Home Community Newsletter Vol 3 Issue 70

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 3 Issue 71 August 12, 2001

---------------------------------
Welcome to the 71st issue of the Arthritis Insight Newsletter. All back issues will be posted at community/newsletter/
Feel free to pass this newsletter around to others who may be interested.

---------------------------------
The information in this newsletter should not take the place of advice and guidance from your own health-care providers. Material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes only. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes in your treatment plan. Information presented here is the opinion of the authors and has not necessarily been approved or endorsed by the medical advisors.

---------------------------------
Notes From Tina
(tina@arthritisinsight.com)
Tina Underwood aka KrissyJo

Well, this week has certainly been better than last! I am a year older than I was last week and I have a gorgeous new nephew. Samuel John Borrell was born August 15th at 12:47 pm. Weighing in at a tiny 5lbs 2oz. Both mother and baby are doing great! Sammys virtual photo album is at http://fadedjeans.com/special/sammy.html if youd like to take a peek!

As promised, our Featured Discussion will be returning in September. Our first two topics will be Arthritis & Sex and Arthritis & Hobbies. If youd like to write an article or submit a link about either topic, please do! The articles can be of a personal or more general nature. Please send them to me at tina@arthritisinsight.com

Before I close, Id like to wish the best of luck to my friend Anne, who is having surgery this afternoon to remove part of her lung due to cancer. Good luck Anne! Youre going to do great!

---------------------------------
Ron's Ramblin's
(ron@arthritisinsight.com)
Ron Griffin aka IndyRon

Hi gang. The past few days have reminded me just how much I hate moving.

It is not the physical move itself that is so bad, but rather the agonizing over what to keep and what to throw away. I admit it, I have always been a pack rat. always afraid that if I get rid of something today that I will need it tomorrow. I guess there is no way to really win that game. But this time, I have promised myself that I will take my time and sort before I move, that way I will not move any unnecessary items. Today, I sat and agonized over whether to keep several items or to donate them to a worthy cause. Well, needless to say, I lost the battle and they got packed for the move.

But then I did promise myself that tomorrow I would throw away or give away twice as much........

Til next week,

(((((((((HUGS TO ALL))))))))))))

~indy
---------------------------------
Your Weekly Giggle

TRIP TO THE DOCTOR'S

An old man walked into a crowded doctor's office. As he approached the desk, the receptionist asked, "Yes sir, may we help you?"

"There's something wrong with my penis," he replied.

Flustered, the receptionist said, "You shouldn't come into a crowded office and say things like that."

"Why not? You asked me what was wrong and I told you." He said.

"Because" replies the receptionist. "You've obviously caused some embarrassment in this room full of strangers. You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something and discussed the problem further with the doctor in private".

The man walked out, waited several minutes and re-entered. The receptionist smiled smugly and asked, "Yes?"

"There's something wrong with my ear," he stated.

The receptionist nodded approvingly. "And what is wrong with your ear, sir?"

"I can't pee out of it!" the man replied.

Check out all the jokes at:
http://www.arthritisinsight.com
Send yours in today!

---------------------------------
Tina's Tips

Arthritis can affect your ability to do even the simplest of tasks. I've heard some people say, "Accept your limitations." I'm not sure accepting them is the way to go. I prefer to challenge those limitations, work around them, finding alternate ways of achieving the same goal. Every week I'll share some tips I've found to work around those annoying limitations and I hope all of you will send in your tips too. We may not be the next Martha Stewart, but sometimes the simplest things can help so much.

Anyone who sends me five new (never published on AI) tips and includes their mailing address with get an Arthritis Insight easy grip pen!

This pet care is from MN:

Get self water and feeding dishes to cut time in half and a self clening litter box if you can afford it and if not get clump litter so you can remove dirt and keep adding fresh as needed

And these are from Susan:

Pump Hair spray bottles my be difficult to handle, especially when your fingers hurt...I have found that I water bottle with a trigger handle is easier to spray and even provides a better mist.

I found a simple gardening glove with the little rubber grippers in the palms are a great tool in the kitchen, I use them to open jars and bottles and also to hold the handle of a pot while I am stirring.

Check out more tips at living/tips.html and send in yours today to Tina@arthritisinsight.com

---------------------------------
What's New?

Question of the Week:
What do you do when you get depressed? What gets you out of the depression?
community/question

Advice for Better Living
I would like to hear from anyone how to cope with the Sjogrens part of my RA? What should I do or take for it and not do? Also I am waiting to be put on Enbrele and wonder what the experience of others has been with it? On my mind has been a recent family reunion and the odd reactions to my illness by some close relatives, any input? I was diagnosed early this year so have many questions! Thank You, Della
living/advice

Fun Links
A blast from the past. Those great old TV shows.
fun/links.html

Cooking with Char!
Mm Mm Good! Ya gotta love mama Char's recipes! Updated with her most recent tasty treats.
living/cooking/char/index.html

Fight the Fatigue
Lila shares her fatigue busting secret.
living/fatigue

Ask the Webrarian
Costochondritis anyone?
resources/webrarian

Photo Album
Tina's new nephew is finally here - and boy, oh boy, is he a cutie!
community/photo/page51.html

Speak Out!
Tina speaks out about STRESS!!!
community/speak/index.html

Arthritis Warrior
A new nominee! Isnt time to nominate the Warrior in your life?
warrior/

Expert Advice
I am considering beginning remicade treatments for rheumatoid arthritis. Is one of the side effects hair loss? I took Arava for awhile and had terrible hair loss until it finally got out of my system. I have been on methotrexate for nearly 15 years with good results, but still have had joint damage and defomities. I am a little frightened of the remicade since I had a bad experience with embrel (infections and extreme site injection reactions). Thanks for any information.
Answers to this and more:
medical/advice

Chat Transcripts
The transcript from Monday night's chat with Legal Aid Lawyer Karen Choate has been posted.

community/chat/transcript.html

Member Stories
Ginlyn shares her story and Luanne updates hers. Amanda starts an Adventure Journal and KJ updates the Arava Journal
community/stories

Arthritis News
FDA updates Remicade prescribing info.
news/arthritis.html

Jokes
I'll bet you'll find something to make you "LOL" in the joke section!
fun/jokes

What do you want to see on Arthritis Insight or in the Newsletter? Let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate!

Coming Soon:
Author Thomas Lee, PhD SPEAKS OUT on stem cell research.

---------------------------------
Arthritis Insight Chat community/chat

Karen Choate, Legal Aid Lawyer, gave us lots of information during Monday nights chat. The transcript has been posted at: community/chat/transcript.html

We are working on the Fall chat schedule, if you have any topic suggestions, please let us know!

For the complete schedule see: community/chat/schedule.html

---------------------------------
Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello everyone! Wasnt sure if I was going to be able to submit a column this week or not. Developed some serious computer problems over the weekend. We ended up wiping the hard drive and starting over. So those of you to whom I owe a mini-cookbook, please send me your snail mail addresses again. I also lost my recipe file (sob!) so I have to rebuild that too. But we are up and running again. And I am able to do my column. So lets get started!

Right about this time, your neighbors may be burying you under their garden excesses. If so, lucky you!

What to do with those zucchini, your neighbors keep giving you-----------------get out your food processor and grate those zucchini. Put 1 cup of the shredded zucchini in a small freezer bag and pop in the freezer. You will then have grated zucchini for Zucchini Bread, all winter long.

Got more tomatoes than you can eat? (No chance of that happening at MY house. lol) Put raw tomatoes in boiling water for just a few seconds, then put into a cold water bath. The skins will slip right off. (This works for peaches and nectarines too.) Cut out the stem scar and put into freezer bags, and pop into the freezer. Wonderful for soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, chili, and anything else you cook that calls for tomatoes, all winter long.

How about a Chocolate Zucchini Cake?

1/2 C butter
1/2 C oil
1 3/4 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 sour milk
1/4 C cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 C grated zucchini
1/2 C milk chocolate chips
1/2 C chopped nuts (optional)
2 tbs butter
2 tbs white corn syrup
2 1/2 squares semisweet chocolate

Cream together butter, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Blend in the sour milk and add dry ingredients. Add zucchini and mix well. Pour into a lightly greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips and nuts. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Heat together 2 tbs butter and the white corn syrup. Remove from heat and add semisweet chocolate. When well blended, drizzle on the top of slightly cooled cake.

How about a Zucchini Pie?

7 C zucchini---sliced
2/3 C lemon juice
1 C sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1`/2 tsp salt
2 sticks margarine, melted
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C brown sugar

Cut zucchini in half lengthwi9se. Remove seeds. Slice thinly to resemble apple slices. Put lemon juice over slices and cook until tender. Add 1 C sugar and 3/4 tsp of cinnamon. Stir and set aside. Combine flour, 1 1/2 C sugar, salt and margarine to make crust. Work until crumbly. Press 2/3 of mixture into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Pour zucchini mixture into the crust. Add to remaining crust mixture, 1 tsp of cinnamon and brown sugar. Mix and sprinkle over zucchini.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

If you have questions or comments regarding this column or recipes you would like to share, please send them to me at Char@arthritisinsight.com

---------------------------------
Member Stories
community/stories

Nikki's Story

I decided to share my story after reading Laura Meyer's tale of her struggle with arthritis. My heart went out to her, and I cried through most of her story. I identified with a lot of what she said: doubting that my new husband was ready to take on a wife with arthritis, frustration because I knew my life would never be the way it was, and a sense of loneliness because I felt that no one really understood what I was going through, not even my husband who was with me at all times. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your story and inspiring me to tell my own.

I had just turned 21 years old when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I had had a history of strep throat, and I had just finished another bout of antibiotics when I began to have a pain in my left foot. I didn't do anything at first, thinking that I had just twisted or bruised something. But, when it began to get worse, I finally decided to go to the doctor. He told me I had a stress fracture and put me on an anti-inflammatory. Two more weeks went by, and the pain did not get any better. My doctor finally sent me for an X-ray. I met with the doctor again and he told me that I in fact did not have a stress fracture. He suspected that I had rheumatoid arthritis and wanted me to see a specialist. I made an appointment for the following week.

The weekend before the appointment I started to have some pain in my ankles and knees. I went to work Saturday, and then went home to get ready for a friend's wedding. The pain began to spread to other parts of my body. It was only a minor discomfort, and I thought at first that I had gotten the flu. However, by the time I made it to the wedding, I could barely walk. I could not raise my right arm away from my body, I could barely turn my neck from side to side. Everything hurt. I had gone from being a healthy young woman to a hunched over old woman in just one day. My fiance and I were terrified. He wanted to take me to the emergency room, but I put him off, saying that I might get better and that I didn't want to make a big fuss. I stayed in bed all of Saturday night and all day Sunday.

Monday morning I went to my first appointment with the rheumatologist. He felt all my joints, took my blood, gave me some reading material, and started me on Celebrex and Prednisone. I felt better almost immediately. Unfortunately, that only lasted until the Prednisone ran out. From then on, each day was a trial just to get out of bed and ready for work in the morning. I would have both good days and bad, both physically and mentally. I would go from feeling lucky that it was something treatable and not life-threatening, to depressed and crying because I felt it was so unfair. I was too young to have arthritis! I would be getting married and graduating from college within the year....how could I continue living a normal life when I hurt so much? But, as you all know, you don't have much of a choice. So, for the next year I learned how to live with it and how to work around it. However, I continued to get worse.

One month after my fiance and I were married, I asked him if he was ready to begin having children. We had originally wanted to wait for 2 or 3 years, but I was afraid that in a couple of years I wouldn't be able to take care of my own children. Who knew how I would be by then? We discussed it for a long time. We finally decided that if my doctor agreed with us, we would go ahead and try to have children. I went to see my PCP first, and she thought I was being very smart in planning for the future. She prescribed prenatal vitamins and took me off of birth control. Within a week, a miracle happened. I felt better! Not just a little better, but almost 100% better! When I told my rheumatologist of my improvement, he explained that estrogen affects the body in may different ways, and that it had been making the arthritis worse. It's been a few months now, and I am not pregnant yet, but I still feel good. I have also begun taking Plaquenil (which I was told I can take throughout pregnancy) in addition to my Celebrex, so hopefully I will be even better in a few months. There are only a few joints that bother me on a regular basis. I am even able to exercise and coach volleyball, which I never believed I would feel well enough to do. I hope that those of you who ready this find something in it to identify with or learn something new from my experience. Keep up hope...there are medical breakthroughs everyday!

Submit your story today!

---------------------------------
Notes and Insights:

Happy Birthday!
Wow! All those birthdays last week and none this week! Check out all the birthdays at community/birthday and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card: cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Wanna help?
Having surgery? Starting a new drug or treatment? Filing for disability? Keep an Arthritis Insight journal so all of our members can share and learn from your experience. If you want to keep a journal just let us know. Write an article! We always need articles on all subjects relating to arthritis.
C'mon folks, we can't do this without you.

Donate!
Arthritis Insight will always be free for anyone to use, we will never charge any fees. We try very hard to keep our operating costs as low as possible, but running a website as large as Arthritis Insight can be expensive. To date we've relied on our few sponsors for support and have paid for many of the expenses out of our own pockets. No one on our staff currently receives a paycheck for their hard work and dedication. Although you are not obligated in any way, if you are financially able to help support Arthritis Insight, it would be greatly appreciated. In exchange for your donation you'll receive some thank you gifts, a tax deduction and the satisfaction of knowing you are partly responsible for the entire Arthritis Insight Community.
about/donate.html

Ken Akers Cheer Fund
Donations to the Ken Akers Cheer Fund will be used to send flowers and gifts to those community members who are hospitalized, flaring or just in need of some good cheer. The Ken Akers Cheer Fund sent out four gift baskets last week!
community/kenscheerfund

Arthritis Insight Wish List
We realize that many of you are unable to contribute financially to Arthritis Insight. But we need more than money. Please check out our wish list and see if you can help.
wishlist.html

Thank You!
A great big thank you to our "Diamond Level" Corporate Benefactor, allaboutarthritis.com. Please stop by their site and say hello! http://allaboutarthritis.com

And another big thank you to NeedaBasket.com (http://needabasket.com). NeedaBasket is now Arthritis Insight's official gift basket company. They are giving us a great discount and donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors. Stop by and tell them thanks for the support!

Glucosamine Clinical Trial:
Boston University Medical Center is currently testing Glucosamine for knee osteoarthritis in an internet-based clinical research trial. Normally, joining a clinical trial would mean going to a study center for repeated appointments, but this trial is carried out entirely over the internet. If you qualify, you will participate for three months by simply filling out online forms on your experiences and taking a daily nutritional supplement (either Glucosamine or a placebo), which will be mailed to you by the center. If you are interested, please visit the website:
http://etrials.bumc.bu.edu to see if you qualify.

Special Offers for Arthritis Insight Members
Whenever possible we will try get to our sponsors to agree to discounts and the like for our members. Here are our current special offers:
Sore No More gel (http://www.sorenomore.com) will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com

---------------------------------
The AI Help Desk
Linda Peck
linda@arthritisinsight.com

=== COMPUTERS 101 ===

Q: What is the "System Tray"?

A: See that area with the clock opposite your Start button? That's the System Tray. It's generally used to keep "utility" type programs running and out of the way. Most of the little icons you see sitting in it are programs that are currently running. Usually, if you double-click or right-click them, they'll open up or bring up a menu.

Q: What is HTML e-mail?

A: HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) is the programming language web pages use. OK, technically, HTML isn't a programming language, but you get the idea. If you can get HTML e-mail, you can get web pages as e-mail. If you've ever gotten an e-mail with pictures, graphics, sounds, or other web page elements embedded in it, then you have received HTML e-mail. Have you ever wanted to show a friend the web page you were at? Maybe you felt the need to share a cool recipe you just discovered or maybe it's full of swimsuit models. In any case, if you're using Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator you can. As an example, here's how to send your homepage to a buddy:

Internet Explorer:
1. Head to your homepage.
2. Click the File menu, Send, Page by e-mail.
3. Outlook Express (or Outlook) will now open and the page you were just looking at will be made into an e-mail message. All you need to do is fill in the recipient's address and send it off. To test this, use your own address and send it to yourself.

Netscape 6:
1. Head to your homepage.
2. Click the File menu, Send Page.
3. Netscape Mail will now open and the page you were just looking at will be made into an e-mail message. All you need to do is fill in the recipient's address and send it off. To test this, use your own address and send it to yourself.
Final Notes: Your friend will need an HTML compatible e-mail client to actually be able to view the page. Don't worry. Most e-mail programs are HTML capable.

Magnetic Problems

Have you ever had a 3.5 floppy disk (or zip disk) stop working unexpectedly? Granted, those little 3.5 floppies aren't known for reliability, but still you'd like them to last as long as possible. Well, the cause of the little guy's early demise may have been magnetic. Disks are a magnetic storage medium. The head inside the drive arranges data on your disk through the precise use of low magnetic fields. If a magnetic source gets too close to your disk, it could cause all those little bits of data to be sent into a digital abyss. Maybe you don't remember putting anything magnetic near your floppy disk. Keep in mind that your refrigerator magnets aren't the only ones in your house. Have you ever set your cordless phone down on your desk, maybe even on top of a disk? The little speakers in that phone have magnets in them. Also, I've seen people stack disks between their computer monitor and speakers. Bad idea. Although computer speakers are usually shielded, they can still destroy a disk. Oh, be careful when transporting disks too. Setting them on top a dashboard speaker or sliding them into a car door near a speaker are a couple additional ways to ruin data.

History Lessons

Have you ever been looking for a page on a particular web site and haven't been able to find it? You may know the site name (www.sitename.com) but the page name eludes you. Well, with Internet Explorer, you can type in just the name of the site, like www.worldstart (note that you don't really need the ".com" part) then hit your down arrow. A list of all the pages you've visited on the site will be displayed.

Source: Computer Tips & Techniques
http://www.worldstart.com
Copyright 2001, Worldstart - Reprinted with permission.

=== P.C. SMILES ===

Top Ten Signs Your Cat Has Learned Your Internet Password >^.,.^<
by Dave Fore

1. E-Mail flames from some guy named "Fluffy."
2. Traces of kitty litter in your keyboard.
3. You find you've been subscribed to strange newsgroups like alt.recreational.catnip.
4. Your web browser has a new home page: http://www.feline.com/
5. Your mouse has teeth marks in it ... and a strange aroma of tuna.
6. Hate-mail messages to Apple Computer Corp. about their release of "CyberDog."
7. Your new ergonomic keyboard has a strange territorial scent to it.
8. You keep finding new software around your house like CatinTax and WarCat II.
9. On IRC you're known as the IronMouser.
10. There are little kitty carpal-tunnel braces near the scratching post.

=== MEMBER WEBSITES ===

http://www.geocities.com/hocky4u33/ - Amanda's homepage-A little bit of everything! Broadway, hockey, poetry and more.

http://members.home.net/mzuschlag/ - Mary has severe RA and is planning to row the Grand Canyon, incredible!

=== THIS WEEK'S LINKS ===

http://www.yourdictionary.com - Excellent online dictionary.

http://www.freewareweb.com - Freeware resource.

http://looneytunes.warnerbros.com/web/home.jsp - For children - young and old :)

=== UNTIL NEXT WEEK ===

The guardian angels of life sometimes fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us."
-Jean Paul Richter

linda@arthritisinsight.com
Help Desk Archives: living/help/index.html

---------------------------------
Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

ORAL CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE MAY HAVE ADVANTAGES IN SEVERE LUPUS NEPHRITIS
Oral administration of cyclophosphamide may be superior to pulsed intravenous use of the agent in the treatment of diffuse proliferative lupus glomerulonephritis, according to Chinese researchers.
Medscape, Aug 20 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/08/08.21/20010820clin017.html

DRUG GROUP OPPOSES TIGHTER RESEARCH REGULATIONS
Tighter federal regulations won't help improve the ethics and safety of clinical trials involving human subjects, a drug industry representative told a government advisory panel Tuesday.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 21
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010821/hl/research_2.html

YOGA MAY HELP THOSE WITH CHRONIC PAIN
A small study of patients suffering from chronic pain found that just 4 weeks of yoga improved symptoms.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 21
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010821/hl/yoga_1.html

REPORT LINKS ARTHRITIS DRUGS TO HEART ATTACK RISK
Popular anti-inflammatory drugs that were designed to be easier on the stomach than aspirin and other arthritis drugs may increase the risk of heart attack, researchers caution.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 21
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010821/hl/arthritis_2.html

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE GAINING MOMENTUM
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has made its way into mainstream medicine in the United States and new research shows: It's not going anywhere.
Ivanhoe Newswire, Aug 21
http://www.ivanhoe.com/docs/newsflash/alternativemedicinegainingmomentum.html

SELF-ADMINISTERED TEST AIMS TO MEASURE BONE LOSS
A hand-held device likely to hit the US market this year for use at home can tell millions of Americans currently taking drugs for osteoporosis whether their medication is working, the manufacturer said.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 20
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010820/hl/bone_3.html

US HOSPITALS STUCK IN STAFFING STRUGGLE: SURVEY
Hospitals in the United States are struggling to keep qualified staff, with 90% of those in a survey saying that staffing shortages will continue to be a challenge for the next 3 to 5 years.
Reuters, Yahoo, Aug 20
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010820/hl/survey_1.html

IV DRUG THERAPY RELIEVES TOUGH-TO-TREAT MIGRAINE
Giving migraine patients the drug valproate sodium ``rapidly and forcefully'' eases severe headaches without side effects, according to a Texas researcher.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 17
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010817/hl/migraine_1.html

STEM CELL TRANSPLANT TREATS RARE SKIN DISORDER
A man with a rare, potentially fatal skin disorder that was so severe that he could no longer eat is now symptom-free after receiving a transplant of his own stem cells, doctors in Texas report.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 17
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010817/hl/disorder_1.html

POSTMARKETING ADVERSE EVENT DATA UPDATED FOR ENBREL, REMICADE
The US Food and Drug Administration's Arthritis Drugs Advisory Committee heard updated postmarketing adverse event data on Friday for two rival rheumatoid arthritis drugs: Centocor's Remicade (infliximab) and Immunex's Enbrel (etanercept).
Medscape, Aug 17 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/08/08/20/20010817rglt011.html

EXTREMITY MRI IMPROVES EARLY EVALUATION OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Low field dedicated extremity magnetic resonance imaging (E-MRI) is more effective in detection of bone erosions caused by rheumatoid arthritis than is x-ray and clinical evaluation, according to Danish researchers.
Medscape, Aug 17 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/08/08.20/20010817clin005.html

NEUROPSYCHOPATHOLOGY IN LUPUS LINKED TO CEREBRAL INFARCTS, NOT TO CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW CHANGES
Anticoagulation might help to prevent cognitive deterioration in many patients with lupus because it could prevent cerebral infarcts.
Doctor's Guide, Aug 17 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AA000686C2D? OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Lupus&count=10

FDA PANEL ENDORSES RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TREATMENT
A new treatment option may soon be available for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic and often disabling disease marked by inflammation in the joints.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 16
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010816/hl/fda_2.html

ANY ALCOHOL IN MODERATION MAY BOOST HEALTH: STUDY
Among alcoholic drinks, wine has been widely considered the beverage of good health. But a new study out of Spain suggests that, in moderation, any form of alcohol can bestow health benefits.
Reuters Health, Yahoo, Aug 16
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010816/hl/alcohol_2.html

TOTAL LYMPHOID IRRADIATION FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS MAY INCREASE MALIGNANCY RISK
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were treated with total lymphoid irradiation appear to be at increased risk of lymphoproliferative malignancies in the second decade following treatment, according to the results of long-term follow-up of patients seen at Stanford University Medical Center, in Palo Alto, California.
Medscape, Aug 16 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/08/08.17/20010816clin016.html

PAIN FROM RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS NOW MEASURABLE
Pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis can be reliably measured and validated by the Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Scale. Furthermore, assessing the rheumatoid arthritis pain relative to treatment outcomes could have a significant impact on the selected therapies used, according to American researcher Diana L Anderson.
Doctor's Guide, Aug 16 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AA20068DC 9E?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis &count=10

DAILY HASSLES PLUS BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL VARIABLE AFFECT HEALTH IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Interactions between life stress and biopsychosocial variables affect the health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Doctor's Guide, Aug 16 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AA2006893 8D?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis &count=10

CENTOCOR'S REMICADE TO CARRY BOXED WARNING
Johnson & Johnson's Centocor said on Wednesday that labeling for its rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade (infliximab) will be updated with a boxed warning stressing that the drug can increase the risk of infections.
Medscape, Aug 15 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/08/08.16/20010815rglt010.html

TEACHERS OF ARTHRITIS SELF-MANAGEMENT FEEL REJUVENATED
Volunteers who have arthritis and who train to lead others in arthritis self-management report increased confidence, happiness and a changed outlook on life.
Doctor's Guide, Aug 15
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AA2006AD3 25?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Arthritis%20Other&coun t=10

SIGNIFICANT COSTS OF JOB-RELATED OSTEOARTHRITIS NOT BORN BY BUSINESSES RESPONSIBLE
The cost of job-related osteoarthritis is on a par with that associated with job-related cancers and the costs of all types of asthma, investigators from the University of California at Davis report. However, businesses at which injuries leading to osteoarthritis typically occur are unlikely to be held accountable for those costs.
Medscape, Aug 14 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/08/08.15/20010814econ001.html

-------------------------------
Contribute
Have you written something you think our subscribers would like to read? Send it to Tina@arthritisinsight.com and maybe we'll use it in our newsletter.

---------------------------------
A Closing Thought
Subject: Living on Earth

Living on Earth is expensive, but it does include a free trip around the sun

Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.

How long a minute is depends on what side of the bathroom door you're on.

Ever notice that the people who are late are often much jollier than the people who have to wait for them?

If ignorance is bliss, why aren't more people happy?

Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us

If Walmart is lowering prices every day, how come nothing is free yet?

You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors.... but they all have to learn to live in the same box.

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.

A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Happiness comes through doors you didn't even know you left open.

Have an awesome day, and know that someone has thought about you today!

---------------------------------
If you wish to advertise in the Arthritis Insight Newsletter, contact us at advertising@arthritisinsight.com
If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter, just let us know.
Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2001