Rheumatoid Arthritis - A Hidden Crisis

By James Anthony

During the cold winter months, these snow gums remain resilient, but Rheumatoid Arthritis can be particularly acute when the temp drops, causing various pains

Winter for some folk means football, skiing, walks on wild beaches or cozy times in front of an open fire. And hey, parents have to put up with squabbling house-bound kids too, but that's another story.

To people who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, the colder periods of the year can mean discomfort, fatigue, depression and almost constant pain.

We think of sufferers being old, but rheumatoid arthritis can hit people anytime - particularly women - and affects more than 200,000 people in Australia and in excess of 2 million people in America.

Women are two to three times more likely to get rheumatoid arthritis than men and often it can be affected by pregnancy. It isn't contagious and experts have yet to track down its causes.

Apart from gender, genetics can play a large hand with Caucasian races being more likely to have a marker - sort of a biological fingerprint in the DNA - than others. Carrying a marker does not mean you will develop rheumatoid arthritis as more than 60 per cent of Caucasians have it. And it should be noted that just because you have rheumatoid arthritis it doesn't mean your children will develop the same thing.

In Australia the general condition arthritis is, according to Arthritis Australia, the nation's "major cause of disability and pain". Across the spectrum of arthritis there are some 100 different forms of the problem, these include Osteoporosis, gout and lupus.

In the case of rheumatoid arthritis the symptoms include:

Muscle pain
Fatigue
Stiffness
Weakness
Flu-like feelings
Rheumatoid lumps of tissue under the skin
Loss of appetite
Depression
Eye soreness and tiredness

There is a three-stage growth pattern to rheumatoid arthritis. The first development is a swelling of the synovial lining of the joints, and this causes warmth, pain, stiffness and swelling. Next comes the thickening of the synovium tissue in around the joint sparking a release of enzymes that can eat into the cartilage and bone.

rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease and does not just 'go away'. It is important that if you have symptoms and think you may have a form of arthritis, that you go and get yourself checked out by a doctor.

The earlier it is discovered, the less damage is done to joints and the better off you will be. If you try to get on with things and ignore it, rheumatoid arthritis can lead to much worse pain, limited use of joints and even impact your ability to work and carry out everyday tasks.

Treatment today concentrates upon pain relief, drugs to slow or limit joint damage, exercises, keeping your joints functioning and less inflamed and, importantly, keeping a positive attitude. Rest is extremely important for suffers of rheumatoid arthritis and with the right treatment your standard of living should be such that you can enjoy many of the parts of life you did previously.

Stay sensibly active - don't overdo things. Good long walks or swimming are recommended to keep your body moving. Look at the food you eat. There are many foodstuffs that folk suffering from rheumatoid arthritis think helps improve their wellbeing. They suggest:

• Limiting refined foods like white flour and sugar
  
• Eating lots of fruit and vegetables, beans, nuts, fish and white meat
  
• Reducing dairy intake
  
• Avoiding things like tomatoes and potatoes
  
• Ginger is highly recommended
  
• Eat brown rice, wheat and rye containing amino acid histidine
  
• Boosting your calcium and magnesium levels
  
• Essential fatty acids like sesame seed and wheatgerm oils can lubricate joints and ligaments
  
• Losing weight if you are heavier than you should be (it eases the burden on your joints)

Some ways of coping with the rheumatoid arthritis:

• Rest
  
• Analgesics and Painkillers
  
• Lots of Sleep
  
• Change Your Diet
  
• Sensible Exercise, like long walks, or TaiChi.
  
• Stay Relaxed
  
• Massage
  
• Hot Treatment
  
• Cortisone treatment

As usual we cannot stress enough these are suggestions and you should always get medical advice from your doctor.

Links:
Arthritis Australia
Arthritis.org (USA)