Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Be Cured Through Stem Cell Treatment? Find the Answer!


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is known as a painful disease which is potential to lead to crippling. Arthritis can be varied such as stiffness, painful joint, swelling, and also limited movement. The parts of the body which are potential to be attacked by the arthritis include the skin, the joints, blood vessels, and some other organs in the body.

Recent studies show that this kind of disease can be healed by using stem cells. These cells are able to keep on growing and dividing as long as the individual is alive. In addition, they are able to turn into any specific cell types. In this case, these cells are claimed to be able to replace the damaged cells due to arthritis. Thus, they are able to provide healthy cells for healing the disease.

If this kind of disease is abandoned, it is potential to cause the heart disease and even death. However, long life treatment is not able to completely cure this disease. Based on the research from Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands showed that patients with arthritis who were treated with stem cells gained improvement.

This study is supported by another study from an Austrian study. This study took longer time with three patients. This study showed that the significant improvement. All studies found that stem cells are safe and effective to use for this disease treatment.

Umbilical cord contains Messenchymal stem cells which are able to form into another type of cells. These cells are then able to replace the damage cells so that they are able to heal the disease. To use as the treatment, these cells are injected to the affected joints or around it. The most benefits the patents can take are that they don't need to take immune suppression drugs.

Another benefit the patients can take is that they are able to provide them long term remission so that the rheumatoid arthritis can be cured. Unlike the medicine, this kind of therapy is able to replace and stop the damage cells from continuing.

Prevent Arthritis Symptoms With Right Diet


There is a saying "you are what you eat". If you eat the right diet you are simply doing yourself a huge favor of preventing different kinds of diseases. One of these is arthritis. Arthritis, or the inflammation of the joints, is mainly characterized by joint pain, swelling and redness caused by the breakage of cartilage tissues inside the joints.

Eating habits and dietary practices have a major role in prevention of this one derailing disease. But even though prevention is better rather than cure, those who are already suffering from arthritis can likewise find relief when they manage to supply their body the right nutrients from certain food groups.

Becoming sensitive of arthritis symptoms can adequately help in first hand diagnosis and treatment. It is important to know the following to be able to recognize if you are already suffering from arthritis or not:

1. If you are feeling chronic pain around your body joints, mostly in the hands, elbows, back, neck, knees and feet
2. If those body parts are swelling and tender
3. If those body parts are seen with redness and rashes
4. If you easily gets tired and exhausted even just by doing simple things
5. If you are having difficulty in moving your body joints
6. If you have fever
7. If you cannot sleep comfortably

Considering you are experiencing the above mentioned symptoms, or better if not, it is very important to accompany it with the right diet. Following are the foods to eat and foods to avoid for healthy joints:

Foods to Eat

• Foods high in vitamin C such as pineapple, tangerine, oranges, potatoes
• Other fruits such as bananas, strawberries, blueberries, cherries
• Green vegetables such as celery, spinach, cabbage
• Low-fat dairy products
• Whole grain food like breads, cereals, pasta, rice
• Foods rich in omega-3 like tuna, salmon, nuts, seeds

Foods to Avoid

• Caffeine and chocolate
• Yeast
• High in fat dairy products
• Night-shade vegetables
• Sugar and salt
• Red meats
• Chemical additives and preservatives

It is always better to prevent diseases like arthritis as it still has no certain cure for the moment. What you can do is provide yourself the right nutrition and stay healthy. But for those who are already suffering from joint pain and inflammation, right diet is likewise an arthritis treatment that can pave the way for relief.

Visit http://www.ultimatejointmobility.com on how to avoid joint pain and find alternative arthritis treatment.

Rheumatoid Arthritis - What Triggers Rheumatoid Arthritis?


One of the most prevalent types of arthritis afflicting people of different races and of any age is Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The disease appears earlier than osteoarthritis at anytime of a persons life from infancy to old age but it usually upsets people in their 20's to 40's. Women are more prone to acquire the disease than men although this is evened out when the men reach their 50's.

The most familiar place for this kind of arthritis is in the foot, hands, wrists and lastly the ankles. But most cases are found in the foot where more joints are put under a lot of pressure. As a joint disease, it is also symmetrical in which it affects both joints of the body involved.

An acute illness accompanied by high fever with intense inflammation of the joints could mark the start of a rheumatoid arthritis. But the cause of the disease is unknown and its existence among children known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis has been dubbed as a mystery.

Several views have been provided to explain the occurrence of the disease. One such view postulates that the body's antibodies, produced to fight against infection, actually attack the joints which results in swelling and redness. The cartilage and bone may eventually be damaged as the inflammation spreads to the tissues around the joint.

The study of genetics has found a certain chemical marker among those positive with rheumatoid arthritis leading to the belief that a virus or a bacteria actually triggers its development. Some say that sudden and traumatic injuries like ankle sprains would eventually have the affected joints to be vulnerable to the disease in the future. Symptoms may also develop through severe stress, obesity that aggravates most arthritic conditions and bowel disorders like colitis.

Treatment for the disease does not include its cure as there is no existing cure for it. But treatments are available to relieve pain and discomfort. Drug therapies are available to control the spread of the disease which in its severe form could affect other parts of the body. Aspirin and ibuprofen as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be used.

Cortisone shots or steroid injections may also be helpful to relieve intense pain. Drugs known as DMADs are also available if NSAIDs does not work. Surgery is sometimes the last resort if all the other traditional means are ineffective to ease the pain and the progression of the disease.

Among children, the disease is outgrown while older people get stuck with it for a long time. Children are afflicted around 5 to 16 years old where diagnosis is quite difficult because they could easily find ways to ignore the pain. Even if they do get treated for the disease or the disease may go away, the chances that it will come back in later years is high. Its treatment is different from that of the adult rheumatoid arthritis especially on its drug medications.

Children or adults afflicted with the disease are encouraged to do exercise to strengthen their bones and help them move but it should be guided by a therapist. Proper treatment of the disease and any other alternative plan of action after the diagnosis should be discussed with your doctor.

Arthritis Knee Treatment


Whilst there's no denying that arthritis can be an extremely uncomfortable condition, the good news is that there is a wide variety of treatments available today that will provide arthritis pain relief. These range from surgery on hips and joints, to steroids, injections to acupuncture. However, they are also simple, easy actions you can do, to provide relief on a day to day basis.

Before you start your arthritis treatment, get the correct diagnosis from your doctor. There are over one hundred different types of arthritis, including; fibromyalgia, gout, lyme arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to name a few. Each different condition requires a different type of arthritis pain relief, so it is important that you know which one it is you are suffering from before beginning treatment.

The first step to arthritis pain relief is to protect your joints by avoiding placing extra stress on them. Using walking aids like sticks to remove pressure from your knees and hips and replace a shoulder bag (which encourages you to walk lopsided) with a satchel or wheelie bag, which will distribute the strain more evenly. Staying close to your ideal weight will also help to relieve your joints of unnecessary weight and strain.

Exercise is crucial to lessen the pain from arthritis; as keeping your body fit will in turn will help naturally combat the condition. Flexible joints and supple muscles are less brittle so less susceptible to cartilage deterioration and bone wearing. Talk to your doctor about special strengthening exercises you can do to strengthen the bones and muscles. If you're fond of water, why not take up swimming, as it's very good for relaxing the muscles and strengthening your body without the high impact of other aerobic sports.

If you want to find the best arthritis treatment to suit you, then it is important to educate yourself about the condition. Learning about arthritis will help you both to come to terms with the diagnosis and find a solution that works for you and enables you to live a normal, pain-free life.

Real Help for Rheumatoid Arthritis


Rheumatoid Arthritis is a crippling inflammatory condition that causes deterioration of the joints, especially of the hands, feet and knees. It generally affects both sides of the body simultaneously. Persons can be known to be fine one day in an area, yet be troubled by that joint the next day. Now there is real help with alternative healing methods.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are varied:

-aching and stiffness in a joint

-loss of range of motion in the affected joint

-the muscles near the joint are weakened

-joint deformity as the joint deteriorates

-rheumatoid nodules that form under the skin near the joint

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease resulting from a weakened immune system, resulting in the tissues and joints being attacked by the persons own body. If left untreated the joint breaks down and becomes destroyed over time. The need for joint replacement surgery is about the only thing that a person can do if this happens.

Alternative medicine for rheumatitis can help to rebuild and restore damaged joints and also remove the pain of inflammation that is caused by too much arachidonic acid in the body. A small change in diet, according to Dr. Floyd Chilton in his book entitled "Winning the War Within" which includes a minimum of 4 to 5 servings of the right seafood or cold water fish a week, along with enough omega 3 oil;(at least 600mg.) and 600 mg. to 1000 mg. borage oil per day will help eradicate this debilitating condition. The condition, if left untreated, will only get worse. Joints will continue to deteriorate until bone is touching bone; the pain becoming unbearable.

Fortunately there is real help out there for arthritis sufferers. As you can see, there are many natural food supplements that can help with this condition and perhaps leave you pain free.

Psoriatic Arthritis - More Than Just Joint Pain


What could be worse that this awful joint pain and stiffness, you wonder as you try to will yourself out of bed. While the pain and fatigue that goes along with rheumatoid arthritis can be excruciating and is without a doubt a possibly debilitating condition, there is actually a form of arthritis that is worse. Psoriatic arthritis is a form of the disease that affects not only the joints, but also the skin, and possibly the tendons, eyes, spine, heart and lungs.

In most people who suffer from psoriatic arthritis, the first sign that something is wrong is the inflammation of the skin. Patients can develop psoriasis on their elbows, knees, scalp, and area around the navel and around the anus or genitals. Psoriasis causes red, raised areas of scaly skin. The signs of the skin disease are first seen in the forties or fifties and generally precede joint pain by several months to years. Once the joint pain starts, it generally involves the joints in the feet, ankles and knees. Inflammation can cause the joints to become red, hot and swollen. Often toes and fingers swell so badly they can resemble sausages. Psoriatic arthritis can also affect the spine.

In addition to skin inflammation and joint pain, psoriatic arthritis also attacks the ligaments and tendons of the body. One of the most common tendons to become affected it the Achilles tendon. This Achilles tendonitis causes the patient to have pain when walking and when climbing steps. Along with affecting the tendons in the heels, the arthritis can also inflame the chest wall and the cartilage that links the breast bone and ribs. This inflammation can cause chest pain and shortness of breath.

Along with the joints and tendons, psoriatic arthritis can also affect the major organs of the body such as the heart and lungs. The lungs can become inflamed causing both shortness of breath and chest pain, especially with deep breathing. If the heart becomes inflamed by the disease, the aortic valve can leak. This leak could result in breathing trouble as well as heart failure.

In its rampage on the body, psoriatic arthritis can also damage the eyes. Redness and itching are common results of the condition. The iris or colored area of the eye can also become painfully inflamed, especially when exposed to bright light. Often the only way to relieve this irisitis is to inject cortisone directly into the eye.

Psoriatic arthritis can often be difficult to diagnose especially in the early stages. One common symptom of this form of arthritis, however, is the pitting of finger or toe nails. Sometimes the disorder can cause the nails to turn loose and fall off completely.

Like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis results from the body's own immune system turning against itself. Unlike the rheumatoid variety, however, psoriatic arthritis can affect not only the joints, but also the skin, eyes and many of the major organs of the body. Left untreated this disease can progress until it become debilitating and sometimes even life threatening.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Arthritis in Hands: Best Treatment for Rheumatoid and Osteoarthritis


There are two main types of arthritis in hands, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid is the most disabling while osteoarthritis is the more common.

Rheumatoid Arthritis in Hands

This type of arthritis specifically targets the synovium tissue. These are the cells that lubricate the joints in the fingers that when this disease kicks in, they swell up forcing the ligaments and tendons supported by the joints to deform and weaken.

Most prevalent in the knuckles and wrist, the bone and cartilage will begin to decay making them feel hot and sore, and rheumatoid arthritis in the hands tends to be symmetric- therefore if one hand's affected so will the other.

Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis in Hands

This disease is to date incurable so your only means of fighting it is to slow its progression.

Treated on a number of fronts, it's a collaboration with your rheumatologist, hand therapist, hand surgeon and your primary care physician.

The rheumatologist will advise you of which particular medicine to take while monitoring you along the way, with your hand therapist instructing you on the movements that will relieve stress and pressure on the joints and advising you of ways to protect them.

They may also provide splints or devices to help you cope better with certain activities.

Surgery in certain cases may be advised. This can involve removing new bone known as "spurs", extracting nodules, joint fusion and removing inflamed tissue.

Osteoarthritis in Hands

Like osteoarthritis that occurs in the cartilage of hip and knee joints, it is the deterioration of the cartilage - the protein that helps support the connection between the two bone endings in the joint - that inflames the bones causing them to grind and occasionally form spurs.

These spurs can sometimes become dislodged and surgery may be required, but this more often occurs in larger joints.

In the case of the hands, referred to as Herbenden's node, early development of this can be detected by the visual appearance of the smallest joint at the end of each finger looking knobby.

These knobs - or nodes - can also begin to take shape in the middle joint, known as Bouchard's node and while the development of these nodes may not be that painful, they may restrict the fingers movements.

If however there is some discomfort the following treatment may be prescribed:

Treating Osteoarthritis in Hands:

Troubling little pains in the joints of the fingers can be dealt with through one or a combination of methods.

NSAID's or prescription anti-inflammatory drugs and pain relieving medications may be prescribed, but these may put you at risk if they are being used long-term, as the jury's still out over the affect they have on the liver, kidney and heart, so don't be afraid to seek a second opinion if these are prescribed.

The preferred treatment now however is using a combination of medications.

Glucosamine, Chondroitin, Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and/or natural food supplements which include capsaicun, omega-3, reishi and tongkat ali, combined with topical creams and cold/heat pads are argued to provide a much safer, sustainable, natural and more effective treatment plan, and most of which can be bought over the counter - OTC - and/or online.