Archive for the ‘Arthritis’ Category

SYMPTOMS OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA): VOCAL CORDS AND HEART

Sunday, April 10th, 2011
Vocal Cords
Another rare complication of RA is involvement of the joints of the vocal cords (cricoarytenoid joints). Usually there are no symptoms when this occurs, although some persons experience hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, a feeling of fullness in the throat, or pain radiating toward the ear. This complication is usually evaluated and treated by an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor.
The Heart
The heart is infrequently involved in RA, and when the heart is affected, most people experience no symptoms. When inflammation involves the membranous sac enclosing the heart (the pericardium), however, the person may experience symptoms similar to those of pleurisy. This condition is called pericarditis. In rare situations, a significant amount of fluid accumulates around the heart, in a condition called pericardial effusion. This condition usually responds to medications (corticosteroids) and only rarely requires drainage of the fluid. Other parts of the heart are rarely involved in RA.
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171 | posted at April 10th, 2011 in Arthritis

FOODS FOR ARTHRITIS: EGG YOLK HAS THE RIGHT OIL

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

Eggs are enjoyed by most people every day. It will be helpful for arthritics to know that the value of eggs is not affected by the colour of the shells. The most important part of the egg is the yolk. And it doesn’t matter whether the yolk is light or medium yellow.
Farmers everywhere realise that the colour of the yolk is determined by the chicken’s environment. Many farmers confine their flocks to keep the yolks a true yellow. Roaming chickens, it seems, yield darker yolks. Actually, the colour is not important, but the vitamin assay is.
If you let your imagination create ways to prepare eggs, you could compile an almost endless list. For arthritics, however, the best methods of preparing eggs are these:
Three-minute boiled eggs.
Poached eggs.
Coddled eggs.
Raw egg nog (no sugar).
To gain the maximum vitamin D from an egg, serve a three-minute boiled egg on whole-wheat toast. Scrambling an egg—or combining it in other forms of cooking—is throwing away many benefits. As for a hard-boiled egg, the only advantage it offers is that it is harder to digest.
If, as we grow older, we are unfortunate enough to develop heart or gall-bladder trouble, we are told to restrict our consumption of eggs. Children eat eggs every day and never suffer any ill effects. Yet adults who do the same thing often get into health difficulties. Why?
The explanation is not due to just “growing older.” The damage is caused by the difference in the dietary habits of the two age groups. Children generally follow their eggs with milk, a liquid with low tension on oil. Adults, on the other hand, drink coffee, a high-tension liquid. Since coffee and eggs do not mix well, a lifelong habit of using the two together causes trouble later in life.
Let’s not forget that coffee is essentially water. When taken with coffee, egg yolk then turns into a rubbery material which taxes the gall-bladder and heart. Respect the egg yolk. It can offer health, or, when not used wisely, can be a detriment.
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169 | posted at March 30th, 2011 in Arthritis