Health Blog

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the more depressing diseases. Starting out with low level disability and some discomfort, it slowly grows more severe as time passes. It’s the slowness of the decline that makes it so terrible. There’s little to choose between one day and the next but, when you look back over the last month, you realize you’re another inch down the slope to the joints seizing up. The problem is the slow destruction of the cartilage as the autoimmune system fails to work properly and attacks healthy tissue, generating increasingly severe inflammation. The basic strategy for treatment is to balance physical therapy to maintain some mobility while using different drugs to halt the immune system’s misbehavior and control the pain. But there’s only a certain amount you can achieve through weight loss programs and physiotherapy. At some point, the joints cannot continue to move as before. The statistics show that, after about ten years, the majority of people will have significant disability despite the success of the DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs).

One of the key indicators of the inevitable decline is called morning stiffness. As the name suggests, lying down for sleep encourages the body to stop moving. During this period of inactivity, the affected joints and surrounding musculature stiffens. When waking, the body must slowly be coaxed back into mobility again. This can be a painful process. The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) has been running a series of trials on a slightly different approach to current practice. The European strategy has been to use a pick-and-mix approach to the DMARDs, looking for the best results on a trial-and-error basis. This has been justified by the inevitable “truth” that “all patients are different”. So, within preset limits, doctors play with different drugs in combination and at different dosages until the best outcome is achieved.

In two trials titled Circadian Administration of Prednisone in Rheumatoid Arthritis (CAPRA), EULAR has been testing a modified-release version of Prednisone. The idea is to take a low dose before going to bed. The tablet is designed not to release the drug until about four hours into sleep with the peak concentration being achieved about two hours later. So,someone going to bed at 10 p.m. will get the maximum effect of the drug at about 4 a.m. which is judged the ideal time if pain and stiffness on waking is to be reduced. The results from the second trial have just been released and confirm the success of the modified-release system. The drug was administered over a twelve week period, with a major short-term improvement in mobility on waking. But what is really significant is the continuing improvement in mobility when participants were allowed to continue taking Prednisone for up to twelve months after the end of the formal trial. It seems clear that the use of this drug alongside the optimized cocktail of DMARDs produces the best overall outcome with morning stiffness reduced and general mobility improved during the day. Given there is no immediate prospect of any drug coming on to the market as a cure for Rheumatoid Arthritis, these trials old out hope for those who currently struggle with pain in the mornings.

People are different and even the same health problems can manifest through different signs from one person to another. Fear and anxiety are quite common in our everyday life. It’s very hard to find a person who never experienced anxiety and worry before an important meeting or exam. Remember your feeling before going to a job interview, or simply walking down a dark street in the middle of the night. Anxiety is the most common companion in such situation and it keeps us on alert for things unexpected.

However, normal anxiety does not pose any interest for mental health specialists. Things get dramatic when the anxiety response occurs for no apparent reason and stays for much longer periods of time than it usually does in normal circumstances. If anxiety becomes frequent in its nature and occurs periodically for a long time, it is automatically transferred to the state of a disorder.

Anxiety disorders are generally described as an overwhelming and periodical feeling of anxiety that occurs in situations that otherwise do not pose any danger, and which is persistent for longer periods of time, interfering with everyday activities. An individual suffering from any form of anxiety disorders is unable to control the feelings of dread, fear and worry. And to add injury to insult, people who suffer from anxiety disorders are usually well aware of the fact that their feelings do not have any logic reasons, but are unable to do anything about it.

The most common forms of anxiety disorders include conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, selective mutism and various types of specific phobia. Different types of anxiety disorders have different symptoms, and even the same disorder can be described differently by two persons suffering from it.

However, the physical signs of an anxiety disorder are pretty much common for all types of disorders. They are described by the triggering of the flight or fight response and are manifested through increased heart rate, faster breathing, adrenaline rush, hypertension and other symptoms.

People suffering from anxiety disorders usually report the following symptoms associated with their conditions:

• Abdominal discomfort
• Diarrhea
• Dry mouth
• Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
• Tightness or pain in chest
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Frequent urination
• Difficulty swallowing

Psychological symptoms associated with anxiety disorders include:

• Sleep disorders
• rritability
• Lack of concentration
• Fear of going crazy or dying
• Feeling unreal and not in control of your behavior

If you experience any of these symptoms you might want to address your doctor for a consultation. Even if it’s a sign of anxiety disorder, it doesn’t automatically allow you to take Valium or any other drugs without prescription. Only your doctor can prescribe the right treatment and dosage. Besides drugs like Valium there are other ways to treat anxiety disorders, and your physician will surely help you select the most effective and optimal treatment course for your problem. Any anxiety disorder can be treated, so keep your worries at bay and go to your doctor when you experience any signs of such conditions.