Rheumatoid arthritisis traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints.

It is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction if not effectively treated. Rheumatoid arthritisis a systemic disease, often affecting articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles.

About 60% of Rheumatoid arthritis patients are unable to work 10 years after the onset of their disease

RA is a disease of primarily the child bearing years. It affects three times as many women as men and is particularly common between the ages of 25 and 50. "People who have it may be born with a genetic predisposition to rheumatoid arthritis that is triggered by an environment factor, such as a viral infection," says Dr. Rubin.

The most commonly affected joints are the wrists and knuckles, but inflammation can occur in the neck, shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, ankles and feet. Often the person with RA feels fatigued and sick all over and, sometimes, feverish. Those with RA are at risk for developing RA in all joints.

"With RA, the earlier it is treated, the better your chances of stopping its progression and putting it into remission, Dr. Rubin says. Treatment aims not to take care of pain and inflammation but to blunt the destructive process.

People with RA may take corticosteroids to decrease inflammation and pain; disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (methotrexate and leflunomide) to relieve pain and swelling and slow joint damage; or anti-inflammatory aids such as NSAIDS or COX-2 inhibitors to decrease the pain and control inflammation.

Topical ointment applications have proven effective for RA, particularly those with Calendula Oil as one of the pain relieving ingredients in their formula. Calendula Oil is healing carrier oil containing the active ingredients of the marigold flower often referred to as Marigold Oil. The carotenes, phytosterols, polyphenols and EFAs present in the herb allow pain relieving penetrating formulation products that can dramatically improve the flow of blood and oxygen to the affected RA area of the body.

The biggest breakthrough in treating RA has been with injectable drugs that interfere with parts of the immune system that attack the joints, explains Selden Longley, M.D., a rheumatologist at the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of North Florida in Gainesville. "They don't affect the entire immune system, so they have fewer side effects." These drugs are etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, and anakinra and are effective toward reducing inflammation and structural damage to the joints.

So read up on all the anti-inflammatory aids, NSAIDS, Calendula based topical ointments, and the new and emerging injectable drugs and find the perfect pain relieving "cocktail" that works for you.