Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the second major type of arthritis – exceeded in number of cases only by Osteoarthritis (OA). It is a very serious ailment caused by pain and inflammation of the joints. The pain associated with the RA is at times so severe that it almost completely immobilizes its sufferers. It affects women more often than men. In fact almost 75% of the 2 million people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United States are women.

Unlike Osteoarthritis which typically begins after the age of 45, RA can hit as early as teen years and is most common in the 20-40 age groups. It is thought that it is an inherited condition and is brought on by environmental factors and social stresses.
Rheumatoid Arthritis pain is usually worse in the morning compared to the osteoarthritis where the pain worsens throughout the day. As the condition progresses the inflammatory activity leads to erosion and destruction of the synovium or joint cavity, which limits their normal range of movement and can even lead to physical deformity of the joint area.

RA actually affects the sufferer on two levels: the joint level, and the entire body. The person affected will experience joint related symptoms as well as a system-wide immune response which can further complicate the condition. Getting rheumatoid arthritis help is a must because if left alone it could lead to a weakened immune system.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Joint-Level Symptoms

• Morning stiffness. Joint stiffness may develop after you just get up in the morning, and after long periods of lying down or sitting and can last for several hours.
• Painful, swollen, tender, and stiff joints. Both sides of the body are usually affected, especially the hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, feet, or even the neck. They may feel hot to the touch.
• Nodules or Bumps. Rheumatoid nodules ranging in size from a pea to a grape develop in nearly one-third of people who have rheumatoid arthritis. They usually form over pressure points in the body such as the elbows, knuckles, spine, and lower leg bones.

System-Level Symptoms

• Fatigue and General Malaise.
• A loss of appetite or Nausea.
• General Irritability.
• Depression.
• Anxiety
• Feelings of Helplessness.
• Weight loss.
• Low-Grade fever.
• Numbness and tingling in the extremities.

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms or a combination of them, you may want to refer to your physician or therapist for an actual medical diagnosis. Your doctor or practitioner will try to determine the causes of your symptoms based on your description, your medical history, and a physical examination. They also may use x rays and laboratory tests to distinguish between other conditions and rheumatoid arthritis. A blood test can be done for rheumatoid factor, which is present in 80% of people with rheumatoid arthritis, but it may not be visible early on.

In RA, synovial inflammation and damage is a common source of the problem. Doctors and researchers are not absolutely sure what causes it, but most think that rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system actually attacks certain tissues in the body, including those that connect the joints and the synovium. Rheumatoid Arthritis typically advances in stages beginning with painful swelling and stiffness of the joints. In the next stage the pain intensifies and the bones and cartilage become severely affected thereby restricting the movement and flexibility of the person altogether.

It may even progress further until scar tissue actually forms in the joint or, in extreme cases, until the bones actually fuse together. The fingers can deviate towards the little finger and can assume asymmetrical shapes. By this time the diseases becomes chronic and defies all conventional treatment options.

Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Auto-Immune Dysfunction (Overactive Response).
• Genetically inherited (it appears that Rheumatoid Arthritis sometimes runs in families).
• Bacterial, Viral or Fungal Infection.
• Environmental Factors (Stressors)
• Food Allergies

Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment Options

There are a number of things you can do to get complete and lasting relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis. If you are fully committed to getting better, you can most assuredly get relief. Try incorporating the following things into your daily routine:

• Follow the Arthritis Diet as much as you can
• Limit Simple Sugars and refined foods as they lead to inflammation
• Limit starchy vegetables like potatoes and carrots until you get complete relief
• Eat as many green salads and vegetables as you can
• Add almonds and walnuts to your diet
• Eat pineapple and papaya and berries regularly
• Exercise 10-30 minutes a day (Joint Friendly Arthritis Exercises)
• Take natural anti-inflammatories like tumeric, ginger, boswellia and cayenne
• Sleep on a firm bed without your head being elevated too much
• Try a magnetic mattress

If you try doing a few of these things, you will find that you can greatly improve and even reverse the symptoms and condition of Rheumatory Arthritis for good!

A key to experiencing a full recovery from rheumatoid arthritis pain and inflammation begins with giving your body the nutrition and supplementation it needs to rebuild your joints from the inside out. For Rheumatoid Arthritis in particular, as for most joint degenerative conditions, I recommend taking JointKote to rebuild your joints, Inflammago to treat the Rheumatory Condition and also using a warming capsaicin cream (which you massage into the affected joint are) to bring immediate pain relief to the aching joint, and also draw the joint relief ingredients directly to the joint for repair and inflammation reduction. Click on the JointKote bottle and the Inflammago bottle below to begin the healing process and relieve pain, inflammation and swelling now.