News and Features Related to Arthritis

1. When Did Merck Know Vioxx Was Deadly?
   

   Nov. 23, 2009 - Merck should have known Vioxx was deadly years before they pulled the drug from the market, a study of Merck's own data suggests. The study, published in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, is by Joseph S. Ross, MD, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and colleague

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2. Fibromyalgia Pain at Night
   

   Do you toss and turn at night because of fibromyalgia pain or discomfort? "People with fibromyalgia tend to have very disturbed sleep," says Doris Cope, MD, director of Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "Even if they sleep 10 hours a night, they still feel fatigued,

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3. Water Exercise for Fibromyalgia: Easing Deep Muscle Pain
   

   If you have fibromyalgia pain, you're likely clenching right now. "Clenching is an involuntary reaction to stress," says Doris Cope, MD, director of Pain Management at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "People tense their muscles, and probably don't even realize they're doing it. That red

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4. Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia
   

   To get relief from fibromyalgia pain, more and more people are trying alternative treatments. It's often instinctive -- putting an icepack on a painful spot or reaching for the heating pad when muscles hurt. Or it feels good – like a massage. Even acupuncture is becoming a mainstream pain treatment,

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5. Treating Fibromyalgia Pain: Medication Options
   

   If you have fibromyalgia pain, hang in there -- pain relief is possible. Today doctors have better insight into fibromyalgia, and are using many types of medications to treat its symptoms. Antidepressants, anticonvulsants, narcolepsy drugs, pain relievers, sleep aids -- all these medications work wi

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6. Finding Dr. Right for Your Fibromyalgia
   

   Not every doctor understands fibromyalgia well -- yet it's critical to find one who is up to date on the latest fibromyalgia treatment and research. Wherever you live, you'll have to do some research to find a health care provider who is the best fit for you. Here's the good news: "It's easier now t

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7. How Rheumatoid Arthritis Spreads
   

   Nov. 9, 2009 -- Cells surrounding joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis may spread the disease to other joints by traveling through blood vessels, according to a new study. Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive disease that causes joint inflammation and destruction. Researchers say initially the d

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8. Study Eases Arthritis Drug Cancer Fears
   

   Oct. 29, 2009 - Rheumatoid arthritis patients who take the biologic drugs Remicade, Humira, and Enbrel do not appear to have an increased risk for developing cancer in the first few years of use, researchers in Sweden report. The study is one of the largest and longest population-based investigation

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9. Glucosamine May Not Fight Osteoarthritis
   

   Oct. 21, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- Using a more sensitive measure of joint damage than in the past, researchers have found that the popular supplement glucosamine does not appear to slow the progression of knee osteoarthritis. Previous studies that used X-rays to determine whether glucosamine can preve

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10. Study: No Benefit to Costly Arthritis Drugs
    

    Oct. 21, 2009 (Philadelphia) -- For many people with rheumatoid arthritis, the traditional, and much cheaper, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) appear to work just as well as newer TNF blockers that target the underlying disease process, a large study shows. The findings also suggest th

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