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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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