There are numerous rheumatoid arthritis treatments available for people with this disease. Prescription drug therapy is considered to be the standard first line treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Typically, in the earlier stages of the disease physicians may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), and then prescribe progressively stronger disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS) as the disease progresses.
Unfortunately, many medications which are typically prescribed as rheumatoid arthritis treatments can oftentimes carry significant side effects that are problematic for many people. Thankfully, not all of the treatment options depend on taking harsh medications which could potentially cause a variety of unwanted side effects; this is good news for people who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). And, the number of treatment options that are available to people struggling to cope with this disease increases every year.
For example, patients may opt to help manage their disease through diet, gentle exercise and physical therapy, by taking nutritional and herbal supplements, by getting acupuncture or acupressure treatments, or by doing a combination of the above. While some healthcare practitioners may scoff at such measures, stories abound of RA patients deriving great benefit from using these disease management strategies independently or in combination with more traditional treatment approaches. Given the fact that many RA patients are uncomfortable with having to take prescription drugs on a daily basis for life, many patients may choose to initially forego drug therapy while attempting to manage their disease by using alternative treatment approaches such as those mentioned above.
However, with rheumatoid arthritis treatments early intervention is critical to avoid permanent joint damage and disfigurement; a fact that bears careful consideration when deciding on a plan of treatment. So, a more measured approach would be to follow your doctor’s advice and combine both traditional and alternative disease management approaches under your doctor’s supervision. This is to avoid �under-managing� your symptoms, which could result in potentially irreversible joint tissue damage. While this is unlikely considering the pain RA patients experience during flare-ups of the inflammatory disease process (most patients suffering severe pain will seek competent medical treatment), it can happen.
In the final analysis, the rheumatoid arthritis treatments you choose need to be supervised by competent medical professionals who understand your unique symptoms. Remember, this is an illness that affects different people in different ways; one person’s symptoms may subside under a particular treatment or drug therapy, while another patient may receive little or no relief at all from the same approach. In addition, while most of the symptoms people with RA experience are similar, the intensity of these symptoms will vary from person to person. Therefore, it is important that you work with your physician to determine the best rheumatoid arthritis treatments for you, based on your unique situation and preferences for treatment.
