Arthritis -- pain relief, treatment and more

Want to know the secret to lowering your risk of developing arthritis? It's the chronic disease that affects one in six Canadians over age 15, two-thirds of which are women. The answer is pretty simple. Are you ready? Lose weight, says Dr. David Hawkins, vice president of scientific and medical affairs for The Arthritis Society.
Sounds like a relatively easy solution to a complicated problem, doesn't it? And yet, says Dr. Hawkins, “People would sooner take something (a pill) than lose weight. Just give me a capsule and I'll still have my three pizzas a day.” In September -- Arthritis Awareness Month -- 8,250 Canadians will be newly diagnosed with arthritis, the leading cause of disability in the country. 

Dr. Hawkins debunks some myths about arthritis and discusses the development, treatment and prevention of the debilitating disease.

Q: What is arthritis and what causes it?
A: If you look at the spectrum of problems that come with an arthritis diagnosis, there are more than 100 diseases. If you have pain, stiffness or swelling in a joint or in a limb, you might be suspicious of having one of the diseases.

The most common is osteoarthritis, which affects one in 10 adults. It is sometimes called wear and tear arthritis and is basically due to the breakdown of cartilage [tissue that covers and protects the ends of bones]. Most of us will have some form of this by the time we get into our 60s and 70s. If you're carrying a lot of excess weight, you're putting a lot of pressure on your joints. Recurrent injury can also lead to osteoarthritis. If you had a fracture like a broken ankle from skiing for example in 20s, and it didn't heal properly, you could have osteoarthritis 20 to 30 years later.

One in 100 will have rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition affecting the joints. It's an autoimmune disease (meaning your immune system attacks other parts of your body), which affects women three times more than men, and can be quite devastating. It tends to be aggressive, with the degeneration of joints occurring in a short time, whereas osteoarthritis percolates along.

Q: Is arthritis just an elderly disease?
A: No. Arthritis affects everyone. There is neonatal arthritis, in which a mother transmits it to the fetus through the bloodstream, but we start to see it at one year of age. And with increasing longevity, we're seeing cumulative effects.

Q: How can we lower the risk of developing arthritis?
A: There is a substantial lag between what affects the joints and the onset of symptoms with osteoarthritis. At 20, a young athlete probably isn't thinking about how his or her knees will feel in 20 years.

There is an epidemic of obesity. It's the hips and knees that bear the pressure of being overweight. If people don't adopt a better lifestyle, there will be more degenerative joint disease, coming earlier on. (If you're overweight,) lose weight, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and do moderate exercise, like walking, biking or swimming. Avoid high-impact activities like basketball.

Click to continue...

Page 1 of 2

Q: Is there a link between arthritic symptoms and a woman's menstrual cycle?
A: Not really. I think a lot of women feel worse premenstrually. It's a bit like the weather; some patients will have more symptoms when it's cold and wet. I think changes in the menstrual cycle would have the same affect.

Q: Is there a link between caffeine and arthritis?
A: No. The big issue is being overweight. There hasn't been very much association between any nutrient and foodstuff. There's usually a food du jour that people are pointing a finger at. We figure everyone is getting a basic nutrition.

Q: What can I do to alleviate the pain associated with arthritis?
A: If it feels good, do it. If you apply heat and if feels better or if you apply cool and it feels better, then do it. As long as it isn't going to do any harm, do it. People learn what works for them; they'll walk half a mile and feel good instead of a mile and a half and feel terrible, they'll play one set of tennis instead of two, they'll take a hot shower first thing in the morning. There are also arthritis-friendly gadgets to help with everyday activities like opening cans.
Q: Are there any promising studies being done?
A: I wouldn't be surprised if a link between an environmental factor and a genetic factor is proven. For example, 100 people go to the Caribbean or Mexico and get diarrhea. Five of them will later develop reactive arthritis. Why only these five? There must be some sort of microorganism that triggers a genetic marker. We think this (environmental-genetic) link would hold true for many of the autoimmune diseases. There are a lot of studies being done on therapeutics while waiting for the ultimate vaccine. Drugs are being tailor-made for those who don't react to standard medications and they're very good. These patients are doing quite well.

For more information, visit The Arthritis Society's website.

Check out 10 arthritis-friendly tools

Page 2 of 2