Rheumatoid arthritis disease is a life long or chronic illness. At this time there is no main-stream medical cure for rheumatoid disease. What exactly is rheumatoid arthritis?
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.
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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.