May 2003
Ask Dr. Marks: 05/03
Subscribers Only What is inflammatory arthritis? I thought only rheumatoid arthritis was inflammatory. There are two major families of arthritis: "wear and tear" or degenerative arthritis, and inflammatory arthritis. The prototype for degenerative arthritis is osteoarthritis. The prototype for inflammatory arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. Although a prototype, rheumatoid arthritis is only one of a large group of conditions that causes inflammation and pain within the joint. Other forms of inflammatory arthritis are psoriatic arthritis, Reiter's syndrome and…
No Longer Able To Work?
Subscribers Only If arthritis has you so incapacitated that you’re no longer able to work, it may be time to file a disability claim. Successfully applying for an arthritis-induced disability benefit, however, means more than just filling out forms. The SSA sets the bar sufficiently high for proving disability that nearly 75 percent of initial applicants get rejected. However, there are steps you can take now, even before you apply, to make your filing more likely to…
Puttin’ On The Squeeze
Subscribers Only You may never look like Charles Atlas or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you can use the concepts behind their exercise routines to improve muscle strength—which is essential to feeling better, experiencing less pain and increasing joint strength and flexibility. Isometric, or squeezing, exercises are the basis of Atlas' Dynamic-Tension program, in which exercises involve tightening a muscle for five to ten seconds, without moving any other body parts, to tone, or condition, muscle fiber. …
When That Once-Wondrous Drug Works For You No More
Subscribers Only When arthritis becomes severe, and anti-inflammatory drugs no longer stop the pain, many people turn to stronger pain-killing medications, such as opiate-containing narcotics, for relief. But with narcotics, the more you use them, the less effective they become. To get the same effect, you have to increase the dose, a phenomenon known as tolerance. A specific receptor in the brain is “upregulated,” or activated, by opiates, explains Nagy Mekhail, M.D., chairman of the department of…
In the News: 05/03
Subscribers Only SAM-e Scores In Government Report Since hitting the U.S. supplement market in 1999, SAM-e (a natural compound that includes amino acid needed for cell metabolism) has been promoted as a treatment for diverse ailments, including depression and liver ailments. But one of SAM-e’s other benefits, reduced arthritis pain, was discovered by accident. People who took part in clinical trials of SAM-e for depression reported that the pain of their osteoarthritis improved. Studies show that SAM-e increases…
Joint Foolery: Pains That Mimic Arthritis
Subscribers Only There are a number of conditions that can cause pain near your joints. They may feel similar to arthritis, yet they can be something entirely different. Some of these problems are serious (avascular necrosis, stress fractures, certain forms of cancer), others less so (bursitis, tendonitis). In either case, it’s best to let your doctor know about any changes in your joint pain, so these “mimics of arthritis” can be diagnosed early and treatment begun. …