Athritis: Challenging the Pain!

Physical activity-even if you don't lose an ounce you'll live longer, feel healthier and be less likely to get cancer, heart disease, stroke and arthritis. It's the closest thing we have to a wonder drug. - Tom Frieden

An approximate staggering 350 million people (young and old) worldwide suffer from some kind of athritis! Call it a global epidemic if you like, but even more intriguing is the role that regular exercises and maintenance of optimal body weight can play reducing the risk of developing athritis and towards attaining a "pain-free life".

What is Athritis?

It is the inflammation of any joint that is commonly associated with pain and stiffness. 

Regular effective exercise is vital for arthritis patients

Though there are more than a 100 types of athritis (CDC 2016) each with its own causes, symptoms and complications.

Osteoathritis and rheumatoid athritis are 2 of the most common types.

Osteoathriritis(OA) is the most common joint disorder worldwide which occurs due to aging and wear and tear on a joint that could result from obesity, excessive use in certain occupations/sports and advancing age is known to be one of the strongest risk factors. 

Rheumatoid athritis (RA) on the other hand is an autoimmune athritis resulting from the body's own immune cells mistakenly attacking the tissues of the joint lining resulting in stiffness, swelling and pain. Patients with RA may manifest with dry eyes, dry mouth, swollen digits and eye symptoms.. Though it may occur in anyone, it is more common in women and older adults.

The key differences between both conditions is in how the symptoms present. The pain of OA is worse with activity and relieved by rest in contrast to the pain of rheumatoid athritis. Whilst morning stiffness experienced in OA  resolves within 30 minutes, it lasts longer in rheumatoid arthritis.Also, RA is also found to be symmetrical in that it tends to affect the same joint on both sides of the body.

Treatment of both OA and RA  consists of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), physical therapy, use of corticosteroids and even surgery. While RA treatment also involves the use of anti-thematic and biologic agents in addition to the above.

The role of physical therapy in the management of joint problems cannot be over-emphasized. Physical therapy helps to restore the use of the joints by improving mobility, increasing the strength of the muscles around the joints and maintaining fitness. 

Athritis may be not curable, but surely it is manageable, even more manageable when the patient is involved.

So how well can the patient be involved?

Exercise, regular effective exercise is vital for patients with athritis, and non-drug treatment options are an integral part in the management of the condition. This have been shown to improve symptoms in many patients. 

As important as exercise, is weight loss (some amount of weight loss is always great). Being overweight has been linked to the development of athritis of the knee and its worsening, hence weight loss can   help to reduce pain particularly in the knees and hips as well as lower the risk of OA even in advancing age.

Though the development of many kinds of athritis is strongly associated with aging, here are some signs to be on the look out for that may necessitate scheduling an appointment with your doctor.

• Pain, swelling or stiffness in one or more joints
• Warm or reddish discoloration around a joint
• Difficulty moving a joint or doing daily activities
• Any concerning joint symptoms

Finally, exercise and physical therapy with gentle muscle-strengthening exercises are always helpful as is range of movement exercises to maintain flexibility and good posture.

Medic-ALL 2018

Ref: www.athritis.org

The Burden of Infertility; What you need to know

...with a baby or without, you are valuable, you are whole and you matter...

Recent data available shows that nearly 50 million couples worldwide experience infertility and nearly 50 percent of gynecology outpatient consultations in countries all over the world are infertility related.

Many homes continue to experience the agony of childlessness and the accompanying turbulence that comes with infertility in some parts of the world. While some couples enjoy the privilege of becoming parents, the same is not the case for many who continue to hope they will one day experience the joy of parenthood.

Infertility is defined as the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy despite having frequent, regular (up to 3 to 4 times in a week) unprotected sex for at least a year. The inability to become pregnant or the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth is considered, primary infertility. On the other hand, the inability to become pregnant or the inability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth following either a previous pregnancy or a previous ability to carry a pregnancy to a live birth, is classified as secondary infertility. 

Infertility may be due to a single cause in either partner, or a combination of factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring or continuing. Fortunately, there are many safe and effective therapies for overcoming infertility. These treatments significantly improve the chances of becoming pregnant.

As the burden continues to stare many couples in the face, seeking early counselling, towards a diagnoses of the problem is very important for couples and treatment is often available.

The methods within infertility treatment have improved immensely over the last 2 decades even though there remains an inequitable degree of access and varying affordability to treatment modalities such as assisted reproductive techniques (in vitro fertilization) in many developing countries. This is a huge reproductive health concern.

Causes of infertility can more or less be divided into 3 equal parts. A female part, a male part and a third unexplained part.

Common causes in men include;

Abnormal Semen due to a medical condition, infection, hormonal imbalance, or ejaculation disorders, medications which can reduce sperm count, Mumps, radiation exposure and even mental stress.

Common causes in women include  ovulation disorders/hormonal imbalance, anatomic problems which affect the uterus or fallopian tubes, other medical conditions and medications. Advancing age, excessive exercise, sexually transmitted infections (STIs),smoking, alcohol consumption and mental stress  are also risk factors in women

The main sign of infertility is the inability of a couple to get pregnant. There may be no other obvious symptoms.

In some cases, an infertile woman may have irregular or absent menstrual periods. An infertile man may have signs of hormonal problems, such as changes in hair growth, sexual function, reduced sexual desire, or problems with ejaculation. He may also have small testicles or a swelling in the scrotum.

When should you consider seeing a doctor

In general, you may consider seeing a doctor about infertility if you and your partner have been trying regularly to conceive for at least one year.




You may consider being seen earlier if you're a woman and:

• You're age 35 to 40 and have been trying to conceive for six months or longer 
• You're over age 40 
• You menstruate irregularly or not at all 
• You have known fertility problems 
• You've been diagnosed with endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease 
• You've had more than one miscarriage 
• You've had prior cancer treatment 

If you're a man, you may wish to be evaluated sooner if you have:

• A low sperm count or other problems with sperm 
• Swelling in the scrotum (see 'varicocele' below) 
• You have had a previous vasectomy 
• Undergone prior scrotal or inguinal surgery 
• Small testicles or problems with sexual function or desire 
• Had prior cancer cancer treatment 
• Desire to know your fertility status. 

Medic-ALL 2018