| Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an inflammatory | | | | of yet, there are no treatments available to cure or |
| autoimmune disorder that causes the body to attack | | | | eradicate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but |
| the soft bone cartilages surrounding the joints. It is a | | | | there are ways to alleviate the pain, and maybe help |
| disabling and very painful condition that often times | | | | stop the disease from making satellite "infection" to |
| lead to immobility caused by severe pain, or at the | | | | other organs of the body. |
| very worst, destruction of the joint itself. Furthermore, | | | | Some of the more "historic," if not, controversial forms |
| RA is a systematic disease. This means that from one | | | | of treatment include acupuncture, being stung by bees |
| afflicted joint, the disease tends to attack surrounding | | | | or nettles, going on an apple diet (taken literally from |
| tissues and even far-off situated organs like blood | | | | the adage, "an apple a day..."), going on a rhubarb diet, |
| vessels, heart, lungs, muscles tissues and skin. That is | | | | fasting, ingestion of gold salts or honey or insulin or |
| also the reason why RA is considered as a | | | | nutmeg or vitamins, wearing copper bracelets, |
| multi-system autoimmune disorder. | | | | undergoing magnet treatment, and even the extraction |
| RA causes painful discomfort and soft tissue swelling | | | | of teeth (possibly on the thought that one pain can |
| which can inflame nearby or surrounding tissues as the | | | | overcome the other, but just how many teeth can be |
| disease progresses. Pain generally improves or | | | | exchanged in favor of relief?) The very controversial |
| lessens when the person starts using the affected | | | | mode of treatment before was called ECT or electric |
| joints, but there is usually stiffness in the joints | | | | convulsion therapy or electric shock therapy; it has long |
| especially in the morning. RA is therefore at its worst in | | | | since phased out for its obvious lack of success |
| the early hours of the morning, or at least, when the | | | | versus the battle with RA. |
| person wakes up. Incredibly, after a while, RA patients | | | | Usually, doctors prescribe nothing more than |
| also tend to suffer from other medical conditions like | | | | pharmacological treatment for RA like |
| anemia, cystic fibrosis of the lungs, gastrointestinal | | | | anti-inflammatory agents and analgesics. These days, |
| bleeding, hepatosplenomegaly (enlargement of the liver | | | | however, scientists are turning to more unconventional |
| and spleen,) leukopenia (steady decrease of white | | | | route - especially in the form of human growth |
| blood cells in the system) and lymphocytic infiltration | | | | hormone treatment. You see, human growth |
| that may affect salivary glands and lacrimal glands or | | | | hormones contain the substance IGF-1 which in healthy |
| the tear ducts. | | | | dosages is responsible for healing damaged cells and |
| Unless detected and treated early in its development, | | | | helps in developing new ones. IGF-1 is also responsible |
| RA is not only crippling, but can cause deformity as | | | | for strengthening and promoting bones, including the |
| well. In the US, it is estimated that one in three | | | | soft connective tissues in the human joints called |
| Americans are now afflicted with RA. It is even | | | | ligaments. There are recent studies that show that |
| predicted that this number will grow in an alarming rate | | | | re-introduction of prescribed dosages of IGF-1 actually |
| as time goes by. Although this medical condition is | | | | lessens the symptoms of arthritis and helps reinforcing |
| usually associated with the onset of old age, these | | | | the joints, making mobility easier and achievable with |
| days children less than 18 years of age are also | | | | less pain. |
| suffering from the ravaging effects of the disease. As | | | | |