| Palindromic Rheumatoid Arthritis Research Information and Support group. | |||||||
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METHODS USED TO CONTROL THE SYMPTOMS
| LISTED BELOW ARE SOME OF THE METHODS USED TO CONTROL THE SYMPTOMS OF
PRA (in no particular order) |
| First of all you have to realise, and accept, it is difficult to
treat Palindromic Rheumatoid Arthritis (PRA). One of the main reasons is
attributed to the transient nature of the episodes of pain and attack.
Even the anti-inflammatory medicines may not be very effective. In all
these cases, the treatment is symptomatic. As such, they do not address
the root cause of Palindromic Rheumatoid Arthritis (PRA). More research
is now being conducted for this special form of rheumatoid arthritis
disease. Hopefully, with more light shed on this disease, there can be a
cure some day. |
| DIET AND NATURAL REMEDIES Diet and Natural remedies are personal choices that can be taken to improve health and wellbeing. This can be done by creating a balance in your life by nurturing your whole person, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. This is called Holistic or "wholistic" healing. |
| NATURAL THERAPY Complementary and Alternative Medicine is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products. The list of what is considered to be CAM changes continually, as those therapies that are proven to be safe and effective become adopted into conventional health care, and as new approaches to health care emerge. Natural healing is based on the understanding that our bodies are capable of incredible healing and self repair "when the circumstances are right" |
| AP THERAPY (antibiotic therapy) Antibiotic therapy is based on the theory that inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, polymyositis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc. have an infectious cause such as mycoplasma and other bacterial L forms. Significant evidence supporting this theory has been published in medical literature for decades. The use of low dose antibiotics, particularly from the tetracycline or macrolide families, attack the disease process at its source, namely the infectious agent. In contrast to the treatment of ordinary, acute bacterial infections with faster growing bacteria, the bacterial forms which trigger the chronic infectious disease processes are much slower growing organisms; thus, the antibiotic protocols prescribed for treating the rheumatoid diseases are based on the use of long-term, low-dose antibiotics, usually given only three days per week - sometimes more frequently. |
| TRADITIONAL MEDICATION Most people who have rheumatoid arthritis take medications. Some drugs are used for only pain relief. Other drugs are used to reduce inflammation. Other medications, called disease-modifying antiheumatic drugs (DMARDs), are used to try to slow the course of the disease. For many years, doctors initially prescribed aspirin or other pain-relieving drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, as well as rest and physical therapy. They usually prescribed more powerful drugs later only if the disease worsened. |
| Today, however, many doctors have changed their approach, especially for patients with severe, rapidly progressing rheumatoid arthritis. Studies show that early treatment with more powerful drugs, and the use of drug combinations instead of one mediation alone, may be more effective in reducing or preventing joint damage. Once the disease improves or is in remission the doctor may gradually reduce the dosage or prescribe a milder medication ’treatment’ option. Since individual response to drugs can vary and because potential side effects and adverse reactions are also a factor, finding the most effective combination of arthritis drugs can be a more difficult process than one would expect. Patients should become knowledgeable about the various arthritis drugs so they can make decisions with their doctor. |