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• A disease that mainly affects children under five years of age is called Kawasaki syndrome. This is an infectious disease that may cause similar symptoms of arthritis in children. Along with the arthritis symptoms they may have conjunctivitis; fever; a red rash on their body; swollen, red tongue; and/or purplish-red discoloration and swelling of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It is unknown what the causes of this disease are. Unfortunately some of the children suffer permanent heart damage, but a larger number do recover.
• A new drug currently used to treat rheumatoid arthritis is called Etanercept (Enbrel). It seems to block the infection-fighting protein ( the tumor necrosis factor), associated to inflammation. Immunex, based in Seattle, manufactures Etanercept and has added a warning to the label notifying physician of the possibility of serious infections and even several deaths attributed to the use of this drug.
• Acetaminophen (Tylenol, Datril, etc) may be able to relieve the pain of osteoarthritis as well as ibuprofen. Acetaminophen when taken in recommended doses only is fairly safe and cheap. This drug has been known to cause liver damage when taken in excessive doses or along with alcohol. Use of drugs is not always the answer, some patients using drugs obtain very little relief.
• Almost half of the women patients that were found to have symptoms of unexplained arthritis, chlamydia was discovered in their joints. Chlamydia is an organism responsible for most cases of urethritis and a known link to arthritis that affects young women. Seventy-five percent of these patients had raised levels of antibodies to chlamydia in their blood.
• An autoimmune disease that often acts like arthritis is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). For some unknown reason, the body makes antibodies that fight against its own tissues. Another disease that can cause symptoms similar to arthritis is ulcerative colitis. These symptoms usually occur it the diseases early stages. Due to this happening before the abdominal symptoms show up, it has led to wrong diagnosis which then delay proper treatment.
• Cartilage in the joints can dissolve, if the blood is to acidic. When this happens the joints will lose their smooth sliding motion, the bones will rub together, and the joints be painful and inflamed.
• Dr. David Pisetsky of the National Arthritis Foundation performed a laboratory study, and found that by injecting a protein called anti-TGF-B, painful joint inflammation in 75 percent of the patients disappeared. The discovery was then that this protein kills TGF-B, which is a chemical that the body produces in answer to infection causing inflammation and swelling in hands and feet.
• Due to a study done by Charles Dinarello, M.D.., of Tufts University School of Medicine, it was determined that patients consuming deep-sea fish, relieved many of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. It is believed this was possible because of these deep sea fish are rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
• Evening primrose oil and borage seed oil contain Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). It is believed that GLA suppresses production of prostaglandins that trigger inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and might even ease their symptoms.
• Health food stores carry Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a byproduct of wood processing, liquid that when applied topically to affected areas reduces pain, swelling and promotes healing. Usually as soon as the DMSO touches your skin a garlicky body odor and taste in your mouth appear. This is temporary and not a problem. Commercial-grade DMSO found in hardware stores is not to be used for healing purposes.
• Honeybee venom has been used to treat arthritis pain and swelling and in some cases has been beneficial. Bee venom is known as an immune system stimulant and has strong anti-inflammatory properties. In some cases the physicians actually place the bees at the affected site and allow the bee to inject the venom and in others the physician uses a hypodermic needle to inject the venom. This venom has been found beneficial to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, may take longer to work when used for rheumatoid arthritis. A Cream by the name of Bee Venom Balm is available from Aerobic Life Industries. Persons allergic to bees should not use this product. More information on this subject can be found from the American Apitherapy Society.
• It has been known for many years now that high-heeled shoes place greater compressive pressure on the knees that may in later years lead to arthritis in the knees. Chiropractors and osteopaths are even advising women of this fact.
• Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia researchers have discovered a likely genetic factor of osteoarthritis. They found that some patients have a defect in the gene that directs cartilage cells to make collagen, which is an important protein in connective tissue. Because of this defect, collagen in each of these cell joints is more apt to wear down and deprive the bones of their protective cushion.
• Lyme disease causes many of the same symptoms as arthritis.
• Many studies have been done on patients that have rheumatoid arthritis and it was found that by taking large doses of fish oil supplements (2.5 to 5 grams a day) with their meals, they had fewer tender and swollen joint problems and less morning stiffness. It is believed that this is due to the Omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fish suppress the immune system reaction that causes joint inflammation. A few of the patients were even able to totally discontinue using anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Patients that take the drug Diclofenac sodium (Voltaren) should be monitored very closely as this drug can cause severe liver problems. When prescribed by a physician a blood liver enzyme test should be done within eight weeks of the start of treatment. Drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) and gold compound (Ridaura) may be prescribed for some forms of arthritis.
• Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were studied and it was determined that these patients had lower blood levels of folic acid, protein and zinc than their healthy counterparts. It was therefore concluded that medications prescribed for arthritis brought about biochemical changes in the patients bodies. The researchers came to the conclusion that because of this change, certain nutrients had to be increased.
• Presently studies are being done on ointments containing the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine. This drug is currently being used on transplant patients to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. It is thought that cyclosporine may be beneficial in treating a variety of autoimmune diseases, which includes rheumatoid arthritis. Cyclosporine taken orally has been found to have severe side effects, such as kidney damage and diminished resistance to infections. Using this drug in the ointment form reduces these side effects.
• The drug celecoxib (Celebrex) is often prescribed for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis due to it's anti-inflammatory properties. Celecoxib works by blocking the enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Cox-2 inhibitors relieve inflammation without the side effects caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDS).
• The following drugs are prescribed for arthritis pain, but can have severe side effects: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Nuprin, and many other products contain them), indomethacin (Indocin), and piroxicam (Feldene). At least One in one-hundred individuals who use NSAIDs regularly develop stomach ulcers and have even experienced gastrointestinal bleeding. The FDA estimated that gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in about 200,000 cases, and this included 10,000 to 20,000 deaths each year in the United States due to NSAIDS that were prescribed for arthritis. Another side effect of these drugs has been kidney and/or liver damage. The Annals of Internal Medicine stated that using NSAIDS may lead to severe health problems if you have any kidney dysfunctions.
• The following drugs have been prescribed in place of NSAIDs as they do not have as big a problem with ulcers: Misoprostol (Cytotec), the ulcer drugs ranitidine (Zantac), and sucralfate (Carafate). These drugs also have some side effects and can as much as double the cost of treatment. The ulcer drug sucralfate (Carafate) can be prescribed for some patients as it may give the same relief as aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs and not cause damage to the stomach lining.
• The University of California Davis performed a study on forty-six women with silicone gel breast implants and other silicone prostheses. Sixteen of these women were found to have antibodies that attacked collagen, and in another group of forty-five women without implants, only four had the antibodies. The arthritis symptoms actually disappeared in a few of the women after removal of the breast implants. Unfortunately, this was not true in all of the cases.
• Two formulas that can be ordered directly from the manufacturers are Mobility from Parametric Associates and Cosamin from Nutramax Laboratories. These two formulas have been found to be beneficial in treating joints and ligaments. At this time health food stores do not carry these formulas.
• You can obtain more information on these subjects from the Arthritis Foundation.

• Be sure to include fiber in your diet.
• Check allergies
• Do not take foods that contain solanine.
• Do not use salt if you take ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Eat rice, wheat, and rye for the amino acid histidine.
• Exercise regularly.
• Going outside for some fresh air is food for bone formation.
• In your diet you need to reduce the fat and avoid milk, dairy product, and red meat. Also you do not want to consume caffeine, citrus fruits, paprika, salt, tobacco, and anything that has sugar in it.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Make sure to include more sulfur foods in your diet.
• Only receive your iron through food. Do not take iron supplements.
• Take a hair analysis for metal intoxication.
• To aid the repair of tissue take a free-form amino acid.
• To ease stiffness take a hot bath or shower.
• To reduce inflammation eat pineapple.