Rheumatoid Arthritis Strikes Down the Young

The future holding wonderful promising possibilities had turned dismal during the summer season between high school and college. It was a summer which had divested one young girl's dreams. Angela Lundberg, at only the age of eighteen had been informed that the pain which started in her feet and moved up into her fingers was Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

It may seem surprising but in reality over one million Americans who have RA are young adults between the ages of 18 and 40.

Dr. John M. Davis III, a consulting rheumatologist, at the Mayo Clinic Rochester, Minnesota, "The best estimate of risk is 1 in 400 to 1 in 500 women in their 20s and probably closer to 1 in 1,000 or less in men in their 20s".

The higher rate among women indicates the probable influence of hormones due to interactions of genetics and environmental factors which are believe to influence the disease.

Unfortunately, patients who are young adults fall in the cracks due to the fact most of the time they do not appear sick. Regardless of the fact, that this disorder is an autoimmune disease mostly affecting the small joints of hands and feet. Some patients have had other areas of the body affected. Other problems are also associated such as twice the risk for heart problems and peripheral neuropathy.

Yvonne Evans at 28 led a full and active life which included playing soccer and basketball. While at work one day she had injured her knee watching it swell to grapefruit size. She decided to just bear the pain and swelling with physical therapy and exercise.

Five months later it was confirmed Yvonne had RA.

In 2003, after numerous medication treatments Yvonne took the drug Enbrel an injectable biological medication. It has been noted this drug has transformed RA treatment and makes remission a very real goal for numerous newly diagnosed patients.

Dr. Eric M. Ruderman, rheumatologist and associate professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois had stated that he and his associates recommend the early use of biological drugs to fend off joint damage which hinders quality of life and leads to disability. These medications include Enbrel, Rituxan and Aceteme.

One of the biggest side effects of these medications is infection, with a rare but possible troubling side effect of lymphoma.

For those who are wondering about natural therapies for RA there are some in which you can try. A few of them include:

Chiropractic

Chiropractic care has been found to be remarkably beneficial for those with RA. A study which had been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine had published a study in which revealed 63% of people with RA and fibroymalgia had chose chiropractic care. It has been demonstrated to decrease pain, improve joint stiffness and mobility. It has been known not only to decrease the need of medications but at times can totally eliminate the need of the medications.

Acupuncture

Some physicians believe that acupuncture releases the body's own natural pain killers. Studies have shown that it has decreased pain. Studies done on those with osteoarthritis have also shown a decrease in pain with acupuncture treatments.

Reflexology

Reflexology has also been demonstrated to aide in cases of RA. In one study conducted twenty-three patients were involved age range from 28 to 78. Foot reflexology was applied on the main areas during treatment. The combination of reflex areas could be adjusted to the differenation of syndromes. Each session length was thirty to sixty minutes or longer if needed. Treatments were one session daily for ten sessions.

Nine of the patients had remarkable improvement, thirteen had shown improvement and one was not effective. Joint pain and tenderness had improved. It was noted that reflexology with other alternative treatments can lead to satisfactory results for those with RA. Sources:

ABC News

Web MD

Reflexology Research