Karen’s Opinion

As we age, we often find that our bodies work against us. I know how important exercise is to my health. I have to do impact exercises to keep my bones strong. Impact exercises are those where your feet hit the ground. I don’t know how it works but somehow it makes the bones stronger.

There are some things that even exercise cannot cure. Exercise can help RA but not cure it. There are different treatments for Rheumatoid Arthiritis. Different treatments work better for different people. That is why it is important not to give up if the first one you try doesn’t help. When fatigue sets in, it is difficult to feel like getting out of bed let alone making another doctor’s appointment. It is important to NOT GIVE UP.

For myself, I have heard awful things about Prednisone and less about Celebrex. The commercials make it sound like you totally get your life back when you try THEIR medication. We have to use good judgement and understand that the pharmaceutical companies need to make money. If I were to make a commercial about any type of medication, I would present the facts and remind the patient to do their homework and talk to their doctor. I would not put it on television but would list it in a magazine where it could be studied.

Do you find that a certain medication has helped you. I would be interested in hearing your story.

I think we all have checked the Internet for help when we are sick. I know that I have. It is easy to get scared out of my mind when I read some of the things concerning medical anomalies and cures. It can get out of hand. That is why it is important to take things in stride and check with your doctor before self medicating. It is a good idea to be educated with online health information use it in conjunction with your doctor’s advice. Take an article to your doctor to see what he/she has to say about it. There is a lot of information out there and much of it is good. Let an educated physician be the one to decide on your health care.