RHAUMATOID ARTHRITIS THE PERMANENT SOLUTION YOU BEEN WAITING FOR......

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory disorder that typically affects the joints of your hands and feet. The symptoms generally surface after 40 years of age and are mostly prevalent among women. However, the condition can affect children as young as 16 years of age and is known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Generally, rheumatoid arthritis affects the lining of your joints, causing a painful swelling which ultimately results in bone erosion and joint deformity. Although, no proper treatment exists at present to treat rheumatoid arthritis, doctors usually focus on controlling its symptoms and combat joint pain and damage.

If the disease goes untreated, it can cause permanent damage to the joints. It can also cause other problems, such as inflammation in the lungs or the eyes," said Dr. Linda Mileti, a rheumatologist at the Cleveland Clinic. The disorder can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease as well.

THE CAUSES OF RAD

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease where the immune system of a person’s body (a system that is supposed to protect the body from foreign bodies) fails to recognise the body’s own cells as harmless and attacks them. In this case, it does not recognise the cells of the synovial membranes as its own and thus, launches a defensive action against them. This in turn leads to swelling and pain in the joints, discomfort and general debility.

Symptoms OF RAD

Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:

• Tender, warm, swollen joints
• Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity
• Fatigue, fever and weight loss

Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet.

As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body.

About 40 percent of the people who have rheumatoid arthritis also experience signs and symptoms that don't involve the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect many nonjoint structures, including:

• Skin
• Eyes
• Lungs
• Heart
• Kidneys
• Salivary glands
• Nerve tissue
• Bone marrow
• Blood vessels

Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go. Periods of increased disease activity, called flares, alternate with periods of relative remission — when the swelling and pain fade or disappear. Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase your risk of rheumatoid arthritis include:

• Your sex. Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
• Age. Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, but it most commonly begins between the ages of 40 and 60.
• Family history. If a member of your family has rheumatoid arthritis, you may have an increased risk of the disease.
• Smoking. Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, particularly if you have a genetic predisposition for developing the disease. Smoking also appears to be associated with greater disease severity.
• Environmental exposures. Although uncertain and poorly understood, some exposures such as asbestos or silica may increase the risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis. Emergency workers exposed to dust from the collapse of the World Trade Center are at higher risk of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
• Obesity. People who are overweight or obese appear to be at somewhat higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, especially in women diagnosed with the disease when they were 55 or younger

DIAGNOSIS FOR RAD

The diagnosis of RA based on the symptoms. There are no specific diagnostic tests to detect rheumatoid arthritis as the early signs and symptoms often mimic other joint diseases.  However, in some people these laboratory tests show positive results thereby aiding the diagnosis of RA. These include –

Rheumatoid factor (RF) test: This blood test measures the blood levels of rheumatoid antibody. 

Synovial fluid analysis: It involves a group of tests that examine synovial fluid, fluid present between the joints.

MRI scan: It is animaging test that uses magnetic waves and thus, aids in the diagnosis of the bone and joint structure.

Other blood tests: In some cases, complete blood count, anti-CCP antibody, C-reactive protein and ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) tests are also recommended.

X-rays and CT scan: In this, radiations are used to diagnose inflammation in the joints and thus, confirm rheumatoid arthritis

Why are swollen joints so difficult to diagnose? What causes swollen and painful joints? 
Swelling of the joint occurs when there is a build-up of fluid in the soft tissue surrounding the joints. It makes the joints look larger or abnormally shaped. According to the medical fraternity, there are 128 causes of swollen joints, which are broadly speaking, different types of arthritis, infections, and injuries. Arthritis can cause swelling, redness, and warmth around the joint. An infection generally causes swelling and pain in the joints along with fever. Injuries too cause swelling of the joint when there is a fracture in the bone or a tear in the tendon or ligament

Let’s check out some of the diseases / disorders that cause swollen joints.

1. Ankylosing spondylitis: It is a type of arthritis caused by chronic inflammation of the spine. The inflammation causes the vertebrae to fuse together (ankylosis) resulting in stiffness and loss of MOBILITY of the spine. Pain and stiffness in the spine region including the neck and back are the main symptoms of the disease. The condition is generally inherited affecting all age groups and occurring in both men and women, though it is more common in men.

2. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA): This autoimmune disease causes inflammation of the joints. Symptoms include swollen and painful joints, fatigue, fever, loss of joint function, joint stiffness, redness, warmth, and even deformity. Unfortunately there is no cure for RA.

3. Osteoarthritis :Also can led degenerative arthritis, this is a type of arthritis which causes joint inflammation due to wearing down of cartilage. The wear and tear of cartilage can occur because of aging or injury. You can suspect osteoarthritis if you experience pain after repetitive use of the affected joint. Although it has no known cause, it has generally been found to affect men over 45 years of age and women over 55 years of age.

4. Gout: Gout is an inflammation that begins suddenly and usually affects one joint. It occurs when there is a buildup of uric acid in the joint. Uric acid is normal byproduct of purine (protein) break down. A gout attack can be triggered by red meat, seafood, sweetened beverages and alcohol as they are high in purines. A recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine suggested that episodic alcohol consumption, whether beer, liquor, or wine, was associated with an increased risk of recurrent gout attacks even with moderate amounts. Even vegetables like mushroom, pea, spinach, cauliflower and lentils and kidney beans are moderately rich in purines. Dehydration is also a big trigger for gout.

5. Psoriatic arthritis: It is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the skin (psoriasis) followed by inflammation of the joints (inflammatory arthritis). Psoriatic arthritis usually affects people with psoriasis in the age group of 40 to 50 years. Sometimes arthritis can occur earlier and psoriasis develops later, which makes it difficult to make a diagnosis.

6. Bursitis: Bursitis is the inflammation of bursa. Bursa is a fluid-filled sac that cushions the areas of friction between the two tissues, and reduces friction between the moving parts of the body – for example, area around the joints of the shoulder, elbow, hip and knee. Bursitis can be caused by trauma to the affected area through repetitive motions, such as when you repetitively kneel on the hard surface to scrub the floor you may get pre-patellar bursitis or the bursitis of the knee. Infection or a pre-existing rheumatoid conditions can also cause bursitis.

7. Lupus: Lupus is another autoimmune disease where your body produces abnormal antibodies called autoantibodies in the blood. These tissues can attack different parts of the body such as skin, joints, heart, lungs, and kidneys. When it affects just the skin you may notice flare-ups or rashes. However, if the internal organs are involved lupus is called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and it can cause serious trouble.  Symptoms include fever, headache, swollen and painful joints, swelling in hands, feet, legs, or under the eyes, and extreme fatigue.

8. Lyme disease: Lyme disease is an infection caused by the bite of an infected deer tick. It can affect any organ of the body including the brain and the nervous system. Early symptoms include flu-like illness that could go away without treatment and a bulls-eye rash darker around the edges (only 10 percent of affected people show this rash). Later symptoms include headache, swollen and painful joints, light or sound sensitivity, cognitive impairment, fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea, shortness of breath, shooting pain, and depression or mood swings.
9. Synovial sarcoma: It is one of the most common soft tissue cancer in adolescents and young adults. The tumor occurs near a joint, not in the joint, especially in the knees and ankles. Usually there are no signs and symptoms in the early stages. Later symptoms include pain and swollen joints and a noticeable painful lump.
10. Torn meniscus: Meniscus is the cartilage within the knee joint that protects the knee from the stresses placed on it due to walking, running, climbing or bending. Sometimes a forceful twisting or rotation of the knee can cause the meniscus to tear. A torn meniscus causes a popping sensation, swelling or stiffness in the knee, a block in the movement of the affected knee.
11. Sprains and strains: A sprain is an injury to ligaments, for example, when you twist your ankle, whereas a strain is an injury to muscle or tendons as in hamstring injury in sports. Sprains and strains occur when your muscles and joints are forced to perform a movement for which they are not prepared, or occur after many repetitions of the motion.  Pain and swelling of the joint in case of sprains and pain and swelling of the muscle in case of strains are the main symptoms. You may not think much of it but do see a doctor when you can’t move the affected joint or have numbness in any part of the affected area.
12. Bone fracture: A bone fracture occurs when you exert a stronger force on the bone than it can bear. There are different types of bone fractures depending upon the person’s age or health. For example, elderly people are more prone to hip fractures than say an adolescent. Fractures can also occur as a result of traumatic injury such as motor accidents, sporting injuries and falls. Osteoporosis and certain cancers also cause bones to break easily. A fracture in the bone is usually accompanied by injury to the surrounding tissue. This causes swelling of the affected joint near the fracture area. The swelling occurs within a few hours. 

Swollen joints as such may not be life threatening. But do see a doctor if there is unexplained swelling of joints or if you have joint swelling.

Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis 

When it comes to treating Rheumatoid Arthritis as it usually called, the normal treatment given in Allopathy is to give steroids, anti inflammatory medicines and painkillers. This does not in any way cure the problem but is aimed at alleviating the suffering of the patient. Ironically, some of these medicines have their own side effects and end up causing some more problems than one originally had.

Homeopathic treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Homeopathy offers a much better treatment option for people suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis. That is because Homeopathy does not aim at providing short term relief for RA. On the contrary, Homeopathic medicines for RA are aimed at completely curing and eradicating the inflammation of the joints. Of course, this requires some time as the immune system has to get back into its original shape where it recognizes one’s own body as a friend and not as an enemy. In my experience, Homeopathic treatment is by far the best treatment for RA when one considers the long term effects of the treatment. It is purely a natural treatment for RA and no steroids or synthetic medicines are used.

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