Blog Articles About arthritis

RA vs OA: This Ain’t Your Grandfather’s Arthritis

Updated August 4, 2020 Ask anyone with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to tell you about their biggest frustration and chances are they’ll mention the misperception that it is similar to osteoarthritis (OA). You know the moment — you explain that you have RA and they say, “oh yes, I know exactly what you mean. My knee…

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At-Home RA Test Could Be a Quicker Path to Treatment

  One of the biggest challenges in having rheumatoid arthritis is simply getting diagnosed. In my new article for HealthCentral, I look at the pros and cons of a new at-home diagnostic test for RA: “Many people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience difficulties in getting a diagnosis. The lag between first appearance of symptoms and the…

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What You Need to Know About RA and Osteoporosis

RA comes with an increased risk for  other medical conditions. One of these is osteoporosis. In my new article for HealthCentral, I take a closer look at risk factors and prevention: “Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), steroids, a sedentary lifestyle, being low on vitamin D — these all are risk factors for developing osteoporosis and may be…

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Could Vagus Nerve Stimulation Cure RA?

A new drug-free treatment holds promise for RA. I investigate in my new artcile for HealthCentral: ““Vagus nerve stimulation cures rheumatoid arthritis!” You may have seen this statement in multiple places over the past few years, but is it true? Can rheumatoid arthritis (RA) really be cured by stimulating a nerve in your neck? To…

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Your Life with RA Is On Sale!

It’s January, a month famous — infamous? — for being full of resolutions and decisions to take charge of your life. My Amazon Bestseller Your Life with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Tools for Managing Treatment, Side Effects and Pain is your perfect partner in the quest to become empowered and put yourself in the driver’s seat with…

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6 Tips for Setting (and Working Towards) Goals Despite the Unpredictability of Chronic Illness

“That’s why you should never make plans,” she said. “You never know what might happen.” I used to be in that place. It’s a place where you are afraid of planning anything, because of the unpredictability of chronic illness. If you never know how you’ll feel tomorrow, even in an hour from now, forcing you…

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12 Must-Reads if You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis

It’s no secret that I’m a complete book nerd. I learned from books, I love the adventure of books… Essentially, books make me happy. Books can also be a great way of learning more about rheumatoid arthritis and when written by people who live with RA, even better. In my new slideshow for HealthCentral, I’ve…

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#ChronicChristmas Gift Guide Day 9: The Gift Only You Can Give

Description: An hourglass on a beach, right by the surf. Image has the number 9 is a circle and the hashtag #ChronicChristmas This is my daily Advent calendar of gift ideas for people with chronic illness, running from December 1-25. Some entries will contain affiliate links. There is absolutely nothing wrong with spending some time…

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How Massage Can Help Rheumatoid Arthritis

Keeping rheumatoid arthritis pain under control requires a toolbox of techniques. This can include both allopathic (Western) approaches, as well as alternative treatments. One of these is massage. In my new slideshow for HealthCentral, I took a look at how massage can help RA: “Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic illness that affects many parts…

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New Tool Offers Side-by-Side Comparison of RA Medications

Finding the right rheumatoid arthritis medication for you, one that has benefits, with the tall pro level of side effects, is a trial and error process. Wouldn’t it be great if we had a tool that can tell us what life on a particular medication would be like? I recently interviewed a rheumatologist who is…

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August #AskLene: Living and Coping with Pain

This afternoon, during my monthly #AskLene, we talked about living with pain and coping with pain. We had a really lively discussion that is continuing on the Facebook post. Do you have a topic you’d like me to talk about in future forecasts? Please leave it in the comments

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11 Tips to Deal with Nausea with Chronic Illness

Updated March 29,2020 Queasy. Green around the gills. Nauseated. If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there’s a very good chance you know nausea. For that matter, anyone with autoimmune arthritis or other types of chronic illness probably knows it, too. Between the effects of the condition itself and the medication to treat it, most of…

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