When asking the fundamental question about a cure for rheumatoid arthritis, one needs to also try to define what is meant by a “cure.” In the realm of normal treatment, there are periods of time that patients can be completely free of rheumatoid symptoms. The symptoms of RA can be gone for a while, and then the symptoms return. Some RA patients can cycle in and out of having RA symptoms multiple times throughout their lives.

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment can even completely relieve some people of symptoms for the rest of their lives. The modern medical community would be quick to point out that the total absence of RA symptoms does not constitute “a cure.” If you ask the person who has been free of symptoms for years, they would tell you that the distinction is simply a matter of semantics.

Part of the reason that the modern medical community is reluctant to talk about cures for rheumatoid arthritis is that they still do not completely understand the disease. Modern science does not completely understand how the disease starts, or what constitutes a cure. At the end of the day, it would be hard for your physician to tell you that you have been cured of RA when there is not yet a full understanding of what starts and stops the disease. At this point, the definition of a “cure” might be better understood as the absence of symptoms. Sometimes, this is called being asymptomatic.

So, there are times when the symptoms of RA will go away completely for some people. Then, for reasons that are not fully understood, the symptoms will usually return. Yet, just about every physician you will ever meet can tell you stories (if they would) about people who have been asymptomatic for years. For some people, the problem simply never comes back.

Many times, the people who have had the most success in staying asymptomatic have been willing to look for treatment options that go beyond the norm. They have been willing to look at diet, exercise, relaxation techniques, experimental treatments, and the role of their religious beliefs. In order for you to look for the possibility of a cure for RA, you may have to be willing to broaden your mind.

Scientific research is fine. It certainly has a role in fighting the disease of rheumatoid arthritis. But modern scientific methodology is empirical in nature. You must be able to test a hypothesis. But how do you test faith in any scientific way? How do you scientifically account for miracles that happen in medicine all the time? How are you supposed to scientifically prove you have been cured of rheumatoid arthritis, when the disease cannot be fully understood?

Can RA be cured? It depends upon your definition, and it depends upon who you ask. If you are willing to look past traditional treatments, you will be able to find a host of other treatment options for your rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, these treatments for RA can be done in consort with treatments from your physician. If you can live with being asymptomatic for rheumatoid arthritis, then you might very well have your cure.

All of the current treatments for RA started as an experimental drug or treatment. They do not become “accepted” treatments until they have undergone testing, clinical trials, etc. Only at that point do experimental treatments become part of the commonly accepted treatment regimen for rheumatoid arthritis.

So, today’s experimental treatments will b e tomorrow’s treatments. At a recent meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, researchers considered this very idea. In fact, they reviewed several promising drugs on the up and coming list, though for today they are still considered experimental. They have to finish Phase II and II testing, and then have to be submitted to approval to the FDA.

One of the most promising new experimental drugs is called Baminercept. Used in combination with methotrexate, it has caused some meaningful improvements in the ACR scores of test patients. (the ACR refers to the American College of Rheumatology core measurements for new drugs.) Patients are experiencing lessening pain and reduced inflammation.
Another promising drug is called Cimzia. It has shown promise in being able to reduce the amount of joint damage that often goes along with RA. It may even act to help repair joints.

Perhaps the best way to find out if experimental treatments can be used for your rheumatoid arthritis therapy is to ask your doctor about participating in drug trials. In many cases, these trials will be provided at no cost. You will need to fit the criteria needed for the experiment though.

If you go outside the realm of experimental drugs, you can also find experimental treatments available. Past experimental treatments included tai chi, acupuncture, and the use of herbal supplements like turmeric. In the case of experimental therapies, they may not require special circumstances to participate, like a drug trial would. You may want to have a discussion about current therapies under study.

So, can experimental treatments help your RA? They might very well be able to help. Do some research on the subject, have a discussion with your physician, and go from there. At the least, many of the treatments will cause no harm. Who knows, your next helpful treatment may be just around the corner.

One of the best resources on diet available is a book by Hillary Tolmen who now lives pain free after being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis just a few years ago.  To learn how Hillary achieved this, you can click on this link:  Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Free

Anti-oxidant rich foods are a beneficial addition to the rheumatoid arthritis diet (or RA diet).  These are fruits and vegetables that are rich in color. Try adding blue berries, broccoli, spinach, beets, and plums to your RA diet,  just to name a few. The richer and deeper color is indicative of the anti-oxidant value.

It is easy to add just a bit of chopped broccoli, a few deep green spinach leaves and some pickled beets to a tossed salad. That is an easy rheumatoid arthritis treatment to use, in addition to the RA treatment prescribed by your physician. Dried cranberries are a nice sweet/tangy addition to a chopped salad too.

Be inventive, try some new food combinations. Keep a journal of your body’s reaction to your new eating habits. Everyone reacts differently to standard rheumatoid arthritis treatment, and so it is with adding foods to your treatment.

Another anti-oxidant that you might try is a cup or two of white or green tea. White tea leaves are just immature tea leaves, the green tea leaves are a bit more mature, and the black tea leaves are the most mature. Both can be used in a rheumatoid arthritis diet that is high in anti-oxidants. Both care delicious hot or iced.

What about foods to avoid on a rheumatoid arthritis diet? There may be foods in your diet that actually trigger your RA to become active. Again, we are back to keeping a personal food journal. It is good to keep a journal of foods that are suspect in triggering RA flair ups in your body and then to avoid those in future.

Saturated fats in your diet may cause your body to produce prostaglandins. Prostaglandins cause inflammation. In fact, some of the medications taken are specifically targeted to decrease the prostaglandins response. So it just makes sense that decreasing your saturated fats will be a great start for your rheumatoid arthritis diet.

That brings up omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-6 fatty acids are the fats found in some vegetable oils. Omega-6 is not found in olive oil. Do not confuse omega-6 fatty acids in vegetable oil with the good omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish. This can all be confusing, as you start your RA diet, but it can be worth the effort to understand.

Another rhematoid arthritis diet you might want to try is the Mediterranean diet. This diet features fresh fruits and vegetables, and very little red meat. Fish and shellfish are eaten often. And of course olive oil is used instead of the other oils typically used in a non-Mediterranean diet.

Can a rheumatoid arthritis diet help you? The answer is yes. Keep a journal. See what works for you.  What foods make you feel better and worse. Eliminate any foods that trigger a flare up, and keep adding foods that are healthy for you. At the very least, you will be living a healthier life style. Eliminating known triggers may decrease your RA flair ups, and keeping the food journal will help you eliminate your specific triggers.

If you would like more specific and detailed guidance on this matter, I recommend Hillary Tolmen’s book which you can find at www.RheumatoidArthritisPainFree.com.

Treatments that include use of the “thunder god vine” have been showing a great deal of promise. The use of this root has been a part of Chinese medicine for a long time. However, its use for the treatment of RA has only just begun. Preparations made from the root of the vine have been known to decrease inflammation, and help reduce the autoimmune response that causes RA. There are some side effects that go along with the use of the root, though. These side effects can include diarrhea, hair loss, and changes in menstrual cycle.

The oil of plants like black currant, primrose, and borage are also proving to be effective alternative treatments for RA. These type of plants contain a fatty acid that has been proven to help with rheumatoid arthritis pain and stiffness. You need to be careful using some of these treatments though, as some can cause liver damage in certain patients. If you would like to consider the use of plant oils in your treatment of RA, you may want to seek the advice of your physician first.

Fish oil is now being used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It’s use for the treatment of diabetes has been known for some time. After some study, it has now been found that fish oil can also help with early morning stiffness and pain. The most common complaint for users of fish oil is belching and a fishy taste that it can leave in the mouth. Fish oil can also interfere with some medications, so you will want to talk to a physician about its use. Otherwise, it is an effective and safe alternative treatment for RA.

Tai Chi has become a very popular treatment for RA. The nice thing is, it has no side effects, and can be done by almost everyone. Tai Chi involves the use of gentle motions, breathing techniques, and proper posture to help produce a sense of well being. The exercises have been known to decrease stress, increase flexibility and range of motion, and decrease pain. If you find a competent instructor, they should be able to help you learn the movements of tai chi in a safe manner.

These four alternative treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, as well as others, are providing RA suffers with proven relief of inflammation and pain. The treatments have also been useful in helping to reduce the amount of joint damage that comes along with chronic RA. Have a discussion with your doctor, and then consider putting into use some of these alternative treatments for RA.

Actemra is a new type of drug that works by blocking interleukin-6. Interluekin-6 is a protein that is over produced in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Interleukin-6 is responsible for an excessive inflammatory response in the joints as well as other body parts in those who have rheumatoid arthritis. As the interleukin-6 is blocked, the rheumatoid arthritis joints become less painful and there is less destruction of the joint tissue.

Blocking interleukin-6 is a new biological weapon in the arsenal of rheumatoid arthritis therapy. Some of the other biological drugs available block a different protein called TNF-alpha, or the tumor necrosis factor alpha. Other biological drugs work to block interleukin-1 and moderate the activity of Beta and T-cells.

Actemra may also help relieve other symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, such as fatigue. However, this new RA therapy is not to be used without caution. In clinical trials, there were serious side effects reported including death.

Because of these serious side effects, this drug is being used on patients that have not responded well to conventional forms of rheumatoid arthritis therapy regimens. Patients should expect their rheumatologist to keep a close eye on their cholesterol levels as some patients have had a significant increase in their LDL levels.

High blood pressure and increased liver enzymes can also be a side effect of Actemra. So while this drug is very promising, patients who take this drug will need to be monitored closely like they are with most other drugs used in rheumatoid arthritis therapy. It is always a fine balancing act between medications and their negative side effects with the pain and destruction of the rheumatoid arthritis joint.

Actemra is given by intravenous infusion once a month. It may be given in combination with other RA therapies depending upon patient response to the drug.

The mangosteen fruit grows on a tropical evergreen tree. The mangosteen probably originated around Sumatra. It is an old plant that has been around for centuries. It needs warm, humid climates to grow and thrive. The fruit ripens to a deep purple color that contains a large amount of antioxidant properties. There is some thought that antioxidants may help in rheumatoid arthritis therapy.

The exciting aspect of the mangosteen fruit is the high level of xanthones, which have anti-inflammatory properties. People suffering from rheumatoid arthritis joint pain gain relief from anti-inflammatory medications. Some of the medications contain steroids and some do not. The xanthones are a non steroidal anti-inflammatory. Xanthones are being touted as a cure for several conditions, but the truth, is the body of knowledge still growing.

The real question is do the xanthones of the mangosteen fruit provide the anti-inflammatory levels needed to be a proven rheumatoid arthritis therapy? Unfortunately, there has not yet been enough clinical based research to provide a clear answer. Some patients have received symptomatic relief from rheumatoid arthritis joint pain when taking mangosteen.

Mangosteen is readily available in juice or tablet form. The juice form of the mangosteen is sometimes mixed with other juices. Labels may or may not let the consumer know exactly how much mangosteen juice is actually present in the product. As a consumer, try to make sure that your product contains a significant amount of mangosteen. This after all is the ingredient that you will be investigating to see if it decreases your rheumatoid arthritis pain.

The same is generally true of the pill form of mangosteen. It can be hard to judge exactly how much active ingredient is truly available for your body to use. It is hard to maintain an effective rheumatoid arthritis therapy if the dosage of useable product can’t be determined.

If you are interested in using mangosteen as part of rheumatoid arthritis therapy, be sure to discuss this with your rheumatologist. They may have a recommendation regarding which product to use, and a dosage that is suitable for your situation. They will also be interested in your experience with mangosteen. 

The bottom line of the question “can Mangosteen Juice Help my RA?” is this: does it help you? Keep a record of how your symptoms are responding to the mangosteen. Be sure to keep your rheumatologist in the loop. There are always new studies being conducted on effective rheumatoid arthritis therapies.  Your response is probably the best indicator.

Put simply, a rheumatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (also called RA). They are the specialists who will have spent the most time directly treating the problems associated with RA. Whereas your primary care physician treats a host of problems, the rheumatologist specializes in diseases like RA.

There are a variety of things you can do to help you find a good RA specialist. The first thing you should do is find out who your primary care doctor would recommend. Secondly, you might wish to contact your insurance company, to see which specialists in your area are covered by your insurance. As a plus, your primary care doctor may also be able to help with this part of the task. In addition, you can do research on the Internet, or ask friends with RA who they see. A good place to start a web search would be at the American Medical Association website.

When you visit a rheumatologist for the first time, you will need to be ready to do some initial paperwork, so you may want to show up a little early. In addition, you will want to bring your Photo ID, and a copy of any insurance cards. Your RA specialists will also want to know about any medications you are on. This would include any vitamins, herbal supplements and natural remedies, over the counter meds like Tylenol, Advil, etc. If you are unsure as to what you should include, find a paper sack, or plastic sack, and just put all your medications in the sack. Then, just take the sack with you to the office visit. If you have seen other doctors about your RA, then bring a list of who you saw, the dates you were seen, and what the other physician did for you.

Your initial visit with a rheumatologist will be designed to “get all the facts” together, so he/she can offer you treatment for your rheumatoid arthritis. Some people also call this a treatment plan. You may have a questionnaire to fill out, which asks questions about your pain, symptoms, joints, swelling, and frequency of pain. You may also need to have some lab tests done, which will help your rheumatologist properly diagnose your form of RA. There are over 100 different related illnesses to rheumatoid arthritis. Getting the diagnosis correct is very important to treatment.

A physical exam will also be performed. Your doctor will be looking for sign of swelling, redness, joint pain, and will conduct a few “range of motion” style tests, to see how much your arthritis is effecting your ability to function. At the end of the testing, questioning, and physical exam, you should expect to get some kind of answer on how your rheumatologist wants to handle treating your RA. A final plan may have to come a little later, as the results of labs and other testing are received.

This is your time to ask questions of your rheumatologist. There may also be some life style changes that your doctor will want you to consider, such as diet change, exercise, footwear, and a host of other things. The overall success of your treatment for RA will depend upon your willingness to work with your chosen doctor.

Your rheumatologist will be able to provide you with a treatment plan that can include medications, natural remedies, physical or occupational therapy, and other alterative treatments that will help you live with RA. The best advice of all, for RA patients, is to stay informed about your treatment plan, and new advances in the field of treatment of RA.

Unfortunately, there is not a simple medication for the patient to take to alleviate all the symptoms. Rather carefully selected medications, reduction of joint stress, gentle exercise and surgical intervention will be needed for a comprehensive rheumatoid arthritis therapy program. RA is a complex disease and the Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatmentcan be complex as well.

Some of the drugs used as an RA therapy are very familiar. Other drugs will be totally unfamiliar, or at least do not come to mind when thinking of drugs associated with RA. Probably the group of drugs that is the most familiar is NSAID’s (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs).

The use of NSAID’s for the Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment has been around for years. Probably the most recognizable member of this class of drug is aspirin. While aspirin has fallen out of favor, because of its possible gastrointestinal complications, it is still used in Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment.

The most commonly used NSAID’s are the ones that will require fewer daily doses than aspirin to achieve the same affects, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. However, these drugs also can have gastrointestinal side effects. It is always a balancing act with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment, to mediate the effects of the disease with the least amount of medication possible. The Cox-2 inhibitors are also used with good success with some patients. Again, the benefits of the treatment and the risk of the drugs are always balanced.

Corticosteroids are the other grouping of medication that is commonly used in rheumatoid arthritis therapy. Corticosteroids are drugs that help relieve the inflammation from the disease process, and help to mediate the autoimmune response from the disease. Corticosteroids will be used in as small a dose as possible to achieve the desired result.

Corticosteroids do have side effects that range from minimal to life threatening. Do not ever increase your dose, or suddenly stop your dose, without talking with your physician. Steroids must be tapered off in a controlled situation. Corticosteroids are often prescribed to help with flair ups and then tapered back as a normal part of rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Both NSAID’s and corticosteroids will increase patient comfort during flair ups of the disease. But neither one will truly mediate the disease process. Another class of drugs is now being used in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. These are the DMARDS (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs). It looks like alphabet soup with all these drug abbreviations!

While DMARDS are not a cure for RA, they do slow down the joint degeneration. With the advent of DMARDS, rheumatoid arthritis therapy has made some clear advances in fighting this debilitating disease. DMARDS will not give the patient immediate relief from the symptoms of active RA like the NSAID’s and steroids will. Rather the effects may take several weeks to notice. But the real payoff is in the drastic slowing of joint degradation.

DMARDS are an interesting group of drugs that include chemotherapy agents, anti-malarial agents, and antibiotics just to name a few. These drugs may be used alone, or in combination with each other in Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment. The RA therapy dosages and combinations are dependant upon patient response.

These drugs in combination with rest, physical and occupational therapy, and surgery are all part of the rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Every patient is different and some will need all these interventions and some will only need a few. The good news is advances are being made in fighting this painful and debilitating disease.

Just ignoring the pain, stiffness, and swelling is not the answer either. RA and chronic type muscuoloskeletal disorders account for a large percentage of the causes of disability and work absenteeism. Sometime, the problems can be life threatening also. No one wants to make needless trips to the doctor, so a little education on the Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms of concern can really help you.

Adult onset of RA symptoms will manifest itself in the following ways: the arms, legs, fingers, and wrists will often develop painful swelling, inflammation, and stiffness. This problem is very noticeable in the early morning, when awakening, and will usually be happening in both sides of the body at once. The same type of pain and stiffness, without all the swelling and inflammation, may be more indicative of osteoarthritis, but do deserve a doctor’s look. In children, rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include fevers, loss of appetite, anemia, rashes on the arms and legs, and weight loss.

So, when would it be time to call a doctor? Here are some tips on understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms onset a little better. If the pain, stiffness, and inflammation come on quickly, this should be a red flag for you. Whether you are injured or not, the following list of quick onset of symptoms should influence you to see your doctor. Another good red flag is how you feel when you first get up in the morning. If you notice chronic, ongoing stiffness, pain, and inflammation in your joints, you need to have your physician check it out. In children, you should have a pediatrician check your child if they develop a rash on their armpits, knees, wrists, or ankles. This rash will often be accompanied by intermittent fever, poor appetite, and weight loss. These are typical RA symptoms. Another red flag for adults and children should be that you notice the symptoms on both sides of the body. RA is an auto-immune based disease that typically effects both sides of the body at once. So, RA symptoms will show up bilaterally.

Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms can help you get appropriate treatment in a reasonable time frame. It may also help save you a trip to the doctor’s office. Don’t take chances, though. RA is a debilitating disease that can cause a lot of ongoing problems, if left untreated.

Rheumatoid arthritis disease (or RA disease) is an autoimmune disease that affects the joints and possible the organs of the body. The disease itself starts out slowly and with very vague symptoms. This can make rheumatoid arthritis disease very difficult to diagnose in the early stages.

RA disease starts with fatigue, low grade fever, general muscle aches, and loss of appetite. Those symptoms can also be the same as for any passing virus. The one symptom that may go unrecognized by the patient is joint stiffness that lasts longer than one hour. While stiff joints are common when arising in the morning or after a long car ride, a little movement generally loosens up the stiffness.

The rheumatoid arthritis joint will become painful as the disease progresses. But that is usually not the first symptom. The same joints on both sides of the body are usually affected. While any joint can be affected, the usual targets are the fingers, toes, hands, feet, ankles, and wrists. Knees, hips and elbows are not immune from this disease either.

Rheumatoid arthritis disease is more prevalent in women than in men. The disease itself is not well understood, so why one group has a higher incidence of the disease than others is not understood either. People that live in the Mediterranean have a much lower incidence than the rest of the world.

This has lead some to wonder if the Mediterranean diet might be the perfect diet for those with rheumatoid arthritis disease. There is no solid evidence that a Mediterranean diet will help or prevent the disease; it certainly won’t hurt if you want to give it a try.

Do not stop conventional therapies when trying something new for rheumatoid disease. Always discuss dietary changes and the addition of vitamins or other medications with your physician. Even natural herbs can have nasty interactions with your medications. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

The key to saving the rheumatoid arthritis joint from damage as long as possible is early intervention. You will want to be referred to a rheumatologist. This is a physician that specializes in rheumatoid disease.

One of the best resources available is a book by Hillary Tolmen who now lives pain free after being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis just a few years ago. To learn how Hillary achieved this, you can click on this link: Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Free

There are medications that will help with the discomfort of the rheumatoid arthritis joint. RA joints that are too painful to move may become reddened and swollen. A combination of joint rest during active stages of the disease, and gentle exercise to keep the joints loose during periods of remission, is very important.

There are also medications that will slow down the progression of the RA disease. Your rheumatologist will put you on a combination of medications that will be tailored specifically to you. Medications may be changed to give you optimal results with the least amount of side effects possible.

There are support groups available for those living with the rheumatoid arthritis disease. These groups are invaluable, as the members are all living with the disease too. They can share with you what is working for them. Or what they have tried and aren’t working. It is a place to discuss your issues and seek support. You aren’t alone in walking this path, there are others living life to the full and thriving despite RA disease.