After careful consideration and many years of arthritis problems I was wondering what others think of the proceedure for reaching a diagnosis . I feel not all things are approached considering the fact that a correct diagnosis is important as even with arthritis there are many different types requiring different treatment but most initial consideration is given to severity of the problem not necessarily which type . Plus of course joint pain can be from other problems and the word arthritis merely means inflammation of the joint. Does anyone know of anything that reduces inflammation therefore reducing the pain most people feel? Shouldn't your whole body be considered not just one joint at a time ? what do you think. Ongoing inflammation usually leads to damage of the organ it is present in ,so surely research should concentrate on how to control body inflammation and why some people have no control over it ending up with varied illness due to it.
Arthritis examinations: After careful... - Arthritis Action
Arthritis examinations
I used to be a trustee of Arthritis Care and they reckoned forty nine out of fifty people would get arthritis of some form in their life. Around twenty five per cent of drugs that are prescribed are for arthritis. These should help the pain. I go swimming which is good as it gives you exercise and supports your weight. I would recommend it.
I used to be a swimmer in my younger days but would need a companion now as I am not too steady on my feet.
Are you able to use a hydrotherapy pool? If I won the lottery I would set up a charity for hydrotherapy pools to be available everywhere.
One things to consider is the different types of arthritis. There is inflammatory arthritis and then there's degenerative arthritis. Samples of degenerate arthritis would be osteoarthritis which is simply damage to the joint typically due to age or wear and tear. Whereas inflammatory arthritis would be rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis which is due to inflammation. If you have an inflammatory arthritis then certainly something like steroids would be a benefit as it reduces inflammation in your body. If you feel you have multiple joints that have arthritis and your inflammation markers are high that I would suggest considering that you may actually have another rheumatoid disease called polymyalgia rheumatica.
Thank you Amkoffee, I have been diagnosed with osteo since I was in my thirties, also gout more recently, have multi joint difficulties, recently had a total knee replacement , have attended a RA group in my younger days, and do have swollen wrists that are red sometimes. So it does not mean simply I have an old persons arthritis or that you only have one type. What I feel is lacking is the means to diagnose correctly. I have raised uric acid levels too which can be caused by gouty arthritis . How is inflammatory arthritis decided and xrays alone cannot define between gouty or osteo. Gout can only be defined by checking joint fluid for crystals or bloods for uric acid levels. Lupus requires blood tests too but is only done if you have other symptoms . Joint pains can also be the sign of other illness. I think a more thorough test and check should be done if you have doubtful symptoms. I have suffered in pain for many years which might have been inflammatory and could have been improved by steroid treatment or long term gout pills. Polymyalgia Rheumatica could be the cause as you say , some symptoms do seem more inflammatory. Gout can be herditory or tablet induced as can raised blood pressure. Its too late for me now but my daughter has the same symptoms and just pays for help as she has no diagnoses. Thought if I could find an answer there might be help for her or my grandchildren.
You are absolutely right that you can have more then 1 type of arthritis. I too have OA in several joints but I also have polymyalgia rheumatica which is an inflammation problem but not exactly a type of arthritis. I've been tested for RA and don't have it. I've only heard of gout and know nothing about it, except I've heard it's quite painful. I know that inflammatory arthrist such as RA can effect you at any age. The blood test is only accurate about 25% of the time according to my rheumatologist so an MRI can be used to look at the joints for inflammation caused by RA. If your daughter has RA she should get treated ASAP to avoid joint damage.
Her doctor does not know about her arthritis I don't think so I will have to get her to think about chasing it up. As she is epilectic all is consentrated on that, the arthritis is minor in comparison. Thank you for reply.
I definitely agree the diagnostic process should be better, I had to have blood tests every week and those were still "just possible indicators" I was told. Maybe scientists just have not found what exactly to look for or its financially not so lucrative to do so 
For me the regular RA drugs did not work. Only Prednisolone worked for inflamation and pain.
In terms of controlling the onset of pain, (again for me) it was a case of managing stress and avoiding certain foods.
Over the course of a year I got to know what to eat and what triggers a flare and only introduce new foods very cautiously.
Sugar, gluten and cows milk are the worst triggers, also aubergines and tin tomatoes.
What works are things like organic cabbage, kale, carrots, lemons (with skin in smoothies), celery, oranges, lean meat, pure grape juice, apple cider vinegar, manuka honey over 500MGO the list is long for not so tasty lol 
but "cause no pain foods" established via trial and error.
Most days are good, but a small slip up, cream, cake/biscuit or pastry...and down with a flare. Else 5mg Prednisolone a day is sufficient to keep in check.
Hello Rubina786, it is difficult . If I woke up without pain I would find it strange, but its not the pain so much as all the other feelings, of course I get inflamed airways too or allergic to items. One loses hope when everything you try causes problems, with the drug allergies it would maybe be some help if there were drugs that bypass the digestion, like patches or long acting injections. Naproxen is available as a suppository , not an ideal solution but helps for some who have allergies. Its such a long process to work out all the foods too as you say. I find herbal tea is another option to tea with milk. How are you faring with the heat its really made my lung condition much worse never been this bad for a long time. Also it would help if Drs concentrated on the patients symptoms and what disease it might be rather than concentrating on trying to drum up the cheapest illness to treat, or a no abnormalty found, or a diagnosis that does not fit the symptoms . Some symptoms can be elleviated if we find the cause. But true stress can play a big part in management of illness and so can anger at those not listening to the real facts. I know there are no magic cures and we the patient can get the best by managing our own illness but practice shows we do need support if only agreement on occassions that we have a long term chronic illness that can be very debilitating when in flare up. Diagnosis is still the most important part of a doctors contract with the patient not details of how well the patient copes.
Actually I rarely ever consult doctors now. Its been msny years since working out what foods to eats and what not to, and still ongoing. Losing hope is not an option cause I have no one else. Before it was trial and error, but recently I started understanding more about the body by watching Dr Eric Bergs videos on YouTube and a lot of them coincided with my findings (tests/experiences). So am not on the Keto diet which he recommends but I do use his knowledge to work out what to try for my conditions.
Intermittent fasting certainly works for me a treat. (Skipping breakfast and eating a light meal at 2 or 3pm.) Or even some long fasts as I am used to it due to my religion.
Smoothies with celery, organic unwaxed lemons (with the peel), fresh tumeric, pepper and orange juice, ginger, bit of honey every day...works
Dark chocolate (high cocoa) was well received too lol!
I can only have goats milk but cows milk makes me very sick.
He gives many natural remedies which I like.
I saw his bloating videos and there were lots of different readons, mine turned out to be eating too many salads, realised I could not digest and possibly a fatty liver!
Pain killers were the worst for my stomach too, I don't have any now! Only 5 to 10mg preds to prevent pain. So it stays at 1 or 2 out of 10 a day max.
I take pictures of everything I eat so I know the next day what might have caused , (or got rid of) the pain.
You know, thinking about it, even if doctors did diagnose quickly and accurately, the fact remains that all drugs have side effects so we would not be better off either way.
The answer is in listening to your body, knowing what foods contain, finding out how they effect our blood, organs etc and adjusting according. No small task!
We have too many non natural stuff in our bodies since birth and too many contaminants in the air, GM food, water and meds! So have to detox first and live off only real pure foods where possible. Started growing my own micro greens...its not easy but worth a shot for fresh stuff everyday.
Some day we will have that gem of a natural cure for all our ailments!
...like garlic to lower my blood pressure.. can skip an Irbesatan 150 most nights.
Takes consistency and perseverance to get off dangerous drugs safely and gradually. But having got from 11 to 3.5 I am much better than I was 6 years ago. Do all my DIY myself and on 3 online language courses...from not being able to get out of bed, or concentrate for more than 5 mins, to this...so there is hope and I am going to be 67 this year.
Keep at it, it can be done. You have to take control, research and keep trying. Am sure there are others like Dr. Eric Berg, but so far his advice seems the most logical.
Hang in there and stay happy. I watch animal videos and farmstead type stuff that de-stresses me :). Ever little bit helps!
A laugh a day, keeps the doctors away! Lol.
Hi again rubina786, I have read all your post picking out a couple of ones I have used. The lemon in your smoothie helps process the fat in our body quickly, ginger is good for several different ailments and can be put into many foods . Sadly I am not keen on celery even though it is good for me. Always used to take garlic capsules when hubby was alive , but lapsed on that one. Yes there is hope I am a little older than you and once could hardly move in my thirties, and more recently following my knee op and the virus have become less mobile again. But know it can be overcome. You are so right most drugs have side effects its about finding ones that work with the minimum of side effects , unfortunately our GPs do not have the time to try different ones. I have had numerous ones even the taboo naproxen for pain . I get some quite horrendous reactions but realise it is the drugs so am able to tell the doctor. I can usually tolerate for about three weeks then they upset the equlibrium. Even my pain killers cause upset stomach if I do not keep them to a minimum. But as you say a laugh a day keeps the docter at bay, an apple would if I could bite it got round that one I can manage to chop with my special knife
😀 have a good day, plenty of water in this hot weather don't envy those at work like my daughter and other family. Will keep researching for new options.
Wishing you the best, I often try things that others suggest here, you never know, one may be the "gem" that does it :). Am testing milk thistle currently!
Milk thistle is supposed to keep the liver in trim so as the liver processes a lot of things including tablets got to be a good thing to try I would think.
I have written this many times, but I’ll do it again. Changing from spreads and sunflower oil to butter and olive oil healed my painful finger joints. Lately I have increased vitamin D both by sunbathing (20 min only) and supplements of D and K2.
I am also learning about the gut micro biome and fermented foods. Eating very little processed food and cutting back on sugar is something I also do.
Exercise is also very important. Keeping the muscles around the joints strong.
Every little helps.
Thats right there are alsorts of little changes that can help pain including exercise to strengthen muscles , one step at a time is the idea, but to manage general pain it takes a lot of little steps and different approaches. Its a known factor that vitamin D can help bone strength and relieve pain in some people, just like sunshine lifts depression. So thank you for your input too every little helps as the Tesco logo says but there is no simple one treatment suits all is there either. ?
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