Friday, September 26, 2008
Learn about painful arthritic conditions
Nationally, millions of people suffer from arthritic conditions such as psoriatic and ankylosing spondylitis.
Locally, we see people with these painful and often misunderstood diseases every day at the Backus Arthritis Center. And more than ever before, patients want to play a role in their own healthcare and learn more about these diagnoses and the treatment options.
Gone are the days when patients simply took the advice of their doctors and that was that. They want to play a role in their own healthcare, and I wholeheartedly encourage that.
I know firsthand that people want to learn. When I presented a fibromyalgia community education event, we packed the room with more than 100 people and had to turn people away. When I announced a rheumatoid arthritis public education event last week, it filled up immediately.
That’s why I plan to continue my role in educating the public. On Oct. 14 from 5-6:30p.m. at the Backus Outpatient Care Center at 111 Salem Turnpike in Norwich, I will offer an update on treating psoriatic and ankylosing spondylitis.
Psoriasis is a non-contagious, lifelong skin disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. About 10-30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic disease that causes arthritis of the spine and sacroiliac joints (where the spine meets the pelvis) and can cause inflammation of the eyes, lungs and heart valves. It varies from intermittent episodes of back pain that occur throughout life to a severe chronic disease that attacks the spine, peripheral joints and other body organs, resulting in severe joint and back stiffness, loss of motion and deformity as life progresses.
The program is free and open to the public, but registration is required and seating is limited. Call 823-6313 to register, and learn how these conditions can be managed and how your quality of life can improve.
Sandeep Varma, MD, is a rheumatologist and Medical Director at the Backus Arthritis Center, located at the Backus Outpatient Care Center in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Varma and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com..
Locally, we see people with these painful and often misunderstood diseases every day at the Backus Arthritis Center. And more than ever before, patients want to play a role in their own healthcare and learn more about these diagnoses and the treatment options.
Gone are the days when patients simply took the advice of their doctors and that was that. They want to play a role in their own healthcare, and I wholeheartedly encourage that.
I know firsthand that people want to learn. When I presented a fibromyalgia community education event, we packed the room with more than 100 people and had to turn people away. When I announced a rheumatoid arthritis public education event last week, it filled up immediately.
That’s why I plan to continue my role in educating the public. On Oct. 14 from 5-6:30p.m. at the Backus Outpatient Care Center at 111 Salem Turnpike in Norwich, I will offer an update on treating psoriatic and ankylosing spondylitis.
Psoriasis is a non-contagious, lifelong skin disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, as many as 7.5 million Americans have psoriasis. About 10-30 percent of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints.
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a rheumatic disease that causes arthritis of the spine and sacroiliac joints (where the spine meets the pelvis) and can cause inflammation of the eyes, lungs and heart valves. It varies from intermittent episodes of back pain that occur throughout life to a severe chronic disease that attacks the spine, peripheral joints and other body organs, resulting in severe joint and back stiffness, loss of motion and deformity as life progresses.
The program is free and open to the public, but registration is required and seating is limited. Call 823-6313 to register, and learn how these conditions can be managed and how your quality of life can improve.
Sandeep Varma, MD, is a rheumatologist and Medical Director at the Backus Arthritis Center, located at the Backus Outpatient Care Center in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Varma and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com..
# posted by ----------------- @ 2:30 PM 
