It’s Time to Let Go of These RA Med Myths
There are a lot of stories going around about rheumatoid arthritis medication and not all of them are true. In my new column for HealthCentral, I sort fact from fiction about RA treatments: “I’VE ALWAYS LOVED ancient myths, especially the slightly scary kind. There’s something so delicious about getting that jolt of adrenaline when you…
How to Make RA Treatment Decisions With Less Stress
Side-effect risks can be downright terrifying when you’re trying new rheumatoid arthritis therapies. Deeeep breath! In this HealthCentral column, I share how I keep my balance: “The ads make it look easy—you can create a wonderful life of walking on the beach with your beloved and a golden retriever by simply treating your rheumatoid arthritis…
How to Make RA Treatment Decisions With Less Stress
Rheumatoid arthritis and medication go hand in hand. But… what about the horror stories about side effects? How do you balance the fear of what might come with the meds with hope for remission? Read more in my new column for HealthCentral: “The ads make it look easy—you can create a wonderful life of walking…
Chronic Illness Brain Fog, Part Two: What You Can Do To Cope
Updated April 19, 2021 Brainfog. It’s part of many people experience when they have a chronic illness. Yesterday, I discussed what brain fog is and what causes it. Today, let’s talk about how to cope. When you have brain fog, there are number of things you can do to reduce the density of the fog,…
Chronic Illness Brain Fog, Part One: What It Is
Updated April 19, 2021 Many people with chronic illness also experience the phenomenon colloquially known as brain fog. This includes symptoms related to problems with focusing and concentrating, memory problems, and basically your mind feeling less nimble than it used to. It can be a really big problem, but it doesn’t receive a lot of…
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…
CAPA Creates New Methotrexate Tool for People with Inflammatory Arthritis
Dawn Richards presenting the CAPA methotraxate tool at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology “We all have a story about methotrexate,” said Dawn Richards, Vice President of the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) Steering Committee. This medication has been around for a long time and is considered the gold standard for treatment of inflammatory arthritis….
Real RA: Side Effects of the Miracle
Yesterday, as I moved down the street with the first vague sense of woozy pressure building in my sinuses, it came to me that the next post in my Real RA series should be a look at the cost of the miracle. And by the miracle, I mean Humira and everything good and beneficial it…