Rheumatoid Arthritis

J SULLIVAN • February 15, 2016

What do the following famous names have in common?

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, renowned French artist

Claire King, British TV actress starring in Emmerdale, Bad Girls

Dr Christiaan Barnard, who performed the first human-to-human heart transplant

Kathleen Turner, US Hollywood star (Body Heat, Romancing the Stone)

They all suffered or are suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

February 2, 2016 was Rheumatoid Arthritis Day - a day to promote education and awareness launched by the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the United States. Its mission is to improve the lives of people with RA and to raise greater public awareness, develop resources to support patients with effective healthcare decisions, advocate for quality healthcare and fair government policies, and contribute to scientific research in finding a cure.


It's worth having a look at their website and online resources:

http://rheum4us.org/rheumatoid-arthritis-awareness-day/

In all about 1.3 million Americans — 75 percent of them women — know the pain of rheumatoid arthritis, or RA.

Closer to home, the charity National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), which counts the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality as a patron, provides information for RA sufferers, their families, friends and carers and healthcare professionals in the UK. This includes information on the condition, how to manage it, and living with the condition so as to have the best quality of life possible.

690,000 people in the UK (1%) have rheumatoid arthritis costing the NHS approximately £560 million per year. The National Audit Office estimate that the total cost of RA to the UK economy is £4.8 billion per year.

World Arthritis Day (WAD) 12 October 2016

We may be debating about remaining in the EU, but there are European organizations and initiatives that focus attention on education, research and lobbying in the EU on RA and wider arthritic conditions and their detrimental effects on health and wellbeing.

WAD was established in 1996 as a global initiative bringing people together to raise awareness of issues affecting people with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. WAD is celebrated every year on 12 October and is supported by a year-round global campaign to raise awareness, influence public policy and provide a vast network of support for all those touched by arthritis in any form. The initiative is driven by EULAR (The European League Against Rheumatism) based in Switzerland. See http://www.eular.org/ to learn more. The organisation also has a useful leaflet on 10 things you should know about rheumatic diseases: http://www.eular.org/myUploadData/files/10%20things%20on%20RD.pdf .

What is the difference between RA and osteoarthritis (OA) and other forms of arthritis?

Arthritis is an umbrella term used to describe inflammation of the joints. However, there are different kinds of arthritis. re very different forms of the same broader condition.

RA is an autoimmune disease, which means your body attacks itself. In people with RA, the body interprets the synovium , the soft lining around the joints, as a threat similar to a virus or bacteria and attacks it. This attack causes fluid to accumulate within the joint. The fluid build-up causes swelling, pain, stiffness, and inflammation around your joints.

OA, the most common form of arthritis, is a degenerative joint disease. People with OA experience a breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the joints. The wearing down of cartilage causes your bones to rub against each other exposing small nerves, which causes pain. OA does not involve an autoimmune process like RA does, but mild inflammation also occurs.

Both types of arthritis are more common in women than men as evidenced in the American statistics. RA and OA are more prevalent in older adults, but RA can run in families and develop at any age, often showing as a low-grade temperature, muscle aches and/or fatigue.

People who are overweight, smoke, suffer from joint deformities, diabetes, or gout are more likely to develop OA. Equally, sporting stars past and current have been diagnosed with OA, such as golfer Tiger Woods.

Symptoms could include morning stiffness and severe fatigue, as well as sore joints

At Betafeet Podiatry we ask you for your medical history, and among the questions are whether you suffer from RA and/or arthritis. Not every patient understands what these mean unless they have been diagnosed with one or the other.

You may also wish to refer back to a website blog I posted in December 2015 on RA: http://www.betafeetpodiatry.co.uk/rheumatoid-arthritis1 .

Hopefully, these resource tools will give you a better understanding about RA and arthritis generally. You should speak to your GP if you have any concerns about chronic or recent joint pain so that proper referral pathways to podiatric or other healthcare can be made, such as the Beta Health Clinic in Hemel, you may also benefit from other holistic treatments for RA from visiting www.betahealth.co.uk .

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By J SULLIVAN • December 19, 2018
At this festive time of year, there are many people who feel stressed at the thought of over indulging in rich foods, drink and chocolates. Perhaps they are trying to control their weight or very importantly, control their blood sugars due to concerns with diabetes. What can you do to ensure your blood sugar levels remain as calm as possible, especially if you are going to eat at someone else's home? The key is to control your intake of sugars and carbohydrates, which are just molecular chains of sugars. Firstly, ensure you have a good breakfast on the big day. Don't skip breakfast thinking that you will eat a lot later, this will only lead to snacking on inappropriate, high carbohydrate foods because you are hungry. A lovely, cheesy omelette or even a treat of bacon, mushrooms and eggs will set you up for your day. Secondly, think carefully about what you are drinking. Drinks slip down very smoothly, so it's easy to raise your blood sugar levels on drinks alone. Fruit juices, fizzy sweet drinks, beer and wine all raise your blood sugars at an alarming rate, as well as adding to dehydration, which will cause you to reach for more. What drinks are relatively low carb? Well, you will be pleased to hear that spirits, champagne or dry red wine are the best of your choices. Of course water is your great friend, be it in still, fizzy, ice or soda form and can be added to you spirits instead of other high carb mixers. It's a good idea to have a glass of water to hand throughout the day to keep you hydrated. Tea and coffee (without sugar) are fine. Christmas dinner is a time for indulgence and of course you don't want to feel left out. That doesn't mean you can't make a few careful choices and do away with the worry. The items that raise your blood sugars are the carbohydrates, so they are the things to control. Potatoes, parsnips, carrots, bread sauce and stuffing are the things to avoid or cut down on. If your joy on Christmas day is a roast potato, then have two small pieces and forgo the other starchy vegetables. Load up on above ground vegetables such as sprouts and the meats or nut roast instead. Cauliflower mash with lashings of butter makes a great alternative to mashed potatoes. Afterwards you could always skip the Christmas pudding and move on to the cheese board instead (no crackers though). If you feel cheated without pudding, have the thinnest slice possible, with a good cover of double cream to satisfy that craving. A great tip is to take dark chocolate, the richer the better, with you. That way if you are tempted by the sweets and candy surrounding you, you can treat yourself without worrying too much. It also stops people from nagging you into indulging because they want to feel you are having a good time. Wishing you a very happy, healthy festive season. A wise person once said: It's what you eat between New Year and Christmas that makes the difference to your health, rather than Christmas to New Year. If you slip up in the next few weeks, bear that in mind and be kind to yourself. Christine Gaskill, Hemel Hempstead Ambassador for the Public Health Collaboration https://phcuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/PHC-Sugar-A5-Flyer-Front.pdf

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