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I used to think that all the emphasis on raising money for a cure for rheumatoid arthritis was a waste of time. This disease was incurable. All the research in the world couldn’t help.

Boy, was I wrong! I now firmly believe that we will see a cure in my lifetime. 

In my new post for RAHealthCentral, I look at the new studies that are exploring how to stop RA before it starts. Doesn’t that just blow your mind?

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could stop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) before it develops, before it starts wreaking havoc in our bodies?

Does that sound like science fiction or a fairy tale? It isn’t. It’s getting closer to becoming a reality.

A bit of background

Five years ago, I listened to Edward C. Keystone, M.D., F.R.C.P(C) one of the foremost rheumatologists in Canada, talk about how the anti-CCP blood test was leading us toward a bright new future. Because the anti-CCP test can detect RA up to 15 years before it starts, he said it was leading to a rheumatologist being able to identify individuals at the pre-clinical stage of RA. That is, before symptoms begin. This is exciting because it can lead to a future in which RA can be stopped before it affects the systems in your body.

Although I was delighted to hear this, I have to admit that I thought this was very far into the future. But only five years later, it’s starting to become reality.”

Several new exciting studies are investigating how to stop rheumatoid arthritis before it starts. Read all about it in my new article for HealthCentral.