Recently there seems to be more exposure and spotlight on Rheumatoid Arthritis Research.
1. In June of this year, more than 14,000 people from over 110 countries gathered in Madrid, Spain to attend the largest rheumatology event in Europe, the annual meeting of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR 2013).
2. New York Times featured a Three Part Q & A on Rheumatoid Arthritis
Both articles seem to highlight the importance of taking our medications and the effectiveness of biologics. Many RA patients also commented on Diet and Exercise as crucial steps to better health and maintaining the disease.
PTSD & Rheumatoid Arthritis
What I failed to see but am quite positive is that there is a positive correlation between PTSD and RA.
Here are a couple of studies I found online:
A) http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/content/72/5/481.short?rss=1
B) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acr.21778/abstract
My Own Journey - Healing Process
I visited my Rheumatologist today to review my blood work. He was happy to see that my Rheumatoid Factor has decreased from 400 to 30!!!
Currently I take my Enbrel on an as needed basis (1 - 2 / month), avoid foods that I'm apparently allergic too, but did not know (gluten, mushrooms, eggs), bikram yoga as my form of exercise and meditation. In addition, I've been through multiple counselling sessions to heal my traumatic memories using EMDR, CBT, and grounding exercises. - One of the keys to my healing I believe is calming my nerves literally, by practicing deep breathing, working through my triggers, and listening to my self better. An area that is not yet spoken of in these recent discussions. Perhaps its still an area the light needs to shine on for most.
Greetings Jo! My name is Heather and I was wondering if you could answer a question I have about your blog! My email is Lifesabanquet1(at)gmail.com :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have successfully invented a New Non-invasive Method and Apparatus for Early Prognosis and Diagnosis of Arthritis. The hypothesis behind the invention has already been approved by an authorized Medical Journal publishing body, namely Journal of OsteoArthritis and Cartilage. Our future plans are to make the device and method more marketable in terms of user friendliness and portability.
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It is my contention that rheumatoid arthritis is either caused by a potassium deficiency or is greatly enabled by one (Potassium in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis and heart infarction. 1974 Journal of Applied Nutrition. 26; p40. ) (Potassium deficiency as a cause of rheumatoid arthritis. 2000 Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. 208; 74-76. ) ( http://charles_w.tripod.com/arthritis.html ). Dr. Reza Rastmanesh has performed a clinical trial that establishes this (Rastmanesh R. 2008 A pilot study of potassium supplementation in treatment of hypokalemic patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, double-blinded placebo controlled trial. The Journal of Pain. 9, issue 8; 722-731. ).
ReplyDeletePotassium should be automatically prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis because getting potassium up to normal from the low values in all RA patients (LaCelle PL et al 1964 An investigation of total body potassium in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Proceedings Ann. Meeting of the Rheumatism Association, Arthritis & Rheumatism 7; 321 ) (Sambrook PN, Ansell BM, Foster S, Gumpel JM, Hesp R, Reeve J, Zanelli JM 1985 Bone turnover in early rheumatoid arthritis. 1. Biochemical and kinetic indexes. Ann Rheum Dis. Sep;44(9):575-9. ) is slow, even with a high unprocessed vegetable diet. There are tasty foods that are especially rich in potassium ( http://www.rheumatoidarthritisprogram.com/potassium-and-ra/ ).
However it is important that thiamin (vitamin B-1) be adequate when supplementing with potassium because heart disease can not materialize when both are deficient, but will show up if only one of those is deficient (http://charles_w.tripod.com/kandthiamin.html ). This is probably the primary reason why heart disease is a main cause of death in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
In view of the fact that this is not considered by current rheumatologists, it would be very valuable for you to bring it into your future research. It is not only that potassium is not considered by physicians in regard to RA, most of them do not even believe that a potassium deficiency is likely. This even though many of them prescribe what are actually supplements, but prescribed under euphemistic terms such as salt substitutes, sodium free baking powder, ORT salts (oral rehydration therapy for diarrhea), polarizing solutions, GIK (glucose, insulin, potassium) salts, vegetables, or glucosamine. A deficiency is further defined out of existence by defining the blood serum content normal as 4.2 when the actual figure is 4.8.
Sincerely, Charles Weber 828 692 5816
Thanks Charles! Very interesting and I will look into my potassium levels and monitor - thanks for sharing
DeleteSelf-management is an important part of rheumatoid arthritis care. Staying physically active is the key to keeping joints flexible. Too little movement can lead to joint stiffness. Strong muscles protect joints. Overall fitness improves health in many ways. Managing your weight, eating a nutritious diet and getting a good balance of rest and activity each day are important, too.
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Hi Jo, wondering if I could connect with you regarding a study about RA that has been developed by Occupational Therapists (OTs) in Alberta! Feel free to follow me on twitter (@RAfighters) to find out more. Liz
ReplyDeleteIf you are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis then you should start with slow and easy exercise. It is suggested that always take help from any physical therapist or doctor before starting any exercise. You can start with five minutes and gradually increase the time and speed. A regular schedule is very important otherwise exercise will not be beneficial.
ReplyDeleteKnee arthritis
Medication is not the only and alone cure for arthritis. A person who goes for a walk on daily basis or who exercises a lot will have less chances of getting this disease.
ReplyDeleteKnee arthritis
Thanks for sharing Jazz! RA is a different from Osteoarthritis. 1 in 100 women, starting from age 25 are the stats. and I happen to be the 1 in 100 :) Very active before and yoga once a week is just right for me now.
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