Don't let arthritis slow you down

Saying to people that a few lifestyle changes can stop the joint damage of RA is like telling someone with a broken arm that adding fiber to their diet will heal them. Not true and not fair to those of us like me that have to take some very scary drugs to try to keep this horrible disease controlled. The two main medicines I take for RA are Methotrexate, a low dose chemotherapy drug, and Humira, a biological drug that has a very long list of side effects that include congestive heart failure, some types of cancer, and possible fatal infections. Does this sound like an illness that can be treated with 'a few lifestyle changes'? Don't you think if all I needed to do was 20 min of cardio, cut my calories, and take a tai chi class to stop the horrors of this disease I'd do it? Don't you think that if stopping joint damage and deformity was that easy my doctor would have mentioned it? This article is a classic example of how unaware people are about this disease. By publishing these kinds of articles you down play the seriousness of this disease which does not help those of us that have to live it. People that have been newly diagnosed may think all they need to do is what was suggested by this article instead of using modern medicine and that delay in treatment can have a long reaching affect and a poor prognosis.
RA is a systemic auto immune disease that not only affects joints but also can affect eyes, lungs, heart, mouth, kidneys, liver, blood vessels, nerves and skin. The only proven treatment that slow or stops joint damage is with DMARDs (disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs).

lglavish: good points. I see the same when people talk about alternative cancer treatments. I'm going to throw my own two cents in here with this article I've read which has a few better suggestions for dealing with arthritis, but be sure you see your doctor. This article is just to help you get through the day, dealing with pain and reduced range of motion. RA is serious, and requires serious care by a competent MD.

Here's the link... http://www.antiagingjournal.org/best-pain-rel...