Rheumatoid Arthritis: 4 Tips on How to Slow Down the Progress
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic joint disease for which modern medicine has not yet developed a truly effective treatment. The whole goal of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) therapy is to slow down the rate of progression of the disease, delaying the onset of disability or the development of complications from the cardiovascular system.
Most patients with RA pin their hopes on anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs: for example, a Plaquenil generic, which in its pharmacological action is absolutely identical to Hydroxychloroquine, and at the same time costs several times cheaper.
However, although drug treatment is the basis of systemic therapy for RA, pills alone are often not enough to slow down the rate of progression of this disease. Patients who dream of preserving the mobility of the affected joints until old age will need to follow a few more recommendations, which is exactly what this article is about.
- Physical Exercise
There is a special joint gymnastics, the regular performance of which allows patients with RA to maintain a completely satisfactory level of performance for a long time, sometimes for several decades.
The main problem is that having achieved significant improvements in their condition, most patients stop exercising or devote significantly less time to them, which inevitably leads to regression.
It is important to realize the following: with such a serious disease as RA, you will have to perform joint gymnastics for life — otherwise one might as well not do it at all.
- Diet
There are also several recommendations on the organization of a daily diet, which in 40-50% of cases help patients to achieve stabilization of their condition and repeatedly reduce the risks of exacerbation of RA:
- exclusion of meat and fats of animal origin;
- exclusion of products with a high level of allergenicity: citrus fruits, pork, chocolate, etc.;
- limited consumption of fatty, fried, smoked, and spicy food.
Separately, it should be noted that an individual approach is needed in this matter, since a therapeutic diet, unlike physical gymnastics, does not help everyone.
- Reduction of Joint Load
Patients with RA should change the nature of performing a number of habitual actions that create excessive stress on the joints:
- use a special seat for a bath or shower:
- don’t squat;
- do not lift heavy objects with your fingers (for example, a cup of tea), but use the entire palm of your hand;
- do not carry heavy objects in your hands, but carry them on carts or turn over;
- avoid prolonged bent position of the joints (in particular, the hands or lower back).
- Weight Control
The last and at the same time the most difficult rule with progressive RA is strict control over body weight.
You need to remember one fact: every pound of fat deposits exerts a load on the joints equivalent to the pressure of four pounds. Therefore, without normalization of weight, effective slowing of the progression of rheumatoid arthritis is categorically impossible.
