You Can Feel Better!

Arthritis can damage your joints, internal organs, and skin.
There are things you can do to keep the damage from getting worse. They might also make you feel better:

• Try to keep your weight down. Too much weight can make your knees and hips hurt.
• Exercise. Moving all of your joints will help you. The doctor or nurse can show you how to move more easily. Going for a walk every day will help, too.
• Take your medicines when and how you are supposed to. They can help reduce pain and stiffness.
• Try taking a warm shower in the morning.
• See your doctor regularly.




• Seek information that can help you.

Bone and Joint Health National Awareness Week

A U.S. Bone and Joint Decade Initiative that focusses on arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis and trauma. Find out more what is happening this year.
Did you know that there are more than 100 types of arthritis? Common arthritis symptoms of inflammation, pain, and stiffness are usually caused by degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis). Other types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis and gout. No matter which type of arthritis you have, you need an accurate diagnosis before your doctor can recommend a program for treatment. WebMD Arthritis and Joint Center

Here are some bone and joint awareness articles:

 Types of Arthritis

 Coping With Arthritis Pain, Day by Day

 Personal Stories of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Arthritis resource sites available

Other causes of joint pain

Information on carpal tunnel syndrome

Caregiving After Joint Replacement Surgery

Heritable Disorders of ConnectiveTissue

Rare Bone Disease Patient Network

PB&J - Protect Your Bones and Joints-

Is Hip Replacement Surgery Right for Me?

Joint Pain Health Condition Information

Managing Chronic Pain

Staying Active After Joint Replacement Surgery

Take Care of Your Bones

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Unsolicited emails

I get 15 emails a day from this blog all from people selling me drugs for Arthritis and other wonder cures. If they worked they would not have to do the hard sell as people would know about them and take them. ( I don't even know how they are getting my email!) I have had to change the settings on leaving a comment here to see if this helps.
Wishing you a pain free day.

Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Research has shown that eating fruits and vegetables may be linked to a lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Fruits and vegetables are high in nutrients - both vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E and selenium. They are also high in bioflavonoids which have anti-inflammatory actions. 

Researchers have shown that a high intake of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of some degenerative diseases including arthritis and cause improvement in rheumatoid arthritis symptoms.

In some Mediterranean countries, such as Greece,where the diet is large amounts of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and fish, this Mediterranean-type diet seems to protect against rheumatoid arthritis.

  

What food is in Mediterranean diet? at help immune

RESOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE: 

Review: Methods used to evaluate the free radical scavenging activity in foods and biological systems 

Review of methods to determine chain-breaking antioxidant activity in food 

Use of a free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity 

Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease

Can Omega-3 Fatty Acids Help Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Omega-3 fatty acids are the talk of the town as they seem to  have an anti-inflammatory effect in the body. They contain EPA and DHA which are thought to decrease inflammation. Some studies show a positive anti-inflammatory effect of omega-3 fatty acids with rheumatoid arthritis.

Foods that have Omega-3 fatty acids are cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, and trout. Some plant foods are also sources of omega-3 such as walnuts, tofu and flaxseed.


The American College of Rheumatology, says some people with rheumatoid arthritis have improvement in pain when taking marine omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Relief is achieved after taking the supplements for weeks, not straight away. Studies conclude that some people have such decreased symptoms that they take less anti-inflammatory drugs.

What If I Still Hurt? with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sometimes you might still have pain after using your medicine. Here are some things to try:

• Take a warm shower.
• Do some gentle stretching exercises.
• Use an ice pack on the sore area.
• Rest the sore joint.

If you still hurt after using your medicine correctly and doing one or more of these things, call your doctor. Another kind of medicine might work better for you. Some people can also benefit from surgery, such as joint replacement.

Joints in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease, mainly affecting joints and

A tendon is a band of fibrous tissue that connects the muscle to bone.

Most people with RA have inflammation in the tendons around the joints, especially in the hand.

Nodules may form on the tendons, or the tendon sheath, that surrounds the tendon, may become inflammed.

Why are the tendons affected in RA? Abnormal synovial cells invade and erode, cartilage and bone within the joint. Surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons are weakened.

Abnormal immune response causes the body to produce antibodies to its own tissues. The antibodies in rheumatoid arthritis, known as rheumatoid factors, are antibodies against IgG.