C. Booth
Last Updated on January 7, 2021
We have all heard the name of the disease. But do we know that it is? Arthritis is widespread around the world, but we can quite figure it out.
One of the reasons behind this is that we use one single name to title something that is not a single disease — there are more than 100 types of arthritis. It’s the primary cause of disability in the United States, something quickly explained with the fact that it can affect people of all ages, all sexes, and races.
Arthritis symptoms are usually stiffness, swelling, pain, and decreased range of motion. And things can become even more complicated: because the impact of symptoms can vary, just like the progression of the disease can.
There are different arthritis types: degenerative, inflammatory, infectious, and metabolic. Arthritis prevention, to make it worse, is still a mystery, and it’s mobility based. Arthritis treatment involves an early appointment with your rheumatologist to treat rheumatoid arthritis with the right drugs.
Recently, there has been established the links between arthritis and cancer — which is odd, because, as a disease, they are nothing alike.
The link is specific for people with rheumatoid arthritis, and the risk is higher in the first years.
Arthritis and cancer risk connection is still complicated to understand because, at the same time, rheumatoid arthritis can lower the chances of having other types of cancer. Strange indeed!
Take breast cancer and arthritis, for example. The risk of having it for a patient with rheumatoid arthritis is lower; however, if they do have it, the death rate for these same patients, it’s higher.
Experts are still as puzzled as you are right now while reading this, but they have already connected some dots. Here are 7 ways arthritis can lead to cancer.
#1 – Prescribed Medication
It’s one of those things that can make you shiver, but it’s one of the first links established by specialists. Apparently, some of the medicine used to fight arthritis causes can actually improve the risk of having cancer.
Some of the ones used are even the same. There is still a lot of debate regarding this going on, and your doctor should be equipped to inform about the pros and cons of many of these medications, but it’s something we should be concerned about.
#2 – Problematic diet
We all know how a proper diet plan can impact our health. As in many diseases, a high-fat diet causes trouble. Fried and processed foods are on the list of worst foods for arthritis sufferers.
Worst foods for arthritis also include sugar and refined carbs and dairy products. They all contribute to an unhealthy gut biome, something to avoid for patients of both diseases. Best food for arthritis can also help prevent the increasing chance of having cancer.
Things like asparagus, garlic, onions, bananas, apples, or artichokes are part of the anti-inflammatory diet for arthritis pain relief, they are also suitable for your gut biome and digestive system and can help you in the future.
#3 – A lifestyle matter
Your lifestyle influences your health a lot. Addiction to alcohol or tobacco is a mine gold to spread inflammation — the pain behind arthritis and the agent in cancer.
We all know the link between smoking and cancer, but if you’re looking for more quit smoking aids, learn that it can make the treatment for arthritis less effective. It may also cause potential damage at the level of joints and connective tissues.
Since there are not any smoking alternatives, you must stop smoking. For alcohol dependency, please consult with alcohol treatment centers. Large alcohol consumers can increase the chances of having cancer of the mouth, stomach, liver, and throat cancer. It can also worsen the effects of arthritis.
#4 – An immune response
Rheumatoid arthritis, as we already uncover, is an autoimmune disease. Your body is fighting against itself, basically. What you usually have is the body charging that pain to the joints. However, when things progress, this disease can attack the eyes, heart, skin, and cancer — this will eventually lead to some types of cancer.
#5 – Sedentary lifestyle
We all know why our health insurance insists on knowing if we lead a sedentary lifestyle. It’s because it can harm our health in unprecedented ways.
Arthritis is a disease that attacks your joints, and this pain can be one more deterrent to physical activity. But this is an open door for cancer and heart conditions. Some types of arthritis can be fought through exercise and rest well balanced, and this will not harm of chances of avoiding cancer.
#6 – Wrong diagnostic
Arthritis and bone cancer from a patient perspective can be difficult to distinguish. Sometimes people ask us: can arthritis be mistaken for cancer? Yes, it can. If the symptoms are not detailed, that can happen.
Firstly, bear in mind that bone cancer is a rare disease — unlike arthritis. So it’s also more comfortable on a doctor’s side to discard bone cancer as a possibility.
To make it hard to distinguish, in both cases, the persistent pain gets worse gradually, and both can be more painful at night. The main difference between arthritis and bone cancer pain is that bone cancer affects the long bones — usually legs and arms, while arthritis is more focused on joints.
#7 – Inflammation
It’s inflammation that causes the pain arthritis patient feel. The chronic and tenacious pain is the one to worry about — that can lead to cancer.
There are some natural arthritis relief options. Aloe vera, eucalyptus, and cinnamon are excellent natural remedies for chronic inflammation, and in tea and infusions, you can get a reliable herbal treatment for arthritis and rheumatism.
To fight the pain, you can also find some reliable pain relief massager and arthritis gloves. There are some great options online for doctor-developed compression arthritis gloves. Recently, copper bracelets for arthritis made the news as a miraculous treatment. There’s not enough data to back that claim, so stick with some of the other alternatives above.
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