The most debilitating form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Unlike other forms of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder. It attacks joints and internal organs, causing severe inflammations and pain.
The most important thing in all rheumatoid arthritis treatments is detecting this disease as soon as possible. Unlike other forms of arthritis, RA does most of the damage during first twenty-four months. As there is no cure to this disease, the best thing we can hope for is to stop its progress as soon as possible or at least alleviate the pain and minimize the secondary damage.
There are several drugs that can be used to reduce the effects of rheumatoid arthritis. First, there are NSAID - Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs such as acetylsalicylic acid and ibuprofen. Most of them are available over the counter, but in more severe cases you may want to ask your doctor for stronger NSAID that are prescription-only. Other means of reducing the symptoms of RA is increasing the intake of Omega-3 fatty acids by taking Omega Daily food supplement or simply by eating more fish oil. These nutrients are known to decrease periods of morning stiffness as well as for reducing inflammations.
Another category of anti-RA drugs are BRM (biologic response modifiers). They are extremely effective and try to alleviate the symptoms of the RA by affecting its source - the organism's response. The only problem is that in many cases they are far too expensive - to the point where most health insurance policies do not cover such treatments.
There is also a cheaper alternative to BRM, commonly used to combat rheumatoid arthritis: Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (example: Methotrexate). Their main goal is to reduce the damage done to joints by the disease. Needless to say, they are prescription-only drugs.
Besides medications, there is also a few other things you may want to do in order to make your life with rheumatoid arthritis easier. First, you need to accept that RA won't go, so you can't simply "wait until it is gone." While some activities are beyond of your reach, it does not mean that you can only sit down and watch TV. Another important thing is that you need to do some sport. While you may feel it is safer to put no stress at all to your joints, this will only speed up the disease progress. Strong muscles reduce the impact of RA and increase the flexibility of your joints. However, you'd better choose such exercises that do not harm your joints - usually swimming is the best idea.
Remember, rheumatoid arthritis is too common disease to ignore it. It affects about 1% of the population and can't be cured. If you feel some pain in the joints and you feel stiff in the morning, contact your doctor immediately - there is a good chance that you've got rheumatoid arthritis.
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