The rheumatoid arthritis patient’s condition fluctuations and remission are inextricably linked to daily life, so attention should be paid to the little bits and pieces of daily life.
1. Emotions.
Two-thirds of patients in the mental stimulation can occur when the exacerbation of the disease, so patients should remain optimistic and cheerful, do not worry about fear, pessimism and sullenness. To learn self-restraint and self-regulation, to be broad-minded and open-minded, to establish the belief in overcoming the disease.
2. Diet.
It is advisable to eat high-protein, high-nutrient food such as meat and fish, also eat fruits and vegetables to supplement vitamins, drink milk to supplement calcium, maintain a balanced intake of nutrients and avoid overweight to increase the burden on the joints. Moderate alcohol consumption is not harmful to the disease, but it is prohibited when taking NSAIDs and methotrexate, and for those with aseptic necrosis of the femoral head.
It is not advisable to eat too much high-fat food such as fatty meat, less oil in stir-fry and soup, too much animal offal and seafood, which may aggravate joint symptoms, too much acidic and salty food, and too much stimulating food such as chili pepper in the acute stage and in patients with yin deficiency and fire. Patients taking hormones for a long period of time should not consume too much sugar. Foods lacking in the body or beneficial to relieve the disease such as fish oil, selenium, vitamins, algae, cordyceps, royal jelly, ginseng, apple cider vinegar, garlic and honey can be supplemented.
3.Dress and accommodation.
90% of patients are sensitive to climate change, and joint swelling and pain can be aggravated when it is cloudy, rainy, cold and wet. Summer should wear long sleeves and long pants to sleep, should not use bamboo mat and bamboo bed.
Winter clothes should be warm, but not too heavy. When it is cloudy and rainy, you should go out less, and avoid lying in the wind or sleeping with an electric fan to get cool. The size of shoes should be appropriate, and you should choose light and soft shoes with soft soles and elastic laces instead of high heels. Pay attention to protect the joint parts with a sheath to avoid direct blowing wind. The height of the bed should be appropriate, so that it is easy to get into bed, and a chair can be placed next to the bed to help get up.
When resting in bed, the pillow should not be too high, should not sleep on a soft mattress, do not put a pillow pad under the knee to avoid deformities of the hip and knee joints. The toilet can be equipped with a certain height of plastic cushion seat, and installed around the handrail. It is best to take a shower while sitting on a stool without using a tub. Dining tables and desks should be adjusted to the right height and chairs that support the lower back and are not too soft and not too short should be used. The end of the crutches should be fitted with rubber to prevent slipping, and braces and crutches are the best way to help some people walk, as much as possible on their own crutches. Doing housework to be “artistic”, should be dry for a while to rest a while, often change position. You can sit instead of standing to iron clothes, use long tools to sweep the floor to reduce bending, squatting before taking things. Note that the kitchen workbench should be at the same height, so that the pan and plate with cooked food can slide along the plane without having to end up.
4.Sunshine.
In windless and sunny weather, it is advisable to spend more time outdoors in the sun. Sunbathing site should be selected in the fresh air and no pollution, such as grass, parks, riverside and beaches, etc.. Before sunbathing, you should take an air bath for 5-10 minutes in the shade to adapt your body to the outdoor temperature, usually at 9-11 a.m. or 3-5 p.m. In summer, it is better to take a sunbath in the morning and in winter, it is better to take a sunbath in the afternoon. If there is no adverse reaction, then increase by 5 minutes every other day, and gradually reach 60 minutes per day, the sunbathing time can be extended accordingly in winter, and the sunlight is stronger at high places than low places and contains more ultraviolet rays, but it is prohibited when accompanied by active tuberculosis, heart failure and febrile diseases. If there is general discomfort, fatigue, insomnia and loss of appetite due to sunbathing, should be suspended, if the skin redness should be suspended, should not read books and newspapers when sunbathing, so as not to damage the eyes.
5.Pregnancy.
It is best to get pregnant only when the condition is stable and the relevant drugs are stopped for more than six months. The first three months of pregnancy and the second trimester of pregnancy must be strictly limited to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, if necessary, in the middle of pregnancy and lactation can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with a short half-life, such as ibuprofen, etc. During pregnancy, the use of cytotoxic drugs, such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and Airova, etc., gold preparations, penicillamine and tretinoin are best not used.
6. Rest and exercise.
In the following cases should pay attention to rest: acute attacks or between repeated attacks, with fever, significantly increased blood sedimentation and increased white blood cells; affected joints significantly swollen, joint cavity with effusion; cervical spine or lower limb weight-bearing joint lesions are obvious; complications of vasculitis or cardiopulmonary lesions. Bed rest for 2-3 weeks is appropriate, and when the acute symptoms or systemic symptoms and arthritis disappear and joint pain is reduced, you can get out of bed and move around. Long-term bed rest can lead to joint stiffness, muscle atrophy, bone atrophy and increased bone fragility. Exercise should be gradual, to the extent that it just triggers pain, warm compresses before exercise, and often change the exercise.
Rest at least 10 minutes for every hour of exercise, at least 2 times a day. At the beginning, simple functional exercises such as rehabilitation exercises (attached) can be performed, and later the amount of exercise can be gradually increased to fast walking and backward walking (a proven method that can be easily mastered and adhered to). Patients who are in good health can also do fast running, long-distance running and variable speed running, in addition to traditional Chinese martial arts such as taijiquan, taiji sword, five-animal play, qigong, cycling, elderly disco, traditional dance and aerobics. Each person chooses according to his or her own situation. Exercise in warm water can reduce joint pain and promote muscle relaxation.
7. Regular follow-up visits.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, drugs are slow to take effect, and each person reacts differently to drugs, doctors need to understand the patient’s efficacy and side effects of drugs, and make adjustments to the drugs. Some patients who have taken medication for a period of time and no longer have pain in their joints think that they are cured, so they stop taking medication and stop coming to follow-up appointments, and eventually relapse and have to start treatment again. This repeatedly stopping the medication, repeatedly relapsing, the condition is not effectively controlled, and the best time for treatment will be lost. Some patients take medication for a long time without laboratory tests, and as a result, they do not know about abnormal blood picture and liver function damage, and by the time they find out, it is too late.
Attachment: rehabilitation exercises.
(1) Neck exercises: relax the neck and move the head up and down; slowly turn to the left and right; bend the head to the sides and put the ears as close to the shoulders as possible.
(2) Shoulder exercises: Move the shoulder joints in a circular motion forwards and backwards, left and right, and up and down; hold the hands together behind the head and pull the elbows backwards as far as possible.
(3) Wrist movement: Move the wrist up and down, left and right.
(4) Finger movements: fingers apart, together, fingers flexed and straightened; thumb and other fingers one by one. The above therapeutic exercises are simple and easy to perform, and should be done after waking up and before going to bed, at least 10 times for each movement.