Arthritis Treatment

An Arthritis Treatment using Massage

There are many different ways to get an arthritis treatment. Massage therapy is one of the best ways to ease the pain of arthritis. This type of arthritis treatment deals with the stiffness that is associated with arthritis. Almost all doctors will recommend regular massage therapy to their patients. Research shows that this type of arthritis treatment will decrease most of the stress hormones and will help with depression. The benefits dealing with this type of arthritis treatment is that it eases the muscle pain, spasms in the joints and the joint tissue. Massage therapy, is an arthritis treatment that releases endorphins that are natural painkillers, which can improve sleep at night and help the immune system function, as it should.

An Arthritis Treatment with Acupuncture and Acupressure

Acupuncture and acupressure are both ancient Chinese treatments for pain relief. They are gaining popularity in the United States as a complementary therapy to any arthritis treatment used today. When acupuncture is used as an arthritis treatment, long needles are placed in specific spots throughout the body to stimulate the endorphins. When acupressure is performed, the practitioner uses their fingers in place of the needles for this type of arthritis treatment. This also releases endorphins that have the anti-inflammatory properties that are needed to help with the pain relief.

An Herbs and Supplement for Arthritis Treatment

Herbs and supplements are the natural remedies that more people are turning to for a complementary therapy to an arthritis treatment. Although most people that suffer from arthritis know that there is no real cure for it, do know there are other arthritis treatments, like this one, that will help control the pain and other symptoms by taking a supplement or an extract. This is done in combination with the medications being taken and prescribed by the doctor. It is best to ask questions about this arthritis treatment with your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional for their recommendations and opinions.

Prayer and Spirituality for an Arthritis Treatment

In public opinion polls, people have said that prayer or some kind of spirituality is the most common used arthritis treatment of all. Research shows that behavioral medicine can suggest that the interaction of body, mind and the soul will have a very powerful effect on someone dealing with arthritis and health in general. There have been very few scientific studies that have been published that examine the effect of prayer and spirituality, but the studies that have been done on this type of arthritis treatment proves that there is a great benefit to it in dealing with it.

Rheumatoid Arthritis - What Is It?

What is rheumatoid arthritis? Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of multiple joints in the body with predilection for smaller joints in the hands. Rheumatoid arthritis causes signs and symptoms of inflammation in joints that include pain, swelling, redness, warmth and loss of function i.e. stiffness and limitation in the motion and function of multiple joints. Although joints are the main structure affected by this condition, it can cause inflammation in other body parts too for example, the eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels and kidneys.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are typically worst in the morning with gradual easing of symptoms throughout the day. This chronic worsening of symptoms in the morning, especially of stiffness in the joints, are important diagnostic clues in differentiating other forms of arthritis for example osteoarthritis and gouty arthritis.

Other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are non-specific, which may include loss of appetite, chronic fatigue, weight loss, hair loss, low grade fevers and so on.

What are the causes of rheumatoid arthritis and who is at risk? Rheumatoid arthritis is categorized as autoimmune disease, in which the body produces an immunogenic response to some constituent of its own tissue, in this case, the joints. In other words the immune system loses its ability to recognize some tissue or system within the body as "self" and targets and attacks it as if it were foreign.

People who are at risks of having the disease include:

• Those who have a family history of rheumatoid arthritis


• Those who have other forms autoimmune disease i.e. autoimmune thyroiditis, vitiligo, type 1 diabetes, etc


• Sex: typically affects women more than men in the ratio of 3:1


• Age: the age of onset is usually between third and fourth decades of life

How is rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed? Clinical suspicion is the first step towards confirmation of the diagnosis. Once rheumatoid arthritis is suspected, a series of laboratory and radiological tests are performed and these include full blood examination, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factors, autoimmune markers and x-rays. If these tests turn out positive, rheumatoid arthritis is very likely.

How is rheumatoid arthritis treated? Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis can be categorized as non-medical and medical treatments.

• Non-medical treatments: these include physiotherapy with hot wax, joint exercises and assistive devices. More often than not, conservative treatment alone is inadequate, therefore, addition of chemotherapeutic agents is warranted.


• Medical treatment: since rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that mounts an inflammatory response towards self, the use of chemotherapeutic agents, which alter and dampen the immune response, is nonetheless, effective. These chemotherapeutic agents include steroids, methotrexate, sulfasalazine and plaquenil. Pain, that often is the dominant symptom in rheumatoid arthritis, can be managed by taking anti-inflammatory medications such as non-steroidals.

Does rheumatoid arthritis only affect joints? No. As a matter of fact, rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune, inflammatory disease that has a predilection for joints. It can affect skin, brain, heart, lungs and other bodily systems.

What is your advice for people who suffer rheumatoid arthritis? It is paramount that people who suffer rheumatoid arthritis should remain active. Seeking advice with a physical and occupational therapist may help to decide what level and types of activities are appropriate. It is important to discuss your progress with your physician and health care providers, who can provide you with appropriate information and resources you need during your treatment.

5 Things You Should Know About Osteoarthritis

If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you are not alone. In fact, you are among the 20 million, or so, people who are citizens of the United States that are affected by this condition. Whether you are male or female, you are more likely to experience the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis after the age of 55.

• If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, you probably visited your physician due to pain in you feet, spine or hands. This type of arthritis is known to also attack the larger weight bearing parts of the body such as the knees and the hips.


• If no cause for the arthritis can be found, this is called primary osteoarthritis. However, if another cause for the pain is present, then it is referred to as secondary osteoarthritis. The treatment options for both types are the same.


• Osteoarthritis is, in simple terms, the break down of the cartilage that is naturally present between the bones of the joints. As we age, this cartilage begins to dissolve, this occurs at a quicker pace when repetitive motion is present. As the amount of cartilage dissolves from between the bones, they begin to rub against each other, and this is the pain that is associated with arthritis.


• People who perform repetitive motions involving the joints are also the most commonly affected by osteoarthritis. The pain is generally said to be at its worst during the night, after a long day of activity. Generally, the arthritis is accompanied by warming, swelling or creaking in the joints that are affected. Stiffness and pain are also reported by patients, usually after long periods of immobility.


• There are several steps that can be taken to ease the discomfort of osteoarthritis. Over the counter pain medication, when taken in conjunction with weight loss efforts and exercise, is often all that is needed to control the pain. However, if this is not the case in your situation, speak with your doctor about other pain suppressing methods that may work better for you.

Symptoms

Arthritis is a term that includes a group of disorders that affect your joints and muscles. Arthritis symptoms include joint pain, inflammation and limited movement of joints. When a joint is inflamed it may be swollen, tender, warm to the touch or red. Surrounding each joint is a protective capsule holding a lubricating fluid to aid in motion. Cartilage, a slippery smooth substance, covers most joints to assure an even, fluid motion of the joint. With joint arthritis, the cartilage may be damaged, narrowed and lost by a degenerative process or by inflammation making movement painful.

There are many different signs and symptoms of arthritis. If you have experienced pain, stiffness, or swelling around a joint for more than two weeks, you should visit your physician. Only a physician can determine if you are suffering from symptoms of arthritis. You need to find out which type you have in order to start the best course of arthritis treatment. These arthritis symptoms may come up suddenly or slowly over time and may also include sleeplessness, fatigue, depression, and muscle aches.

Many people will experience some difficulty functioning at home, at work or at play because of joint pain, stiffness and loss of motion regardless of the type of arthritis they have. Getting out of bed in the morning, buttoning buttons, writing, sewing, meal preparation, dressing, sleeping, walking, climbing stairs, arising from a chair or a toilet seat and attending to matters of personal hygiene may all be impaired to some degree by arthritis pain and joint stiffness. A lot of people find that impairment of mobility is more distressing to them than arthritis pain.

By going to the doctor immediately, you can start a treatment plan that will help protect your joints and lessen the arthritis pain. You can start to protect your joints by avoiding excess stress and perhaps by using assistive devices to help you around the house. Staying at your ideal weight will also help relieve pressure on your hips and knees. A major goal of all arthritis treatment is the preservation or improvement of daily tasks.

As many as 1 in 3 adults in the United States currently suffers from chronic joint symptoms or arthritis. Could you be one of them?

Arthritis isn’t just 1 disease; it’s a complex disorder that comprises more than 100 distinct conditions and can affect people at any stage of life. Two of the most common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. These 2 forms have very different causes, risk factors, and effects on the body, yet they often share a common symptom—persistent joint pain. The joint pain of arthritis can appear as hip pain, knee pain, hand pain, or wrist pain, as well as joint pain in other areas of the body. If you have joint pain, stiffness and/or swelling for more than 2 weeks, you may have arthritis. Make an appointment with your doctor.

History

While evidence of primary ankle (kaki) osteoarthritis has been discovered in dinosaurs, the first known traces of human arthritis date back as far as 4500 BC. It was noted in skeletal remains of Native Americans found in Tennessee and parts of what is now Olathe, Kansas. Evidence of arthritis has been found throughout history, from Ötzi, a mummy (circa 3000 BC) found along the border of modern Italy and Austria, to the Egyptian mummies circa 2590 BC. Around 500 BC willow bark gained popularity when it was discovered to help relieve some of the aches and pains of arthritis. It wasn't until more than 2,000 years later, in the early 1820s, that European scientists began to scientifically study the chemical compound in willow bark that alleviated the arthritis symptoms. They discovered the compound was salicin. When they isolated salicin, however, they found it was very noxious to the stomach. Almost 80 years later, in 1897, an employee of Bayer Company -- then a dye production company -- named Felix Hoffman discovered how to isolate the compound and make it less irritating to the stomach. Hoffman was attempting to make the drug in order to help his father, who was suffering from arthritis. In 1899, Bayer Company trademarked Hoffman's discovery under the name "Aspirin." Today it is believed that over a trillion tablets of aspirin have been sold worldwide.[2]

Types of arthritis

Primary forms of arthritis:
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Septic arthritis
Gout and pseudogout
Juvenile arthritis
Still's disease
Ankylosing spondylitis
Secondary to other diseases:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Henoch-Schönlein purpura
Psoriatic arthritis
Reactive arthritis (Reiter's syndrome)
Hemochromatosis
Hepatitis
Wegener's granulomatosis (and many other vasculitis syndromes)
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), HIDS (hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome) and TRAPS (TNF-alpha receptor associated periodic fever syndrome).
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Including Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis)
Diseases that can mimic arthritis include:
Pierre Marie-Bamberger syndrome (hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy, a paraneoplastic phenomenon of lung cancer)
multiple myeloma
osteoporosis