No H1N1 or Seasonal Flu Nasal Spray for Arthritis Patients

According to the Arthritis Foundation, people with inflammatory-types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, should not receive the nasal spray version of the H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccines.  If you fall in this category or are not sure if you have inflammatory arthritis, please read the full article on the Arthritis Foundation website.

If you have received your vaccinations already, then make sure you remember for the future that the nasal spray flu vaccine is not recommended for those with inflammatory arthritis.  When in doubt, get the flu shot!

Feel Better by Helping Others

Arthritis pain and stiffness can take its toll on our bodies, but it can also take a toll on us emotionally.  So what do you do when you are feeling “down in the dumps”?

Sitting or laying around doing nothing does not really help.  It may even make you feel worse.  Instead, try doing something good for someone else.  We naturally feel good about ourselves when we are doing a good deed for someone other than ourselves.

Need some ideas on what you can do to help others?  Start with these:

1. Help a family member
2. Donate to a worthy cause
3. Promote a worthy cause
4. Volunteer your time to an organization
5. Make dinner for a friend who could use the help
6. Run errands for someone
7. Give your unwanted items to someone in need
8. Try to lift someone up that is feeling down
9. Help a neighbor
10. Give an unexpected, but needed gift to someone

Doing this seems crazy at first, but it does work.  When you give of yourself to someone else, it just makes you feel good.  It may not get rid of your arthritis pain, but it will help you to put your focus elsewhere.  You will eventually notice that you did not think about how bad you hurt (if only for a little while).  Maybe next time, it will last longer.

If you are thinking that you could not possibly be of any help to anyone, think again.  We all have talents to share and people that we can support, in one way or another, in times of crisis or need.  So just try it out and see how you feel.  You may even find that you want to make this a regular habit to help prevent that “down in the dumps” feeling.

Note:  If you suffer from depression, please seek medical assistance to obtain treatment.  These suggestions are not a treatment for depression.

Are You Listening to Your Body’s Aches & Pains?

I think we frequently ignore our bodies when it is trying to communicate with us.  Because we live in a society that is about do, do, do, we tend to miss the arthritis-related signs our bodies throw out to us. 

For instance, do you ignore the pain that is creeping up because you are doing too much in a particular day?  Or do you tell yourself that you are not tired in hopes of eventually believing it?  Or are you painfully stiff, but still continue what you are doing knowing that you will pay the price later?

I think we just need to reprogram ourselves to pay attention to these symptoms.  You wouldn’t ignore your stomach growling for very long.  This is along the same line of thought and is just as important.

We need to pay attention to our joints or muscular pain, stiffness, fatigue, etc.  It is telling us when enough is enough.  Learn to listen and do something about it first.  Then, you can continue your tasks maybe at a modified pace if that helps you. 

Try listening to those aches and pains.  You will feel better in the end!

Celebrate Your Independence Today!

On this National Independence Day, celebrate your individual independence as well as the history of our nation.

Every little bit of independence is worth celebrating when you suffer from the debilitating effects and pain of arthritis.

If you were able to walk without a mobility aid…Celebrate!  If you were able to get dressed without assistance…Celebrate!  If you were able to make your own meal or go grocery shopping without any assistance, then by all means Celebrate!

Taking a few moments to recognize your improvements, rather than focusing incessantly on your limitations, does wonders for your emotional well-being.  Plus, your strides toward full independence will give you the encouragement you need to continue progressing.

Here’s to your independence!

Do You Struggle with Arthritis Treatment Decisions?

Going to the rheumatologist can be overwhelming sometimes, especially when you are given multiple options for the treatment of your arthritis.  How can you decide what is best?  It is not like the days when aspirin was the standard of care.

Your rheumatologist will, of course, give you his/her professional opinion on which treatments you should pursue. However, it is ultimately up to you to decide if the treatment is best for you and your body.

Here are some tips to help you decide:

1. Make sure you understand your treatment options
2. What are the positive and negative aspects of those treatments? (Do your research)
3. How long before the treatments are expected to work?
4. Will your health insurance cover the treatment?  If not, can you afford the treatment?
5. Are you willing to commit to the treatment?
6. Will the treatment conflict with any other health problems?
7. Are these my only options?

The good news is that you do not need to make a decision immediately.  Making a decision without all of the facts does not do you or anyone else any good.

Ask for a couple of days to think about it.  Go home and take some time to go through the steps.  Do your research. Then, make the decision that is right for you.

One more tip: When deciding between multiple treatment options, you may want to write/type these steps in a more visually-appealing format such as a grid or spreadsheet.  This will help you to compare your options.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

This Arthritis Aquatics Class is More Than Just Exercise!

An arthritis aquatics class is great exercise for stiff and painful joints.  But if you happen to attend the class at Brook Park Recreation Center in Brook Park, Ohio, you most likely receive more than the benefit of exercise.  This group of students and their instructor have formed a bond has friends.  They meet three times a week for aquatics class and once a month for a luncheon.  Isn’t that great?

Most classes just meet for aquatics class.  The Brook Park Recreation Center class may have just stumbled onto something.  What would happen if all classes did this?  Just think…Would you be more likely to attend an arthritis aquatics class if you knew your fellow students and your instructor on a more personal level?  There would probably not be anymore excuses of “I hurt too much today to go to class” or “I don’t need to go to class today, I’ll just go to the next class.” 

Making this connection with other people that know what you are going through is a great incentive to get to class and is a great way to help cope with your arthritis by sharing your experiences with others.  We tend to feel better when we can talk to someone who understands what we are going through.  Becoming friends on top of that is a terrific bonus!

The Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation is so pleased with the class instructor, Shirley Klun, that they gave her an Outstanding Leadership Award.  Kudos to Klun for doing such a great job!

If this sounds like a good idea to you, try to implement it in your local area.  I bet other arthritics will be receptive to meeting periodically outside of class.  Good luck!

Image source: Sun News, Cleveland, Ohio

Try Tai Chi for Arthritis Exercise!

To keep those arthritic joints moving, you may want to try Tai Chi.  Dr. Paul Lam, a practicing physician and Tai Chi master for more than 30 years, has created a program for people with arthritis.  He began using Tai Chi himself to help him with his own arthritis.  Dr. Paul Lam now shares his knowledge of Tai Chi with those who have arthritis so they too can enjoy the benefits.

If you are a beginner to Tai Chi, then try the Tai Chi for Arthritis program - 12 Lessons with Dr. Paul Lam.  It consists of a 2-disc dvd set that is 4 hours in duration.  It provides Tai Chi priniciples and instruction.  The program is easy on the joints and you will feel like you are in his class.

Here is a sample clip of the program:

 

If you have taken the Tai Chi for Arthritis – 12 Lessons with Dr. Paul Lam program and would like more of a challenge, then you may want to try Tai Chi for Arthritis Part II – 6 Lessons with Dr. Paul Lam.  It is a 2-hour sequel that provides 9 new movements.

Here is a sample clip of the program:

If you have difficulty standing, then you may want to try Seated Tai Chi for Arthritis -  6 Lessons with Dr. Paul Lam.  It is a modified form of Tai Chi for Arthritis, but the program is designed to be performed while sitting.  It is 85 minutes in duration.

Here is a sample clip of the program:

There you have it.  There are three options to choose from to help you exercise those arthritic joints with Tai Chi. 

Good luck!

Cimzia Drug Approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Great news for rheumatoid arthritis patients!

UCB announced yesterday, May 14, 2009, that their Cimzia (certolizumab Pegol) drug was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis. 

According to UCB, “Cimzia® is available in an exclusively designed, patient-friendly, prefilled syringe resulting from the UCB partnership with OXO®. The new syringe carries the Arthritis Foundation(TM) Ease-of-Use Commendation.”

If Cimzia sounds familiar to you, it may be because the drug was already approved for the treatment of Crohn’s disease in April 2008.  This recent approval brings hope and another treatment option for patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

See UCB’s press release for more information regarding the FDA approval.

As soon as the FDA approval announcement is released, it will be posted here for you.

Study for New Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug – Tocilizumab!

Hoffmann-La Roche is sponsoring a Phase III clinical trial for the drug, Tocilizumab.  It is for individuals who have moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not had success with current biologic and non-biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). 

The study requires infusions of the drug every four weeks for a total of six infusions.

The size of the study is estimated to be about 750 individuals in 56 different locations.  You must meet certain criteria to be eligible for the clinical trial.

The recruiting for the trial has not started yet.  However, if you are interested in the study, do not wait long. 

Here are some steps to take if you are interested in participating in the study:

1. Check the Tocilizumab clinical trial information to see if you meet the eligibility criteria.
2. Check the list of study locations to determine if it will be conducted in your area.
3. Discuss it with your rheumatologist.
4. Call for more information, if necessary.  Identify study #ML22533 when calling (973)235-5000 or (800)526-6367.

Good luck!

Test Your Knowledge of Osteoarthritis

Whether you have osteoarthritis or know someone who has it, you may benefit from taking a short quiz to test your knowledge about the disease.  This quiz, from MCGHealth.org, consists of eight questions and provides information along the way to improve or refresh your knowledge.

Set aside a few minutes to take the osteoarthritis quiz and see if you learn anything new.  With Arthritis Awareness Month coming up in May, you might just want to share this quiz with your family and friends.  The more awareness we bring to arthritis the better!

Osteoarthritis is just one of the 100 diseases in the arthritis family.  As we come across quizzes for other types of arthritis, we will share them with you.

If you come across an arthritis quiz that you would like to see mentioned, submit it to us at: share@arthriticjoints.com.  We love to hear from our readers!

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