Acupuncture and Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Relief

Acupuncture, electro-acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis pain relief.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) manifests as painful, stiff and deformed joints; the most commonly affected joints are the fingers, wrists, toes, ankles and knees. Both sides of the body are equally affected, therefore the arthritis is referred to as symmetrical.

It is the most severe type of inflammatory joint disease. It is chronic inflammation of the synovial membranes with secondary erosion of adjacent cartilage and bone, and damage to ligaments and tendons. It is also called arthritis deformans or athrophic arthritis.

RA has an auto-immune disorder component, where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, progressively damaging joints and the surrounding soft tissue. It is destructive, there are symmetric inflammation of the synovial membranes and increased synovial exudates that cause thickening of the membranes and swelling of the joints.

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Don't confuse Rheumatoid arthritis with Osteo-arthritis. For information on Osteo-arthritis, please click here.

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Rheumatoid arthritis can occur at any age, from children (Juvenile arthritis) to adults, but the peak onset is between the ages of 25 to 55 years. Women are affected 2.5 times more than men with women between the age of 36 and 50 years usually more affected. The inflammation is systemic with periods of remissions and exacerbations.

Symptoms include swelling, tenderness, with a feeling of warmth. The affected joint is seldom red. Stiffness is present for one hour or more in the mornings or after inactivity. Inflammation persists in the initial joints and can progress to other joints.

Another feature of the disease is the presence of rheumatoid nodules. This does not involve the joints. Instead the nodules are painless, hard, round or oval masses that appear under the skin.

There are no known causes of RA in western medicine. Apart from an auto-immune reaction, it is thought that infectious, genetic, environmental and hormonal factors may play a role.

And there are no known prevention for this disease either. But it is possible to prevent further damage of the joints with proper early intervention.

The best value from acupuncture and Chinese herbs treatment is gained when treatment is immediately targeted towards reducing the severity and intensity of the abovementioned symptoms, with a further reduction in the frequency of re-occurrence of symptoms as treatment progresses.

However, Chinese medicine has even more to offer, especially in dealing with the common generalised symptoms that are associated with RA, for example weakness, fatigue, poor appetite, weight loss, anemia, and low fever.

In modern bio-medical medicine, diagnosis of RA, and its prognosis, is based on various clinical and laboratory findings such as those derived from physical examination, X Ray films, and blood test to determine levels of Rheumatoid Factor and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate. Both of these levels are usually elevated in RA.

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But if you visit a Chinese medicine doctor for acupuncture or Chinese herbs, you’ll need to be prepared to accept a totally different method of assessment, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of your rheumatoid arthritis. More on that later.

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A blood test is usually performed to determine the level of Rheumatoid Factor (RF) in the blood. About 80 % of patients with RA can be tested RF positive. However, this RF test may not be a useful disease marker because its presence does not disappear in patients who are experiencing a remission from the disease. RF can also be found in diseases such as tuberculosis, parasitic infections, leukemia and connective tissue disorders.

If you are tested positive, the progress of the disease can be classified in four stages, as suggested by the American Rheumatism Association (a new window will open).

RA can also be classified on the basis of functional capacity:

Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Lifelong treatment is usually required. Medications are usually NSAIDs, Corticosteroids, gold, sulfasalazine, Oral penicillamine, Hydroxychloroquine and Lifesyle changes.

Over the past decade, studies have shown that early aggressive treatment can delay the onset of joint destruction in RA. However, the adverse effects of medications together with the short term use of these drugs plus clinical benefits that diminishes with time have bolstered the need for a safer natural pain relief alternative. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine has shown to offer long term positive benefits for RA.

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