Arthritis Pain Relief : Questions To Ask Your Healthcare Provider

A great place to begin taking charge of you arthritis pain relief and prevention planning is by making an appointment with your healthcare provider and finding out more about your condition and treatment options.

Make sure to jot down questions ahead of time, and take them along in your journal or notebook, armed with a pencil to fill in his or her replies.

Some questions to begin with may be centered around these:

1. Do I have a form of arthritis? If not, what is wrong & what do I do next?

2. If so, which type is it? And what can I expect short-term and long-term?

3. What pain relief treatments are available? Which have side affects & what are they?

4. What self-care solutions do you advise?

5. Are there any limitations I should know about; i.e. special dietary issues, special activities to avoid, any OTC meds to NOT mix, etc.?

6. What resources do you have to help with my diet and exercise planning?

7. What other arthritic and other health resources do you have for my family and me?

When you take in your questions, also take in a description of your symptoms so that your doctor can help better understand your situation and health.

Make sure to note:

- Where you have pain (same joint both limbs?)

- When you feel pain - with certain activities, in the morning, when it rains, etc.

- How long you have had the pain

- If the pain increases or decreases, comes and goes, etc.

- The type & intensity level of pain - stabbing, dull, cramping, stiffness

- and low, mild or high pain

- Note any limitations - can't bend over too far without pain, can't get out of car, etc.

- Share any family history of arthritis

- Tell about any OTC or prescription medications or other treatments you currently take or use.

- Discuss any special diet you are on and exercise programs

So try the different options available for arthritis pain relief and prevention.

Give your joints a break as soon as possible from any excess weight they're hauling around, even if it's the weight of excess stress.

Lighten up and make pain relief and prevention care part of your normal, everyday routine.

_______________________________________________

Priya Shah is the editor of The Glutathione Report and Health Naturale. For a comprehensive report on arthritis, visit Arthritis Remedies

This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

_______________________________________________

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES

Hypertension & High Blood Pressure: How To Improve Life Threatening Weight-Related Diseases
The American Heart Association estimates that one of three Americans have have hypertension. And yet many of us don't know what it is, why it's dangerous, and what the treatment options are.

Who Else Wants General Information on Arthritis?
Today there are about 70 million Americans with arthritis?that's one person out of every four who suffer both pain and the expense of this crippling disease. In one year alone, arthritis will be responsible for over half a billion dollars in lost wages.

Medical Billing Software Takes the Stage
Medical Billing SoftwareThe practice is running smoothly, with patients coming in and out with smiles on their faces because of the great service your practice is providing. At the end of the day, you review the office secretary's billing records and realize you are behind, again.

Toenail Fungus: Treatment and Prevention
A thick, yellowish nail with splotchy white areas is a classic presentation for a fungal toenail. In the early stages the toenail is only slightly discolored, or slightly thickened.

Is the Mexican Pharmacy safe to buy drugs online?
Are you frustrated with the high prices of prescription drugs? Take a look at a Mexican Pharmacy. Not only can you save a lot of money but you can also be sure that you are getting quality medicines and online customer service that provides you all the necessary information on drugs.

7 Tips to Immediately Reduce Rotator Cuff Pain
1. Support the affected arm during activities of daily living.

Alzheimers Toxin May Be Key To Slowing Disease
Australian scientists say they have identified a toxin which plays a key role in the onset of Alzheimer's, raising hope that a drug targeting the toxin could be developed to slow the degenerative brain disease.The toxin, called quinolinic acid, kills nerve cells in the brain, leading to dysfunction and death, the scientists said.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Simple Self-Help Tips
If you have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you will know how difficult it is to treat. Doctors can be dismissive of IBS symptoms such as diarrhea, constipation and bloating, and when treatment is offered it may only help for a short while before the distressing symptoms return.

NIH Official Altered Drug Study
NIH Official Altered Drug StudyDr. Edmund Tramont, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease Division of AIDS, altered the conclusions from a safety report on pregnant women taking the drug nevirapine in order to cover up its negative side effects.

OxyContin Addiction: Doctors & Drug Lords
OxyContin is a narcotic drug, an opiate, that has been approved by the FDA to legally treat chronic pain. Chronic pain is documented medical condition, a progressive disease of the nervous system and spine that causes constant a patient to experience constant, excruciating pain.

Stopping Hospital Infections
Each year hospitals end up killing twice as many people than automobiles, some 90,000 deaths in the United States. It is not from malpractice, it is due to infections.

Vioxx Recall leads to Vioxx Lawsuits
Vioxx is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammagory drug (NSAID) that reduces inflammation, pain, fever, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis stiffness, and menstrual pain. However, Vioxx has been shown to cause blood clots, heart attacks, stroke, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, kidney damage and other dangerous and potentially deadly side effects.

Christopher Reeve To Have Promoted Basement Lab
Chrisopher Reeve has died. But his vision of a "Cure" has not.

Patient Communication: Picking Up Where Medicine Leaves Off
We've all seen patients who were far beyond the reach of medical treatment suddenly defy the odds and recover. We've also seen patients who were well on the road to recovery, take a turn for the worse for seemingly no reason at all.

Diagnosis and Treatments of Cerebral Palsy
Before a child can be appropriately diagnosed with cerebral palsy, their doctor must first have to look closely at both the child and the mother's medical background to see if there are any known causes of cerebral palsy present in the case. The doctor will very carefully check the baby's motor skills and the reflexes, and then will be tested by a physician, also they will try to determine the Childs hand preference often a child with cerebral palsy will use the hand that is not always the most practical to them due to the fact that depending on the brain damage one side of the body will be much stronger than the other side that is affected.

Bextra, Some Facts To Consider
For those who take Bextra, there are many warnings out that are telling people to stop. It is wise to do this and to do it right away.

The Power of Ice
Using ice to treat injuries is one of the oldest methods of pain control. Proven to be safe and effective at reducing swelling, relieving pain and decreasing muscle spasms, ice therapy is an easy self-care technique that anyone can administer.

What is Bextra? (FDA Recalled Drug)
Bextra, also known as valdecoxib, is a prescribed medication used to alleviate the problems associated with arthritis and other inflammation-related conditions. The drug helps reduce the pain of swelling and fever without causing stomach irritation like aspirin.

The Truth about C Reactive Protein and Cholesterol Lowering Drugs
You might disagree, but hear me out on this..

Talking Money with Your Doctor: Drugs and Tests for Less
Would you buy groceries without knowing their prices? I suspect not. You probably compare the costs of different boxes of cereal in order to get the best deal.