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Here’s More Data That Suggests We Shouldn’t Use Opioids to Treat Osteoarthritis Pain
Surprisingly, stronger opioids were the worst at relieving pain in a new multi-study analysis. Despite concerns about safety and addiction, lots of people with osteoarthritis (OA) take opioids to address their chronic pain. A recent study in Sweden, for example, revealed that one in four patients with OA had been prescribed an opioid in the previous year — despite the fact that the drugs aren’t on the list of recommended treatments except in extreme circumstances or after surgery. Opioid medications work by attaching to opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord and reducing the pain messages that are sent to the brain. With lots of people with many different…
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The Arthritis Symptoms That Matter to Patients May Not Always Be the Ones They Discuss with Their Doctor
One of the main reasons people with arthritis visit the rheumatologist frequently — every three months is common among patients with inflammatory arthritis — is for doctors and patients to assess how arthritis patients are managing their disease. Typical check-ins may include a doctor’s physical exam and assessment as well as reviewing the results of blood tests and imaging tests. What’s also critical at these visits is something arthritis researchers and doctors call PROs, or patient-reported outcomes. PROs are a patient’s own assessments of how arthritis affects daily tasks — including how you rank or define the difficulty of simple activities like getting in and out of your car or…
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8 Ways To Control Your Itchy Fibromyalgia Rash
Fibro-Rash! Is this really a thing you ask? Yes, apparently it is a thing. If you have trouble with any kind of rash all over your body and you have Fibromyalgia, you could also have Fibro-Rash. I just visited my dermatologist because my rheumatologist wanted me to rule out psoriatic arthritis. I have had itchy skin for many years and just thought it was my dry skin. It turns out that it is really folliculitis, an inflammation of the hair follicles brought on by Fibro -and I do not have psoriasis-whew! My doctor said that there are ways to ease the symptoms but the only way to really control it,…
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What is the Link Between Psoriasis vs. Lupus?
By: Researcher Taymur Understanding Psoriasis vs. Lupus Lupus and psoriasis are chronic conditions with some major similarities and differences. Of example, psoriasis is significantly higher than lupus. Worldwide, psoriasis affects about 125 million people, and some form of lupus affects about 5 million people worldwide. Understanding Immune System Role The body will make antibodies when you have a healthy immune system, and you are injured or sick. Antibodies are strong proteins that help you to cure. The antibodies are targeted against germs, bacteria, viruses and other alien agents. Therefore if you have an auto-immune disease, for example lupus or psoriasis, the body produces auto-antibodies will attack healthy tissue mistakenly. Autoantibodies…
