Your Questions About Arthritis

Artie answers:

Powerlifting. Squatting 800 lbs puts less stress on your joints than a game of basketball.

Artie answers:

That's really sweet of you. Your Mum must really appreciate you =]

Is your Mum seeing a doctor for her arthritis? I see you live in Australia and you have a healthcare system where everyone can see a doctor for free. So it's really important your Mum gets the right medical care. There may be medications that her doctor can prescribe or she may need to see a doctor who specialises in arthritis. These doctors are called rheumatologists (roo-mar-toll-a-gist). You could ask your mother if she's ever seen one before.

If your mum's hands feel hot, go and grab and ice pack or some frozen veges or a bag of ice. Wrap it in a tea towel and put it around her hands. This will help numb it, but it will also help with the swelling.

At the chemist you should be able to buy a tube of gel called Voltaren Gel. It's a silver and orange tube. If she rubs this on her hands it should help with the pain and swelling.

Does she take any medications? There are some anti-inflammatories that you can buy at the pharmacy without a script like ibuprofen/nurofen. This will help with the pain and swelling. Doctors can prescribe stronger medication though.

Doctors can also inject the joints with steroids. These help dramatically with the pain and swelling, but they are very painful and can only be done by a doctor.

You're a really sweet to care and hopefully some of this advice will help your mum

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Artie answers:

Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that. There are a few things that help with Uric Acid (the main culprit that causes Gout) and the most effective one I've seen is cherries. It seems too simple, but cherries naturally help the body metabolize Uric Acid quickly and efficiently (often giving relief in as little as a few days).

Of course, there's also the good points of avoiding rich foods that cause a surge in the Uric Acid, too. Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gout#Primary_gout has a pretty good list including protein, sugar, fats, alcohol, etc.
Good luck to you both!

Artie answers:

Quoted from the NIH website's handout on RA:

"Scientists estimate that about 1.3 million people, or about 0.6 percent of the U.S. Adult population, have rheumatoid arthritis. Interestingly, some recent studies have suggested that although the number of new cases of rheumatoid arthritis for older people is increasing, the overall number of new cases may actually be going down. Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in all races and ethnic groups. Although the disease often begins in middle age and occurs with increased frequency in older people, children and young adults also develop it. Like some other forms of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis occurs much more frequently in women than in men. About two to three times as many women as men have the disease."

The juvenile form of RA is more common in Caucasian children, however.

Hope that helps.

Artie answers:

I have Psoriatic Arthritis. Initially you need to make a health log. A diary and every night before you go to bed, write down what you did, what you ate and on a scale of 1-10, how you feel. Then after six months go back and read what you wrote and see if you can link up any 'foods' to how you felt. I found out that if I have a fresh orange juice every morning for breakfast, the third morning my joints were Hades. I cannot go anywhere near citric fruit, so have to get my vitamin intake elsewhere. Moreover 'refind' foods are not good can stomach them, but pay a price, silly things like white sugar. As citric acid is a preservative and sugar is located in many of our foods that we buy, I have to be careful. Next what to take, especially like you pain killers do wonders for the pain and my brain does not function! I tried a few diferent brands of anti-inflammatory drugs, until I found one that really suits me, been on the same one now for 20 years. I then read about Eskimos never succumbing to Arthritis, because their diet is 'fish' so what they term anti-inflammatory food. However I could not eat fish everyday, so opted for Omega 3 oils. I saw a Rheumatologist, who started me on Evening Primrose Oil and life really improved. Got a dog, went walking three miles three times a week, then joined a Pilates Class, really got my muscle tone up. Exercise produces endorphines, which are natural pain killers and it works. However been warned, exercise can be addictive, especially as you are self medicating, making your own pain killers.
I am still here some 30 years after being diagnosed with Psoriasis and 20 years after the Arthritis, so I guess I must be doing something right! However their is no 'quick fix' and the answer is really in your own hands.