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Media Releases
New Year's Resolutions to Help Avoid the Pains of Arthritis
Columbia, Mo. (Jan. 4, 2005) - A common myth about arthritis is that it is merely an elderly person's disease; however, it affects both young and old alike. In fact, juvenile arthritis affects 300,000 children in the United States, and arthritis is the nation's leading cause of disability among Americans over the age of 15. As individuals embark on a new year, experts at the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (MARRTC) at the University of Missouri-Columbia say there are some steps individuals can take to both prevent the disease and improve their quality of life.
- Bone up - Make sure to eat or drink your calcium. A diet rich in this important mineral can help decrease your risk of osteoporosis - a form of arthritis.
- Kick butt - Smoking can increase your risk of complications from lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. It can predispose you to osteoporosis. Also, if you have to undergo joint surgery, smoking can prolong your recovery.
- Pick, pour or peel - If you are looking for a tasty healthy treat, reach for an orange or a tall glass of orange juice. Recent research has shown the importance of vitamin C and other antioxidants in reducing the risk of osteoarthritis and its progression. The folic acid found in oranges and other citrus fruits can help alleviate the side effects of the arthritis drug methotrexate and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in women who have lupus.
- Do drugs - the right way - Take your medication just as your doctor prescribes. If you're tempted to stop because you feel it's not working or you believe it's causing side effects, call your doctor first. It can take weeks - or even months - for the full benefits of a medication to become apparent, and some side effects ease over time. Stopping a medication abruptly may not only cause you to miss out on its benefits - in some cases it can be downright dangerous.
- Enjoy Your Exercise - Take the work out of working out. Sign up for a class that makes exercise fun - country line dancing, ballroom dancing, swimming, yoga or tai chi.
- Stay Informed - Sign up for a research project in which you can both learn more about how to manage arthritis AND contribute to research. For example, MARRTC is now enrolling for an online self-management program for people who have rheumatoid arthritis. For more information, log on to www.rahelp.org
Arthritis, affecting an estimated 70 million Americans or nearly one of every three people, is an umbrella term for more than 100 diseases and conditions, which affect joints, the surrounding tissues and other connective tissues. The three most common forms are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. For information about MARRTC, visit the Web site at www.marrtc.org.
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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