth edges into certain areas called meridians found in the body which act as channels through which the life force or qi flows.

To treat arthritis, you may have to undergo several sessions of acupuncture – at least 3 sessions per week, depending on the type of arthritis you have. A recent study released by the National Institutes of Health showed that acupuncture may have some positive effects on arthritis pain, particularly on the knee joints.

Oils:

It makes sense that one of the natural remedies for arthritis is oil. After all, one of the common causes of arthritic pain is friction in the joints where the cushioning tissue, called cartilage, is damaged and the realese of the synovial fluid, responsible for lubricating the bone ends, is affected. However, when speaking about oils as natural remedies for arthritis, it does not mean that you are going to end up smearing yourself with messy metal lubricants. What it does mean is to put the right kind of oils inside your body to help with the aches and pains associated with the disease.

Out of the oils used because of their medicinal properties, fish oil supplements occupy the top of the list. Fish oils have omega-3 fatty acids that can ease the painful symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or RA, help prevent Raynaud’s syndrome spasms, and possibly relieve some symptoms of lupus. Other oil types that can be used as natural remedies for arthritis are borage seed and evening primrose seed oils, both of which have been shown to ease RA inflammation.

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

While medical scientists are working on finding a cure for arthritis, many treatment methods are available to help patients cope with the disorder. And if traditional drug therapies, comprised of either NSAIDs (Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drugs) or narcotic pain relievers, are not enough, then here are natural arthritis treatments that have withstood the test of time.

Note that the natural arthritis treatments featured here have no conclusive scientific evidence to prove their medical claims. Therefore, you are strongly advised to consult your doctor before you resort to any of these natural arthritis treatments. Remember that staying informed may well be your path to finding the right solution to your problem as it would help you form better decisions.

Chiropractic Therapy

Chripractic therapy is one of the common forms of natural arthritis treatments used on patients suffering from this disorder. It emphasizes the relationship between the spinal column and the central nervous system, both of which affects the overall health of a person.

Chiropractic arthritis treatments was founded in 1895 by a Canadian-American, Donald David Palmer, who was said to cure a deaf janitor by putting one of his vertebrae back into its normal position. Since then, Palmer continued to refine his work, expanding the coverage of the therapy to include such chronic diseases as arthritis.

By properly aligning the vertebrae of the spine, it is believed that the normal functioning of the nervous system has been restored, thus enabling the body to heal itself.

Cytil Myristoleate

Also known as CMO or CM, Cytil Myristoleate is another common form of natural arthritis treatments. The first complete human study on the effectiveness of Cetyl Myristoleate, headed by Dr. Len Sands of the San Diego Clinic, was made in 1995. The subjects were 48 arthritic patients, 80% of whom showed significant articular mobility while 70% showed pain reduction.

Another study was a double blind, conducted by Dr. H. Siemandi two years later under the auspices of the Joint European Hospital Studies Program. The results were all positive, showing that Cetyl Myristoleate may be one of the most effective natural arthritis treatments available.

Chondroitin

As one of the many natural arthritis treatments, chondroitin is a substance naturally found in the human cartilage, as well as animal. Besides arthritis, chondroitin is also used to treat several diseases, among which are psoriasis and cancer.

The substance is actually a type of glycosaminoglycan (GAG), one of the most plentiful among that group. It comprises about 5-20% of cartilage tissue, occurring mostly as a sulfate composed of repeating disaccharide units. It has been used for over 30 years in the treatment of arthritis, psoriasis, and cancer.

By taking in supplements of chondroitin, you are providing your body with chemical components needed to maintain structural integrity of the cartilage and prevent its degeneration.

Click here to check out Devil’s Claw Root And Other Natural Remedies For Arthritis

The exact causes of rheumatoid arthritis are still unknown. It can develop at any age, but is most common between the ages of 30 and 50.

so how exacly does rheumatoid arthritis develop?

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an auto-immune disease, which means that the body’s self-defence system turns on itself. If you have Rheumatoid Arthritis, your immune system attacks the cells that line your joints, making them swollen, stiff and painful.

Your immune system is a very sophisticated network of cells and tissues which usually produces chemical messengers and cells to fight off things that can harm you, such as viruses. But in Rheumatoid Arthritis, your immune system attacks your joints.

Your joints become inflamed, and over time this can damage the joint itself, the cartilage and the bone. Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect any joint. Hands, feet and wrists are commonly affected, but it can also damage other parts of the body, such as the lungs, heart and eyes. Early diagnosis and treatment can control symptoms and help prevent disability. Early treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis has been shown to limit damage to joints and improve the quality of life.