February 2 – Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day

Rheumatoid Patient Foundation (RPF) announces the establishment of Rheumatoid Awareness Day to be held each year on February 2, giving people with the chronic illness known as rheumatoid arthritis, or rheumatoid disease, a day of recognition. Because the disease is commonly presumed to be a type of arthritis, awareness is lacking, causing problems with disability accommodations, clinical care, healthcare reimbursement and research funding.

February 2 already boasts the observance of Groundhog Day, from which several analogies can be drawn to rheumatoid disease.

“Compare disease onset to the moment the groundhog comes out of his hole to look for his shadow,” says Kelly Young, founder of the RPF.

“It’s impossible to predict how aggressive the disease will be or whether treatments will be effective. The six weeks that the groundhog forecasts correspond to the short window of opportunity for people with rheumatoid disease to get early diagnosis and treatment, which has been shown to be a crucial component of positive outcome.”

Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive inflammatory disease causing damage to joint and organ tissues, resulting in severe pain, frequent disability, and increased mortality. For most patients, current treatments neither relieve all symptoms nor assure a healthy future. Remission is rare. Rheumatoid disease affects about one percent of the world’s population, with 1.6 to 2 million Americans currently diagnosed. Mayo Clinic says lifetime risk of the disease is 3.6 percent for women and 1.7 percent for men.

Rheumatoid Awareness Day comes at the start of Heart Disease Awareness month, underscoring a serious aspect of rheumatoid disease: heart involvement. Studies show that rheumatoid disease may affect the heart prior to diagnosis.

Rheumatoid patients have higher incidence of stroke and atrial fibrillation in addition to the specific effects of the disease upon the heart itself. A study conducted by the world famous Mayo Clinic reported that rheumatoid arthritis patients were twice as likely to experience silent heart attacks and sudden cardiac deaths.

The Rheumatoid Patient Foundation will support the first annual Rheumatoid Awareness Day with a campaign aimed at raising awareness and educating about rheumatoid disease. RPF encourages both the rheumatoid patient community and the public to get involved by sharing educational resources, promoting awareness messages via social media, participating in a live online chat and a matching donation opportunity.

For information on how to support Rheumatoid Awareness Day, visit HERE.

Rheumatoid Patient Foundation

RPF is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with rheumatoid diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile arthritis. RPF was founded in 2011 to address significant lack of disease education, comparatively low levels of research funding, and difficulty obtaining adequate treatment.

RPF is committed to creating pathways to better clinical care and disease outcomes through education, awareness, and participation in patient-centered research.

For more information, visit our WEBSITE or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Arthritis can be described as the pain that occurs in the joints of the body. Mostly occurring in aged people, arthritis can strike members of both the sex.

There are different kinds of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, which is usually the result of a trauma that the joint suffered at some point of time, an infection of the joint or old age.

The other types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis, which result when the body tissues are mistakenly attacked by its own immune system.

Then, there is septic arthritis, caused by joint infection, and gouty arthritis, due to deposition of uric acid crystals in the joints.

There are various reasons for the occurrence of arthritis.

Causes Of Arthritis – Dr. ASKY on Facebook

• Hormonal imbalance
• Emotional stress
• Structural changes in the articular cartilage of joints
• Heredity factors
• Physical exertion
• Infection
• Severe fright
• Shock
• Injury
• Obesity
• Ageing
• Previous physical injuries
• Occupational hazards, such as those experienced by assembly line workers and heavy construction
• High-level sports

Symptoms Of Arthritis

• Pain and stiffness in the joints
• Anemia
• Colitis
• Constipation
• Deformed hands and feet
• Inflammation of muscles, ligaments and cartilage
• Painful movement of the joints, especially in cold, windy and damp weather
• Weak digestion
• Overeating
• Very little physical activity
• Fatigue or lack of energy
• Inflammation, indicated by joint swelling, stiffness, redness and/or warmth
• Intermittent fever
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Blotchy rash on the arms and legs

Arthritis literally means ‘inflammation of the joints’.

The term has been derived from two Greek words, ‘athron’ (which means joints) and ‘itis’ (which means inflammation).

A chronic disease, arthritis can be classified into various types, two being the most commonly found – osteoarthritis and ‘rheumatoid arthritis’. The former usually occurs in the older people, when their joints become week.

The latter is a serious disease, which affects not only the joints of the fingers, wrists, hips, knees, and feet, but also the muscles, tendons and other tissues of the body.

A few home remedies have been found to be helpful in curing arthritis. Read on to find how to treat arthritis naturally.

Home Remedy For Arthritis

• An effective way to get relief from the pain of arthritis is to massage the affected area with warm olive oil.
• Mix olive oil with diluted garlic, juniper, lavender, sage, rosemary, thyme, or sassafras oil. The mix should be in the ratio of 1:10, where 10 represent the parts of olive oil. Massage this mixture over the affected area.
• Steam baths and body massage have also proved worthwhile for people suffering from arthritis.
• The person suffering from arthritis should consume food items rich in calcium, zinc and vitamin C.
• An efficient home remedy for arthritis would be to have fresh potato juice in the morning. The juice should comprise of 50 percent potato juice and 50 percent water.
• The simplest home remedy for arthritis would be to rub the affected area with warm vinegar, just before sleeping.
• Mix 10 grams of camphor with 200 grams of mustard oil. Keep this mixture in a tightly corked bottle and expose it to sunlight, daily, until the camphor melts. Regularly massage the affected area with this mixture.
• Grind four peeled pieces of garlic, along with two grams of Sprague. Dip this mixture in 30 grams mustard oil and heat, on low flame, for 1-2 minutes. Massage the aching joints with this oil, after cooling it down, to get relief from pain and swelling.
• Rheumatoid arthritis can be cured by consuming a few grams of fresh or powdered ginger per day, along with water.
• Add 4 tbsp of Epsom salt to your bath, filled with warm water. Bathing with this water will help reduce inflammation and stiffness of joints.
• Massaging with castor oil also reduces the pains, thereby providing relief from arthritis.
• People facing arthritis problem should relax in a tub of warm water, to which a cupful of sea salt has been added.
• Eggplant is also helpful in curing arthritis. Bake one or two eggplant, mash them and fry the resultant pulp in castor oil. Add spices, such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, garlic and salt and cook for a few seconds. Have this, once a day, for about two to three months.