RA and sunshine

[Ozzy]

Just looking at the BBC news website and on the health page is an artical about RA and sunshine. It says that sunshine may reduce the risk of RA. I am quite happy for the NHS to send me to somewhere sunny to see if it helps

[Hidden]

This sounds good! If we all sign up they might charter a plane for all of us?

[sylvi]

I wonder if all of us with ra leaves the country there would be no one to run the country.xx

[shirlthegirl]

Yes!! How wonderful that sounds xx

[Hidden]

im off to zante in may can nhs pay for me rather than raid my savings got a deal x and asked for assisted priotity boarding

[Hidden]

Well I'll write to my MP and ask for more sunshine or no votes. No use writing to my Member of Scottish Parliament because he'll try and tell me that the sun always shines up here. Mind you it's shining here now and has been all day but I'm in bed with a sore throat and temperature so can't even find a window to bask in. And tonight it's Northerly gales and snow But ocean waves - if they could help I can offer them to you all. Apparently one was recorded a mile away that was 17.5 metres yesterday - same as the injection of MTX I'm about to take x

[helixhelix]

In my experience most MPs seem to think that the sun shines out of certain parts of their anatomy, so no wonder they think it shines all the time! I can offer big wet slushy snowflakes. Px

[Hidden]

every time the need for sun / vitamin D is mentioned I start scraping my hair back into an Essex facelift & walking around with my face upturned to catch any dismal rays that might break through the cloud cover. At this rate my vit D levels might improve an iota but am also likely to break a leg.

[Hidden]

There was a similar article in the Daily Express today but it said anyone with Arthritis rather than mentioning any specifics, as I said to my hubby if that was the case, then my mum would not be riddled with it, she has Osteoarthritis, and is a sun worshipper and has been all her life. I have decided to take a lot of what they say now with a pinch of salt, I just don't think they know what to come up with next for people like us.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I'd be interesting to know how rates of inflammatory arthritis in temperate zones compare with those in sunnier climes. I know that a similar discussion re. MS has trundled on for ages seeing as its incidence is considerably higher in the Western hemisphere than elsewhere.

[riccarton]

I was born in New Zealand and lived there until I was 28. Still diagnosed with RA at 12.

In the sixties and seventies I was a sun bunny and it is catching up with me now. Am about to have the third lot of skin cancer removed from my face.

[knobblyknees]

I am lucky enough to get to the sun for the most of the last 6 years winters. my husband used to say I was running around like a 2 year old in the first couple of years, although I couldnt see it myself. Recently im generally worse for wear and the difference is the heat gets right through you and you can relax, whereas, with the cold in UK you dont actually get warmed through untill the evening when the fire and heating has had a chance to warm the whole house or when wrapped in your duvet in the mornings. When we're cold we tense up and that makes matters worse for the old aches. In the heat we relax more and of course we dont have to fight with getting all those clothes on. Just a slip on dress a pair of nicks and some flip flops, done, brilliant.

[Caza]

I'm often in Tenerife & I feel so much better there. I think the cold & damp get into your joints which makes the pain worse.??x

[Sunflower62 in reply to Caza]

Yes it does we spend a lot of time in GC and I am so much better there

[DebbieLovex]

I was only diagnosed with RA last June and funny enough went to Zante on holiday at the end of June! was pain free during the week I was there in the 40 odd degree heat, and then the dreaded day I left Greece and got on the plane back to Glasgow! surprise, surprise it was pouring down with rain and the agonizing pain kicked in! so yeah I do believe there is some truth in these studies.

[Josie2]

I believe it too as every year ive been away since ra ive been fantastic in the heat, like a new woman lol!

[sammiebabe70]

Ive been told i have RA yet in the sunlight my feet and ankles swell up so bad. mt feet get very hot like a burning feeling and very itchy. All my symptoms relate with Lupus and RA.

[Victoria-NRAS Partner Moderator NRAS]

Hi Ozzy

Thank you for making people aware of this. I hadn't seen this research and it is really interesting. Always good to hear about some of the research being done in RA, as I think sometimes we think that the research is all around new treatments, but the more they can understand about why people develop the disease the better the chance of a cure one day. If anyone wanted to read the BBC news piece on this, here is the link:

bbc.co.uk/news/health-21320858

We've also looked up a summary of the study, which you can read here:

ard.bmj.com/content/early/2...

Kind regards

Victoria

(NRAS Helpline)

[Sunflower62]

My RA consultant often says best thing is for you to get some sunshine sorry you have to pay yourself but it does help me so so much