Arthritis Self-Management

Feelings of sadness and helplessness. Loss of appetite. Difficulty sleeping. These may be signs of depression, a common condition that is even more common in people with arthritis. The good news is that depression, like arthritis, has effective treatments, including psychotherapy and several types of medicine.

Some people regard the flu as a yearly aggravation. For many others, it presents a real danger to their health. Many factors, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other forms of inflammatory arthritis, can raise a person’s risk of contracting the flu and of developing more severe symptoms from it. For this reason, people with inflammatory arthritis need to take extra precautions during flu season.

Today in the United States there are an estimated 10 million people with osteoporosis and another 34 million who are at risk for it. Treatment for osteoporosis usually focuses on medicines and vitamin and mineral supplementation. But what you choose to eat affects both your bones and the soft tissues that protect and cushion them.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain all over the body. Although millions of Americans have it, there is a great deal that remains unknown about fibromyalgia and how it works. Drug treatment can help to manage the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, but treatment works best when you also employ certain lifestyle measures.

Lumbar spinal stenosis, which commonly affects people older than 60, occurs when a spinal nerve is constricted in the lower back. But the pain and numbness it causes can occur anywhere from the back down to the feet. Treatments include physical activity, pain-relieving drugs, and surgery.

Osteoporosis causes the bones to thin and puts them at greater risk of fracture. Although it is one of the most common conditions affecting older Americans, there are ways to reduce the risk that it will occur and to effectively treat it.

Osteoporosis is called the “silent disease” because you may not know you have it until you break a bone. If you don’t have osteoporosis, your primary goal is to prevent it. If you already have osteoporosis, treatment can prevent further bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures. Exercise and physical activity have an important role to play both in preventing osteoporosis and in treating it.

Lyme Disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which is transmitted to humans by blacklegged ticks. If left untreated, it can affect the heart and the nervous system and cause Lyme arthritis. You can help protect yourself from Lyme disease by reducing the risk of being bitten by a tick and learning how to remove a tick if one does get on you.

It is well established that smoking contributes to problems with the heart, blood vessels, and lungs and also raises the risk for some cancers, osteoporosis, and blindness. Furthermore — although this is not so widely known — smoking is now considered a risk factor for developing RA.

When you’re overwhelmed by mental and physical exhaustion, it’s hard to carry out even the simplest of everyday activities. Fatigue can sap your concentration and affect every aspect of your life. In this article, we bring you a step-by-step guide to keeping fatigue from keeping you down.

Many people wonder how they can meet their weight-loss goals, but around 2% of Americans are actually underweight. RA leaves many needing a way to gain pounds without increasing their risk of heart disease through inactivity or eating foods that increase their weight at the expense of their arteries. Here are weight-gain tips that keep your heart health in mind.

Having multiple health concerns is the rule rather than the exception for people with arthritis. If you've got diabetes, high blood pressure, or another chronic condition, not only do you need to keep those problems in check, but you also need to do so while avoiding negative interactions with your other conditions and treatments. Luckily, many of the things you can do to manage your arthritis can help you keep a lid on your other conditions as well.