Dying To Know

The conservative medical community tends to treat arthritis with painkillers and exercise. This is because these drug therapies have been around for at least fifty years and surgery has a fairly high success rate, while many other remedies like dietary supplements are relative newcomers to the scene.

However, this type of traditional treatment can cause just as many problems as the arthritis itself, unfortunately. Since painkillers are used to combat the painful effects arthritis has on joints, they will also hide any side effects that the treatment is causing. This can be something like something seemingly as harmless as diarrhoea, which can be a nasty addition to arthritis treatment. This is because if the medication causes the wall of the stomach to function less in any way, it can lead to antigens entering the bloodstream that affects joints, therefore inflaming the arthritis even more.

Once they reach the joint, they will trigger an attack by the white blood cells that are the body’s defense system. The end result is that this causes more pain and inflammation as the white blood cells release prostaglandins and leukotrienes in an attempt to dispose of the enemy. They also release digestive enzymes that begin to attack and digest the actual cartilage, bone, ligament and muscle that are supposed to be saved. This can then become a chronic problem, which is what happens in rheumatoid arthritis especially.

Even simple drugs like aspirin become harmful if taken over a long period; they rob the body of essential vitamins and minerals. Loss of these bodybuilding nutrients, especially the B group vitamins, can cause more pain and inflammation due to the breakdown of cartilage, bone and other important tissues.

Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like indomethicin (Indocid) and ibuprofen and others, give pain relief and reduce joint swelling, but cause stomach problems with long-term use, while the Cox –2 inhibitors like celecoxib (Celebrex) while safer for the stomach, may cause cardiovascular problems.

Steroids are a slightly more feasible option, but those too can have their drawbacks. Although effective as painkillers, arthritis treatments that use steroids like penicillamine can lead to the reduction of copper in your body. If you suffer from arthritis of the gout, then the usual method of treatment is colchicines, yet this can lower the amount of Vitamin B12 your body produces.

If you are receiving any kind of suppressive drugs, such as Matrex or anti-malarial medication, you will need to be closely watched as these can have serious side effects, whether the drugs are administered orally or via injection.

Unfortunately, no matter what drugs or medicinal treatment you take, often the arthritis will be too far advanced for them to work. In this case, surgery is the only option available to you. The good news with surgery is that the success rate is extremely high, with the likes of hip replacements and knee joint surgery enjoying a success rate of 95%. If successful, these replacements can last anywhere up to fifteen years before needing replaced. However, for those whose bodies reject the new additions, it can lead to even more painful arthritical problems than before, with severely debilitating results.

There are other surgery options like removing inflamed joint cavity linings, repairing damaged tendons or removing them completely. It is also possible to remove part of a bone that is causing pain, release trapped nerves, or fuse a joint to make it more stable. Always make sure that any proposed surgery, or other treatment is discussed thoroughly with your health care provider, so that you know exactly what risks are involved.