A painful condition that will have you looking for cures anywhere that you can find them, including looking for natural cures, rheumatoid arthritis can quickly gain control of your life.

Rheumatoid arthritis or RA is a lifelong autoimmune disease distinguished by the inflammation throughout the lining of the joints. This form of arthritis can leave you with long term joint damage. It is this joint damage that deals you days wrought with chronic pain, a battle to regain lost bodily function, and can even leave you facing disability.

Early and aggressive treatment is absolutely necessary if you plan on staying healthy and whole. It is a battle to face the demons of rheumatoid arthritis, but with the advances in treatment of RA, there is hope for you. In fact, not only has traditional medicine made advances in these treatments, but alternative treatments or natural treatments have also gained popularity. Most doctors believe that a combination of traditional medicine and natural cures for rheumatoid arthritis is the best hope.

Two natural cures for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis include chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine. These products work by improving the elasticity of your cartilage and by assisting in the formation and repair of your cartilage. These natural cures are heroes when it comes to reducing morning stiffness.

Another natural cure for rheumatoid arthritis is Methylsulfonylmethane or MSM. This natural cure works to reduce pain by interrupting the pain impulses that travel along the nerve fibers acting. It can also reduce the pain of arthritis by reducing the inflammation associated with it. Another side benefit is that MSM is thought to pitch in and help with the maintenance and repair of your body's cartilage, which can of course also help to reduce your pain.

Physical therapy and Occupational therapy for rheumatoid arthritis is another option for a natural cure for rheumatoid arthritis. If you have rheumatoid arthritis your first impulse is to rest and not move. However, with rheumatoid arthritis it is important to keep moving.

Physical therapy is designed to keep you moving. Through movement, physical therapy helps to stimulate the muscles, bones and joints through gentle joint-protecting exercises. It can also help you to increase the amount of flexibility and strength that you have.

With the use of the natural cure of occupational therapy you can learn to really maximize your independence. An occupational therapist can work closely with you to see exactly where you are stressing your joints unnecessarily and can also give you personalized suggestions and handy dandy tools that can help you with simple tasks such as opening a jar, turning your keys or even getting a cookie sheet out of the oven.

Massage therapy can also be a great way to ease rheumatoid arthritis pain and stiffness. Massages can help ease muscle pain and spasms and increase the body's production of natural painkilling endorphins. But it is important to seek out a qualified massage therapist who is trained to work with rheumatoid arthritis in order to avoid injury or trauma to the joints.

Here's the thing, with the use of natural cures for rheumatoid arthritis along with current medical traditional therapies, many patients have great success with effectively managing their RA. Yes, living with rheumatoid arthritis is a daily fight, but the cost of ignoring your symptoms is simply too high. Talk with your physician and decide what treatment is best for you.