I have severe rheumatoid arthritis and my doctor has recommended infliximab. Should I go for it?

Infliximab is a newer disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug. It works by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor alpha. So far, most people who have undergone treatment with infliximab indicate that the drug is great. It is administered as an injection every few weeks. The symptom improval is marked and it also slows down progression of disease. The only negative is the cost.

I have developed osteoarthritis in both my knees and my doctor recommends glucosamine. Should I use glucosamine. Does this work?

To put it in simple language- Glucosamine is about as good as drinking your own urine. It is crap. Doctors and other health professional have been selling glucosamine to consumers just to make money. There is not a single study which shows that glucosamine is effective for osteoarthritis.  Sports personalities say positive things about glucosamine because they are paid millions of dollars to promote fake products.  Glucosamine does not decrease pain nor does it prevent progression of arthritis. So save your money for something that works. And please change your doctor –anyone who recommends bogus therapies to patients is a scoundrel.

I have rheumatoid arthritis and my doctor says that I should start to eat a vegan diet to relieve the pain. Will this help?

Your doctor is a first rate idiot who knows nothing about arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a very complex disorder that tends to affect joints and many other organs in the body. The disorder can lead to joint deformities, is painful and leads to a very poor quality of life. There is no cure for this disorder and all the treatments are aimed at relieving pain and joint stiffness. Over the years, many diet regimens have been explored. The Mediterranean diet, the vegan diet, elemental diet, low protein, high protein, high carb, low carb diets have all been investigated. Others have eliminated certain foods from their diet and yet other have added a variety of healthy supplements. 

In every single case, the data on diets has been conflicting and irreproducible. In most studies the dropout rates were high because of the restrictive nature of the diets. As of today, diet has very little influence on the course of rheumatoid arthritis. If you have common sense, dump your doctor, go see a rheumatologist who practices real medicine and does not believe in fairy tales.

I have severe osteoarthritis of my knee and my doctor says I should take glucosamine. What do you think?

Osteoarthritis is a common disorder in the North American population and often affects the hips, knees, shoulder and hand. In osteoarthritis, the basic problem is that the cartilage that protects the two ends of the bone breaks down. This results in pain and swelling of the joint. So far, there is no cure for this condition. Pain medications and surgery are the only two available treatments. Now some health care professional recommend glucosamine. This health supplement is available as a pill and is often combined with chondroitin. The daily dose varies from 1000-3000 mg per day. Glucosamine is available without a prescription. But does it work?

 

Evaluation of recent studies indicates that glucosamine was worse than a fake pill. It did jack shit. In fact, people who took the sugar pill had more pain relief that glucosamine.  In simple words, glucosamine is just another fraud, like the weight loss pills. It does nothing. The only relief you get is that your pockets are now empty of you hard earned money. If you have osteoarthritis, save your money for something that works or get yourself a reputable doctor who does not own shares of glucosamine or chondroitin.

Can botox injections help my arthritic pain?

Botox mania has really caught on in America. While the drug is useful for some headaches and wrinkles, there are some people who claim that it may also work by relieving arthritis pain. So far, only a few anecdotal reports exists about botox and arthritis.

However, the amount of botox injected is significant and the pain relief obtained is only of short duration. Moreover, the pain relief is not observed by all people with arthritis. In addition, you also have to consider the cost of Botox- the more you get injected, the bigger the bill. Botox works by blocking the ability of muscles to contract and so how it relieves pain in the joints is unknown. 

Botox is not a cure for any type of arthritis nor is it a replacement for the traditional arthritic medication. Right now, I would not recommend botox because it appears that the only people who are promoting it are those who sell the therapy and some of these are unscrupulous doctors. 

What I would recommend though, is exercise on a regular basis, reduce your weight and continue with whatever medication you have been prescribed.

What are risk factors for arthritis?

There are several risk factors for arthritis. These include the following:

Family history is not important for osteoarthritis but appears to play a role in rheumatoid arthritis. If your parents had rheumatoid arthritis, then it is likely that you may also develop the same disorder. Not everyone, though, in the family develop rheumatoid arthritis.

For osteoarthritis, age is a risk factor. As you age, the general wear and tear of the joints is progressive. Women generally are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

Anyone who has had a prior joint injury while playing sports or from a fall is more at risk for developing osteoarthritis later in life. This is commonly seen in athletes who often have severe arthritis of the wrist, ankles and knee later in life.

Obesity is a big risk factor for many medical disorders and also for arthritis. The excess weight puts a lot of stress on the weight bearing joints. Most obese people tend to develop osteoarthritis early in life.

What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is due to the general wear and tear of the joint from daily living activities. The bones grind against each other and lead to destruction of the cartilage. This wear and tear happens in everyone but can be hastened by joint injury, obesity or infection. Osteoarthritis usually affects the large joints of the body like the knee, hip or spine.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs because of some problem with the immune system. For some unknown reason, the body’s defense mechanism starts to attack the joint structures causing inflammation, redness and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis is also a progressive disease and can be very deforming. It tends to affect small joints and is usually bilateral and symmetrical. For example, fingers on both hands may be affected at the same time.

Neither condition is curable and all treatments only deal with the symptoms.