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Does Arthritis Run in Your Family?

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When genealogists put together their medical family tree, they tend to include information that points out which ancestors had certain kinds of cancer, or who had heart issues. You might also want to make a note of relatives who have arthritis. If it runs in your family, CNN has a quiz you can take that will help determine how likely it is that you have it. Arthritis is something that seems to run in my family. I can remember my grandmother telling me when her arthritis was bothering her. As far as I can tell, it seems to have affected … Continue reading →

Do Rheumatoid Arthritis and Pregnancy Mix?

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Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which causes inflammation in the joints and surrounding tissues. It can lead to deformities in the hands and feet, anemia, decreased range of motion, numbness and tingling, pleurisy, and other mild to severe symptoms. It is a long term disease that can be managed (but not cured) by drugs that are incompatible with a healthy pregnancy. Does that mean women who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis can’t carry a pregnancy? Fortunately, that is not the case! Conception The pain and discomfort associated with RA may affect a couple’s sex life and account for the fact … Continue reading →

Arthritis Myths

If you crack your knuckles, you’re more likely to end up with arthritis. Wrong! That’s just one of many popular misconceptions about arthritis. While cracking your knuckles could injure an individual joint, it won’t cause arthritis. Here are some more myths about arthritis! Overuse of joints leads to arthritis. Wrong! If overusing a joint caused arthritis, wouldn’t you only get it in the hand you write with and not in the off-hand? While repeated injury to a joint can lead to a particular type of arthritis (degenerative arthritis, where the joint is breaking down), repeated USE of a joint won’t … Continue reading →

Breast Feeding May Help Cut Mom’s Arthritis Risk Too

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Subtitle: Yet Another Reason to Nurse a Toddler Why it is that as Americans we think that the proper age to wean is 12 months is beyond me. It defies all the medical research that is out there and also defies the current trend in the rest of the world. But yet again, here is another study that shows that breastfeeding is not only healthy for the baby but it’s healthy for the mother too. What’s particularly interesting to me about benefits that the mother gets from breastfeeding, is that those benefits are generally derived from a breastfeeding relationship that … Continue reading →

Arthritis could Cause Knee Replacements to Rise

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Experts predict that the number of hip and knee replacements performed in the United States could skyrocket over the next seven years. Why? A larger elderly population in the country — seventy-six million Americans will hit retirement age in 2008. An increase in arthritis in the American population. Arthritis affects more than forty-six million Americans each year and is most common in older adults. An increase in obesity among Americans — every one pound of weight on your body means three or more pounds of pressure on your knees. Carrying extra weight can also make you more likely to develop … Continue reading →

Fight Arthritis with Ants

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Researchers from the School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University are looking at a traditional folk remedy to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic diseases. A certain type of Chinese ant (Polyrhacis lamellidens for you scientific types) has long been used in Chinese folk medicine to treat chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis. For centuries, the little ant has been used as a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory agent to help reduce the symptoms of various chronic diseases. The study from the School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University looked at extracts made from the ants. … Continue reading →

A Gluten-Free Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis

You might not think about a gluten-free diet unless you have celiac disease (gluten allergy). Swedish researchers want you to think again — especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. A recent study from Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden looked at diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers divided rheumatoid arthritis sufferers into two groups: one group ate a vegan and gluten-free diet (vegetables, fruits, nuts, no wheat proteins, and no animal products like meat, cheese, or eggs); one … Continue reading →

Aquatic Exercise for Arthritis

A workout in the water has been a popular treatment for people with arthritis for the past twenty-five years or so. Why? Because a water workout can help improve flexibility, relieve pain, ease stiffness, and increase range of motion — without impact on affected joints. Benefits of a workout in the water: Age is no barrier. As long as you can float (and there are floatation belts to help you out) you can manage a water workout. Physical condition is no barrier. You don’t have to be able to walk or stand unassisted (again, those floatation belts come in handy) … Continue reading →

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the most common form of arthritis in children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The disease affects each child differently; some have a more mild case with few problems and symptoms while others have severe cases with serious complications. Symptoms of JRA include: Joint inflammation Stiffness and bending of the joints, also known as joint contracture Joint damage Change in growth Joint stiffness following rest, also known as morning stiffness Muscle weakness Weakness in soft tissues around joints with JRA There are three major types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Pauciarticular JRA affects four joints or less. Approximately … Continue reading →

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

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Rheumatoid arthritis is less common than osteoarthritis — only about one percent of the adult population in the United States suffers from the disease. Many different joints can be affected; rheumatoid arthritis can even affect the blood, lungs, and heart. How is rheumatoid arthritis different from osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis is caused by a deterioration of the cartilage that cushions your joints; rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammation of the joint lining known as the synovium. The affected joints may lose shape, affecting movement. The disease lasts a long time, and may flare up (periods of active symptoms) and go into remission (periods … Continue reading →