Check out all the jokes at:
/fun/jokes
Send yours in today!

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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 to hold pen!

Great medication tips from Belinda:

If you are going to have surgery or use the weekly boxes to put your meds in & someone else will be giving you your meds don't take the last pill out of the rx bottle. Your helper may not know what each pill looks like & you may not remember because of really good pain pills. :)

Make a list of ALL meds you take including vitamins & herbs & OTC to take your Doc & to the hospital with you. Have you ever been to the ER & can't even remember your address & phone?

Mail order pharmacies are a fact of life because you maybe forced by your insurance to use them. Get to know a local pharmacy, & get you Doc to write or call in a 2 or 3 week supply of your meds. Mail orders can run late. If it is a long holiday weekend & the pharmacy has not filled any meds for you since 1999 & you tossed away your rx bottle & all you know is that it is a blue pill you take in the morning & your Doc is not on call it can be days before you have your meds.

If there are no small children in the home ask for easy open lids on rx bottles. Dogs can get into any rx bottle so becareful where you put them.

When you have rx meds over a year old toss them. Check your otc stuff. We just had to put my MIL into a nursing home, she had stuff years out of date.

Ask for 2 bottles if you send any meds to school with you children. Cough syrup etc they will not remember to bring it home with them & they can't give meds at school without and rx bottle.

Belinda, send me your address and I will send you an Arthritis Insight pen!

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

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What's New?

Featured Discussion
Current Discussion:
Doctor-Patient Relationships Perhaps the most important part of a successful disease management program is a happy doctor-patient relationship. Without it, you are ineffective in your role as manager of your health care team. This week we'll explore those important relationships.
/feature/docpatient
Coming October 22nd:
Arthritis & Weather
We've all heard someone say, "It's going to rain, I feel it in my bones." Perhaps you've said it yourself. But is it a myth? Or is it a fact? We explore Arthritis & Weather during our next Featured Discussion. Please take the time to answer this quick survey.
/feature/survey.html

Question of the Week:
How would you rate your current relationship with your rheumatologist? Excellent? Good? Mediocre? Poor? Horrid? And why?
/community/question

Advice for Better Living
I'm 24 and just had my first baby 9 weeks ago. Six weeks to the day after she was born my arthritis flared like nothing I have ever experienced before. Sometimes I cant hold her to feed her. Has this happened to anyone else? Has anyone taken any drugs while breastfeeding?
/living/advice

Rosie's Significant Other Spot
This Spot is for partners, friends, spouses, parents, siblings, kids and anyone with a close relationship with an arthritic.
/living/family/sos

Contributors
Just who is Rosie anyways?
/about/contributors.html

Victoria?s Not So Secrets
Victoria changes the chat
/feature/sex/victoria3.html

Loving Someone With Arthritis-Jodie's Story
Jodie's Mum is a very lucky lady!
/living/family/jodie.html

Photo Album
Cindy's got a new grand-baby! Go on over and welcome Owen to the world...
/community/photo/page54.html

Arthritis Warrior
Don't forget to nominate your favorite arthritis warrior. October's contest is underway and we wouldn't want anyone to be left out!
/warrior

Ask the Webrarian
Temporal Arteritis. Scary? Yes, but also very treatable. Go see...
/resources/webrarian

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

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Arthritis Insight Chat /community/chat

We had a bit of a change in plans and Dr Barry Waters joined us Monday evening to talk about Doctor-Patient Relationships. The transcript has been posted at:
/community/chat/october082001.html

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

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Cooking with Char
Char LeFleur
Char@arthritisinsight.com

Hello everyone! And thank you, thank you, thank you, for the recipes you sent in this week. Several of you even mentioned that you figured I would be buried in recipes, so did not send recipes when I asked for them previously. Please be advised---THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TOO MANY RECIPES! Or even just notes from readers saying they read my column and use some of the recipes. For the most part, I enjoy writing this column, BUT I do it for you, my readers. I need to know if my recipes are completely off base, or foods that your families wont eat or are too difficult to prepare, or just plain taste lousy. So please please, if there is something you want me to add to the column or something you want deleted from the column, let me know. If you hate the column or you love the column, please let me know. That is the only way I have of gauging what needs to go into the column. All that being said, lets get cooking!

I have had several more responses to my request for comfort foods. Here are a few.

This from Annmarie: Hot tea with milk and sugar is definitely my comfort food. No matter if I am sick to my stomach, have a bad cold, or am a little down, tea always makes me feel better. Add a slice of cinnamon toast to that or hot oatmeal with cream (fattening) and it is double comfort. All my friends laugh at me for they think my solution to lifes problems is a cup of tea!

And these from Rhonda: (*whispering* I think she must be from the south somewhere. lol. Possibly Louisiana?)

Crawfish Etoufee

1 pound frozen peeled crawfish tails (defrosted with fat)
1 Cup chopped white onion
1 Cup chopped green bell pepper
1 Cup chopped celery
1 Cup chopped green onion
1 Stick of Butter
2 Cans Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup
2-3 Bay leaves
2 Caps of Crab Boil Liquid
2 Teaspoons of Tabasco Sauce
Steamed Rice

In large pot, melt butter; saute' onion, bell pepper, celery and green onion. You may add some additional butter and/or olive oil.

Meanwhile, blend soup in blender. This will chop up all the mushrooms and make it smooth.

After vegetables are sauted, add blended soup and Bay leaf. Let simmer 15-30 minutes. Add crab boil liquid and tabasco sauce, let simmer another 15-30 minutes.

Add crawfish, let simmer about 15-20 minutes. Do not over cook the crawfish, they will get too tough.

Serve over steamed rice.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

1 medium can Sugary Sam Yams
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Cup honey
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs
1 Cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1-2 cups chopped pecans
2 deep dish pie shells (unbaked)

Drain and mash Yams.

Combine Yams; cinnamon; and honey (stir); add salt (stir).

In separate bowl whip eggs then stir in sugar gradually.

Combine Yam mixture then add vanilla (stir); add pecans (stir).

Put in unbaked pie shells 350 deg. for one hour. Prick with toothpick if it comes out clean then it is done. Do not overcook it becomes dried out.

Jalapeno Cornbread

1 Can Cream Corn
1 Can Yellow Corn Meal 1 Tbsp. Baking Soda 1 tsp. Salt 3/4 Cup Corn Oil 2 eggs 4 - Jalapeno Peppers 1 medium grated onion 1 small sour cream 1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all together. If too dry add a little mayonnaise.

Bank in 9" x 13" pan - 425 deg. oven until golden brown.

Thanks Rhonda. Those recipes look like fun.

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for this column, please send them to Char@arthritisinsight.com.

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Five Steps to Safer Health Care from the FDA

Speak up if you have questions or concerns. Choose a doctor who you feel comfortable talking to about your health and treatment. Take a relative or friend with you if this will help you ask questions and understand the answers. It's okay to ask questions and to expect answers you can understand.

Keep a list of all the medicines you take. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about the medicines that you take, including over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and dietary supplements like vitamins and herbals. Tell them about any drug allergies you have. Ask the pharmacist about side effects and what foods or other things to avoid while taking the medicine. When you get your medicine, read the label, including warnings. Make sure it is what your doctor ordered, and you know how to use it. If the medicine looks different than you expected, ask the pharmacist about it.

Make sure you get the results of any test or procedure. Ask your doctor or nurse when and how you will get the results of tests or procedures. If you do not get them when expected -- in person, on the phone, or in the mail - don?t assume the results are fine. Call your doctor and ask for them. Ask what the results mean for your care.

Talk with your doctor and health care team about your options if you need hospital care. If you have more than one hospital to choose from, ask your doctor which one has the best care and results for your condition. Hospitals do a good job of treating a wide range of problems. However, for some procedures (such as heart bypass surgery), research shows results often are better at hospitals doing a lot of these procedures. Also, before you leave the hospital, be sure to ask about follow-up care, and be sure you understand the instructions.

Make sure you understand what will happen if you need surgery. Ask your doctor and surgeon: Who will take charge of my care while I'm in the hospital? Exactly what will you be doing? How long will it take? What will happen after the surgery? How can I expect to feel during recovery? Tell the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and nurses if you have allergies or have ever had a bad reaction to anesthesia. Make sure you, your doctor, and your surgeon all agree on exactly what will be done during the operation.

"Five Steps to Safer Health Care", was developed by the Patient and Consumer Information Working Group, a subcommittee of the Quality Interagency Coordination (QuIC) Task Force http://www.quic.gov, of which FDA is a member.

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Nightshades
Linda Barile
missy41@prodigy.net

First, I would like to say that I am thankful for finding this site. It has indeed given me a greater insight into the world of arthritis.

Second, I would like to say that I am a "Why?" person. Many doctors have been annoyed at me because I am always asking "Why?".

In the chat room I was accused of being an angry person. They could tell by the way I wrote. Over the next few days I gave this a lot of thought. Was I angry? Yes, I am angry!

Why am I angry? Because I feel cheated!
Why do I feel cheated? Because I was not told in the beginning that Nightshades could make a difference.
Why did the doctor that I asked tell me it was just "an old wives tale"? Because he did not believe it was true.
Why did I believe him and wait another ten years; and four more surgeries later, to finally try to see if it did work? Because I was desperate enough after having a mind blowing flare up that I decided I had to help myself.

What are Nightshades? As far as I was able to understand, they are vegetables that ripen in the dark. Potatoes that continue to grow in the cupboard, tomatoes that will ripen in the dark of the refrigerator, green peppers, eggplant, squash, etc. There are over 1500 different types of plants that are called nightshades. Search under Horticulture on the web and there is a great deal of in-depth information about them.

Who first discovered this? The only information I could find was that during World War II, the prisoners in the concentration camps who had no access to these foods noticed that their symptoms were alleviated.

And now, I have the opportunity to help others through the chat rooms. There are some there who say "It works for you". They may or may not have tried it but they give me the impression that they don't want to talk about that. At first I felt bad and I did try to join in on the chat without mentioning nightshades but I felt that I was betraying the people who did not know anything about them, the people who had never heard of nightshades.

Everyone should at least know about the possibility that by eliminating these foods from their diet that it could change their lives from one filled with pain and drugs to a nearly normal life.

I realize this will not work for everyone, but for the ones who it will work for, they should have the information so that they can make their own informed decision as to whether they wish to try it themselves.

Linda (AKA Heidi)

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

Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to:
Theresa, Joanne, LilSaha, Vickie Haessly and Alan Johnson! Check out all the birthdays at /community/birthday and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
/cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

SILLY CONTEST!
Just to se if anyone reads this far! Somewhere on Arthritis Insight there is a happy Halloween ghost just waiting to scare you. Be one of the first 25 people to find the ghost and you?ll get an Arthritis Insight Halloween Pen. When you find him, just click him to send us an email.

From HealthTalk Interactive:
Announcing "Living Well with RA: The Basics & Beyond," October 10th, 2001, a comprehensive meeting featuring top rheumatologists and people like you! Register now to attend in-person, on the phone or via the Internet.
See http://healthtalk.com/rain/101001/index.html for more info.

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

Linda is a little under the weather this week, she?ll be back next week.

Feel better Linda!

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

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AFFECTED BY DISEASE ACTIVITY EARLY ON
Functional capacity in early rheumatoid arthritis is associated with disease activity and to joint damage in the later stage of the disease.
Doctor's Guide, Oct 9 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256ADC0 4DEEA7?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

AMERICANS FACE DELAYS IN FLU VACCINATION
Trouble with distribution will again delay the flu shot for Americans this month, but those needing it the most should be able to get it, according to US health officials.
Yahoo, Oct 8
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011008/hl/influenza_1.html

DOXYCYCLINE LACKS EFFECT FOR PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Doxycycline treatment has no therapeutic effect on disease activity and joint destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Doctor's Guide, Oct 8 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD90 6C8EFF?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

DUAL-INHIBITOR DRUG, ML3000, REDUCES ARTHRITIS IN RAT MODEL
ML3000, a drug that inhibits 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenases 1 and 2, reduces joint destruction in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a report in the September Journal of Rheumatology.
Medscape, Oct 8 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.09/20011008drg 001.html

A LITTLE FAT MAY BE KEY TO LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS
A new study offers welcome news for the millions of Americans who are fighting the battle of the bulge. Eating a diet containing moderate levels of fat--as opposed to a strict low-fat diet--is easier on dieters' taste buds and may result in more long-term weight loss.
Yahoo, Oct 5
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011005/hl/fat_3.html

VISUAL HALLUCINATIONS COMMON WITH GIANT CELL ARTERITIS-ASSOCIATED VISUAL LOSS
Patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA)-associated visual loss have a higher incidence of visual hallucinations than previously thought, according to a report in the September issue of the Journal of Rheumatology.
Medscape, Oct 5 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.08/20011005cli 006.html

LONG-TERM LEFLUNOMIDE TREATMENT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN SULFASALAZINE FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Long-term treatment with leflunomide improves functional ability significantly more than sulfasalazine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Doctor's Guide, Oct 5 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD90 6D303A?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

CARPAL COLLAPSE NOT AN INDICATOR OF FUNCTION IN MEXICAN WOMEN WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Carpal collapse is common in Mexican women with rheumatoid arthritis, but is not an indicator of limited function.
Doctor's Guide, Oct 5 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD90 6CACB9?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

MENOPAUSAL OESTROGEN DEFICIENCY LINKED TO RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Menopausal estrogen deficiency influences symptoms and inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Doctor's Guide, Oct 5 (free registration required)
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256AD50 6E1709?OpenDocument&id=961CDD58B2967A7C852569E40007966F&c=Rheumatoid%20Arthritis&count=10

ENDOGENOUS IL-10 MAY SLOW PROGRESSION OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
High levels of interleukin (IL)-10 production in rheumatoid arthritis patients may protect against the progression of joint destruction, according to researchers in the Netherlands.
Medscape, Oct 4 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.05/20011004cli 003.html

DRUG COMPANY ANNOUNCES DISCOUNT PLAN FOR SENIORS
Low-income seniors lacking prescription drug insurance will be able to receive discounts on medications produced by GlaxoSmithKline under a new program announced by the company Wednesday.
Yahoo, Oct 3
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011003/hl/seniors_1.html

IMPLANTED MEDICAL DEVICES LINKED TO DISEASE RISK
Artificial medical devices that are implanted into the body for long periods of time may increase a woman's chance of developing a rare disorder known as undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD).
Yahoo, Oct 3
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011003/hl/devices_1.html

BMD NOT AFFECTED BY USE OF OCs ,DEPOT-MPA
Combined oral contraceptives do not protect against loss of bone mineral density, even though they contain estrogen, and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (depot-MPA) is not deleterious to BMD, even though it induces a transient hypoestrogenic state, according to a report in the September issue of Fertility and Sterility.
Medscape, Oct 3 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.04/20011003cli 005.html

LILLY GETS APPROVABLE LETTER FOR OSTEOPOROSIS DRUG
Eli Lilly & Co. said during a conference call on Wednesday morning that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an approvable letter for the company's osteoporosis drug Forteo (teriparatide) for use in men and postmenopausal women.
Medscape, Oct 3 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.04/20011003rgl 008.html

PHARMACISTS COULD REDUCE ADVERSE DRUG INTERACTIONS
Pharmacists can play an important role in preventing patients from receiving drugs that can interact dangerously, researchers report.
Yahoo, Oct 2
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011002/hl/pharmacists_2.html

ANTIOSTEOPOROTIC EFFICACY OF RALOXIFENE NOT DIMINISHED BY SMOKING
Smoking does not appear to affect the antiosteoporotic efficacy of raloxifene in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, according to a report in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Medscape, Oct 2 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.03/20011002cli 019.html

SOME COX-2 INHIBITORS SAFE IN NSAID-INTOLERANT PATIENTS
Some cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors are relatively safe in patients who are intolerant to conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, according to a report in the September issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Medscape, Oct 2 (free registration required)
http://rheumatology.medscape.com/reuters/prof/2001/10/10.03/20011002cli 005.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.

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A Closing Thought
To the American protesters of the Military Strikes:

You are one voice of freedom. It is because of America's freedom, you have been given the right to protest in public, and disagree with our government. Although I disagree with your views, I respect your right to speak them out loud, and protest for them.

If you lived in other countries, this same action would be met with attacks, imprisonment, and even your life. This is reality. America gave you this voice of freedom. You didn't earn it, you didn't pay for it, you haven't had to fight for it. It was a gift given to all of us by our ancestors as a lasting gift who paid for it with their lives. Whether it was the soldiers with George Washington, the soldiers under the command of Lincoln, or all the men who fought in all the wars this nation has faced, they paid the price of freedom for all of us. They paid the cost for us.

This country was born by the voice of freedom. It cost many their lives who believed strongly the voice of freedom should still be heard the world over. They sacrificed their lives so freedom would prevail.This is the heart of America.

Throughout this country's history, we have been forced to evaluate our freedom, and decide whether the cost is worth it, as our ancestors did before us. I believe, whatever the cost, our freedom is worth it. Once again the time has come, we are asked to pay that cost again. Freedom is not cheap, it is not without causalities, it is not without struggle. It too has a cost. Are you willing to pay for the voice of freedom to be heard? Or are you willing to sacrifice the heart of America? I, for one, am not willing to sacrifice the heart of America for terrorists who seek to destroy the foundation of our great nation. God bless America, the land of the FREE, and the home of the BRAVE!

Laura L. Meyer

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2001

Staff
Page last updated on October 10, 2001