Word: rheumatoid
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When the Body Attacks Itself No doctors have more experience treating chronic inflammation than the physicians who specialize in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus and other autoimmune disorders. For decades these diseases have provided the clearest example of a body at war with itself. But the spark that fuels their internal destruction doesn't come from excess cholesterol deposits or a stubborn bacterial infection. Instead, in a bizarre twist of fate, the body's supersophisticated, learned immunological defenses mistakenly direct an inflammatory attack against healthy cells in such places as the joints, nerves and connective tissue...
Over the past few years, powerful drugs like Remicade and Enbrel, which target specific inflammatory cytokines, have worked wonders against rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune disorders. But as often happens in medicine, the drugs have also created some problems. Patients who take Remicade, for example, are slightly more likely to develop tuberculosis; the same inflammatory cytokines that attacked their joints, it seems, also protected them against...
...pelts (obtained in Barcelona) and kitten-in-a-basket novelties made from dog fur. "I have personally bought these little cat figurines in virtually every country in the E.U.," he says. In Austria, Stevenson adds, some health shops advertise catskin rugs and blankets as a natural remedy for rheumatoid arthritis: "This is totally bogus nonsense." The massive trade in the fur of "companion animals" is a growing issue among animal-rights campaigners. After dogs and cats have been inhumanely killed, they say, the fur is aggressively marketed around the world. Pelts are sold at fur auctions, made into consumer goods...
...What about longer-term effects when the silicone migrates beyond its capsule? No scientific studies have proven a connection between the implants and diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, but critics complain that the research hasn't been adequate, or over a long enough time period. Government-funded studies on immune responses following silicone implant leakage or rupture is ongoing, and many women swear there's a cause-and-effect relationship. Mary McDonough, who underwent breast augmentation to help her transition from being a young star of "The Waltons" to other film and television work, became progressively sicker with lupus...
...with the kind of information that helps them diagnose and treat problems," says Dr. Dennis Cope, chair of internal medicine at the UCLA San Fernando Valley Program. But recent research shows there's another benefit: the better your doctor understands you, the faster you may heal. People with diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and ulcers, for example, do better when doctor and patient listen to each other, Cope says...