Scleroderma

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsens with age. The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is usually caused by normal wear and tear, while rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder (a condition where the body actually attacks itself). Other types of arthritis include gout, infectious arthritis and joint problems

Bad news cola lovers: Soda isn't the healthiest thirst-quencher in the cooler. In fact, health risks surrounding sugary drinks are increasingly well-documented. Rates of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes are higher among people who sip them regularly.

In one strange case, experts suspect cola overload may have helped to kill a 30-year-old New Zealand woman who died of a heart attack in February 2010. Natasha Harris reportedly drank 8 to 10 liters of cola per day, according to the Associated Press.

If you don't get enough sleep, you're not alone; 70 percent of adults report that they obtain insufficient sleep or rest at least once each month, and 11 percent report insufficient sleep or rest every day of the month. Like eating well and being physically active, getting a good night's sleep is vital to your well-being. Here are 10 tips to help you get a good night's sleep...

Pain—it’s something we’ve all experienced. From our first skinned knee to the headaches, back pain and creaky joints as we age, pain is something we encounter many times. Most pain is acute and goes away quickly. But in some cases, when pain develops slowly or persists for months or even years, then it’s called chronic pain, and it can be tricky to treat. Chronic pain is a huge problem.

NIH-funded scientists are working to better understand and treat chronic pain. They’re uncovering the intricate pathways that lead to long-term pain.

For our second year running, the Scleroderma Care Foundation will be hosting its “Unite Against Scleroderma” Awareness Walk around the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain. Scheduled to start from 3:00pm, the Walk would be held on Sunday May 6th 2012 and cover one full lap.

The Walk ultimately aims to raise the profile of Scleroderma in the public consciousness - aligned with our ongoing mission to assist Scleroderma patients, their families, and respective communities through mutual social and financial support, educational initiatives, the stimulation of research, and bringing forth a greater awareness of Scleroderma.

Difficulty sleeping, also called insomnia, is a common and frustrating problem. If you are not sleeping well at night, it can be difficult to feel well during the daytime. Insomnia makes everything worse; it can lead to fatigue, depression, anxiety, irritability, poor memory and poor concentration. It can also impair the immune system and other bodily functions, leading to medical problems. If people are sleep deprived for several days, they can even develop hallucinations, paranoid thoughts and other kinds of psychoses.

We have understood for  a long time that the detection and subsequent diagnoses of autoimmune diseases are difficult. However, there are key rheumatic and physical indicators such as joint pain and fatigue, fevers, increasing skin conditions, inflammation, and much more. Kathleen McGowan of SELF magazine put together a useful list of things one can look for, in symptoms of autoimmune diseases.

If you have… A distinctive red butterfly-shaped rash on the nose or cheeks

Systemic sclerosis (SSc), or often referred to as Scleroderma (tight skin), is characterized by an exaggerated formation of collagen fibers in the skin, which leads to fibrosis. Accumulating evidence now points toward three pathological hallmarks that are implicated in Ssc, the order of which has yet to be determined: endothelial dysfunction, autoantibody formation, and activation of fibroblasts.

This current book, edited by Timothy Radstake, provides current information on the pathogenesis and clinical features of Scleroderma. We, at the Scleroderma Care Foundation, share the hope that this book will aid both clinicians and researchers in dealing with patients with this clinical syndrome. In addition, we hope through its distribution, to shed more light on this rare and severely disabling syndrome, ultimately leading to better research and

While many foods taste great, they are also powerful healers in a vibrant multicolor disguise. The best healing remedies also taste fabulous (I can’t say that about any prescription medications). Plus, foods won’t cause the nasty common side effects that most drugs cause.

1. Cherries
Muraleedharan Nair, PhD, professor of natural products and chemistry at Michigan State University, found that tart cherry extract is ten times more

Research shows that a holistic lifestyle is beneficial to those with autoimmune disease. But let’s be honest: it can be difficult for anyone to keep up a perfectly balanced lifestyle — let alone someone with an autoimmune disease. It’s great to take steps to find more balance in your life, but sometimes you need to compromise — and that’s okay! Try using one of these three trade-offs that will help you to compensate when you can’t balance it all.

Stressed? Get your nutrition together!

Every day, your immune system protects you by attacking invaders such as bacteria and viruses. But when something goes awry with the body's immune system, immune cells may attack and damage tissues they were designed to protect, resulting in an autoimmune disease. Either the immune system mistakenly identifies healthy tissue as an invader and attacks it, or the immune system is unable to regulate its response.

About 8 percent of the U.S. population (three-quarters of this group are women

Most consumers are familiar with the dangers of disease-causing bacteria; but over the last several decades, medical professionals and lay consumers alike have discovered a host of proven and potential benefits to be had from the consumption of so-called “good” or “friendly” bacteria as well. These helpful microrganisms are referred to as probiotics: and while they are already common as digestive and regulatory aids for improved immunity, current research also suggests that some natural probiotic supplements may help minimize the severity of certain gastrointestinal conditions, autoimmune diseases, infections

DrugCite is a useful database of information about the prescription and over-the-counter medication, allowing you to look up the possible side effects of specific drugs and see statistics about their reported problems.

Not long ago, the phrase “gluten free” was one relegated to health food stores and medical clinics, the sole concern of an unlucky few diagnosed with a gluten-intolerant condition known as Celiac disease and forced to scavenge the grocery isles for the few mass-marketed products made without the seemingly ubiquitous wheat protein. But today, as noted in a recent piece for the New York Times magazine, gluten-free has gone the way of big business – infiltrating major companies like General Mills and, according to some figures, constituting a nearly $6.3 billion industry.