Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body.

RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once. RA commonly affects joints in the hands, wrists, and knees. In a joint with RA, the lining of the joint becomes inflamed, causing damage to joint tissue. This tissue damage can cause long-lasting or chronic pain, unsteadiness (lack of balance), and deformity (misshapenness).

RA can also affect other tissues throughout the body and cause problems in organs such as the lungs, heart, and eyes.

With RA, there are times when symptoms get worse, known as flares, and times when symptoms get better, known as remission.

Signs and symptoms of RA include:

• Pain or aching in more than one joint

• Stiffness in more than one joint

• Tenderness and swelling in more than one joint

• The same symptoms on both sides of the body (such as in both hands or both knees)

• Weight loss

• Fever

• Fatigue or tiredness

• Weakness

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be mild, moderate, or severe, and symptoms vary from person to person. There’s no exact timeline for the progression of RA. The condition tends to worsen over time, progressing through specific stages. .As RA progresses, the body changes. Some changes you can see and feel, while others you cannot. Each stage of RA comes with different treatment goals.

Stage 1

Stage 1 is early-stage RA. Many people feel joint pain, stiffness, or swelling. During stage 1, there’s inflammation inside the joint. The tissue in the joint swells up. For example, when there is stage 1 RA in the hands, a person may feel stiffness and pain in the finger joints and knuckles. These sensations can usually disappear with movement.

When the tissue in the joint swells up, there’s no damage to the bones, but the joint lining (the synovium) is inflamed.

Because symptoms are not obvious during this stage, people who develop RA may not be aware of it initially, and doctors may find it difficult to diagnose it at this stage.

However, if a doctor diagnoses this disease and the person receives appropriate treatment within 12 weeks, there is a good chance that the disease may go into remission.

Stage 2

Stage 2 is moderate-stage RA. In this stage, the synovium’s inflammation causes damage to the joint cartilage and bone. Cartilage is the tissue that covers the end of bones at the joint site. The bone next to where cartilage ends in the joint is the first area that experiences damage due to RA.

When people have cartilage damage, they may experience pain and loss of mobility. The range of motion in the joints may become limited. For example, RA in the hands may show up in the form of stiffness and difficulty bending the fingers.

Despite these symptoms, blood tests may not show any sign of RA antibodies at this stage. The RA antibodies may be negative because a small subset of people with RA are and may remain zero-negative. The most common progression is for RA antibodies to be present years before symptoms develop. This is known as zero-negative RA.

Stage 3

Once RA progresses to stage 3, experts consider it severe. At this point, the damage extends to the cartilage, and bone destruction progresses. Since the cushion between bones wears away, the bones rub together.

There may be more pain and swelling. Some people may experience muscle weakness and more mobility loss.

The bones can experience damage (erosion), and some changes in formation may occur. Examples, which may be permanent, include twisted fingers and thickened knuckles. Other symptoms may include compressed tendons at the wrist, with symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome or tendon rupture.

The rupture of extensor tendons on the fingers due to synovitis at the wrist is a major risk, but doctors can prevent it if they identify it early.

Stage 4

At stage 4, there’s no longer inflammation in the joint. This is end-stage RA, when joints no longer work as they should.

In end-stage RA, people may still experience pain, swelling, stiffness, and mobility loss. There may be lower muscle strength. The joints may experience destruction, and the bones may fuse (ankylosis).

Depending on the progression and location of the end-stage RA, a person may lose the function of their hands or have a difficult time bending their knees or flexing their hips.

Progression through all four stages can take many years, and some people don’t progress through all stages. Fused bones, or ankylosis, for example, occurs in only 0.8% of all individuals with RA.

Some people have periods of no RA activity. In some cases, this may mean that RA is in remission.

An anti-inflammatory diet consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables, omega-3 fatty acids from such sources as grass-fed meat and wild salmon, and limited sugar and carbohydrates is a secret weapon for helping to manage RA for some patients, Reducing inflammation can help limit flare-ups and pain,

The bread basket may be doing you more harm than you think

In my experience living with RA, greatly reducing gluten, dairy, and processed sugar has made a huge difference. Some research, indicates that gluten may be pro-inflammatory whether you are sensitive to it or not. This means that in addition to ditching junk food like cookies and cupcakes, cutting back on foods like bread and pasta, even if they’re whole grain, may help. Everyone is different so try doing an elimination diet temporarily to see if there are any trigger foods that affect you personally.

Maintaining a healthy weight matters

When it comes to weight and RA, the connection is clear: Excess pounds not only put extra pressure on your already over-taxed joints, but being overweight or obesity can also contribute to inflammation throughout your body, which can further worsen your symptoms,.

A 2017 study from the Hospital for Special Surgery of nearly 1,000 people with RA found that overweight patients were 25 percent less likely — and obese patients were 47 percent less likely — to experience a sustained remission compared to healthy weight patients, even though all received similar treatments. Losing weight may reduce RA symptoms

Meditation is a seriously powerful — and underused — treatment

Most autoimmune disorders react negatively to stress so learning how to manage your day-to-day stress is huge, Personal time and positive self-talk are also important stress reducers,

https://bit.ly/3XCunhQ

When it comes to all kinds of arthritis, exercise can feel like a catch-22. You need to stay active to help minimize stiffness and swelling, but thanks to RA’s effects on your joints, the very exercises that can help you manage it can sometimes feel hard or even impossible to do. 

Avoiding exercise can make your joints more painful and stiff. If the muscles that surround your bones are weak, it can stress your joints even more. start slowly with low-impact activity such as walking, swimming, or using an elliptical machine.

There are many different things that can trigger rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as I know from experience. More common triggers include stress and not getting enough sleep. Those are big triggers for me.

However, there are also some possible RA triggers that may surprise you. This list covers triggers that have affected me personally — and that surprised me the most.

Decaf coffee

I’m going to be honest, I’m a coffee drinker. I need to have a cup to start my day, and it’s usually best to avoid me until I’ve had my coffee. However, I can’t drink decaf coffee. Decaf coffee increases my pain levels significantly.

Soda Drinks

For a long time, I gave up drinking fizzy drinks altogether.  The habit has crept back in a bit, and I’m reminded why I stopped drinking them, carbonated drinks contribute to my pain levels significantly. It literally makes my bones hurt when I drink them,  Along with the other health benefits of cutting out carbonated beverages, this has significantly helped me manage my RA

Alcohol

I’m not a big alcohol drinker, but over time, my tolerance has lessened nearly every time I drink now. White wine is the worse for me- I get that feeling like I’ve been hit by a truck!. It doesn’t seem to matter if I only have 1 glass!.  I tend to keep with just drinking beer, as that although fizzy doesn't effect me as much.

Overly processed foods

The more unprocessed whole foods I eat, the better I feel. And the more processed junk I eat, the worse I feel!.

The weather

For me, temperature is a trigger. When it’s really cold or wet my body doesn’t respond well at all. This is one of those triggers that we don’t have much control over........ So I moved to Spain 10 years ago which made a huge difference!!

There’s no cure for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but there are effective treatments to help you manage symptoms

Herbal tea can have many soothing benefits. Many people who live with RA choose teas such as green tea, ginger tea, turmeric tea, and blueberry tea. Some companies even make “arthritis-friendly” or “joint comfort” herbal teas.

Essential oils and aromatherapy have been used since ancient times. They’re often used to soothe the symptoms of many conditions such as RA.

I find lavender works well for relaxation. Peppermint and eucalyptus help me with pain relief. I’ve tried garlic oil because it’s thought to have antibiotic properties and ginger oil because it’s thought to reduce inflammation

Always be mindful of how you use essential oils. Pay attention to any instructions or warnings on the product’s package, and consult an expert or the manufacturer when in doubt. Some oils shouldn’t be ingested or used topically. Many essential oils are designed for use in an aromatherapy diffuser.

Typically, I use oils topically and aromatically for my own needs. Topically, they often help with pain. Aromatically, they help relax me and improve my mood.

Many people with RA find various types of massages helpful. massage should be done only as tolerated.

There are different types of massages, including hot stone massages, relaxing spa-like massages, trigger point massages, deep tissue massages, and more. You could get a massage done in a spa or salon setting,

 For me personally, the greatiest discovery was CBD.

There was a time in my life when the pain from my RA was so bad that I felt like nothing could help me. You just sit still because it’s too painful to stand, everything you can imagine doing is painful. Even eating was painful. Driving a car, opening a door, turning the ignition.”

After decades of treating my RA with biologic drugs and steroids, I was on the verge of accepting the pain as my “new normal.” However, then I heard of other people with the condition using cannabinoids (CBD) to alleviate their pain, so a few years ago, I decided to give it a try too.

I’d been on steroids, Methotrexate and many more drugs. Some of the long-term side effects I experienced from the medication included thinned skin, bloating, and failing eye sight, among others.

Within days/weeks of starting on cannabinoids my pain and swelling reduced immensely, all side effects gone!! Now I wouldn't be without it,

It’s always a good idea to consult with a doctor or an expert before trying natural approaches to managing your health. The different options that I’ve discussed can generally be used along with prescription medications — but it’s still a good idea to check.

I personally prefer the natural approach to my health. I believe that a whole person approach of mind, body, and spirit

I take pain meds when needed, but I try to use natural options whenever I can. A nutritious diet is also very important for a healthy lifestyle while living with RA. 

It’s important to remember that every person who has RA is unique. What works for one person may not work for another.

Sometimes we have to rely on trial and error to see what works for us. Once we find what works, all the time and effort spent on our journey to wellness should be worth it.