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.

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.

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.

This can be confusing for a person who does not know anything about rheumatoid arthritis. Here are the excerpts taken from two websites:

Excerpt taken from University of Pittsburgh Arthritis Institute website:

Can Rheumatoid Arthritis be cured?

- Currently, there is no known cure for RA.

Excerpt taken from Arthritis Trust of America website:

You’ve been told that rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of arthritis are not curable. That’s false!

So, which one is true? Let me tell you one thing: the causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis are still unknown. Unless the reason is known, how can one expect solutions to the diseases? However, treatment, medication, rheumatoid arthritis joint pain relief, diet and exercise can improve the condition and patients may lead a normal life.

RA Treatment:

Rheumatoid Arthritis treatment covers physical and mental aspects, such as:

• Minimizing joint damage
• Reducing joint pain
• Making the joints movable
• Improving physical activities
• Correcting structural abnormalities
• Enhancing the quality of life by providing mental support

Rheumatoid arthritis treatment is a long and on-going process; proper treatment can result in as much as 80% cure and patient can lead a productive and active life like a normal person. But, if they stop following their diet, exercise or medication plan, condition may deteriorate.

At the same time, the patients and their family members must learn the basics of rheumatoid arthritis. Knowledge provides emotional support to fight the battle. Keep reading this blog for Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms and Treatment.

Hence, if one morning your knees start to pain suddenly it becomes difficult to pin-point the type of arthritic pain you are suffering from! Unless you know the type of disease, you cannot start medication. At this situation, the best solution is to see a doctor as soon as possible.

A rheumatologist orders certain medical tests to know whether it is a rheumatoid arthritis attack or not. These are the tests that affirm rheumatoid arthritis:

• Rheumatoid Factor
• Anti-CCP Test
• C-reactive Protein
• ESR (Erythrocyte Sedimentaiton Rate)

X-ray and MRI can also help to detect the disease and to track the effects of the medicines on the infected joints.

Medication, diet and exercise can help rheumatoid arthritis patients get back on to the normal track of life. Sooner the disease is detected the better; otherwise proper medication cannot be started. Do not delay consulting a doctor if you experience any of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms.

We will learn about the rheumatoid arthritis tests mentioned above in the upcoming articles. Keep watching!