Between 1995 and 2007 the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increased among American women and slightly decreased among men. Year by year the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis among women appears to be increasing. Since RA is a disease caused by chronic inflammation it is thought that perhaps inflammation is increasing among women.
A recent study, published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, reports that the number of diagnosed RA cases rose 2.5 percent between 1995 and 2007, and now affect just over 53 women per 100,000, and nearly 28 men per 100,000.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that activates your immune system to attack your joints, causing them to break down. It shouldn't be confused with osteoarthritis which is a degenerative joint disease, primarily caused by "wear-and-tear" on your joints. One cause of autoimmune disease is our toxic environment plus medications and food chemistry. We are putting far too many chemicals into our bodies that they weren't designed to process. Our intelligent bodies struggle with the chemical overload but they sometimes make mistakes, they start attacking our own cells.
Our modern lives are stressful. Stressful lives produce abnormal body chemistry. Stress is normal, chronic stress isn't normal. Our bodies weren't designed to produce stress chemistry indefinitely. We need a break from chemical and emotional stress.
According to Dr. Joe Mercola a stressful event is often the final insult that results in rheumatoid arthritis. Another common factor that Dr. Mercola recognized in seeing over 3000 RA patients is vitamin D deficiency.
So if you want to avoid rheumatoid arthritis:
- avoid toxic chemicals in your environment, food and cosmetics,
- manage stress
- supplement with vitamin D or get adequate sun exposure
If you're already an RA sufferer, follow your doctors advice and talk to your doctor about the three items above. If they are unaware of the importance of vitamin D, mention the Iowa Women's Health Study, published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism in 2004 which found that vitamin D intake is inversely associated with rheumatoid arthritis, that postmenopausal women who consumed at least 400 IU of supplemental vitamin D daily had a 34 percent reduction of risk.
The current recommendation for vitamin D by some experts is 35 units per pound per day, or 5,000-10,000 IUs for most adults.
Please note: The information here is not to be followed as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with your physician or primary health practitioner for information regarding your own personal health and necessary treatments.
