Your New Year Action Plan for RA
Got big goals for your life with rheumatoid arthritis in 2022? In my first column of the year, I share strategies to get you there: “NOT TOO LONG ago, I set aside time to review 2021 and create some goals for the future. As a small business owner, I am very clear in the fact that…
When RA Hits Your Jaw: The Facts and Tips to Cope
Did you know that headaches, toothaches, and pain around the neck and shoulders could mean that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is affecting your jaw? For some of you reading this, this could be the first time you heard that RA can affect your jaw. Let’s cover that first — yes, it can, just like all the…
How a Pain Specialist Can Help Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
Living with rheumatoid arthritis means facing many challenges, one of which is getting effective treatment for pain. My latest article for HealthCentral looks at how a pain specialist can help: “Treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) doesn’t begin and stop with a rheumatologist. RA is a complex systemic condition that can benefit from a team approach. A…
The Path to better Treatment: 5 Tips to Get What You Need
“We have to do whatever we can to help our patients function.” – My rheumatologist Both my rheumatologist and my family doctor support my need for treatment that enables me to live my life. That includes prescribing opioids, steroid shots, or thinking outside the box to find solutions. I know that makes me a lucky…
Precision Medicine: A Vision for an RA-Free Future
We live in a really exciting time — every day, new advances are made in research, medication, and even in the way doctors approach treatment. Precision medicine is a fascinating approach that holds much promise for the future of rheumatoid arthritis and many other health conditions. In my new article for HealthCentral, I take a…
Dealing with Pain in a Non-Medical Way: an Interview with Sarah Anne Shockley
Sarah Anne Shockley is the author of The Pain Companion: Everyday Wisdom for Living With and Moving Beyond Chronic Pain. It’s a wonderful book with lots of great tips that can help you deal with pain in a compassionate and gentle way. I had the opportunity to interview the author via email about her…
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
Chronic Pain Patients and the War on Opioids
People with chronic pain who depend on opioids for quality of life are extremely worried about the lack of nuance in the solutions to the OP or crisis. This week on HealthCentral, there are two articles from me on this issue. First, I talked to the chronic pain community about their concerns and experiences related…
Can Antibiotics Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Have you ever heard that antibiotics can treat RA? I investigate in my new article for HealthCentral: “When your doctor presents you with treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it’s natural to feel more than a bit overwhelmed. That’s when many of us start consulting the deep recesses of a search engine. And that’s where…
How I Cope with Taking Medication for My Chronic Conditions
Let’s get this out of the way first: no one likes taking medication. If my fairy godmother showed up in a sparkling red off the shoulder number (because my fairy godmother rocks) and offered to waive her magic wand over anything in my life, of course my first choice would be to magick away my…
The Best Way to Achieve Rheumatoid Arthritis Remission and Barriers to Its Use
Updated May 3, 2020 It is now possible for many people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to go into remission. This in and of itself is mind-boggling to me. I grew up during a time when there were no treatments, and when the inevitable of progression lead to severe disability, wheelchair use, and often early…
A Problem & A New Vision for RA Pain Treatment
Updated August 30, 2020 “The type of pain associated with moderate-severe RA is comparable to bone cancer.” This is a quote from a HealthCentral article, now alas no longer on the site. The source of the quote was a rheumatologist treating the woman interviewed. And it has been reverberating in my mind since I first…