Arthritis

ILLNESS INSIGHTS BY DR. JIM RYBACKI

Arthritis gradually asks you to stop moving

Your joints hold the magic of motion for your body and arthritis may try to take that away. It comes in many forms, but the most common happens over time from wear and tear and is called osteoarthritis. A second form I want to focus on is called rheumatoid arthritis and it confuses a lot of patients.

Osteoarthritis (what your doctor calls degenerative joint disease) can show up as a familiar stiffness in your hands or knees or back in the morning. You’ve gotten older, and now this problem shows up even though you took good care of yourself. Think of it as a wear and tear on the joints over time. There are a ton of nonprescription medicines to help with the pain and swelling (inflammation) and some people also need a strong prescription to do the things they normally do in a day.

Rheumatoid arthritis happens when your own immune system starts to attack your joints. Hardly fair, it spares nothing and requires very strong medicines that affect the immune system itself. As we all know, any time you start to make changes in immunity—even with the best of intentions, side effects can be frightening. Knowing your medicines can help you anticipate possible problems and react to them quickly IF they do happen.

As usual, be sure to talk to your doctor and pharmacist about all the pills you take and talk to your doc about drug safety, side effects, and potentially harmful drug interactions. Take a deep breath, and I’ll help you navigate through what can often be a confusing combination of medical news, the latest treatments, the FDA-removing drugs from the market, new guidelines, research, and the ever-changing world of prescription drugs!

I am Dr. James Rybacki [author of The Essential Guide to Prescription Drugs] and YOUR personal advocate and guide through the confusing – and potentially dangerous – the world of illness, prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs (OTC), herbs, and herbal supplements!  My videos, information packets, newsletters, and books will explain medical terminology, treatment options, and drug use/safety in clear, easy-to-understand language.

While other sites provide drug information, I go beyond the basics and concentrate on possible drug interactions, minor AND serious potential side effects, and the safety of the drug with pregnant or nursing women—in short, more than 40 categories of information in the Essential Guide to Prescription Drug profiles. Patient and family-centered care are key concepts I believe in and I give you the information you NEED to take control of your health and the health of your family!

Whether you’re fighting osteo or rheumatoid arthritis, recovering from a heart attack, or dealing with low levels of good cholesterol – your involvement in your own treatment and recovery WILL make a difference! Insist that YOU and YOUR Family are the centers of the medical team–become an informed, educated patient!

I’ll show you how and keep you up to date as the research and medicines change!

James J. Rybacki, Pharm.D.

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