What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid athritis - A chronic disease where the lining of your joints become inflamed. This can lead to joint damage which can lead to loss of movement and pain.

It progresses in 3 stages:

1. The lining of your joints start to swell and become inflamed. This may cause your joints to feel warm and stiff, causing pain and redness around the joint.

2. The lining (synovium) starts to thicken.
3. The inflamed cells begin to release enzymes which attack your bone and cartilage. This causes the joint to lose its shape and alignment, which causes more pain and loss of movement.

What causes rheumatoid arthritis?

Unfortunately, its cause is unknown. Some believe it's genetically inherited. Some experts believe some type of 'trigger' sets off the immune system to attack the body resulting in inflammation. These 'triggers' could be a germ or even an environmental cause. No one knows for sure.

One theory is there's too much of a certain fatty acid in the diet that may promote an inflammatory environment.

One fatty acid that contributes to inflammation is Arachidonic acid. Eating a diet high in animal fats may lead to higher levels of arachidonic acid in your body. Experts believe that this can lead to a greater risk for inflammatory-type diseases in your body.

How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?

Some doctors will prescribe NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to combat the inflammation.

Some of these drugs can cause stomach ulcers. They reduce production of substances that protect the lining of your stomach. Your stomach acid erodes the lining of your stomach and causes ulcers and bleeding. Unfortunately, this is a common side effect of taking NSAIDs.

Some examples of NSAIDs used to relief joint inflammation and pain are:

• Aspirin
• Naproxen
• Ibuprofen

In combination with NSAIDs, doctors may prescribe drugs to help stop damage to the joint and surrounding tissues. These drugs are called Disease-modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs or DMARDs, for short. They're usually taken for long-term management of the disease.

Fish oils' anti-inflammatory powers may be just what you need for arthritis. Find out how everyday people are using fish oils to reduce joint pain and improve their range of motion.