For years doctors are puzzled of how to slow down the effects of rheumatoid arthritis. Good thing there is this new information about its causes, its advancement and how to prevent it from causing more damage to the body. RA is curable even if there are no signs among individuals.

It is not just for seniors

It has been an ongoing myth that Rheumatoid arthritis is just for seniors and it usually develops in between 40-60 years of age, but it will strike anytime. The average age usually starts at 50, but RA can truly affect anyone even without this age group.

Medication is typically late

In RA early treatment is very important to slow down the development of the disease and to prevent it from causing long term joint damage to the person. The treatment should be given to a person within six months after the signs have development, but this is not always possible and it doesn’t always occur. Oftentimes, the treatment for RA is late is that they do not know that having a joint sign might be something risky. Signs like joint pains and swelling might be blamed to aging or they just ignore it. Early signs of RA are stiffness of the joint upon waking up every morning, sudden loss of appetite, hard lumps under the skin of the hands and elbows. You need to watch for your joint and discuss the signs with your physician.

Smoking might be the reason

In a lot of evidences made available today by doctors, one of the highest risk factors for RA is smoking. Smoking not just boost your chances of having RA, but it can also trigger the signs and make them worst. It can also make the treatments ineffective.

Rheumatoid arthritis not just runs thru the genes

It is common for people to think that RA runs through the genes, but this is not true. In a lot of cases RA shows in people who do not have a family history of the said condition. There are researchers that think that there is a compound interaction between the genes, environment and possible causes of this immune problem that starts attacking healthy joints. This simply means that those who are hereditarily susceptible to RA might never develop this condition anyway.

Rheumatoid arthritis runs away from the joints

Those with RA might have the disease activity in the body for several years already even before the swelling of the joint emerges. It usually starts at the mucosal surfaces such as the mouth, lungs and gut where the environmental factors trigger an immunity response that develops overtime into a rheumatoid arthritis. There is a proof that the inflammation of the gums coming from a periodontal ailment that may be inclined thru RA.

Fish oil helps

Omega 3 fatty acids have been found in cold water fish such as salmon and tuna that helps in fighting swelling, which is a sign of RA. According to the doctor, fish oil can help in improving the immune response thus lessen the risk of developing RA. For those with RA, having enough amount of omega 3 fatty acids may help in lessening the amount of possibility in taking NSAIDs needed to relieve the ailments due to their side effects like acidic stomach. You have to discuss with your doctor the safest amount of fish oil that must be consumed daily.