Eye Arthritis - Can It Be Prevented?

The condition termed as arthritis of the eyes is known as Uvetis. Uvetis can be caused by a lot of factors, although the most definite one that triggers a particular attack is hard to pinpoint. It is believed that the eyes have a lot in common with joints and the knees, as these body parts are self-contained. By being self-contained, it means that these body parts have definite boundaries that create cavities that are filled with fluids, spaces, and connective tissues.

Most cases of eye arthritis have a lot to do with poor diet. Studies also show that smoking may trigger this disease as well. But links with other health conditions such as headaches, infections, and injuries are associated with it too. If a person has a weak immune system, it is also possible that it could have been the point of origin of their eye arthritis.

To prevent eye arthritis, the following steps can be performed:

Undergo eye exams. Every time you feel that there's something wrong with your eyes, such as if you feel that your eyes are painful, you should go to the doctor and have them checked. Headaches are also a sign of eye arthritis. Therefore whenever your episodes of headache are becoming frequent, don't waste time and consult with a health expert right away.

Take medications at the onset of symptoms. One of the common symptoms of eye arthritis would be dry eyes. For such cases, apply topical eye drops to relieve the pain. But before doing so, make sure that the medicine you are using is prescribed by your doctor. The most effective eye drops in the market today are the ones that contain betamethosone, prednisolone, and dexamethasone. Never self-medicate. It is mandatory that you determine what type of eye medication is best for your health problem. That's the only effective way to treat the disease.

Avoid using contact lenses. Those who are suffering from eye arthritis should make sure that they never use contact lenses at all. Contact lenses are known to make the eyes dry out to some degree. If contact lenses are used all the time, then the possibility of triggering eye arthritis will increase.

Use sunglasses to protect the eyes. The use of the right type of sunglasses is going to be beneficial to eye arthritis patients. When the correct type of sunglasses are worn, the eyes won't be subjected to conditions that could set off eye arthritis. There are sunglasses that can protect the eyes. But there are also sunglasses that can be harmful because they do not use the right type of materials. If you have eye arthritis, be sure to invest on a good pair of sunglasses.

Take oral medications. There are times that oral medications are required to address the pain caused by eye arthritis. Sometimes, the pain becomes too unbearable that oral anti-inflammatory drugs need to be prescribed. For these cases, tell your doctor that mere eye drops are not sufficient to make the pain go away. Ask him to give you oral medications to supplement the effects of the eye drops.

Surgery. Should your case of eye arthritis be on the advanced level, try to consider surgery, especially if your doctor had already suggested it. Surgery has its pros and cons. Make sure that you weigh them first and take them into consideration when you make your decision. Also, ask your doctor to explain to you the entire process and all the possible effects when you choose to undergo it. This way, you will know what to expect after the procedure.

These are the different ways to prevent, and possibly cure, eye arthritis. Eye arthritis is a medical condition that should not be ignored. The moment you know that you have it, take immediate action so that you can avoid the pains associated with it.

Alternative Treatments for Arthritis - An Evolving Science

Arthritis has gained quite a reputation over the years as a deadly disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Its spread has been so vast that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2000 - 2010 as the decade of joint health as joints are pre dominantly affected in arthritis.

Millions of dollars are been spent on the research to find a cure for this disease. Conventional forms of treatment and alternative forms are been researched and debated world over. Clinical research is been done on a number of new drugs promising the magic cure.

New evidence from patients using both the conventional form of medicine and alternative forms has thrown new light on the treatment methodologies and side effects after prolonged use of the medicines.

Research has also helped in several medicines taken off the shelf as their use has been found to increase the side effects sometimes even leading to death. Vioxx was one of the most common and popular medicine prescribed for arthritis. Its prolonged use has been found to lead to heart attacks and internal bleeding.

As more knowledge is been gained about the causes, treatments and side effects involved in the treatment alternative or natural cure for arthritis has slowly but surely started gaining the upper hand over conventional medicine.

Causes of arthritis

• Heredity has also been found to be a major reason for arthritis.


• Hormonal imbalance, stress and anxiety and a sedentary lifestyle have all been cited as reasons for increase of arthritis incidence the world over.


• Accumulation of toxins in the body is the main cause of rheumatoid arthritis. The toxins accumulate on the joints and cause swelling and pain.

Ayurveda, homeopathy and traditional Chinese medicines provide a natural cure for arthritis.

What are the various treatment options for arthritis?

• Treatment of arthritis is a life long process and alternative medicines are a safe bet. Diet and overall lifestyle changes form part of the alternative treatments prescribed for arthritis.


• Japanese fishermen seem to be less prone to arthritis and studies conducted on them found that high intake of fish were the primary reason for keep arthritis at bay.


• Green lipped mussel found in New Zealand has also tremendous benefits and it has been found to be more effective than fish oil.

The traditional forms of treatment are not over the counter kind of treatment. They require expert guidance and a complete analysis of the patient's health, lifestyle and diet patterns.

Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis and Joint Pain Problem

Arthritis signs and symptoms vary with individuals. Here we will emphasize on some of the major signs and symptoms of arthritis and joint pain problem.

1. Pain is the first and foremost sign and symptom of arthritis. All arthritis patients suffer from excruciating joint pain. Pain due to arthritis is also termed as arthralgia. The word comes from Greek 'artho' meaning joint and 'algos' meaning pain. The root cause of the pain lies in the destructive and degenerative process involved in arthritis. In other words the cartilage degeneration and bone friction causes acute pain, as in case of osteoarthritis. Also inflammation of tissues around joints leads to pain as in the case of rheumatoid arthritis. Accumulation of fluids and uric acid crystals in between the joints also lead to pain.

2. Swelling is another sign and symptom of arthritis. At times it is also the primary symptom of arthritis. Little amount of fluid is always present in our joints under normal conditions. In a joint attacked by arthritis, the amount of fluid increases to abnormal proportions making the joint look swollen. This excess fluid is discharged by the soft tissues lining the joint. The tissues come under the effect of arthritis and produce large amount of fluids.

3. Stiffness or inflexibility at the joint is a symptom associated with swelling. Muscle tightness, inflammation of joint lining and calcification at the joints are triggering factors causing stiffness. In case of patients with much stiffness, the joints may become non-functional with time. Therefore stiffness if not checked may even lead to disability. The stiffness usually increases if the ailing joint is kept idle for a long time. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by severe stiffness early in the morning just after waking up. The stiffness comes down gradually as one gets in to activities.

4. Crepitus or a crunching or grating sound while moving an ailing joint is a common symptom of arthritis, noticeable in many. The word is derived from a Latin word meaning 'a rattle or crackling sound'. Crepitus is an indication of wearing out of cartilages in a joint. When crepitus occurs, along with the crunching sound, one feels some sensation in the affected joint. Crepitus is usually painless.

5. Deformity at joint is another arthritis symptom. It is common in case of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Bony outgrowths, swan neck deformity or bending of finger base, boutonniere deformity or flexion of PIP joint in the finger are common types of deformities caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Basal joint deformity or thumb carpometacarpal hyperextension deformity causes the thumb to stretch out and bend backward. This type is seen in patients with osteoarthritis.

6. Redness of skin around the affected joint is one sign and symptom. When some damage occurs at any part of the body, the immune system runs to destroy or eliminate the cause of damage. The same is true in case of joint damage as well. When the battle goes on, the result is redness in the external skin.

7. Arthritis patients also suffer from constipation or colitis.

Osteoarthritis - Is There Any Modern Day Cure To This Disease?

One of the most feared and extremely debilitating diseases that are a major cause for partial and permanent disability in the world is osteoarthritis. The joints in the body, especially the limbs, are the most affected. There are extremely painful conditions leading to decreased movement, tenderness, inability to walk or make a fist formation and a host of other pseudo psychiatric effects.

Osteoarthritis has its origins in degenerative hereditary conditions and it goes down through the genes into the progenies. It is feasible that any joint in the body can be affected but the most common areas are the knees, hands, hips, spine and feet.

In extreme cases, there is permanent disfigurement too. Swelling in these areas is marked leading to a gradual limp in the gait and virtual inability to climb stairs. Pain gradually increases during the daytime and bedtime becomes unbearable or, at the very least, very uncomfortable. With the complete wearing off taking place in the cartilages, the bone joints rub against each other increasing the pain many fold. Even the slightest touching of one bonehead with the other in the missing cartilage area causes enormous pain.

Since the disease is degenerative in nature, osteoarthritis does not have a permanent cure. There may be medication for pain relief but that is purely temporary in nature. Steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs may be used to prevent worsening of the pain. Surgical treatments such as complete replacement and resurfacing procedures have been able to address the issue with some success but again, the costs involved in these procedures are astronomical. There are also continuous post-surgical medications that may become necessary depending upon the progress made.

New Guidelines For Rheumatoid Arthritis - Good Or Bad?

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is the national organization that represents much of the current thinking when it comes to arthritis care. One of their major commitments has been to develop guidelines for treatment of various types of arthritis. These guidelines are meant to instruct and perhaps give people an indication of what is considered "standard of care".

They are not set in concrete nor are they meant to restrict other therapies. Guidelines for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were last made by the ACR in 2002... before the general use of biologic therapy.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic, autoimmune disorder for which there is no known cure. It affects roughly 2 million Americans.

Up until the turn of this past century, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) were the mainstay of treatment. Because of the advent of newer more effective biologic therapies, the ACR felt it was time for a major re-evaluation of the use of DMARD therapy in rheumatoid arthritis.

They issued a set of guidelines that were recently published. (Saag KG, et al. Arthritis Care and Research 2008; 59: 762-784).

These recommendations on the use of non-biologic and biologic DMARDs in RA have recently been published and focus on 5 key areas: indications for use, monitoring for side-effects, assessing the clinical response, screening for tuberculosis (a risk factor associated with biologic DMARDs), and under certain circumstances (i.e. high disease activity) the roles of cost and patient preference in choosing biologic agents. When formulating these recommendations, RA disease duration, disease severity, and prognostic features were also considered.

The authors of these guidelines stated that, "Applying these recommendations to clinical practice requires individualized patient assessment and clinical decision-making. The recommendations developed are not intended to be used in a 'cookbook' or prescriptive manner or to limit a physician's clinical judgment, but rather to provide guidance based on clinical evidence and expert panel input."

The ACR 2008 recommendations include:

o Initiation of methotrexate or leflunomide (Arava) therapy was recommended for most RA patients.

o Methotrexate plus hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) was also endorsed for patients with moderate to high disease activity.

o The triple DMARD combination of methotrexate plus hydroxychloroquine plus sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) for patients with poor prognostic features and moderate to high levels of disease activity was suggested.

o Recommended the prescription of anti-TNF agents such as etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), or adalimumab (Humira) along with methotrexate in early RA (less than 3 months) only for patients with high disease activity who had never received DMARDs. In intermediate- and longer-duration RA, anti-TNF agents were recommended for patients who had failed to respond adequately to methotrexate therapy.

o Reserving the use of second line biologic therapies such as abatacept (Orencia) and rituximab (Rituxan) for patients with at least moderate disease activity and poor disease prognosis for whom methotrexate in combination with or sequential administration of other non-biologic DMARDs did not lead to an adequate response.

o Avoiding the initiation or resumption of treatment with methotrexate, leflunomide, or biologic agents for patients with active bacterial infection, active herpes-zoster viral infection, active or latent tuberculosis, or acute or chronic hepatitis B or C.

o Not prescribing anti-TNF agents to patients with a history of heart failure, with a history of lymphoma, or with multiple sclerosis or demyelinating disorders.

o Avoiding the initiation or resumption of methotrexate, leflunomide, or minocycline for RA patients planning for pregnancy and throughout the duration of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The authors continued on, "These recommendations are extensive but not comprehensive... and it is intended that they will be regularly updated to reflect the rapidly growing scientific evidence in this area along with changing practice patterns in rheumatology."

Personally, I feel the guidelines are too little too late. While I agree with the main body of their recommendations for the most part, I do disagree with some of their thoughts. For instance, I have disagreement with the use of triple therapy since I don't think it works and is potentially more toxic than the use of biologic therapies. In addition, the use of second-line drugs like Orencia and Rituxan should be given to patients who fail the combination of a TNF-inhibitor and methotrexate.

Newer biologic agents such as Actemra and Cimzia which are currently awaiting FDA approval will also alter the way rheumatologists approach treatment.

Progress in the field of rheumatoid arthritis research has been astounding. With the advent of newer techniques designed to diagnose and customize therapies, the possibility of a cure is not too far down the road.

Common Causes of Knee Pain - Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Knees

There are all kinds of things that can cause knee pain, from simple sprains and strains that will heal up in a matter of a few weeks, to painful, chronic conditions. One chronic condition that is extremely painful is rheumatoid arthritis, which causes inflammation and pain in the knee joints. As a rule, arthritis affects both knees, so sufferers can't even say that they have a "good knee".

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is actually an autoimmune disease, and it causes the joints in the body to be pretty much constantly inflamed. In addition, the tissues around the joints, and even some organs, can be affected by this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis can be found in patients of any age, and can have varying degrees of severity. Over time, patients with arthritis will find that their joints may deteriorate, and they will have less and less range of movement. In many cases, patients with chronic arthritis can go many years before their symptoms begin to cause real suffering, but, in most cases, the disease will flare up at some point in time.

Currently there is much research being done to discover what actually causes rheumatoid arthritis. There are a number of possible suspects, but nothing has been proven thus far. It is possible that infections and illnesses that lower the immune system may play a part in the development of rheumatoid arthritis, but again, this is just one possibility.

How to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis in the Knee

There are many non-surgical treatments that have been proven to be quite effective for a number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the knees. Often, it is recommended that patients take anti-inflammatory medications, which may be prescription-strength or over-the-counter. Lifestyle changes can also play a large role in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the knees. Because the knees carry a lot of weight, being overweight can aggravate any condition of the knee, including rheumatoid arthritis, so it is a good idea to lose some of the extra weight. A healthy diet and exercise plan can go a long way in treating this type of condition. Often, physicians will recommend that patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the knees visit a physiotherapist, where they will be taught specific exercises that are meant to help keep the knees functioning properly. A lot of patients also use heat therapy, as well as compression with a knee brace, for stability and pain relief.

There may come a time when arthritis cannot be successfully treated non-surgically. At this point, the patient will often need to undergo knee replacement surgery. This is where the damaged part of the knee is removed, and replaced with a prosthesis. This is a very common procedure, but it does require a few months of rehabilitation time.

Although it is an extremely painful condition, arthritis in the knees doesn't have to mean that all of the patient's activities must be limited. It is better to remain active and to follow the orders of their physicians. As long as they are giving their knees the proper treatment, they will be able to deal with arthritis much more easily.

Arthritic Myth Busters

Arthritis is inflammation of the joints, which causes a combination of pain, swelling and limited mobility. It is very common - more than one is six adults suffers from some form of arthritis and with the increasing aging of the population, those figures are rising.

There are actually more than one hundred different types of arthritis and therefore it is very important that the type of arthritis you have is correctly diagnosed because successful treatment is dependent upon it. Several types have a known cause, although the majority of types do not. Those with no known cause include all cases of rheumatoid arthritis and the majority of osteoarthritis cases.

Even when the cause is known, it is not known why some people develop arthritis while others with the same risk factors don't. Some people think it's due to the fact they cracked their knuckles as a kid or that their joints are acting up because of damp weather, however, neither of these myths (or many others) have ever been proven in clinical research studies.

Cracking your knuckles

Although you may cause injury to a joint by over enthusiastic knuckle cracking, evidence suggests that doing this has little effect on the health of your joints.

Cold, damp weather

Arthritis sufferers seem to be affected more when the weather is cold and damp, however, this does not mean that weather causes the arthritis, although it does appear to aggravate the symptoms.

Overuse of the joints

Although certain occupations with repetitive manual work and athletes who have had repeated joint injuries may develop degenerative arthritis, there is no rhyme or reason to this theory. If it were due to overuse, then why do marathon runners not appear to be at increased risk?

Medications

There are no medications generally recognized as a cause for arthritis, although there may be a few exceptions. Corticosteroids may cause interruption of the blood supply to the hip bones causing death to the bone, which may result in the development of arthritis. Also, water pills may cause gout but not arthritis. There are some other drugs which may cause bone or joint pain, but they won't cause arthritis. However, there is a rare condition called 'drug induced lupus' which may follow after using certain medications and it is thought that arthritis may develop afterwards.

Infection

As far as we know, most infections will not cause arthritis. There is a very small fraction of infectious causes and these include: bacteria such as Gonorrhea and Staphylococcus; Lyme's disease; some viruses (including occasional cases of Hep B, Hep C or parvovirus).

Vaccinations

Similarly, some vaccinations, including those for Lyme's disease and Rubella are thought to be linked (although very rarely) to the development of arthritis. This connection is unclear though. Fortunately, the majority of people receiving the most common vaccinations never develop arthritis.

Diet

For centuries, there have been theories about which foods are the best to eat to prevent/treat arthritis, however, the types of food we eat are not thought to have a role in the development (or not) of arthritis.

There are some exceptions though. Some people notice that eating certain foods or drinking alcohol, triggers gout attacks. There is also a link between obesity and osteoarthritis, so a diet that helps with weight reduction would obviously be helpful.

In some cases, osteoporosis may be caused by not having sufficient calcium or vitamin D intake. Lack of these vital nutrients will cause the bones to become weak and if a fracture occurs, then arthritis may follow.

Old age

This cannot be seen as a cause, since it doesn't come inevitably with old age.

Stress

Although there may have been cases where people have developed arthritis after going through prolonged periods of stress, there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that it causes any specific type of arthritis. Stress can make pain feel worse though.

Any prolonged mental or emotional stress will cause illness in your body.

Bad posture

Despite the myth, slouching will not cause arthritis, however any type of arthritis can affect your posture.

Osteoporosis may cause you to have a stooped posture if the vertebrae collapse and arthritis in your spine may follow, however, the stooped posture does not cause the arthritis. Another example of this is ankylosing spondylitis - a condition in which inflammation of joints in the lower spine leads to a rigid spine. Therefore, poor posture can be seen as a result of arthritis, but is not known to cause it.

In conclusion, with so many different types of arthritis and little understanding of their causes, it is understandable why there are so many myths circulating regarding arthritis. For now it's just a case of 'nobody knows' and there is no known cure. Once you have developed arthritis you may adopt a new diet, move to a warmer climate or opt for some risky treatment, however, you may be very disappointed in the results and find that things are just as bad, if not worse, than before.

The same goes as for every other disease of the body - try to keep your mind and body healthy and active by having a healthy lifestyle and healthy, balanced diet. Also make sure you are getting plenty of Calcium and Vitamin D to keep those bones strong and healthy.