A diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis does not mean you can’t live a healthy and normal life. These 10 tips for living well will help you cope with the disease while thriving in your daily activities.
1. Take Charge: Keep an open dialogue with your doctor and family or friends who are helping you to ensure that your needs are heard.
2. Take Care of Yourself: Get plenty of rest and keep a healthy diet. The Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are great for RA patients. Check with your doctor before beginning an Omega 3 regimen.
3. Get Exercise: Exercising regularly can help to reduce the pain and swelling associated with RA. Start gradually by stretching, then eventually add strength training and aerobic exercise. Avoid high-intensity exercises such as running or downhill skiing. Always talk to your doctor about starting a new exercise regimen.
4. Monitor the Temperature: Cold, damp weather amplifies symptoms in many RA patients. It’s important to adjust your thermostat to a comfortable, warmer temperature when the weather outside is cool. On very hot days, be sure to drink plenty of cold water and non-caffeinated beverages before you get thirsty.
5. Quit Smoking: Smoking greatly increases the inflammatory process in the body. As RA causes inflammation in many parts of the body, you do not want to intensify symptoms of swelling with smoking. The #1 cause of premature death for those with RA is heart attacks, which are more likely to occur in smokers.
6. Seek the Sun: Try to get 5-10 minutes of sunlight at least 3 times a week. Vitamin D from sunlight can fight against pain, swelling, and flu-like symptoms of RA.
7. Relax: Take a break when you begin to feel stressed, as stress can aggravate your RA. A glass of water, short walk to stretch your legs, breathing techniques, and practicing Tai Chi can be helpful in stressful situations.
8. Sit Up Straight: Posture training, such as the Alexander Technique, can greatly reduce strain on your joints and muscles to help avoid injury from excessive slouching.
9. Soothe Your Pain with Cold or Heat: Ice packs and heating pads on achy joints and muscles can help alleviate symptoms of pain.
10. Make Sure Your Immunizations are Up to Date: RA patients need to have all of their vaccines, especially flu shots, to avoid illness. The nature of RA and medications such as DMARDs reduce immunity, leaving patients with a higher susceptibility to infections.
Do What You Can: Lastly, do what you can. While RA may deter you from traveling over an extended period of time, try to get out as much as possible and enjoy what life has to offer in close proximity to you. Following these tips will help you to lead a happy and healthier life with RA.