Some Alternative Remedies For Rheumatoid Arthritis

If there was a way to cut down on our medications for rheumatoid arthritis it would certainly be worth a try. Well there are several natural ways to treat rheumatoid arthritis that can have a beneficial effect. If they work for you you may be able to cut down on your prescription medication. Remember to check with your doctor before you do though.

 

Natural remedies can include food, vitamins, herbs, and lifestyle changes. The best foods you can eat when combating the pain of rheumatoid arthritis are fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and lean protein, such as chicken and fish. Supplements to take are Omega 3 fatty acids (preferably Krill oil) and a good mutivtamin to ensure there are no nutritional gaps in your diet.

To obtain temporary relief from pain, try bathing or soaking in warm water. The hot water helps to relaxing your muscles and joints. Relax in the water for 15-20 minutes, which allows the warmth to penetrate sore muscles and joints. However be careful if there is inflammation present as the heat may cause this to flare up,

Electrical stimulation machines or T.E.N.S can be a great natural treatment for arthritis, but check with your doctor before using one. These machines are used by physios to treat sports injuries, but you can buy your own personal model to use at home for around $200-$500. The electrical current emitted from the machine blocks pain signals in the brain.

When looking at supplements, there are a few that seem to work well with rheumatoid arthritis. Devil’s Claw is an effective remedy to reduce the inflammation of joint tissues as well as removing uric acid.

Valerian is a known herbal sedative which is also useful for pain relief. People who have liver conditions, however, should avoid valerian.

White willow bark is a very old pain remedy. It contains salicin which is the origin of the drug we now know of as aspirin.

Finally there are two enzymes which help keep away inflammation. Bromelain which is found in pineapple and Papain found in Pawpaw are very effective when taken in between meals. They are almost completely free from known side effects.

Latest Rheumatoid Arthritis News 2012 - Xeljanz

Here is some arthritis news for late 2012. Seeing this is the end of this year, we'll probably have the next update in 2013.

Earlier this month, the FDA approve the drug Xeljanz (where do they get these names?) mainly to treat those patients who do not respond to, or who can't take methotrexate, which is from the family of DMARD medication.

Xeljanz or tofacitinib. which is available on prescription, target patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. Ir works by blocking molecules called Janus Kinases which cause inflammation of the joints.

Apparently there have been a few clinical trial that have established the safety of Xeljanz. Still, with these new drugs, there is no history to draw on. I think I'd rather wait until it has been in use for some time and the long term effects come out of the woodwork!

I guess it can't be too much worse than methotrexate (one of the side effects of which is death!), but if you need to obtain it, write it down on a peice of paper so you don't actually have to pronounce it!