Sunday, January 25, 2009

Omega Daily: Immediate Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief

By Andrew John

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.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the fastest-acting form of arthritis, with most of the damage done within the first two-five years. We can't cure it and we can't prevent it, but if the condition is diagnosed early enough, we can minimize the secondary damage and slow down its progress.

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.

Rheumatoid Arthritis can be also fought by other medications. The most effective, but also the most effective are Biological Response Modifiers. While they can virtually stop the progress of RA, their cost prohibits their wider use. A year-long treatment can cost more than twenty-five thousand dollars.

DMARD are another family of drugs used to treat RA. Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs have, unlike NSAIDs, little effect on the inflammations themselves. Their role however, is much more important: they minimize the damage done by the disease.

There is also one thing you definitely should start doing as soon as you learn about your RA. This thing is... swimming! The reason for that is simple: you have to strengthen your muscles to limit the stress put to the joints during everyday movements, but you must not overexert your joints as it will only bring more damage to the joints. Swimming is certainly the best low-impact sport to do - it affects all muscles while minimizing the chance of damaging the joints.

The exact reason for rheumatoid arthritis is, so far, unknown. It may be hereditary, but some researchers still consider the possibility of RA being infectious, so no one can really feel safe. As RA does most of the damage very quickly, you need to consult your doctor as soon as you start to suspect that you may have joints inflammations or when you feel the morning stiffness. RA needs to be treated as soon as possible.

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