Speaker 1: One day I woke up and it took me 15 minutes to tie my boots, because my hands hurt so badly and they were swollen. Speaker 2: Some of my toes have fused together and turned in. Speaker 3: I do everything differently, even shower. Speaker 4: Drying my hair. Speaker 3: Doing laundry. Speaker 4: Buttoning. Speaker 3: Fixing dinner. Speaker 2: Crochet, that's one of the first things the doctors had me stop. Speaker 3: Even starting my car, some day I have to use both hands to turn the key. Speaker 1: At my lowest point, my daughter had to help me get dressed. Speaker 3: I have to become my own motivation. Speaker 4: The more I do, the more I feel like I can do. Speaker 1: I may not be able to run 10 miles anymore, but I can run two. Speaker 2: I'm working on a little quilt for our newest grandchild. Speaker 3: I've participated in different fun runs and foundation walks. Speaker 4: Just got a new dog, and he really likes to walk. Speaker 1: I couldn't even get up and down off the floor, but now I'm doing yoga. Now, it doesn't look good. It's not pretty, but hey, I'm doing it. Speaker 2: Try to look on the bright side of everything. Speaker 1: Some people tell me I workout too much, but that's because I feel good. Speaker 4: There is not anything that I used to do that I cannot do today.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. It affects the small joints of the hands, generally, the first knuckles and the wrists are the most common place to have rheumatoid arthritis, but it can affect any part of the body. With rheumatoid arthritis, the joints have exaggerated inflammation. Inflammation is characterized by four things: red, hot, painful, and swollen. With swelling, it feels like underneath the skin there's fluid that you can move around. That's most characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. We all gets aches and pains from working out, or raking leaves, or something like that. It usually gets better in a couple of days or maybe a week. If something persists for a couple weeks, you definitely need to see a doctor. When it comes to medications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, really the basic tiers are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen. Then we go beyond that to disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, and then the newest ones, which are the biologic response modifiers. Most of those are either infusions or injectable. The patient may give themselves a self-injection because it's a biologically active protein, or it may be infused in their vein at a hospital or an infusion center. You could also ask your rheumatologist about other things that could help with your arthritis, like lifestyle changes. Exercise keeps your joints strong, and so protects them. Really, I see the patient as the most important person. I'm like a coach. They're the quarterback. They're the one in the game. They have to decide whether to take the medicine or not. What that means is it's really up to the patient to take control of their disease. We're just there for information and to help them find the plan that works for them.

Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. It affects the small joints of the hands, generally the first knuckles and the wrist are the most common place to have rheumatoid arthritis, but it can affect any part of the body. With rheumatoid arthritis, the joints have exaggerated inflammation. Inflammation is characterized by four things: red, hot, painful, and swollen. And with swelling, it sort of feels like underneath the skin there's fluid that you can move around. That's most characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. A general rule of thumb is if you have a joint that is painful and it lasts for a couple of weeks, then you definitely need to see a doctor. We all get aches and pains from working out, or raking leaves, or something like that, but it usually gets better in a couple of days or maybe a week. If something persists for a couple of weeks, you definitely need to see a doctor. The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is not an easy diagnosis, really, to make. It's not based on just a lab test. Patients oftentimes come in and say, "Just do the lab test, and tell me if I have the disease." Really it's putting the clinical components together and then adding the confirmatory lab test to come up with the correct diagnosis. And then once you have the correct diagnosis, the correct treatment plan. When it comes to medications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, really the basic tiers are the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen. And then we go beyond that to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, DMARDs is what we call them. And then the newest ones, which are the biologic response modifiers. Most of those are either infusions or injectable. The patient may give themselves a self-injection because it's a biologically active protein, or it may be infused in their vein at a hospital or an infusion center. You could also ask your rheumatologist about other things that could help with your arthritis, like lifestyle changes. Losing 10 pounds is like taking 30 pounds off your hips, knees, ankles and feet. Exercise keeps your joints strong, and so protects them. And really, I see the patient as the more important person. I'm like the coach. They're the quarterback. They're the one in the game. They have to decide whether to take the medicine or not. And what that means is it's really up to the patient to take control of their disease. We're just there for information and to help them find the plan that works for them.

Penny has her arthritis in her feet and in her hands and some in her knees. There were trips to the doctor, especially to the rheumatologist, that I remember quite well and remember her trying so many different types of medicine. They all had severe side effects. She decided, and I agreed, it was better to try to live without it as much as possible. Things have become more difficult for her at times and there are certain days that she has more pain and discomfort than others, and I can tell that right away. The sound of her voice, the look on her face. She tries to hide it a little bit, but she's not very good at hiding it. When she's not feeling like it, I'll jump in and fix something for us to eat. I kind of try to look out for her. She used to just jump in the car and go places and I worry about her doing that. So a lot of times I go with her just to kind of keep an eye on her. I would take it away from her if I could. She's done everything she can to make my life perfect and... I love her. One of the biggest things that we've don in the last half a dozen months or so is we gave up our house and moved into a small apartment, which is much easier to care for and keep clean. Penny and I do some things together that, you know, just spending the day together. We can sit here at this table while I work on my stamp collection and she will have her computer, playing computer games. We make jokes back and forth with each other. You know, we enjoy each other's company. If I were to give advice to anybody, especially someone who has just been diagnosed or to their spouse, I would simply say have a great deal of patience and love. I try not to get negative. I think that frustration can become a negative in life very easily and try to understand what that person's going through. Anything you can do to help out, you know, is gonna help you as well as them.

I found red bumps on the back of each hand in the exact same place. I had woke up in the middle of the night with horrible, horrible pain going through both hands, exactly where those bumps were. The pain was so bad, all I could do was think I needed to see a hand specialist. She recommended that I have some blood work done. The results came back, and I found out that, in fact, I did have rheumatoid arthritis. One of the things that I had great difficulty with was drying my hair, buttoning, turning on the shower... Making certain movements was very difficult. I'm in a group of women, and we enjoyed shooting sporting clays. I had spoken with one of the women and said, "I don't know if I'm going to be able to shoot again." My rheumatologist, he gave me a chemotherapy drug, and I take those once a week. He added to the chemotherapy drug a biologic. The combination of the two has helped me so much. There is not anything that I used to do that I cannot do today. I think, perhaps, I'm more hopeful of doing things that I've never done before. My very last visit with my rheumatologist, he said, "I would actually, with continued use of the medications, consider your rheumatoid arthritis to have gone into remission." I'm very lucky. I would tell someone who was just diagnosed not to be afraid. Be proactive. Talk to your doctor. Make sure that he or she understands everything that you feel emotionally or physically. Find the best treatments, and if they don't work, there are others out there, so don't give up hope.

We were in Myrtle Beach, and my husband chose to have a heart attack. He probably didn't choose it, but he had one. In the hospital, my foot felt like it was on fire. I finally ended up taking my shoes off and walking on the cold floor, which was a lot of comfort, really. But by the time we got back to Charlotte, some of my toes had fused together and turned in. They said it was OPD, which is old people's disease. Then they finally thought it might be lupus. Much later, the RA factor finally showed up in my blood work, and it was rheumatoid arthritis. I don't think my relatives, except maybe my husband and my mother, had any idea of the ramifications of having rheumatoid arthritis. You know, they hear the word arthritis and they think, "Oh, everybody's got some arthritis as they get older." But they don't realize rheumatoid arthritis is part of the autoimmune system, which involves a number of things in your body. When it finishes its job, your joints will be bonded together. The place where I have the rheumatoid arthritis the worst is in my toes and my feet. I have some arthritis in my knees, and my hands, and my wrist. I guess the worst side effect that I had with any of the medicines was, I just was dizzy all the time. Another one just made me sleepy all the time. Another one, nauseous. I had to weigh taking medicine that made me feel drowsy or just not functioning. I have no regrets in my decision to go off of the medicines. It just works for me. I think you feel better when you're not taking it. But then you have to deal more with the pain. It makes it hard to do things that give you joy. On a good day, I can do a little bit of sewing, but I can no longer crochet. That's one of the first things the doctors have you stop because it pushes the fluid out of your joints even faster, and it's going fast enough. In my opinion, for the people that are just learning that they have rheumatoid arthritis, try to look on the bright side of everything. You can have a better outlook, and you can just find ways to cope for yourself. Don't just listen to all the bad things. Don't just listen to all the good. You need to have all the information. Everybody has to decide for themselves, after they've gotten the information, which way they want to approach the disease.

One day I woke up, and it took me 15 minutes to tie my boots because my hands hurt so badly and they were swollen. Everything just hurt. I mean, I think everything hurt but my eyeballs. So I made an appointment at the military clinic. I went in and things kind of changed. She threw out this thing, this term, "rheumatoid arthritis." That particular doctor told me that I would be crippled within six months of her diagnosis, that I would be completely debilitated. At that point, the military clinic sent me to a civilian doctor. She just prescribed all this stuff that made me very sick. Every time I went to that particular doctor, she would tell me that I was going to die. My daughter was six. How do you go home to a six-year-old and be okay? Once I decided I wasn't going to be sick, and it didn't matter what those doctors said, I was going to have a good quality of life, then my life changed. I started doing my own research. I looked at dietary changes I could make, ways to increase my physical activity. I started researching my own doctors. I have a friend who was telling me about her doctor. He listens. If I say this medicine isn't working for me, we'll try something different. When I said, "Hey, I want to try physical therapy and see if that helps me," he was all for it. And that helped out tremendously. My activity level went from maybe a 2 to like 15. Some people tell me I work out too much, but that's because I feel good. When you go from a place where you can barely get out of bed, you can barely get yourself dressed... I couldn't even get up and down off the floor during some of the bad moments but now I'm doing yoga. Now, it doesn't look good, it's not pretty, but hey, I'm doing it. At my lowest point, my daughter had to help me get dressed. All I wanted to do was be able to pull my own socks on or undergarments on. On my bad days, I remember those days because those days were so much worse. And it helps me to just appreciate now, appreciate the fact that I can get myself dressed and put on makeup and brush my teeth by myself, get in and out of the shower by myself. It's been a life changer and it hasn't been all bad. I'm a much more calm person because I know if I freak out, my body's going to freak out. I may not be able to run 10 miles anymore, but I can run two. And if I can't run two, then I can walk. And if I can't walk, then I just put one foot in front of the other and be okay with that.

I was diagnosed with RA when I was 17. I was in a tremendous amount of pain. I would have days where I couldn't walk, where I couldn't necessarily take whatever job I wanted when I was in college. I actually got into yoga when I was pregnant. I learned that it was a good way to stay strong and healthy during pregnancy. But I found that it had such tremendous benefits for my whole body, including my joints and my pain levels, that I continued it and eventually became an instructor. Deep breath in through your nose and when you exhale, use your hands to draw in your left knee. One of the big benefits of yoga is just this gentle movement. Just bringing movement into the joints keeps them nourished and healthy and lubricated the way that our joints are supposed to be. And reverse the direction of your circles. The different directions that we move the spine can be very helpful. A lot of people with RA do have pain in their spine. So very gently working on back bends, working on twisting motions, working on stretching from side to side can help keep the spine flexible and keep the muscles that support the spine even and strong on both sides. At the end of yoga class or even just on your own, take time to consciously choose to relax your muscles, relaxing your body as much as you can. It affects your nervous system and by training ourselves to stay in that calmer nervous system state, it heals our bodies and it can help adjust our immune health and our autoimmune response.

The Mediterranean salmon quinoa bowl is perfect for anyone with rheumatoid arthritis because it's chock-full of anti-inflammatory ingredients and every step is very easy to prepare, so it's very easy on the joints. First thing we'll do, add 2 cups of water to a pot and bring it to a boil. We're going to do our dressing in a little mason jar because it makes it really easy to store it and shake it up. Water's boiling, let's go ahead and add the quinoa. Again, this is about just 1 cup of quinoa we're adding to 2 cups of boiling water. Cover it, turn it down to about medium-low and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes. The main thing that we have to cook for the recipe is the salmon. It's going to contribute some great Omega-3 fatty acids to the recipe and those have been shown to help reduce the pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis. Just going to take a medium skillet, turn the pan on about medium heat, add just about a tablespoon of oil or so. Season these with a little bit of salt and pepper. Now, it takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side, and you just want to kind of look out for it to turn golden brown. These look great, we're going to go ahead and pull them off because, remember, even after you take them out of the pan, they tend to cook a little bit longer away from the heat. Now is the fun part, so we're going to put everything together. The one thing that I really like about the Mediterranean salmon quinoa bowl is it's also great for weight management and we know that with RA, we have to make sure that you keep your weight in check. And everything in here, from the quinoa to the chickpeas and the salmon, as well as the vegetables, will help to keep you feeling full and satisfied.

Acupuncture is great for treating rheumatoid arthritis because it really is a complex disease, and we treat both the immunological factors and also the local pain. It really can be tailored to the patient and what is bothering them and we can address those issues. Most likely, we're going to do a full body treatment, helping the blood flow properly, helping qi, helping your body feel like it can repair itself and move things along. And then you'll also have localized points affecting your knees or your wrists or your hip or whatever is the joint that you're having issues with. A lot of people, when they're considering acupuncture, one of the things that makes them not jump quickly into it, is that they're afraid that it's going to be painful. We use tiny needles in acupuncture. A lot of times you might feel a little bit of an insertion at the beginning. Acupuncture doesn't really have a lot of side effects, so it's a great thing to try, even if you don't feel like you're going to go through with it forever. Acupuncture is not an immediate medicine. It's something that you sort of have to want to get your condition under control and maintainable with natural remedies and acupuncture can be really effective at that.

I was working at a fine dining restaurant. I had just completed culinary school. I had made a huge 30 gallon of soup, and dropped it, a hot gallon of soup. When I first didn't know what was wrong I went to my primary care, and they did blood work, and after that they called me back immediately. I was diagnosed March 23rd of 2012. My youngest was the only one here at that time, and she helped me get dressed, she helped me comb my hair, she prepared lunch before she went to school. Rheumatoid arthritis is when your immune system attacks itself. Everyone else has theirs that attacks off anything that is foreign. My immune system thinks my body is foreign. It causes damaged joints, damaged bones, and inflammation--constant inflammation. I was taking 42 pills a week, and one injection a week, which was methotrexate. And every eight weeks I was taking infusions. The worst side effect to all the medicines that I was taking was depression and nausea. Everything that my body could experience, it did, through the sensitivity of skin and my hair falling out, and then finally I developed a bleeding ulcer, and my doctor removed me from all of those. I do everything differently, even shower. Doing laundry, fixing dinner, and even starting my car some days I have to use both hands to turn the key. I do some cooking on good days, it just depends. And it may be midnight, but if I feel good, I'll go ahead and prepare dinner for the next day. And playing the piano is another thing that I enjoy that I don't do often. It's sad. I play when I can. Music is something that brings joy, so I try to do it. This disease is something that we need a cure for, and that was something that I didn't know very early on. I thought I was taking medicines and I was going to get better. Whenever I tell someone I have rheumatoid arthritis and it's an all-over disease, they tell me, "Oh yeah, I have it in my knee." Or, "I have it in my finger." I was like, "You have osteoarthritis, but that's not rheumatoid." I wish the name rheumatoid arthritis would be changed. I think the word arthritis attached to it minimizes how severe it is. It's such a dark place, it's a dark place. And to go home with all that information by yourself puts you in the deepest hole, and it's hard to get out of. So, my biggest advice would be, get connected with somebody that has an autoimmune disease, that can kind of help you see some light, somewhere.

Stress is a huge factor for patients with RA for really two reasons. One: stress, and stress factors, can exacerbate the disease and the symptoms of the disease. But also the disease itself is a stress. Stress can actually worsen flares and predispose you to flares. But there's also evidence that stress can lead to disease progression over time. We have to remember that there's some stressors we can control and those are the ones we should focus on. But there are other stressors we can't control but that doesn't mean they are not there. So there's silent stressors and there's more physical overt stressors. So obviously we think of psychological stress, emotional stress. But then we have electromagnetic stress from our cell phones and our devices. We have pollution as a stress, if we're in a major city. We have metabolic stresses, stresses from foods. Food sensitivities, I'm talking about stresses we can control, like diet, sleep, exercise. Those are the ones we have to really put some attention on. I always ask people straight up, what sorts of things reduce your stress? What sort of things fill your battery or kind of fill your heart? Whatever that is for you, that's what you need to do more of. But they're things that we all think of. Meditation, yoga, journaling, exercise, getting enough rest. These are all things that are critical for our nervous system, critical for good stress management, and critical for controlling inflammation.

1- RA is an autoimmune disease. You're not going to cure it with massage. What you can do is prolong the activity, or the movement, flexibility of the joint. You can slow down the progression of RA. What happens with rheumatoid arthritis is the joint becomes compromised. The stronger muscle gets leverage, it pulls as hard as it canpull and the other muscle on the other side of thatfinger is being stretched beyond what its limitations should be. So you get pain involved on both sides. So with massage, what we do is we come in and we relax that musclethat's contracting and we reestablishproper length if we can. Rheumatoid arthritis usuallystarts in the hands or feet, but I guarantee you they'vegot stress all the way up their arm and into theirshoulder and their neck. They've got stress in their back. And the reason they've got this pain is because they'rebasically trying to keep this disease from taking overand the pain from taking over. The other part of this that's very key, and is really just as important as finding a good massagetherapist, is finding one that can teach self-massage,so that you remain functional and can stay as active aspossible for as long as possible. What the client should expect is that we're going to lessen the pain, we're going to reduce their stress, we're going to reestablish some mobility in the early stages. Youcan keep the fluid moving, you can keep the jointmoving, and keep blood moving to the area, you can stave offthe progress of the disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in the joints, most often in the hands, wrists, ankles, and feet. RA can deform joints and cause pain, swelling, and stiffness, which can get in the way of your daily life. The good news is that with early treatment you can prevent the destructive changes of RA and control the disease. RA usually starts in the small joints, like the ones that make up your hands and fingers. You can lose the ability to move your fingers fully and you may feel a grating sensation in the joints. Small cysts or nodules may even form at the end of your fingers, which can affect the fingernails. When RA affects the wrist, the impact can spread to the forearm, hand, and fingers. It often impacts the two bones that make up your forearm and sometimes RA can tear the tendons that keep your fingers straight. This can lead to deformities like bent wrists or fingers. Plus, pain and swelling in your wrists can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, which can cause numbness, weakness in the hand, or tingling that travels up to the forearm. Ask your doctor about hand and wrist exercises that may help relieve RA symptoms. Along with swelling, stiffness, and pain, RA can make it difficult to stand and walk on stairs or inclines. As rheumatoid arthritis progresses, any standing and walking can be painful. RA impacts the different parts of your feet in different ways. Over time, the shape of your foot may change because RA harms the structure supporting it. Your arch can collapse, making your feet point outward, and a large bony bump sometimes forms on the arch so it can be painful to wear shoes. People with rheumatoid arthritis may also develop bunions, claw toes, and bumps on the ball of the foot. These changes are painful and make it hard to walk and stand, but orthotics and shoes with arch support can help ease the pain and improve your balance. With the right treatment you can slow the progression of RA, delay recurrences, relieve painful symptoms, and get back to active living. Talk to your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. By using Healthgrades' Guided Physician Search, it's easy to find a doctor who's the best fit for you and your rheumatoid arthritis.

Inflammation has been linked to many chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, heart disease, and depression. Medication is crucial to treat these conditions, but you can also turn to your fridge to ease inflammation. Here's what to add to your grocery list. 1. Cold-water fish. One of the main elements of an anti-inflammatory diet is cold-water fish, rich in inflammation-fighting Omega-3 fatty acids. To catch these benefits, add salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, or anchovies to your meals twice a week. 2. Nuts. Next, go nuts. Walnuts, almonds, and pistachios have been associated with reduced inflammation. They can even lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes. 3. Add colorful fruits to your diet, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, and cherries can reduce inflammation and they're delicious. 4. Get plenty of leafy greens. Spinach, kale, and collards are not only anti-inflammatory but are rich in vitamins and antioxidants that can prevent against cancer. 5. Olive oil. Finally, enjoy plenty of olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil can prevent inflammation from developing using the same mechanism as ibuprofen. Reducing inflammation through food is an easy way to keep pain at bay. Keep these five elements stocked in your kitchen and you'll be on the right track to better health.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Rheumatoid Arthritis 1. RA is one of the most common autoimmune disorders.An autoimmune disorder occurs when the body produces antibodies that attack its own tissues. RA affects your joint linings, causing painful inflammation. 2. Women are three times more likely than men to develop RA.Experts believe there’s a strong link between hormonal changes in women and the development of RA. 3. Smoking is one of the highest risk factors for developing RA.You’re at an especially high risk if you’ve been smoking for 20 years or longer. It can also decrease the effectiveness of some RA drugs. 4. Physical activity is important for reducing RA symptoms.Although moving affected joints may be painful, regular exercise actually improves your range of motion and keeps you flexible. 5. The right doctor can make a world of difference.Finding the best doctor to help you with RA can improve your quality of life. Turn to Healthgrades.com to search for the right doctor for you. Share this video to help educate others about RA!

Some people may think rheumatoid arthritis is just a natural part of aging. It's not. In fact, RA affects more than 1.3 million Americans of all ages. What else might surprise you about RA? 1. RA increases your risk of heart disease. One study found heart attack risk increased 60% for people with rheumatoid arthritis. This is most likely because inflammation from the joints spreads through the body, damaging the heart. 2. Reducing stress levels can help you manage your RA. High stress and anxiety levels increase your risk of RA flare-ups. In fact, doctors think stress might even contribute to the development of the disease. 3. Keeping joints in motion can help relieve RA pain. Exercising just 30 minutes a day on most days of the week can aid in the fight against rheumatoid arthritis. 4. Some RA drugs relieve pain, some reduce inflammation, and others try to alter RA's progression in your body. Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, called DMARDs, slow the course of the illness. And newer drugs, called biologics, are genetically engineered to protect the joints. They prevent destructive joint inflammation from developing. Ask your doctor about the right treatment for your RA. 5. Use Healthgrades to find a doctor who's the best fit for you and your RA. 6. RA affects everyone differently. Some people have mild RA for years and then one day, it disappears. Others have alternating periods of flare-ups and periods of calm. And some people have a severe form of RA that leaves them in constant pain and damages their joints. The good news? Recent research can help doctors refine treatment for each RA patient, and you can find the right doctor to treat your RA at Healthgrades.

Getting diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis can drastically change your life. Your RA joint pain and stiffness can get in the way of daily tasks and even your favorite hobbies. Fortunately, there are some tried and true strategies for taking control of your RA. 1. Play an active role in managing your RA. Work with your doctor to understand the details of your treatment plan. Make sure you're aware of side effects from medications. And, keep a daily pain journal to give you and your doctor a deeper understanding of your RA symptoms day to day. 2. Exercise helps the muscles around your joints stay strong for better support. It's important to keep your joints moving so you don't lose range of motion. Plus, exercising can relieve your joint pain. Many people with RA enjoy low impact exercise, like swimming, yoga, or Tai Chi. 3. Stay healthy by following a nutritious and balanced diet. Choose foods that fight inflammation naturally, like tomatoes, kale, fatty fish like salmon, and fruits, like strawberries and blueberries. A healthy diet can also help you avoid gaining weight that could put stress on your joints. 4. Did you know that RA symptoms can get worse when you're sleep deprived? Make sure you get seven to nine hours of sleep every night so your body can heal and strengthen. Exercising every day can help you get your Zzzs, but if you're having trouble sleeping because of RA pain, talk to your doctor about finding a solution. 5. A support system is crucial to managing RA every day. Having friends and family around to help can make a huge difference, whether you need a hand preparing dinner, or a hug to make you feel better. And consider joining an RA support group to share with others who know what you're going through. Search online or ask your doctor about support groups in your area. 6. Forming a partnership with your doctor will help you take control of your RA. By using Healthgrades' Guided Physician Search, it's easy to find a doctor who's the best fit for you.