The cornerstone of successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an early diagnosis and aggressive medical therapy. In addition, though, there are non-drug therapies that can be beneficial for many patients.
The following is a rundown of things that help patients at our center.
While glucosamine sulfate/ chondroitin have been used mainly to treat osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, it can be helpful in the patient with both RA as well as OA. There is very little data regarding its use in patients with both conditions. However, many patients report that symptoms improve with the addition of a good quality form of glucosamine and chondroitin.
If a patient is a smoker, there is abundant evidence indicating that smoking increases the risk of developing RA. In one study looking at more than 350,000 women, those who smoked more than 25 cigarettes per day had a relative risk of 1.4 of developing RA compared with those who never smoked. In addition, patients with RA who smoked were more likely to develop aggressive joint disease associated with more joint damage, rheumatoid nodules (swelling under the skin near joints), and higher levels of rheumatoid factor, a blood test that correlates closely with disease activity.
Physical and occupational therapy […]

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