Living

Why don't you just give up gluten? Why don't you just stop eating sugar? Why don't you just go to the gym? Why don't you just start taking probiotics? Why...

For four years running (2014 Goals, 2015 Goals, 2016 Goals, 2017 Goals), I’ve taken the time to review goals set for the year, examine how I did, and set goals...

Depending on the nature of an individual’s chronic condition and how it impacts their daily life, they may or may not want to be in the workforce. Additionally, and depending...

I finally started seeing a new psychologist after years of feeling conflicted about "firing" my old one. I've technically seen him three times now, but the first appointment was many...

Over the years of contending with RA I have come to realize that there is a need to utilize the skills associated with will power.  The thought of practicing will...

Most people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) experience joint stiffness. But did you ever notice you are more stiff in the mornings? Morning stiffness has been defined as “slowness or difficulty...

Tis the season for flu, colds, and other nasty critters shared via coughs, handshakes, and sneezes. I start getting twitchy on public transit when I see uncovered coughs and hear...

OK, everyone. Christmas is just behind us. Although it’s supposed to be a holiday filled with joy, giving, and cozy evenings playing checkers with family and friends, sipping hot cocoa...

As many of our community members know, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects everyone differently. The feet are one of the most common places where RA causes pain. When RA affects the...

"Every limbo boy and limbo girl...all around the limbo world" I have that silly Chubby Checker "Limbo Rock" song in my head right now, mostly because the word "limbo" popped...

In a recent op-ed in The Hill, a Washington, DC newspaper, Dr. Lynn Webster, MD, past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the author of The Painful...

Sometimes I struggle with the fundamentals. I get so involved with the advanced treatments and trying to stay on top of rheumatoid arthritis flares, that I forget the basics. The...

Sometimes it’s hard to get in the holiday spirit when you’re achy and stiff from rheumatoid arthritis. I admit that this year is a little tough for me because I’ve...

About two years ago, Toyota made headlines by appointing its first foreigner to an executive position. Even more impressive, the American, Julie Hamp, was also a woman. Three months later...

For many of us, planning for, cooking, and serving those amazing holiday feasts is a lot of fun—and for some of us, well, not so much. But whichever type you...

I’ve been on a trend of not feeling great with my rheumatoid arthritis. If it isn’t pain and stiffness, then it’s the exhaustion. And I find that feeling bad and...

Giving can seem like a one way street. We let go of something that belongs to us - often my money or clothing or food - so that someone in...

Recently I returned to physical therapy (PT) for some refresher sessions. When I last met with my rheumatologist we spoke about my questioning if my medications were working as well...

So for the last couple of years, both of my great toes have been painful, in different ways, and in different spots, but nonetheless, restricting my ability to walk as...

Growing up with severe rheumatoid arthritis was not easy—physically nor emotionally and mentally. Looking back, I feel grateful that I had supportive family and friends. But I also had some...