Rheumatoid Arthritis - The Basic Effects of Reiki Therapy

If you are tired of trying treatments for rheumatoid arthritis then here is an alternative solution for you. Reiki therapy is a different approach to rheumatoid arthritis that is being used by people wanting a change from ineffective conventional methods of treatment. It has no harmful side effects like conventional medicine and has the potential to make you feel better.

What is Reiki therapy?

It is the transfer of life energy from the therapist to the patient. It is transferred by light touching of the hands over the entire body or by raising the hands directly over the patient. This is just the basic concept. The principle of Reiki therapy is to treat a disease by unblocking spiritual and emotional blocks that may be causing a disease. This is done by unlocking energy and transferring it in the body. It works on a similar principle to acupuncture but no needles are used.

How can Reiki therapy help me?

• It helps you to relax and feel better both mentally and physically. It will put you in a state of peace and harmony. It will also energize your body.

• If you are in severe pain Reiki therapy can help to decrease it. This is because this treatment helps your body to relax and allows you to absorb energy to combat pain.

• When you are relaxed and have more positive energy your body will have more chances of healing itself.

• It will help your body get into balance and function better. When your body is stronger you will find it has more resistance to disease and can help to decrease the symptoms of arthritis naturally.

• It will relieve stress. Stress aggravates any disease that you have especially a painful chronic one like rheumatoid arthritis. When you relax and are stress free your body will have less pain and it can help decrease inflammation.

How can I get started? You can look up Reiki therapy on Google and you will find many websites advertising this therapy. Check out these places and find some that are in your locality. Make sure that they are experts in the field. Do your research before attending sessions.

Bear in mind that to be effective you will need several sessions until your body is working in harmony with itself. It can only be effective if you are ready to receive the energy from the therapist and come with a positive attitude. Reiki therapy can also be used with aromatherapy to enhance its effectiveness.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

A shooting pain in the knee. A burning sensation in the hand. Before you know it, you have rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks normal tissues as if they were invading antibodies. Rheumatoid arthritis also causes inflammation of the tissues around the joints and other organs of the body. The hands and feet are the most affected areas of rheumatoid arthritis although it can also affect any joint lined by a membrane. Rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systematic illness and sometimes called rheumatoid disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis manifests itself over a period of a few months. However, for some, the disease appears overnight. Accelerated onset of rheumatoid arthritis does not mean the individual is at greater risk of the progression of the disease. Rheumatoid arthritis can lasts for years without symptoms. But rheumatoid arthritis is an illness that progresses and has the potential to cause joint destrution and functional disability. Usually, patients suffer cycles from severe to light symptoms. In terms of statistics, rheumatoid arthritis is three times more common in women than in men. It also besets people of all races equally. Rheumatoid arthritis can begin at any age but most often start in the early forties.

What causes rheumatoid arthritis? The truth is, its cause is still unknown. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi have long been suspected but none has been proven to be the cause. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been the focus of different research activities. There are some scientists who believe that the tendency to develop rheumatoid arthritis may be genetically inherited while others believe that certain factors in the environment might elicit the immune system to attack the body's own tissue components. This attack results to the inflammation in various organs such as lungs or eyes.

Researchers have also found that environmental factors may also play a role in the cause of rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, scientists reported that smoking tobacco increases risk in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis depend on the degree of tissue inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is said to be active if the body tissues are inflammed. When the tissue inflammation subsides, rheumatoid arthritis is said to be in remission. Remissions may happen spontaneously or with treatment and can last for weeks, months, even years. During active rheumatoid arthritis, symptoms are felt. Symptoms may include fatigue, lack of appetite, low grade fever, and muscles and joint aches. Muscles and joint stiffness are usually felt during mornings and after a period of inactivity. During relapses (from inactivity to activity) of rheumatoid arthritis, joints become red, swollen, painful, and tender. This happens because the tissue lining of the joints become inflamed which results in the excess production of joint fluids.

Multiple joints are usually inflamed in symmetrical pattern and the joints of both hands and wrists are often affected. Simple tasks such as turning the door knob and opening the jars can be painful. Rheumatoid arthritis can also affect the joint responsible for the tightening of vocal cords to change the tone of the voice although rarely. But when this happens, it can cause hoarseness of the voice.

As mentioned before, rheumatoid arthritis is a systematic disease which can affect organs and areas of the body other than the joints. Sjorgen's syndrome is the inflammation of the glands of the eyes and mouth which causes dryness. Rheumatoid inflammation of the lung lining can cause chest pains because the lung tissue itself is inflamed and nodules of inflammation also develop within the lungs. Rheumatoid arthritis can also reduce the number of red blood cells which can result to anemia and white blood cells which can result to increase risk of infections. A rare, serious complication of rheumatoid arthritis is blood vessel inflammation which can impair blood supply to tissues and lead to death of tissues.

A rheumatologist is a doctor who specializes in arthritis and other related diseases. The rheumatologist reviews the history of symptoms, examines the joints, and the other parts of the body for the inflammation. The diagnosis is usually based on the pattern of symptoms, the distribution of the inflamed joints, and the blood and x-rays obtained.

Until now, there is no known cure for rheumatoid arthritis. Reducing joint inflammation and pain, maximizing joint function, and preventing joint destruction is the current goal in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Early medical intervention has been found to improve outcomes in treatment. Optimal treatment includes combination of medications, joint strengthening exercises, joint protection, and patient education. Treatment is customized according to many factors such as disease activity, types of joints involved, general health, age, and occupation. But treatment is most successful when there is close cooperation between the doctor and the patient.

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Arthritis Treatment: Is There a Role for Sulfa Medicines in Treating Arthritis?

The approach to treating inflammatory forms of arthritis depends on several factors. These include the type of arthritis, the experience of the practitioner, the age of the patient, potential confounding factors such as allergies, length of time the patient has had the arthritis, previous drugs tried, and whether the drugs are to be used one at a time or "layered" on top of each other.

For example, a disease like rheumatoid arthritis demands aggressive treatment with a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) such as methotrexate. Methotrexate tends to work well to slow disease. However, initiation of methotrexate is just the first step. This is quickly followed by either the addition of a biologic medicine or by adding other DMARDs.

In contrast, a disease like psoriatic arthritis may or may not respond to methotrexate. So a different disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug is required. And that's where a medicine like sulfasalazine has utility.

Sulfasalazine was manufactured originally by combining an antibiotic, sulfapyridine, with an anti-inflammatory drug 5-aminosalicylic acid. The latter, as the reader might surmise, is a form of aspirin.

This was done because many years ago it was felt that rheumatoid arthritis was an infectious disease so an antibiotic coupled with an anti-inflammatory drug made sense as a drug that would be useful to treat rheumatoid arthritis. And, it has been shown in a number of studies to be effective in rheumatoid arthritis acting as a DMARD. Its effects are relatively mild.

It is an oral drug taken daily. Roughly one-third of sulfasalazine is absorbed from the gut. The remainder is broken down into its component chemicals, sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid. Sulfapyridine is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and the 5-aminosalicyclic acid is excreted.

Sulfasalazine (trade name, Azulfidine) has immunomodulatory effects on cells that propagate inflammation. Often sulfasalazine is combined with biologic therapy or it is sometimes combined with methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) or azathioprine (Imuran) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The exact use generally depends on the experience of the practitioner.

Where it seems to be more effective is in the other inflammatory forms of arthritis such as psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and certain forms of juvenile arthritis. Why this is, no one knows.

Sulfasalazine does have potential side effects including elevated liver function tests, bone marrow suppression, skin rashes, and lowered white blood cell count.

Because it is a sulfa based drug, it should not be used in patients with a sulfa allergy.

Rheumatoid Arthriris - Natural Treatment

On looking for a natural cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis, or some form of natural treatment I was quite knocked back. The Medical notes and articles were telling me that that there were no known cures, and how the disease will become steadily worse the longer the patient has it.

Being the determined sort I began to search the Internet to see if I find this elusive natural cure, that's if there ever was one to be found. But as I searched I read horror story after horror story. I read how the joints in the body become inflamed, and how steadily they get more and more painful to the point that sometimes the patient cannot move out of his/her bed.

The list of the joints affected by this inflammatory disease is immense. Toes, ankles, knees, hips, arms, fingers, wrists, shoulders, and everywhere there is a joint in the body.

As the disease takes hold the patient can expect deformities, and to give an example the patient may have grossly deformed fingers or toes, which would give constant pain.

Further reading on the Medical side of things the Doctors and specialists still are not sure what causes it. Some think that it might come from the patient diet, while others will say that it comes from some form of bug that has been present in the patient's food. In one case it was believed to have started from a throat infection but at the end of the day I don't think they know.

I did come up with some facts and figures during my research, which are frightening to say the least. In normal circumstances once the patient has been diagnosed he/she will be in pain, and would likely be taking many painkillers. Between three to five years the patient would not be able to work, and would be to a large degree confined to their homes. After ten years the disease would be in control, and severe deformities, and severe pain would be constantly with them.

But after all this doom and gloom I did find one or two references to natural cures from natural treatments, and that many thousands had been relieved from the pain and suffering. At this point it felt like a breath of fresh air because as I had seen similar things like this before with other complaints and diseases. Things like curing or treatment for Cancer, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, High Blood pressure, Asthma, and many more ailments.

This relief came in the way of Medical Science who realised that our lifestyle has changed dramatically over the last 100 years or so, and that we are eating foods that in a lot of cases the human body can't take. Add pollution into the equation and you have a recipe for disaster, and that is why we are having all these illnesses.

For quite some time now Doctors have known that the body can store all sorts of chemicals, and metals in the fat we have on our body. It was these aspects that were causing all the grief and the pain. Eliminate all those, and the body then can go back to curing it self.

The first thing to do to Cleanse and Detox the body which would allow the bodies good cells to combat the bad ones. Combine this with getting the patient to eat the right type of foods, and then the reversal process of a cure can then be started.

Medical science has proved that some foods can have an acidic affect to the bodies good cells. This in turn then creates bad cells which are the ones that are responsible for the pain and suffering. So if the patient were to have an alkaline diet there would be no bad cells because there would be enough good cells produced to fight and kill the bad ones off. This is very similar to someone who suffers with Gout. If the body produces to much uric acid this then gets into the blood, and crystallises in the joints which gives the patient the symptoms of Gout. For anyone who as ever suffered with Gout they will no just how painful it can be.

Perhaps I should explain at this point what is an alkaline diet? It's a diet of fresh fruit and vegetables with the odd exception. Meat is very acidic, while something like a melon is very alkaline. The only thing that patients must watch is that the level of vitamins is kept at the right level. This is where it is always advisable to talk things through with your Doctor, and make sure that you also have a Nutritionist to advise you what to eat.

Please note that I am not a Doctor, or any way allied to the Medical profession, and I would always advise you to talk things through with your Doctor. I am not qualified to give you medical advice, and the only thing I am doing is passing information on that I have read about. If you type in Rheumatoid Arthritis into a search engine on the Internet you will be able to find the same results that I am telling you about. (Most of these reports are produced by Doctors) If you are suffering badly you might not want to talk things over with your Doctor, but again that would be your choice. Some Doctors might not be very happy about this type of treatment, and quite possibly they will try to talk you out of it.

Inflammatory Arthritis - Types, Causes and Symptoms

What is Inflammatory Arthritis?

There are many forms of arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis is any form of arthritis that involves the immune system and inflammation. The characteristic symptoms of inflammation are swelling, heat, redness of skin, pain, and loss of function. There are different types of inflammatory arthritis.

Autoimmune Disorders

• The body treats it own tissues as a foreign object and reacts to this foreign object with inflammation
  


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  Rheumatoid arthritis - antibodies produced by the body attack the synovial membrane that encloses each joint
  


• 
  Lupus - systematically affects connective tissues and organs
  


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  Ankylosing Spondylitis - a progressive form of arthritis that causes inflammation of the spine and large joints
  


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  Reiter's Syndrome - a chronic, progressive disease that can affect the joints, tendon attachments, skeleton, and the eye's conjunctiva and mucous membranes
  


• 
  Psoriatic arthritis - causes inflammation of the skin and joints
  


• 
  Inflammatory bowel disease - inflammatory arthritis can be associated with this disease

Other Causes of Inflammatory Arthritis

Inflammatory arthritis can be caused by other conditions, as well. Reactive arthritis is caused by certain types of bacteria and can develop from an infection in another part of your body. The deposit of crystalline structures in the joints causes gout and pseudogout. Elevated blood levels of uric acid, which is a waste product, can form in the joints when the kidney does not properly dispose of the waste.

Symptoms of Inflammatory Arthritis

The symptoms of inflammatory arthritis can include the following:

• Pain in one or more joints


• Swelling in one or more joints


• The affected joint is usually warmer than other joints


• Stiffness and decrease of ability to move affected joints


• Symptoms may appear after a minor illness or emotional stress


• Skin around joints may become red and tender

Treatment of Inflammatory Arthritis

The symptoms of inflammatory arthritis can be treated with medicines or natural remedies. However, it is very important to find the cause of the arthritis so that the root problem can be treated as well. Medications can be used to treat the pain and inflammation, but there are many natural remedies that have been more successful in treating the cause of the inflammatory arthritis. If you use medications to relieve the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis, be sure to learn of any side effects or reactions to other medications or food.

Some natural remedies for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis include:

• Exercise - a regular exercise regimen helps to avoid stiffness of the joints associated with inflammatory arthritis


• Water aerobics - endorphins produced in the brain during water aerobics can help ease the pain of inflammatory arthritis
  


• Valerian - this can be used to treat the pain of inflammatory arthritis. This natural medication is a known sedative and caution should be used - some people have experienced withdrawal symptoms when stopping abruptly.


• Comfrey - a comfrey salve can be used to reduce the inflammation of the affected joints


• Mangosteen - this fruit has been shown to relieve both the inflammation and pain associated with inflammatory arthritis
  


• Omega-3 fatty acids - can be found in foods such as cold-water fish, walnut, and flaxseeds.

Diet for Inflammatory Arthritis

Diet is also another way that you can prevent or lessen the symptoms associated with inflammatory arthritis. A healthy diet is important for overall health. There are some foods that can trigger the onset of inflammation in the joints and some foods that decrease the onset of inflammation. If you suffer from inflammatory arthritis, you should eliminate milk and milk products. You should avoid polyunsaturated fats and products that are made with partially hydrogenated oils. The best kind of diet for those who suffer from inflammatory arthritis is low in protein and high in carbohydrates. Some of the common foods that can trigger the symptoms of arthritis are milk and dairy products, beef, corn, and wheat. Avoiding these foods can help you to avoid triggering the symptoms. In general, a healthy diet and regular exercise can help you to avoid many of the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis.

Acupuncture and the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

If you suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis, there is a very good chance that acupuncture can help you find relief from the pain and swelling associated with arthritis. Since pain is the primary complaint of people suffering from arthritis, acupuncture is recognized as effective form of pain control. Acupuncture is useful for treating other symptoms caused by arthritis and as a way to restore balance and health. Let's take a look at how we help in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and how acupuncture accomplishes this.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is classified as an auto-immune dis-ease. When RA occurs, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the membrane (cartilage) surrounding the joints causing pain, inflammation and stiffness in the joints. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, and a general feeling of malaise. Unlike other forms of arthritis, RA affects joints symmetrically - if one finger or wrist is affected, the other one will be as well.

Acupuncture decreases the pain by stimulating the release of various neurotransmitters in the brain. One of these is endorphins, sometimes referred to as the body's own natural opiates. Endorphins inhibit the perception of pain and are similar to morphine, which is used in Western medicine. And while the medications often prescribed for this condition have many side effects, there are none with acupuncture. Simply, the placement of tiny sterile stainless steel needles at specific locations stimulate the release of these chemicals, and this effectively blocks the transmission of pain signals to the brain. There is a misconception amongst the populace who think that acupuncture works on nerves, or that needles are inserted into nerves. Acupuncture works indirectly on the nervous system to produce this natural effect. The needles are inserted into muscle/soft tissue. Often, the muscles and tendon sheaths develop hard knots called trigger points, that are responsible for chronic pain. These trigger points can be reactive and tender and are often found in the belly of the muscles and around the joints themselves.

Acupuncture and moxibustion increase the circulation of qi, blood, and lymph, thus also decreasing the cycle of inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by inflammation, (pain, heat, swelling and redness) in and around joints. Inflammation fluctuates do to internal and external environment factors... Acupuncture is also useful in treating osteoarthritis, the gradual eroding away of cartilage in joints and the deposit of bony osteophytes on bone and in the joints as well. Acupuncture works indirectly to influence the endocrine system. It stimulates the adrenals to produce natural steroidal compounds which inhibit inflammation and they stimulate the parathyroid gland to help balance calcium deposits. Chinese herbal formula's have also been found to be extremely useful as well.

Stress, emotional states, lack of exercise and improper diet can exacerbate symptoms. Each person is evaluated on a case by case issue. Some people have mild symptoms that can be acute, while others have a more chronic profile.

By making healthy lifestyle changes and getting competent treatments by a trained acupuncturist, you can manage this and live a relatively pain free and mobile existence.