Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is known as an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. When the joints are affected it can lead to server pain due to the inflammation of the tissue around the joints, as well as in other organs in the body. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body's tissues are incorrectly attacked by their own immune system.

When we look at the immune system it contains a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to seek and destroy aggressive infections in the body. Rheumatoid arthritis principally attacks flexible synovial joints. The process involves an inflammatory response of the capsule around the joints synovium secondary to swellinghyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development of fibrous tissue pannus in the synovium which attacks the joints.

The disease process often leads to the destruction of articular cartilage effectively attacking the joints together in the one locality. It causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints. Other parts of the body such as the blood, heart and lungs may also be affected. Rheumatoid arthritis is a very aggressive disease, it can  also lead to inflammation in the lungs and membrane around the heart. It also can cause inflammation of the tear glands and the salivary glands.

One of the distinctive features of rheumatoid arthritis is that it occurs in what known as a symmetrical fashion meaning that if one hand is affected it usually in the other hand on the opposite side, whereas  osteoarthritis would  only affected the one hand. Because rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, whereby a person’s immune system starts to turn against itself, it mistakenly attacks the healthy joint tissue  resulting in inflammation and joint damage causing great distress to the individual.

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RA can be tough to diagnose some signs are:

• Joints are stiff and sore and hard to heal
• Trouble with pains in the feet and lower legs
• Numbness and tingling in the hands
• Eye problems
• Pairs of arches in the joints
• Morning stiffness
• Joints locking
• Nodules on the joints

It is important to remember that symptoms can copy other illnesses, or they may flare, then fade again, only to flare again somewhere else.

Pregnant women are susceptible to RA during pregnancy and beyond.

Your age can play a part in the onset of RA

Morning stiffness that lasts for a period of more than one hour. The stiffness is in one or more of the joints of the body and is totally noticeable upon waking up in the morning. Rheumatoid Arthritis Guy  discusses who he is reaching a point where he's come to realize how small a role his rheumatoid arthritis plays in my life, which is quite a change from where he was a few years ago, when absolutely everything he viewed was seen through the lens of RA

Other signs of inflammation swollen joints redness, or a swelling or some tenderness around the area of the affected joints.

• Tender joint with swelling
• Inflammation in hand joints unable to lift items
• Inflammation in a number of joints of the body unable to bend or stoop down
• Inflammation in the same joint, for example on both the knees with noddles
• When the joints swelling are accompanied with sever pain.

A joint is where two bones meet to allow movement of body parts, leading to joint inflammation. The joint inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis causes swelling, pain, stiffness, and redness in the joints, it is a disease that can also occur in tissues around the joints, such as the tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Rheumatoid arthritis often affects people in different ways. RA persons who suffer from chronic inflammation can become crippled because the RA can destroy cartilage, bone, and ligaments, causing deformity of the joints. Damage to the joints can occur early in the disease and be quite progressive.

Signs of Depression

Feeling down from time to time, empty and alone and living in despair. Sometimes these feelings won't go away, it may be depression. Depression makes things somewhat tough and harder to function and enjoy everyday life. Sometimes getting through the day can be hard, you maybe overwhelmed by heavy emotions. No matter how hopeless you feel, you must remember you can get better. By understanding depression and spotting the signs one can address the difficulties you face, this is important first step to recovery. People with depression often find they worry about things more than usual.

This is known as anxiety

Anxiety is tied into depression because it can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness, and dread. Remember that when anxiety becomes excessive because one cannot cope it functions to upset the normal pattern of behaviour it may cause physical symptoms like pain, panic attacks or a pounding heart or stomach cramps. For some people these physical symptoms are their main concern. Anxiety may be constant or it may come and go in certain circumstances. Either way it’s important to recognise anxiety when it occurs, and to seek medial intervention.

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Some of the possible signs of depression could be irritability or restlessness feeling of being tired all the time.

Emotional Effects of Depression

• Loss of interest in things you used to enjoy.
• Thoughts of death and suicide
• Trouble making decisions and dealing with issue
• Feeling guilty or worthless
• Irritability or anxiety

  Other Effect of Depression

• general loss of energy
• feelings of emptiness or loneliness.
• sleep problems.
• weight loss or gain.
• low self-esteem.
• problems with concentration.
• reduced sex drive.
• thinking about death due to the loss of loved one.
• Constantly feeling down or hopeless.
• Having little interest or pleasure in doing things hobbies they use to enjoy.

In Fighting the Darkness the author discusses how they use sport to push themselves out of their comfort zone on a regular basis through Taekwondo. Constantly learning new kicks, blocks, and more! People use many different forms of activities to fight depression whoever, there are many different forms of depression.

• Major depressive disorder
• Catatonic depression
• Dysthymic disorder
• Melancholic depression
• Manic Depression
• Anxiety Depression
• Psychotic Depression
• Post birth depression
• Agitated depression
• Chronic depression
• Endogenous depression
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
• Atypical Depression
• Double Depression
• Situational Depression or Reactive Depression

Depression does not always have a single cause. The cause of one's depression may evolve from past experiences or trauma. There is also the factor that depression evolving from an imbalance within the brain or a genetic disorder. Depending on the situation or cause of the depression one can recover but this takes time. Therapy and medication if prescribed must be given time to take effect, if not then the depression can continue spiraling out of control. Educate in Mind