How to Live a Full Life With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Manage Your Rheumatoid Arthritis by Becoming an Expert Patient

Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 12
Foreword......Page 14
Introduction......Page 16
1 What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?......Page 18
The function of the joint......Page 19
How rheumatoid arthritis affects the joint......Page 20
The importance of an early diagnosis......Page 21
The unpredictability of rheumatoid arthritis......Page 23
A personal scenario......Page 25
Coping with pain......Page 28
Understanding pain......Page 30
The pain gate......Page 31
Massage......Page 32
Acupuncture......Page 33
Natural pain-killers......Page 34
Nutrition......Page 35
Posture......Page 37
The pain diary......Page 38
Medication......Page 39
Surgery......Page 40
A personal scenario......Page 41
3 Understanding Medication......Page 43
Medication for rheumatoid arthritis......Page 44
New treatments......Page 49
Complementary therapies......Page 51
A personal scenario......Page 54
4 How to Protect Your Joints and Reduce Pain......Page 56
Conserving your energy......Page 57
Avoiding static positions......Page 59
Discouraging deformities......Page 60
A personal scenario......Page 65
5 Equipment and Adaptations......Page 69
Equipment for the kitchen......Page 70
Equipment and tips for personal care......Page 73
Clothing......Page 74
Selecting furniture......Page 77
Adaptations......Page 79
Planning your exercise......Page 81
Exercise at the table......Page 83
Useful yoga exercises......Page 84
Exercises for the car......Page 88
Standing exercises......Page 89
Exercises for the bath......Page 90
Hydrotherapy and swimming......Page 91
The benefits of exercise......Page 92
A personal scenario......Page 93
Good posture......Page 94
Guidelines for good posture......Page 96
7 How to Relax and Manage Your Stress......Page 100
Symptoms of stress......Page 101
Why stress occurs......Page 102
Restoring the balance......Page 104
Learning to relax......Page 107
The postures of stress......Page 108
Getting started......Page 109
A personal scenario......Page 114
The benefits of employment......Page 116
Factors that help you stay in employment......Page 117
Changing work......Page 120
Disability benefits......Page 122
A personal scenario......Page 123
Avoiding the downward spiral......Page 126
9 Rheumatoid Arthritis and Relationships......Page 128
Asking for help......Page 129
Making changes......Page 130
Rheumatoid arthritis and sex......Page 131
A personal scenario......Page 133
Dealing with the diagnosis......Page 135
How we deal with loss......Page 136
The benefits of active coping......Page 139
Helpful support......Page 140
A personal scenario......Page 143
Helping yourself......Page 144
Appendix: The Work of the Occupational Therapist......Page 146
A–Z Guide to Wellbeing......Page 150
Useful Resources......Page 158
References......Page 164
H......Page 168
Y......Page 169