Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), also known as rheumatism, is the most common inflammatory disease of the joints. It requires comprehensive treatment because the disease affects the entire body and has a negative impact on the psyche. Unfortunately, there is no effective cure for rheumatoid arthritis. However, you can limit the progression of the disease: exercise and a proper diet as well as strict adherence to the doctor's instructions help. Learn about the ways of RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis( RA ) is an incurable disease, gradually diminishing the efficiency, and it is difficult to accept it. However, if diagnosed early and treated well, you can lead an almost normal, active life. Rheumatoid arthritis requires comprehensive treatment, because the disease affects the entire body, not only the joints, and also affects the psyche. Correct therapy consists of pharmacological treatment, rehabilitation, physical therapy, but most of all a change of lifestyle, which also includes proper nutrition. It is also worth using the experiences and ideas of other patients on how to make life easier with RA.

Treatment of RA - do not make changes to your therapy

The prescribed treatment must not be modified or discontinued - even if you feel better. Only a rheumatologist can decide to discontinue or change medications. The same goes for vitamins and various dietary supplements. Also, don't use herbs that are supposed to miraculously heal your joints. Such conduct may quickly lead to another relapse of the disease.

Joints like gymnastics

People suffering from RA fear exercise because they think it will harm their joints. It is quite the opposite - systematic exercises improve joints, strengthen muscles, improve well-being. They make it easier for you to cope with your daily duties. You do not have to give up sports, but you should choose a discipline that does not expose your joints to overload, e.g. swimming or Nordic walking. An excellent exercise for the joints of the hands is washing dishes, walls or countertops, kneading the dough. This allows you to maintain the strength of the handshake and mobility in the joints of the wrists, elbows and shoulders.

Rheumatic diseases also affect young people

You must do it

Enter small amenities

  • Put your daily shopping in a net with long ears, which you hang on your arm or forearm. For more shopping, go with the trolley.
  • If you need to carry something heavier, such as a sack of soil for flowers, press it against your chest and support it with your forearms.
  • When you open the elevator door, push it with your hip or shoulder to conserve the joints of your hands.
  • Each activity, e.g. pouring water from the kettle, should be spread over many joints, i.e. hold the kettle in both hands.
  • Use small amenities when doing housework: brushes on a long stick, so that you do not bend down unnecessarily; bottle and jar openers to conserve wrist joints; what you can, move instead of lifting.
  • Avoid activities that involve small joints, such as tightening screws.
  • Do not lean on your wrists or fingers when getting up from the chair. Over time, each patient will develop their own methods of relieving the joints.
  • Sleep on a high bed that is easy to get up from. If you sleep on your side, put a cot between your knees to keep your hips in a natural position. If you sleep on your back, your head should be no more than 5 cm above the mattress. But with your neck braced, add as many pillows as you need to to keep your head comfortable without straining your neck muscles.
  • If you can, replace the toilet seat with a higher one for easier use. Attach handles to the bathtub and the toilet to help you get up. Replace regular taps with batteries with a lever that can be lifted with the arm.
  • Give up soft sofas that are difficult to get up from. Arrange the furniture so that you have easy access to it.

Have a varied diet with RA

It is not true that diet can replace pharmacological treatment of RA, but proper nutrition is effective in supporting the entire therapy. Fasting and cleansing diets conducted by he althy people are not recommended in RA - they can harm and lead to malnutrition. The patient's diet should contain the appropriate proportions of cereal products, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, eggs, meat and fish or their substitutes - beans, peas, soybeans, lentils, and fats. Choose products that are as least processed as possible, without preservatives and dyes, because these compounds increase inflammation in the joints. It is also favored by food rich in saturated fats, i.e. meat, cold cuts, cheese.

There has been a long discussion about the vegetarian diet in RA. Some experts say that it does not matter, others that with long use it reduces pain and swelling in the joints. Regardless of who is right, a vegetarian or a dietA diet with a limited amount of meat - especially beef and pork - is good for your he alth. These types of meat contain a lot of histamine, a compound that promotes inflammation. Tomatoes and spinach can have a similar effect on joints. Other products, such as strawberries or chocolate, do not contain histamine, but they increase its secretion. Histamine-like compounds are also found in citrus fruits. This does not mean that when suffering from RA, you must completely eliminate these foods from your diet, but it is better to limit them so as not to provoke an exacerbation of the disease.

Scientists like to rely on hard scientific evidence, which is why people with RA are recommended a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fatty fish (tuna, salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, halibut) and the fish oil produced from them . The sources of these acids are also eggs, linseed and rapeseed oil, and walnuts. Regular consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids not only reduces pain, swelling and inflammation of the joints and their morning stiffness, but also has a beneficial effect on the circulatory system, which is particularly prone to numerous diseases in RA patients. It is also important that unsaturated fatty acids from food and those taken in the form of tablets do not interact with drugs used in the treatment of RA. It is also important to limit s alt intake - because it retains water in the body and increases swelling. These, in turn, limit the movement of the joints.

Don't be afraid to drink coffee, but limit yourself to 1-2 cups a day. Eat 4-5 times a day, but in small portions to maintain proper body weight. Being overweight, even a little, is an unnecessary burden on the joints, and also a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Diseases that often accompany rheumatoid arthritis

A person with RA is at risk of many additional diseases, so regular check-ups are necessary. Here are the diseases that RA can provoke:

Osteoporosis - take 1000 mg of calcium daily, eat cheese, yoghurt, milk, small fish with bones, beans, and cabbage. Calcium is harder to absorb when you lack vitamin D3, which is found in oily fish. Take a walk every day, because vitamin D is formed in the skin under the influence of sunlight.

Anemia - can be caused by inflammation itself, but also by taking medications regularly.

Heart disease - RA itself, as well as drugs used in its therapy, promote atherosclerosis. Therefore, regularly measure your blood pressure and check the level of cholesterol in your blood, do not forget about exercise and proper nutrition.

Parodontosis - increases the risk of bacterial infections, which isdangerous in immunocompromised people. Diseases of the gums and teeth promote heart disease.

Malnutrition - may result from changes in the digestive tract and malabsorption. Lack of appetite is a side effect of taking medications. Therefore, take care of varied and wholesome meals. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies - patients usually lack vitamins C, D, E and B group. Lack of magnesium, calcium, zinc and selenium is frequent, which contributes to joint damage. Ask your doctor to show you the right supplements, because diet alone may not compensate for deficiencies. If you are taking methotrexate or sulfasalazine, don't forget about folic acid. Take it on days when you're not taking these medications.

Depression - its cause is often living in pain and fear of losing independence.

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Spine, bones, joints