ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Could This Be Arthritis In My Hands
Hi Rusty. A few days ago, I slightly injured a finger on my hand. Now my hand is swelling with severe joint pain in the fingers. At first I thought this was a possible sprain in that region, but now my other hand is showing the same swelling of the fingers and pain of the joints. Should I go check this out right away? It doesn't seem to be getting worse today, but the pain and swelling are persistent. Could this be a sudden arthritis attack? I'm 38 years old and in good health (I just had a check-up at the doctor last week and the blood work came back okay). Your advice is greatly appreciated. Answer Ouch, a little sprain is not supposed to do that. Unfortunately some times it does. I am sorry to hear about this. It is not unusual for arthritis to begin in an effected joint. It is not the norm for it to set in so quickly. There are different kinds of arthritis that can effect the hands and feet that can cause swelling. It is possible that arthritis was already beginning but not showing symptoms yet but this triggered a symptomatic response. I am concerned that the pain is bilateral, effecting both sides. I doubt it is anything extremely serious but it would be good to see your doctor. The sooner the better. If nothing else, your doctor will be able to treat the pain and swelling. But if it is arthritis or one of the other conditions that can cause this type of swelling in the fingers the earlier the diagnosis the better. I wish you good health. About The Author Rusty Ford is the editor of Arthritis-Symptom.com one of the internets largest arthritis web sites.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Medical Tests: What Does a Normal Range Mean? We have a marvelous array of medical tests available to us. Many of them-typically blood-tests-even come with results expressed in numbers signifying the exact quantity of something that was measured. On laboratory reports these measured quantities are often accompanied by a "normal range" for what the laboratory apparently thinks the value should have been, showing a lower number and a higher number. So if you had a laboratory test, what does it mean when your measurement falls inside or outside this range? Orphan Drugs: Hope Where There Is Little or No Hope NEW YORK, N.Y., February 18, 2004 ? On a visit to his doctor, Gary Jacob received distressing news ? not about himself, but a friend of the doctor's. 10 Tips for Responsible Medication Use All medications, which include prescriptions, over-the-counter preparations, vitamin and mineral supplements, and herbal preparations, are potentially dangerous. Following some simple rules will not only reduce your chance of having a problem, but should reduce your cost as well. Fioricet: Migraine Remedy Medication Or Just Another Headache? We've all had garden variety headaches from time to time. Getting sleep, drinking water, or taking aspirin or Tylenol lets you squash these "tension headaches" (as doctors call them) quickly and easily. Bee Propolis: Synergisitc Health Care for the 21st Centruy For well over a century modern science has progressed at a startling rate. With this increase in knowledge has come medicinal and healthcare benefits that have seen ages peak and diseases eradicated. These medical advances were based around the paradigm of the "magic bullet", isolating the active ingredient and using it to alter the chemistry of a single molecule/protein to elicit a change of state in the patient. Success however has turned to obsession as cracks appear in the armoury of disease fighting drugs at our disposal. MRSA is rifling through our hospitals as antibiotics become ineffective and severe side effects of modern drugs are becoming common place now years after their introduction. A direct consequence of a one dimensional strategy, it is maybe the time to acknowledge the synergistic health benefits of natural medicine. Propolis is a unique natural medicine because of its breadth of action. It has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immunomodulatory effects, it could help treat asthma, allergies, arthritis and joint disorders, eczema and dermatitis, ME, viral infections including HIV and even cancer. This medicine could help treat an illness or keep you fit and healthy. Propolis: Defender of the City Propolis is a mainly resinous substance that bees collect from trees and plants. Being made up of waxes, resins, fatty acids and even amino acids. Aristotle reputedly coined the name Propolis meaning "defender of the city". This is exactly what Propolis is for the hive, it acts as a bee population's external immune system keeping the hive sterile and free of microbial invaders Evidence Based Medicine In the following paragraphs I will describe to you the pharmacological properties of Propolis. Before I do so I must explain where this evidence comes from. All the properties and actions of Propolis have been witnessed and detailed in scientific studies which have subsequently been published in journals. The bulk of these scientific studies have been performed in vitro (i.e. in a test tube) or in vivo (i.e. in a host animal for example rats), a much smaller proportion of these studies are clinical trials tested on humans. The abstracts of these papers can be found on the Medline and pubmed databases on the Internet. Propolis: A natural antibiotic Propolis is probably best known for its antibiotic properties. Even as early as 1960 French1 research demonstrated the bacteriostatic action on Bacillus subtilis, Proteus vulgaris and Bacillus alvei. The results have been replicated many times and Propolis has even been shown to be effective to MRSA2, the same antibiotic resistant bacteria that has infected up to 70% of our hospitals. A 1997 study by Calder et al. at the University of Oxford concurred with these results and found that the cinnaminic acids and flavanoids present in Propolis in particular show bacteriocidal action. This action believed to be as a consequence of Propolis uncoupling the bacterial energy respiratory chain. Interestingly this action may be involved in a synergistic action with antibiotics when used together, boosting the effectiveness of the drugs. Anti-Viral and immuno-stimulatory Viruses present a unique dilemma in the quest for good health, they are not affected by antibiotics and mutate so frequently that vaccines are hard to produce. They also cause illness by hijacking cells and using the cells machinery to replicate. Modern drugs aim to slow or stop the virus from the replicating and subsequently because they are attacking host cell machinery they have certain side effects. Viruses perhaps pose the greatest threat to humans' health, we are currently in the middle of a HIV pandemic with "39.4 million" people infected world wide. With a Flu pandemic overdue and certainly on its way and predictions of world wide casualties and chaos, a solution is needed. The bioflavanoids in propolis have a unique approach to combating Viruses, instead of trying to combat them once they have infected a cell, they lock the virus in its protein coat. This means that the dangerous machinery and DNA/RNA of the virus is nullified and the infection stopped. Propolis has been shown to be more effective than the pharmaceutical anti-viral acyclovir in treating genital Herpes in a clinical trial conducted in the Ukraine4 and there is growing evidence that Propolis could help treat people with HIV5. Propolis also works hard as an immunomodulator which is of interest for all of us. It does this by altering the way cytokine production and release is managed. Cytokines are the chemical messengers that allow immune system cells to communicate. By altering the cytokine system, it primes the immune system to be ready to react to antigens quickly and effectively. As well as this, bioflavanoids within Propolis stimulate the production of interferon which can help people recover from ME, stimulating their immune system. This alteration of the cytokine and interferon systems means that your body is ready to fight off infection and keep you healthy, making a case for using propolis as a supplement for good health, like vitamins. Prevention is better than the cure. Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergen A survey of Propolis consumers showed that arthritis was the health problem that Propolis was used to treat the most. This is because of the potent anti-inflammatory properties of the propolis constituents in particular CAPE (Caffeic acid Phenyl ester), CAPE has been shown to suppress T cell activation. A paper by Marquez et al in 20046 evaluated this to mean that since T-cells play a key role in the onset of several inflammatory diseases, CAPE is important because the this phenolic compound is a potent inhibitor of early and late events in T-cell receptor-mediated T-cell activation. Results like this have led other researchers to propose that CAPE is a worthwhile agent for reducing the severity of conditions associated with inflammation. Many of the experiments performed on CAPE were done so in vitro, however the anti-inflammatory properties of Propolis have been documented in rats when treating rat adjuvant arthritis. A paper by Park et al in 19997 concluding that the ethanolic extract of propolis had profound anti-inflammatory effects on both chronic and acute arthritic inflammations. These anti-inflammation properties extend to other illness and disorders such as asthma and allergies reducing both smooth muscle airway contraction8 and allergic responses. Any disorder or illness related to inflammation could be helped by Propolis. Anti-tumour/cancer Propolis and CAPE have been shown to reduce the size of tumours and to selectively destroy and to curb the proliferation of malignant cells of many different types of cancer. As recently as June 10th 2005 Cancer researchers have been given a grant of a million dollars to investigate the therapeutic value of Propolis for cancer. Costas Koumenis the lead investigator for the study was quoted as saying, "a very interesting property of these compounds is that they have been shown to cause cell death in tumor cells but not in normal cells." This study along with other current studies promises to propel Propolis into the limelight in the field of cancer treatment. Current Propolis Research in the UK BVR (BeeVital Research) recently won a major government Research and Development Award, part of a £250,000 research programme looking at the chemical, biological and clinical properties of propolis. These studies will focus on the: 1. Documenting the regional variances in chemical and biological properties, by HPLS, GC-MS and NMR. (Taking place at Univeristy of Strathclyde) 2. Futher investigating the role of Propolis in the Hive (University of Gloucester) 3. Dental trials ? looking at effectiveness of Propolis for Mouth Ulcers, Pericorinitis, Gingivitis and Sensitive Teeth. (Manchester University Dental school) 4. HIV/AIDS trials ? looking at the effectiveness of Propolis with anti-virals in Zambia and Tanzania 5. The effects of standardised propolis on mood, stress, fatigue and cognition at the Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at University of Newcastle. 6. To evaluate the use of local and non ? local propolis for wound healing and the treatment of skin and other dermatological problems. ( The Regional Teaching Hospital for University of Dar es Salaam) Thimerosal: Autism and Mercury Poisoning Side Effects? Thimerosal is a preservative that is added to vaccines (has been since the 1930s) that is almost half (49.6% by weight) mercury. Preservatives are added to vaccines to prevent bacteria and fungi from growing. These vaccines include antivenins, skin test antigens, ophthalmic and nasal products. Thimerosal preserved vaccines have been given to children as well as adults. The Cox-2 Prescription Painkillers Are Back? This past week, the FDA held a meeting in order to decide what should be done about Merck's Vioxx and Pfizer's Bextra and Celebrex. The Food and Drug Administration originally intended to ban these pain medications. However, this was challenged by a series of obstacles. Prescription Drugs from International Pharmacies Save Elderly Money As pointed out by *Jack Shapiro, an internationally-known healthcare marketing consultant "For the first nine months of this year, the U.S. imported $40 billion in pharmaceuticals and exported only $21 billion. In 2003, we imported $50 billion and exported $23 billion." So what makes buying from your local U.S. based pharmacy any safer then purchasing from Mexico or Canada? Discipline Medicine Most writers suffer from a lack of discipline. The urge to procrastinate is strong as writing is agonizing work because it is done alone without support from colleagues, acquaintances, and friends unlike other occupations that take place in an office, a store, a factory, or some other location where people are present. Thus a strong incentive is needed. 5 Risks to Avoid When Purchasing Discount Medicines Online With the increasing price of prescription medications, many consumers are finding it more difficult to afford the price of prescriptions. Due to this, a large number of such consumers are looking for alternate ways to find affordable medications. One of theses avenues is purchasing medicines online. While there is no doubt that it is possible to save a good bit of money by purchasing medicines online, consumers should be aware of all the facts; including risks, before proceeding. Utah Drug Rehab: Searching For A Therapist Finding the right treatment for any person suffering with a drug abuse problem can be a difficult task - where do you start, how do you know what to look for, how do I find a good therapist or treatment center in my area? Thankfully, there are many resources to help you find the help that you or a loved one need - here are some tips to help you locate Utah drug rehab help. 10 Benefits of an Electronic Medical Record Electronic Medical Record First Step To Addiction Recovery The first step to over comming any addiction is to detoxify the body of the addictive substance. Whether it's herion, crack, or meth detoxifcation of the liver is essential to addiction recovery. There are several methods to bring the chemicals out of your body. One is sauna or sweat therapy. Zoloft Side Effects: Akathisia and Violent Behavior Zoloft is an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor); a prescription drug that combats depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), as well as other various problems. SSRIs work by allowing more serotonin to be released through the brain. Seratonin is a brain chemical associated with happiness. Between nerve endings in the brain, there are synapses. All signals in the brain are transmitted through chemicals being produced then absorbed by one nerve and another. When these chemicals are released they are either taken in by the next nerve or the nerve that released them will re-absorb them and the signal doesn't pass. Some antidepressants work by blocking the reuptake of Seratonin by the releasing nerve. That means that more Seratonin stays in the synapse in the hope that it will be absorbed by the new nerve which, in the case of Seratonin, would continue the signal of happiness. 10 Home Remedies For Arthritis Pain Relief Your Remedy No. 1 ============== Technology Over Drugs for Stress Related Tension Disorders As much as 95% of the population suffers from some form of reoccurring stress and tension related headaches. Fifteen Ways to Fight Heel Pain There are many different causes of heel pain, but the most common cause is plantar fasciitis (plan * tar fash* ee * I * tis). If you experience a sharp pain in your heel when you first step down in the morning, it is most likely due to plantar fasciitis. This problem is a result of excess stress through a long ligament type structure (the plantar fascia) in the bottom of the foot. The excess stress causes tearing and results in inflammation and pain. The classic symptoms are pain in the heel at the first step in the morning, or upon rising after long periods of rest. Many will complain of a sharp pain in the heel when they step out of their car or after finishing their lunch break. Other individuals only experience heel pain at the end of the day or during certain types of activity like running, soccer or tennis. The pain may extend into the arch and feel achy at the end of the day. Stem Cell Breakthrough: Can You Now Make Your Own? Over the past few years, stem cells have been getting a lot of attention. What makes them so interesting is their ability to stimulate the production of many types of healthy cells. That means that a single stem cell can turn itself into brain cells, liver cells, skin cells, pancreas cells, and so on. Three Questions People Are Asking About Health Care in America Q. Why is there so may uninsured people in America? Over The Counter Pain Medication: How To Choose The Right Drugs With the recent front-page news about the possible hazards of pain medications, you may be taking a look at your over-the-counter (or OTC) pain medications with a wary eye. While all drugs, including those you don't need a prescription for, can be dangerous, some basic knowledge can help you avoid the pitfalls for the pain relief you need.
|
|
|
|
|
