Nonpharmaceutical Therapies for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Influenza infections can take a more severe course in people with RA. These infections are minor annoyances in the young and healthy, but can result in hospitalization and even death in elderly persons or individuals with a compromised immune system, like that found in RA. Many studies have demonstrated that influenza vaccinations can result in [...]

The pneumococcal vaccine is a preparation of biological material that is injected into your body and causes your body to form antibodies to pneumococcus (plural = “pneumococci”) bacteria. Whenever you are exposed to a particular type of bacteria, whether through an infection or via vaccination, your body produces antibodies to that bacterium. These antibodies then [...]

Given that RA is a disease that can affect mobility and strength, home modifications can make your life much easier. Some home modifications are simpler to make than others. For example, moving from a multilevel home to a single-level home or apartment is a big change, but even small accommodations can make a big difference. [...]

Alternative medicine and complementary medicine are terms that are often used interchangeably. We will follow this practice in this text. Alternative medicine comprises a mixed group of practices that target hygiene, diagnosis, and treatment of many diseases. The theoretical bases of alternative medicine diverge from those of modern scientific medicine and are not generally accepted [...]

I’ve heard that I can have my blood “filtered” to treat my rheumatoid arthritis. Is that possible? Yes, there is a device that treats RA by “filtering” the blood—the so-called extracorporeal immunoadsorption protein A column. While its name sounds complex, the device’s function is based on a simple theory: Antibodies have a tendency to stick [...]

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory process that affects the synovium, and its symptoms generally respond to the various anti-inflammatory medications that constitute the armamentarium of the rheumatologist. Sometimes, however, RA-induced changes to the structural or mechanical alignment of a joint may cause pain, disfigurement, or loss of joint function. In these cases, the pain, function, [...]

Mechanical stress on inflamed joints can worsen the pain and increase the damage that arthritis causes. While medication can help to decrease the inflammation associated with RA, reducing the stress on your joints can help both to reduce pain and to prevent disability. The majority of joint stress is caused by increased body weight and [...]

Fatigue is a common symptom of RA and can be a difficult problem to manage. To improve fatigue, it is important to find out why you are fatigued. Your doctor can help by taking a good medical history, including asking about the duration and quality of your sleep, the amount of pain you are having, [...]