Nearly 1.5 million people in the United States have rheumatoid arthritis and women three times more likely to have it more than men. Rheumatoid arthritis, abbreviated RA, is an autoimmune disease affecting joint caused by the body’s immune system. Our immune system supposedly protects our health by attacking foreign substances like bacteria and viruses, but in this case, the immune system goes wrong and mistakenly attack their own joints.
As mentioned before, RA is caused by our own immune system that attacks itself. This attack causes inflammation resulting thickening of the tissue that lines inside the joints, the synovium, causing swelling and pain in and around the joints. The synovium is part of joints that makes a fluid to lubricates and helps joints to move smoothly.
If this inflammation goes unnoticed for some period of time, it can damage cartilage, the elastic tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint, as well as the bones themselves. Over time, this causes a decrease in cartilage, resulting in smaller joint spacing between bones. Joints can become loose, unstable, painful and lose their mobility. In the worst case, joint deformity also can occur and this cannot be reversed.
This disease affects the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles symmetrically, meaning it usually affects both sides of the body. RA is a systemic disease, which means it can affect body systems and not limited to joint, for example, RA can affect the cardiovascular or respiratory systems.
In the early stages, RA is usually started with tenderness and pain, followed by symptoms such as swelling or stiffness for longer than six weeks, morning stiffness longer than 30 minutes, affected in more than one small joints which presence in both side of the body.
Along with pain, many people experience fatigue, loss of appetite and a low-grade fever. These symptoms may come and go. A period where there is an increase in inflammation and other symptoms is referred by flare, which can last up to months.
Rheumatoid Arthritis is a complex set of symptoms and up until now, there is no exact test to point the sufferers. The pain can be debilitating, or worse preventing sufferers from working, exercising and leading normal lives. Most doctors just treat the symptoms with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, which can bring only temporary relief to the sufferers, some of them are given medication to counter autoimmune response, but this can be backfired.
Although there are some medications that claim to treat rheumatoid arthritis, they are affect people patient differently and not always effective. Not to mention the side effects which can actually make the problem worse.
There are different drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. There are drugs that purpose is to ease symptoms like Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Drugs That Slow Disease Activity such as Corticosteroids, DMARDs, Biologics, and JAK inhibitors. The patient can opt out for surgery as last resort. Joint replacement surgery though not always needed can relieve pain and restore function in joints badly damaged by RA.
The researcher is not yet fully understood the cause of this disease, while there’s a correlation between an abnormal response of the immune system with inflammation and joint damage that occurs. Scientific evidence also shows that genes, hormones, and environmental are important factors in deciding the risk factor of this disease.
There is also a theory that said arthritis is caused by a chronic infection in the body related to infections that cause growing bacteria in the joints where usual antibiotics medications can’t reach them. That’s why some doctors believe that virgin coconut oil can help treat the root causes of arthritis by eliminating the growing bacteria.
Virgin coconut oil is widely known as natural antibacterial as it contains medium chain triglycerides that have strong antiviral, antifungal, and antibiotic properties. The antioxidants from virgin coconut oil can also help the body strengthen itself against disease. With regular use or consumption, coconut oil may improve the joint health of arthritis sufferers. Anyway, here are more of the Benefits of Coconut Oil as Genital Herpes Treatment
How to Use Coconut Oil as Rheumatoid Arthritis Relief
Moving around surely can become hard work when the joints in the body become inflamed, Try massaging an equal part mixture of aloe vera and coconut oil. Some sufferers claim is able to lessen the inflammation and relieve the pain associated with the swelling as well. Coconut oil gives strength to the bones and acts as an agent that soothes arthritis pain in the bones and joints.
You can also try to warm up coconut oil and combine it with camphor, then massage the mixture deeply into the painful area, it can be used as a natural pain reliever and increase blood circulation, causing warming effect and reducing the number of pain people with RA experience.
In addition to this, coconut oil is good to lubricate stiff joints. By giving the joint message with coconut oil after taking a hot shower or bath, coconut oil can grease the joints in the body and helps to keep them loose, leading to increased mobility.
Another way to benefit from coconut oil is to take it orally on a daily basis. The suggestion is taking 2-4 tablespoons, or one tablespoon 3 times a day, of coconut oil fight chronic bodily infection throughout the body, including in the joints. Inflammation is lead by infection, so by healing chronic infection the inflammation in joints can also lessen. The joints cannot be reached by drug-based antibiotics as it doesn’t have blood flow.
The doctor also suggests the practice of oil pulling. Oil pulling is swishing coconut oil around your mouth and between your teeth for 15-20 minutes each day. It will draw out bacteria in the mouth and may lessen infection. Don’t forget to spit out the oil at the end of the pulling session. Anyway, here are more of the Benefits of Coconut Oil for Breast Massage
Overview Virgin Coconut Oil to Help Chronic Pain
Coconut oil has the potential to reduce symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and improve the overall health of arthritis sufferers. The pain of RA can greatly impact your daily life so you need to take steps to care for your body. Try a gentle exercise like walking or swimming, you can also apply heat to ease pain or cold to dull the sensation of pain.