Home Community Newsletter Vol 5 Issue 176

Arthritis Insight Newsletter * Vol. 5 Issue 176 December 17, 2003

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Welcome to the 176th 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.

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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.

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

Ugh! The flu outbreak reached the Underwood house this week. My son started with symptoms last Thursday and we've been pasing it around since. The good news is that we should all be feeling fine by Christmas. Of course, we aren't happy about having the flu, but our pets love it! Someone has been in bed everyday. To Moe and Madeline (Cat and Dog), that's heaven! A warm (feverish! LOL) body to lay against all day long. Today is the first day no one is in bed and the animals keep looking at me, "Time for bed Mom! C'mon! Let's go!"

This is the last newsletter for 2003. We're taking the next two weeks off to enjoy the holidays and will be back after the first of the year. I wish each and every one of you, a joyous, healthy holiday and the best New Year yet!

- Tina

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

Ugh,  looks like the flu season is really upon us.  While I have, so far, been lucky, none of the kids have managed to totally escape it.  For two of them it has been temperatures at 103.5 and coughing and sore throats that have been miserable.  The other ended up with some sort of stomach virus.  I just hope that it misses me.  If there is one thing I dont want or need this winter it is more lung problems from a virus.

I think that I have actually totally finished my shopping except for maybe a few stocking stuffers if the sales allow.  This is actually very early for me.  I am usually still running around a couple days before Christmas.  I will have the kids this year from the 20th on though, so I guess I had to finish it in self defense.

I will be spending next week with my family so will not be writing but I do wish to take this opportunity to wish each of you a very happy holiday season, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or just life in general.

-Ron

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Your Weekly Giggle
Holiday Eating Tips

1.  Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrot sticks, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2.  Drink as much eggnog as you can.  And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare.  In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now.  So drink up!  Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip?  It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me.  Have two.  It's the holidays!

3.  If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy.  Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4.  As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5.  Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a holiday party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it.  Hellooo?

6.  Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7.  If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8.  Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labour Day? I think not!

9.  Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, come on, have some standards.

10.  One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips; start over, but hurry...January is just around the corner!

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

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Tina's Tips
Tina@arthritisinsight.com

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.

Another great Holiday tip from Julie W.:

I have found some very inexpensive gift bags (pkg. of 10 for $4.00) at one of the large chains.  All of my gifts this year are pkged in bags--oh my is that easier on my hands!  For the other gifts that bags just won't work for:  I've hired my 11 year old grandson at $.25/package to wrap with me. This will be our third year doing this together.  A wonderful opportunity to visit with him and it certainly helps me and my stupid hands out!

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

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What's New

Member Stories
Gill has had a rough time lately, read about it in her Kineret Journal update.
community/stories

Osteoarthritis Links
New links for OA information.
medical/disease/oa/links.html

Home Page
See whose photo made the front page!


Question of the Week
Send your holiday message to the Arthritis Insight Community.
community/question

Arthritis Warrior
A new nominee!
warrior/

News
News from around the web for your arthritis and general health.
news

Newsletter
This week's issue included an excellent article from one of our members, if you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, now is the time.
community/newsletter


Check out all the latest updates at
updates.html

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Arthritis Insight Chat
community/chat

Time to get the party started! Got some extra time? Can't sleep? Drop into the chatroom to talk to other members that know exactly what you're going through.

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From the NIH:
Arteries Clog Earlier in People With Lupus, Says New Study
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/dec2003/niams-17.htm

People with the autoimmune disease lupus may develop carotid atherosclerosis (the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries) at an accelerated rate and independently of many risk factors normally associated with cardiovascular disease, according to a new study supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health. The work was reported in the December 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study, carried out by Mary J. Roman, M.D., at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Jane E. Salmon, M.D., at the Hospital for Special Surgery (N.Y.), and their colleagues examined 197 people with lupus and the same number of matched controls. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including family history of heart disease, cholesterol levels, smoking and hypertension, were similar in both groups, but atherosclerosis, as evidenced by carotid ultrasound, was more prevalent in lupus patients. The scientists also found that people with lupus who had the disease longer, had more damage from the disease, and had used less of the immunosuppressive drug cyclophosphamide to treat it were more likely to develop fatty deposits in their arteries.

"Although weve known for some time that there is an association between lupus and premature heart attacks," said NIAMS Director Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D. "until now we havent understood well the reasons. This study gives us a basis to pursue intervention strategies for reducing cardiovascular risks."

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus) is a rheumatic disease that can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain. People who have lupus may have many different symptoms, but some of the most common ones include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, skin rashes and kidney problems. Many more women than men have lupus. It is three times more common in African American women than in Caucasian women and is also more common in women of Hispanic, Asian and Native American descent.

Funding for this study was also provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which along with NIAMS are parts of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) National Institutes of Health; DHHS Public Health Service; the Mary Kirkland Center for Lupus Research at the Hospital for Special Surgery; and the Bugher Foundation.

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Member Stories
Thomas B.'s Story

This spring when I needed help to exit the canoe, I had no idea what was wrong, but it was coming at me full speed. For a month or two I tried to blame it on my bad feet, but as the muscle and joint pain seemed to gang up on both legs the pain was near unbearable, I could hardly sleep and it was getting real difficult to function as a maint. electritian in a large facility.

By now my family doctor an Osteopath had diagnosed o.a.in both knees. Rather than let me use my D.O.'s time his nurse arranged for me to see an orthopedic group, It took six weeks to get in and they told me there was no problem and gave some painfull exercises to do for a month,

When I returned with poor results they wanted to get me on arthotec. I held my ground and got back to my D.O., I have been going to physical therapy for only two weeks, and am quite impressed with strength I've regained.

Oh yea! In July I started taking glucosamine chondroitin name brand product, it did help, I could feel a difference in the pain within a few days. As things progressed I knew I was in for a ride, I had to double up on the supplement and it was not helping. This lead me to ordering a product called Joint Advatage, well, this one seem s to be working quite well for me.I also started on a regimen of ginger tea twice daily back in July, I have no idea if it has had any effect except it helps to keep me away from caffine.

As we know we are all different it helps to pay attention to what we eat, I find that it does make adifference in how I feel. At this point therapy is leading me to Qigong For Arthritis, so, from here I shall continue to pray for God's blessings, which for myself it seems are diet, a proper supplement and exercise as much as possible.

Check out all the stories and journals at:
community/stories

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Notes and Insights:

Birthday Board!
Happy Birthday to Phyllis, kelala, Miranda, Tanya Westerman, aka Regen, Samantha Owen, Al, Kathy Monacelli, BusiWoman aka LuAnn, Sara, Margie Hauke aka kcqueeny, Wifey aka Pam, Rosadamae, ters157, Diane Witt, Vickie, LYNDEE aka LYNDERLOU, Patricia M. aka Jimz Girl, Brenda aka boppy, Suzz51, Judi Castleberry AKA judianne, Tracey Cooper, Heather Bradshaw, Wayney and Laura L. Meyer!!!
Check out all the birthdays at
community/birthday
and make sure to send them an arthritis-friendly e-card:
cgi-bin/postcards/postcard.pl

Join the Arthritis Dieters!
This is a group of people with arthritis who want to lose weight with others who know of the challenges of living with is arthritis. All those medications that make living with arthritis tolerable, but pile on the pounds. This group has been set up to give us a protected group where we can talk to others who know what it is like.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/arthritis-dieters/

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.

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.
community/kenscheerfund

Thank You!
A great 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 are donating baskets for our Arthritis Warriors.

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 (http://sorenomore.com) gel will send a free sample of the pain relieving gel to any Arthritis Insight Community Member who emails them at dma@glogerm.com.

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Weekly News Summary
Karen Sears
kaekae@arthritisinsight.com

PSORIASIS PATIENTS REPORT BENEFITS WITH NEW DRUG
In patients with moderate to severe psoriasis - in which skin thickens and becomes scaly and inflamed - treatment with efalizumab (Raptiva), reduces the frequency and severity of symptoms and improves quality of life.
Yahoo News, Dec 16

ADALIMUMAB APPEARS SAFE, EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF DISEASE MODIFYING ANTIRHEUMATIC DRUG REFRACTORY RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Rapid and significant improvements are seen with self-administered adalimumab treatment in patients with longstanding rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are refractory to disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), according to results from a phase II, multicentre study.
Doctors Guide, Dec 16  (free registration required)

HORMONE TIED TO INFLAMMATION IN MEN WITH ARTHRITIS
Levels of estradiol are strongly associated with inflammation in men with rheumatoid arthritis, according to a recent report by Swedish investigators. Levels of other sex hormones are altered in men with the disease, but only estradiol was consistently linked to inflammation
Yahoo News, Dec 15

COX-2 INHIBITORS MAY NOT BE COST-EFFECTIVE--STUDY
New research by US investigators suggests that practice pattern models may have overestimated the cost-effectiveness of selective COX-2 inhibitors, such as celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx).
Medscape, Dec 15  (free registration required)

ETANERCEPT MONOTHERAPY HELPFUL IN PSORIASIS
Etanercept monotherapy had a favorable safety profile and significantly benefitted patients with psoriasis, according to the results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial published in the December issue of the Archives of Dermatology .
Medscape, Dec 15  (free registration required)

COFFEE DOES NOT RAISE ARTHRITIS RISK -STUDY
Drinking multiple cups of coffee every day does not appear to increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), new research suggests.
Yahoo News, Dec 12

FRENCH PARLIAMENT BACKS HUMAN CLONING BAN
France's lower house of parliament backed draft legislation Thursday making reproductive cloning of human cells a crime against humanity punishable by 30 years in jail and a 7.5 million euros ($9 million) fine.
Medscape, Dec 12  (free registration required)

HYDROTHERAPY RESISTANCE EXERCISE PROGRAM COMPARABLE TO GYM-BASED PROGRAM FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS
Hydrotherapy resistance exercise is comparable to a gym-based resistance exercise programme for improving function patients with osteoarthritis (OA), and both treatments are significantly better than no treatment, reports a study from Australia.
Doctors Guide, Dec 12  (free registration required)

T LYMPHOCYTES IMPLICATED IN VASCULITIS IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
T lymphocytes may be involved in the development of coronary vasculitis as well as systemic vasculitis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a new report.
Doctors Guide, Dec 12  (free registration required)

HCQ TREATMENT IS SAFE IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASES
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) therapy appears to be safe in pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to researchers.
Medscape, Dec 11  (free registration required)

More health news can be found on our site:
news/

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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
Merry Christmas Everyone :)

Silent night
Holy night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yon virgin
Mother and Child
Holy infant
So tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night
Holy night
Shepherds quake
At the sight
Glory streams
From heaven afar
Heavenly hosts
Sing alleluia
Christ the Savior is born
Christ the Savior is born

Silent night
Holy night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yon virgin
Mother and Child
Holy infant
So tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Sleep in heavenly peace

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Arthritis Insight Newsletter Copyright 2003

AI Staff
Page last updated on December 17, 2003