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Sunday, November 22, 2020

YOUR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WHEN THE SEASON CHANGES - If your rheumatoid arthritis acts up when it's cold and rainy, there's a lot you can do ease stiffness and pain. Your instinct may be to hunker down at home when it's rainy or cold outside, but try to resist. If you want to feel better, get active. Exercise wards off stiffness and keeps you from gaining weight, which puts added stress on your joints. Moving around also gives you a rush of feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which can help block pain. Regular stretching can help you ward off pain and stiffness. What you put on your plate can affect stiffness and swelling. Try to limit sugar - avoid high-fructose corn syrup. A healthy diet makes a difference in how you feel when the seasons change -a diet that's low in cholesterol and high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can fight inflammation. Being aware that seasonal changes often trigger pain also helps. You can't change the weather, but if your rheumatoid arthritis acts up when it's cold and rainy, there's a lot you can do ease stiffness and pain. It's especially hard when autumn turns into winter and when winter makes way for spring. Experts aren't quite sure why weather has an impact. Autumn may be the sweet spot for RA, while winter and spring are the most challenging. No matter the cause, take some easy steps to keep your RA in check when the weather isn't on your side. Try to keep yourself nice and toasty, especially when it's cold and damp outside.

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Your Rheumatoid Arthritis When the Season Changes

There's not much you can do about the weather, but knowing what to expect helps manage flares

If your rheumatoid arthritis acts up when it's cold and rainy, there's a lot you can do ease stiffness and pain. Your instinct may be to hunker down at home when it's rainy or cold outside, but try to resist. If you want to feel better, get active. Exercise wards off stiffness and keeps you from gaining weight, which puts added stress on your joints. Moving around also gives you a rush of feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which can help block pain. Regular stretching can help you ward off pain and stiffness. What you put on your plate can affect stiffness and swelling. Try to limit sugar - avoid high-fructose corn syrup. A healthy diet makes a difference in how you feel when the seasons change -a diet that's low in cholesterol and high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can fight inflammation. Being aware that seasonal changes often trigger pain also helps.

By Kara Mayer Robinson

WebMD Feature Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD

You can't change the weather, but if your rheumatoid arthritis acts up when it's cold and rainy, there's a lot you can do ease stiffness and pain.

Pittsburgh resident Ashley Boynes-Shuck knows the issue firsthand. The 32-year-old author has RA, and when the weather shifts gears, it tends to flare up.

"The seasons changing often presents a problem for me," says Boynes-Shuck, who has written two memoirs about living with long-term illness.

It's especially hard when autumn turns into winter and when winter makes way for spring.

Experts aren't quite sure why weather has an impact.

Research suggests autumn may be the sweet spot for RA, while winter and spring are the most challenging.

"Small studies have been done, but there's no real conclusive evidence supporting the reason for it," says Magdalena Cadet, MD, attending rheumatologist and assistant professor at New York University School of Medicine.

No matter the cause, take some easy steps to keep your RA in check when the weather isn't on your side.

Stay Warm

Try to keep yourself nice and toasty, especially when it's cold and damp outside.

Wear extra layers. Stash a blanket in every room of your home. Power up a space heater.

If your place is drafty or cool, Cadet says, look for home improvements that seal up drafts.

Let warm water work its magic. "Take a warm shower or a 20-minute soak in the tub," Cadet says.

It's good for your blood flow and massages your joints.

Lotions or essential oils also do the trick. Warm them up in your hands first. Then use them to massage your joints.

Get Moving

Your instinct may be to hunker down at home when it's rainy or cold outside, but try to resist. If you want to feel better, get active.

Exercise wards off stiffness and keeps you from gaining weight, which puts added stress on your joints.

Moving around also gives you a rush of feel-good chemicals called endorphins, which can help block pain.

Try an activity that doesn't put pressure on your joints, like yoga, tai chi, and swimming.

"If the weather's really cold and you know it's a trigger, you may want to limit your outside activity," Cadet says.

But you've got alternatives. Instead of a walk, head to the gym.

Do an easy workout on a stationary bike or treadmill. Use light weights, resistance bands, or a balance ball. Just be sure to clear these exercises with your doctor first.

Stretch It Out

Regular stretching can help you ward off pain and stiffness.

Try to do a series of stretches and gentle exercises every day. You can do them in the morning or before you go to bed.

Start with small, easy exercises. While you're in bed, do a few gentle stretches for your wrists or ankles. Then get up and try gentle knee bends. Use a chair or counter for support.

Eat Well

What you put on your plate can affect stiffness and swelling, Cadet says. A healthy diet makes a difference in how you feel when the seasons change.

Try to limit sugar. Avoid high-fructose corn syrup.

Cadet suggests a diet that's low in cholesterol and high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can fight inflammation.

Of course, eating well is good for you no matter the season.

Do What Works for You

"Every person with RA is different," says Ziv Paz, MD, a faculty member at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School's teaching hospital.

"You have to find what makes you, specifically, comfortable."

For Boynes-Shuck, being active and getting out in the sunshine goes a long way to bring relief.

Being aware that seasonal changes often trigger pain also helps.

There's not much she can do about the weather, of course, but knowing what to expect helps her manage flares.

"I try to manage them with medications, massage, essential oils, chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, and an overall healthy lifestyle of wellness," she says.

The right frame of mind also makes a difference. "I think that a good support system and a positive outlook are crucial," she says.

"Pain is certainly not fun and it can make life challenging, but we can take charge of our own health as best as possible."

Michael W. Smith, MD, MBA, CPT

As Chief Medical Director at WebMD, Michael W. Smith, MD, MBA, CPT, is in charge of the medical team, which is responsible for upholding the accuracy and credibility of all WebMD health information.

He joined WebMD in 1999 and now oversees a team of staff physicians and medical reviewers across the U.S. responsible for creating content and assuring its continued medical accuracy and relevance to the WebMD audience.

Dr. Smith is a regular expert on national and local broadcast media, including regular appearances on Fox 5 News in New York to discuss the latest health headlines. Other appearances include Fox News, The Weather Channel, MSNBC, CBS’ The Early Show, and Katie Couric's web-based show @KatieCouric, among others. In addition, he has appeared in multiple publications, including Men's Health, Newsweek, Forbes, and Reader's Digest and was featured as the Internet's Top Doc in USA Weekend. He has also been interviewed by local and nationally syndicated radio stations, magazines, and newspapers across the country, speaking on everything from hangover remedies to navigating the internet for accurate, credible health information.

Dr. Smith serves as a member of the Nutrition Wellness Educator Certification Panel, established by the American Association of Family and Consumer Services. The panel is responsible for determining the competency scope of the Nutrition and Wellness Educator certification.

In 2013, Dr. Smith provided the keynote speech at the Institute of Food Technologists Wellness 2013 conference and was a featured presenter at the Digital Health Communication Extravaganza.

Dr. Smith also volunteers at the Good Samaritan Health Center in Atlanta, where he sees patients who do not have health insurance or are unable to pay for health care.

As a board-certified general internist, Dr. Smith's interest and knowledge span a wide array of medical topics. Autoimmune conditions are an area of personal interest to him, having developed ankylosing spondylitis in his college years. In 2014, he authored a book on his journey with this condition, Ankylosing Spondylitis Pyramid: The Lifestyle That Lets You Take Back Control. He is particularly interested in prevention and helping people live a healthy, active lifestyle. Dr. Smith is an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer, with specialty certification in weight management, and is a certified health coach with Villanova University's MacDonald Center for Obesity Prevention and Education

Dr. Smith graduated from Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon, Ga., in 1994, then did his internship in internal medicine at the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon. He finished his internal medicine residency -- his final year as chief resident -- at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta. He became board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and then entered private practice as a primary care physician. In 2013, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree.

Dr. Smith is a member of the American College of Physicians and the HealthLeaders Media Council.

https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/features/ra-pain-changing-seasons

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