Arthritis Treatment Advice
by Tara Smith
The traditional treatment of arthritis is based on relieving pain and increasing mobility. Since the drug therapies have been around for at least fifty years and surgery has a fairly high success rate the conservative medical community tends to treat arthritis with painkillers and exercise. However, the recent trend is to go for other remedies like dietary supplements.
The only trouble with traditional treatment is that many painkillers can actually worsen the disease, while still masking the symptoms by providing pain relief. Many drugs prescribed for arthritis pain can upset the stomach causing nausea and diarrhea. If the wall of the gut becomes compromised due to the action of these drugs ? or for any other reason ? it can allow antigens to leak into the system enter the bloodstream and end up in a joint.
Once they reach the joint, they will trigger an attack by the white blood cells that are the body's defense system. The end result is that this causes more pain and inflammation as the white blood cells release prostaglandins and leukotrienes in an attempt to dispose of the enemy. They also release digestive enzymes that begin to attack and digest the actual cartilage, bone, ligament and muscle that are supposed to be saved. This can then become a chronic problem, which is what happens in rheumatoid arthritis especially.
Other drugs like aspirin rob the body of essential vitamins ? especially the B group - and minerals. Loss of these bodybuilding nutrients can cause the very same symptoms that arthritis causes. That is, pain and inflammation due to the breakdown of cartilage, bone and other important tissues.
Non-steroid drugs such as ibuprofen and Indocid may help to relieve the pain and swelling that is the common result in arthritis symptoms, yet in the long-term can cause stomach problems due to the chemicals involved. Even the likes of Celebrex can cause cardiovascular issues, although it is better for the stomach than the other two methods.
Steroid medication causes a loss of potassium, but retention of sodium, while penicillamine, often used to treat RA, causes a lack of copper. Gout, the only form of arthritis scientifically shown to have a direct link to diet, is often treated with colchicine, which can cause a loss of vitamin B12. One long-term effect of steroid use is osteoporosis. To prevent this and other problems, steroids such as cortisone can be injected into the painful joint.
Disease-modifying and immunosuppressive drugs are sometimes given, but they have serious side effects too, so must be closely monitored. Some of these include: - gold, by injection or orally, methotrexate (Matrex), and anti-malarial drugs to name just a few.
When drugs don't seem to work, or the side effects are too serious, doctors may suggest surgery. Knee and hip replacements seem to be the flavor of the month and the success rate is about 95%, with most patients becoming pain-free. Replaced joint can last for up to fifteen years and when they start to give trouble can be replaced. There are a few unfortunates for whom the operation is not successful and the artificial joint must be removed. They are then left in a more debilitating condition than they started with.
Apart from the complete replacement of the joint, there are other surgery options like removing inflamed joint cavity linings, repairing damaged tendons or removing them completely. Doctors have succeeded in removing part of a bone that is causing pain; they have also released trapped nerves, and fused a joint to make it more stable. Therefore, it is advisable that you discuss the line of action or treatment with your doctor thoroughly before going in for any proposed surgery. You must be fully aware of the risks involved.
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