The typical three-stage rheumatoid arthritis treatment .

The typical three-stage rheumatoid arthritis treatment in the case of localized pain, stiffness, and immobility, consists of medication to relieve pain and inflammation and prevent progression of the disease, rest to let injured tissues heal themselves, and exercise to rebuild mobility and strength.

The popular prescribed rheumatoid arthritis(RA) drug treatments in recent years have certainly been able to slow or stop progression of joint damage and together with planned exercises, if kept up and done regularly, the benefits can be enormous.

However, it often takes weeks for you to notice the benefits of taking prescribed DMARD Corticosteroids(disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs), therefore, they are often combined with a faster working drug such as tylenol acetaminophen or an NSAID(nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug).

People with aspirin-sensitive asthma or allergic reactions due to aspirin or other arthritis medicines or certain drugs called sulfonamides should not take NSAIDs. While they help relieve the pain, they can also produce very serious consequences and side-effects.

Also effective, DMARDs too, have a high risk of serious side effects especially when taken as a pill and used long term.

Often, doctors try to avoid these problems by injecting the steroid into the affected joint or trying other medications in combination to keep the dose of steroids as low as possible. It's also a good idea to ask your physician how you will be monitored i.e. do you need routine blood tests?

Over-the-counter topical pain relievers can be used to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis joint swelling, stiffness, and pain that has so far affected only a few joints -- such as a hand or where the pain hasn't yet become severe.

Exercise

Most doctors recommend that the best rheumatoid arthritis treatment is exercise to maintain healthy joints, relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength.

However, your exercise program, like your diet, should be tailored to you as an individual. Ask a qualified physical therapist to design an individualized program, that may include water therapy, ice massage, transcutaneous nerve stimulation(TENS), yoga or tai chi.

Your therapist can also apply heat and cold treatments as needed and fit you for splints or orthotic straightening devices to support and align joints.

It is most important that you try to reduce your daily stress levels which can really aggravate your symptoms.

Diet and food supplements

A carefully balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals, especially antioxidants like vitamin E and prepared by a qualified nutritionist certainly works as well as conventional rheumatoid arthritis treatment using proprietary medicines.

There are many supplementary natural products which have been shown over many, many years to be very helpful in the relief and treatment of RA.

Selenium from brewers yeast, wheat germ, garlic, whole grains, sunflower seeds, and brazil nuts, deer velvet, fish oil(omega 3), glucosamine, chondroitin, turmeric and stinging nettle.