Arthritis Awareness

Answered by Susan J. Lee, M.D.

Why can’t I drink when I take RA drugs?

Q. What is the relationship with drinking alcohol and Remicade? How about alcohol and other medicines for arthritis? Thanks.

A. Patients are advised to minimize or stop drinking alcohol when they are taking certain medications for rheumatoid arthritis. Many of medications used for the treatment of RA can cause liver inflammation or damage, so patients must be monitored closely when they are on these medications. Since alcohol itself can cause liver damage, it is safer to avoid drinking when taking these medications so you don’t compound your risk.

Methotrexate (Rheumatrex), leflunomide (Arava) and sulfasalazine (Azulfidine) are the three most commonly used oral medications for RA and are associated with potential liver toxicity. Some of the newer medicines such as etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade) and adalimumab (Humira) can also cause liver damage, though much less commonly.

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Not only are strawberries juicy and delicious, they also may lower blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a signal of inflammation in the body. High CRP levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke, and levels often spike when people with rheumatoid arthritis or lupus have a flare, as well.

Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that women who ate 16 or more strawberries (fresh or frozen) per week were 14 percent less likely than non-strawberry eaters to have elevated levels of the protein.

Although the study focused on heart disease, Howard Sesso, the study’s lead author, says that lowering CRP levels with strawberries may be helpful for arthritis, too. So go ahead – slice them on your cereal, add them to yogurt or enjoy them plain as a snack or dessert.

By Mary Anne Dunkin

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For every 3,500 calories you burn, you’ll lose a pound. It turns out that slimming down is more complex than that golden rule preached by fitness pros.

Shedding pounds isn’t so precise, according to Ralph La Forge, a physiologist and managing director of the Duke Lipid and Metabolic Disorder Training Program at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

Although weight loss does, indeed, depend upon the “calories-in, calories-out” equation, you may have to work harder and longer than you think in order to see any result. For example, a brisk 30-minute walk burns 200 calories – only about half the amount in that bagel you ate this morning (minus the cream cheese).

In addition, gender and genes do matter. Women, who store fat differently than men and have a harder time losing fat around the abdomen, tend to lose weight more slowly. And some people are just born with a faster resting metabolism, so they burn calories more efficiently.

So what can you do to nudge the scale down? Keep these tips in mind:

Do

Exercise a little more. Gradually increase the time and intensity of your workouts to burn more calories. Just walking 15 minutes more, for example, will help you shed another 100 calories.

Work more muscles. The more muscle groups you work, the more energy your body uses. Thirty minutes of weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, hiking, dancing, tai chi and some forms of yoga, burns more calories than 30 minutes of stationary cycling or some kinds of resis­tance training. It also builds strong bones.

Aim to burn about 1,500 calories per week through exercise. That’s the average amount recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. Walking 3 miles per day over five days will do it; or call your local Arthritis Foundation chapter for information on exercise programs.

Don’t
Don’t reach for a post-workout snack, or you could add back as many calories as you just burned off. Drink a glass – or two – of water instead; you actually may be more thirsty than hungry.

Don’t trust the numbers. If you walk on a treadmill or ride a stationary bike, the number of calories you actually burn is often 10 to 15 percent lower than what’s displayed on the screen. That’s because the mechanical assistance of the machine allows your body to do less work – and most calorie-counters don’t take that into account. (Read how to make your treadmill workout really work).

Don’t collapse on the couch when you get home. If you rest after a workout more than you would normally, your body slows down and doesn’t burn as many calories as it usually does.

Everyday activities and how many calories they burn (in a 150-pound person):

Mopping floors (1/2 hour)           140 calories
Vacuuming (1/2 hour)                  140 calories
Ironing (1/2 hour)                         75 calories

Pulling weeds (1/2 hour)              177 calories

Washing the car (1 hour)             300 calories
Bagging leaves (1/2 hour)           136 calories
Washing dishes (1 hour)              152 calories
Rearranging furniture (1 hour)   450 calories
Indoor painting (1 hour)              204 calories
Grocery shopping (1/2 hour)       130 calories
Walking (1/2 hour)                      100 calories
Sleeping (8 hours)                        50 calories

Get more resources from the Arthritis Today Weight Loss Guide
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Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

The researchers say the combination could be a potentially dangerous food source for some patients with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases that are particularly vulnerable to an "exaggerated inflammatory response." Inflammation is known to cause damage to blood vessels, the heart, lung and joint tissues, skin, and the digestive tract.
"In the United States, tilapia has shown the biggest gains in popularity among seafood, and this trend is expected to continue as consumption is projected to increase from 1.5 million tons in 2003 to 2.5 million tons by 2010," write the Wake Forest researchers in an article published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

For the rest of the article, please click on the Medical News Today icon!

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*Article submitted by Jane W. from Akron, OH*