Home Care in Allen, TX
Senior care and elder care professionals want everyone to know that May is National Arthritis Month in the United States. One of the goals of National Arthritis Month is to raise awareness about arthritis. Unfortunately, due to the continual aging of the American population it is getting easier to raise awareness about arthritis because an increasing number of people now have arthritis. It is pretty easy is to find a person with arthritis just about anywhere because according to MedicineNet, there are about 350 million people in the world with arthritis.
In America, there are around forty million people with arthritis, which consists of the following:
21 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis
About 2 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis
Over 250,000 American children have arthritis
Around 17 million suffer occasional discomfort from arthritis that they are able to overcome with over-the-counter medications so it is not yet severe enough to have to go see the doctor
Osteoarthritis versus Rheumatoid arthritis
Osteoarthritis is also called degenerative arthritis. Osteoarthritis, to some degree, pretty much happens to everyone. The only requirement is a person has to get older. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the joints, like in the knees, gradually disappears over time. The cartilage is the softer tissue between the bones. When it decreases, the bones rub against each other and this causes joint pain. An injury, such as a sports injury may accelerate this natural process. Some people are more genetically susceptible to cartilage degeneration than others are.
There are plenty of things to do for osteoarthritis including taking pain medicines, taking nutritional supplements like Glucosamine to strengthen the joints and help keep them working properly, exercising to keep the joints flexible, and finally when there is no alternative, there is the option of joint replacement surgery, which usually is effective. For example, knee joint replacement surgery has improved substantially in the last decade.
Rheumatoid arthritis is another story altogether. Rheumatoid arthritis is the kind that attacks 250,000 children as well as about 2 million adults in the USA. Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition where the body’s immune system goes out of control and starts attacking the body. Doctors call this an autoimmune disease. With rheumatoid arthritis, there is a chronic inflammation found in the joints and all over the body. Rheumatoid arthritis is progressive and gets much worse over time.
When diagnosed early, it is possible to slow the progression, but there is no cure and currently no way to stop the disease. With advanced rheumatoid arthritis, the treatment options are abysmal and joint replacement is ineffective. The only hope is that stem cell therapy is showing signs of being helpful to people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Summary If you or anyone you know has osteoarthritis, the Center for Disease Control recommends going for a walk to ease the pain. All the professional caregivers giving home care, senior care, and elderly care, share the hope that everyone takes a friend and goes for a walk for National Arthritis Month.
Source
National Arthritis Month http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=23220
Osteoarthritis http://www.medicinenet.com/osteoarthritis/article.htm#what_is_osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis http://www.medicinenet.com/rheumatoid_arthritis/article.htm#what_is_rheumatoid_arthritis_ra
Try Walking to Ease Joint Pain http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ArthritisAwareness/
If You Or An Aging Loved One Are Considering Hiring Home Care in Allen, TX, Please Call The Caring Staff At Second Family Home Care At (972) 846-HOME (4663).