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1
I read an article in health magazine that if one suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, then he / she have to stay with this disease life-long? How far is this true?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic progressive disease causing destruction and disabilities of various joints. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary from person to person. Prognosis of Rheumatoid arthritis depends on various factors like age of the patient, severity and intensity of disease and associated complications, if any.
Early detection and prompt treatment can ease the pain and control the disease, leading to good prognosis. But if ignored or not properly treated, then it can cripple one with various deformities and complications causing early death.
Thus, following proper treatment and adapting healthy lifestyles and regular exercise will help one to overcome the pain and suffering from this disease eventually leading to good prognosis.
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2
I am a tailor and need to do my work every day, recently I am diagnosed as having Rheumatoid arthritis, can this affect my daily activities?
Yes, rheumatoid arthritis if not controlled can lead to many deformities and disabilities. The onset of the illness is very difficult to pick up.'The course of the illness varies from mild to severe with alternate periods of relapse and remission.
As we know that Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints of our body, causing pain swelling and stiffness, this can cause difficulty to carry out the daily activities. Thus it can lead to lot of frustration and depression in one's life.
Also if one suffers from morning stiffness, then they will find difficulty in holding objects or perform certain activities for certain time. Thus proper counseling and early diagnosis will help one to get relief from stress and discomfort of Rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, if you ever notice such symptoms, then it is necessary that you should consult your doctor before it's too late.
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3
My father is suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis since 1 year, he is currently on medication with partial relief, should I opt for surgery?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a long term chronic debilitating disease, affecting multiple joints of our body. In its initial stage, it can be well controlled with medications, exercise and some lifestyle changes. But sometimes some people ignore their symptoms and consult doctors when they have painful flare ups of the disease and by this time the pain has already become more severe and destruction to joints have already started.
Thus in your case, if medications are not giving proper relief and your father is not able to carry on his daily activities, then surgery can be thought of.'Surgeries such as total replacement, tendon repair are done to restore the abilities of joints and make a person ease to perform his daily activities smoothly.
But it's not sure that it will restore the joint back to normal in all cases. Thus before doing surgery, please talk to your doctor and take proper advice.
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4
I have heard that exercise helps in reducing pain and swelling of joints? Is this true? Is there any role of exercise in relieving the pain and swelling of Rheumatoid arthritis?
Apart from medicines, rheumatoid arthritis can be managed well by some physical exercise and change in lifestyle. Some mild exercise like stretching and strengthening can release the muscles and improve the function of joints. Also hot fermentation and diathermy will help to relieve the swelling.
Some alternative therapy like acupuncture and physiotherapy may help to certain extent in relieving the pain and disability. Many people with Rheumatoid arthritis can also get benefited by taking adequate rest and avoiding unnecessary stress and exertion.
People with Rheumatoid arthritis should not lift heavy weights; instead of lifting you can slide objects if kept on table. Even they should use utensils and door knobs, latches which are easy for them to handle and don't require much force or strength. Thus the goal of treatment is to help you to improve your quality of life, decrease joint pain and prevent damage and disability of joints.
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5
If at all I start homeopathic medicines for Rheumatoid Arthritis, then how long should I continue it?
The course of treatment for Rheumatoid arthritis will depend on the severity and intensity of disease. Since it's a long term disease, definitely the treatment will be for longer period of time to get completely heal from its root.
In case of initial stage, some acute medicines will help to relieve the pain quickly, but to improve the immunity and prevent the further progress of disease, chronic deep acting remedy is necessary. Give your body sometimes for the medicines to act well and do not lose patience easily.
Thus you should discuss your course of treatment with your respective doctor and take treatment accordingly. Also if you discontinued in between, we ensure that there are no side- effects of it. But if you opt for homeopathy continue your treatment till your doctor advise you to stop it or till you recover completely.
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6
I have heard that Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term disease, do I have to take medicines for life-long? Is there any other alternative treatment better than modern medicines?
Well, yes Homeopathy is one of the best treatments of Rheumatoid arthritis. The Scope of Homeopathic treatment in rheumatoid arthritis is quite advantageous. It offers complete, safe, gentle and effective solution by reducing the pain, stiffness and tenderness of joints.
Homeopathic treatment offers a symptomatic relief to all the patients of Rheumatoid arthritis by focusing on the causative factors (physical and mental) which triggers the illness and makes them worse. It helps in treating the disease completely form its root by stimulating our body's own restorative system and not merely by suppressing the diseases.
It will thus help the person to restore his abilities and carry on his day to day activities well. To study the benefits of homeopathy in detail, please click on Homeopathic Treatment .
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7
Since 15 days, I am suffering from pain and mild swelling in small joints of fingers and my doctor said that it's an initial stage of Rheumatoid arthritis, so what medications should I need to take fo
As such there is no definite relief for rheumatoid arthritis available; however in the initial stage some medications and exercise can help you to reduce the pain and helps in slow progression of symptoms.
The aim of treatment is to reduce the inflammation and prevent the deformities of joints. Medications such as Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Steroids and Disease-modifying anti rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are recommended. But these medications if taken for longer time can produce serious side effects and hence need to use cautiously.
Also for the relief of pain and swelling in fingers, some mild exercise and hot fermentation can help to make the joints flexible and prevent the joints from further damage. Avoid doing strenuous activities and give your hands and fingers rest to restore your abilities.
So hurry up and seek treatment of Rheumatoid arthritis from the best doctors and prevents its progression right now!
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8
Many people get puzzled between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis? Is there any difference between two?
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis both are different forms of arthritis. Although they have many symptoms in common but also have few differences too. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where body starts producing antibodies against own healthy tissues of our body. Osteoarthritis causes wear and tear of the cartilage.
Rheumatoid arthritis can begin at anytime in life but seen mostly after 40 years of age and Osteoarthritis usually affects later part of life. In Rheumatoid arthritis there is symmetrical involvement of joints mainly both hands, both elbows whereas in Osteoarthritis large joints like hips and knees are mainly involved.
Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling and redness of all joints and in Osteoarthritis, joints do ache but there is less swelling and redness. In rheumatoid arthritis morning stiffness may last for 1 hour and osteoarthritis last less than 1 hour. Thus to know more details please read similar conditions.
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9
My grandfather is suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, so do I have to take special care of his diet?
Yes, taking special precautions in diet can definitely relieve the pain and control the spread of R.A
- Give him healthy foods full of salads, green vegetables, raw fruits and juices.
- Avoid taking certain vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant which can worsen the pain
- Foods rich in vitamin A, B, C, zinc, selenium and magnesium should be taken.
- Avoid dairy products, red meat, acid fruits like lemons, oranges, tea, coffee, alcohol, food additives
Thus get a personalized consultant right now and get all the details about diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis (R.A)
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10
Are there any particular things which I need to follow to ease my pain and control the progress of Rheumatoid arthritis?
If you are suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis, it is necessary to follow certain things to ease your discomfort and pain associated with it. They are-
- Try to maintain proper weight and good health by consuming nutritious diet every day.
- Some gentle joint specific exercises should be done to relax your muscles and improve stiffness. In severe cases few physiotherapy exercises will also help.
- You should start your day with slow gradual movements of joints in case of muscle stiffness.
- In case of acute pain, heat-diathermy (UV light) and heating pad, hot bath, hot water bottle and bag can help.
- Don't do work which requires extra force and strength like lifting heavy weight.
- Relax your mind and body through mediation or yoga.
- Gain confidence and don't feel depressed, instead keep a strong will and learn to cope with your condition.
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11
My mother in law is complaining of swelling and stiffness of her joints since last 20-25 days, can this be rheumatoid arthritis? What are the essential diagnostic tests to confirm Rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid Arthritis is difficult to diagnose at early stage as most of the people ignore it. But diagnosis is solely based on the combination of clinical presentations, examination of the affected joints, blood tests and x-ray findings.
For your mother-in-law to be diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, she should experience swelling in any of 3 joint areas simultaneously with stiffness of smaller joints lasting for more than 1 hour.
Test for rheumatoid factor should be positive and her x-ray should have some significant changes. Besides sometimes detection of anti-nuclear antibodies are also done in few cases. However, the final diagnosis will be done by experts. Get more information please click on Tests and Diagnosis
