What is rheumatism

Rheumatism and the main characteristics

Rheumatism is a term that refers to a group of medical problems related to joints and connective tissues. Even though there is a connection between rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatism, these two terms do not refer to the same thing. Arthritis, as well as several other disorders, is only one type of rheumatism or rheumatoid disorder, but, when it comes to the term of rheumatism, the fact is that it is not used any more to describe some condition; instead, other terms that specify the particular disorder are used, while rheumatism is only used in colloquial speech and perhaps in historical contexts.

There are several types of rheumatoid disorders, but the two main characteristics of all of them are swelling of the muscles, ligaments, tendons or joints, and chronic pain in the affected area. Besides these symptoms, it is possible that some cases will be followed by fever and soreness as well, and this is particularly characteristic of acute types. As for the causes of rheumatoid disorders, toxic waste products in the blood have been identified as the main culprit. Excessive consumption of foods such as sugar, meat and white bread contributes to the amount of these toxic wastes, but it is also proven that certain infections can also provoke rheumatism.

An interesting thing about rheumatism is that there seems to be some kind of connection between the symptoms and the weather, because, low barometric pressure, which is related to cold and wet weather, tends to increase the pain, whereas high pressure tends to decrease it. It is not really clear why this happens, and even though there is no firm evidence that supports this, there are numerous cases in which this connection has been confirmed.

Can it be treated?

When it comes to the rheumatoid disorders, the fact is that they are very difficult to treat. The method of treatment is closely connected to the cause, which is why it is necessary to determine that element first. Analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the two inevitable parts of the treatment, and besides them, there is a wide range of herbal remedies that have been used for ages in the treatment of the disorders of this type. Still, it is important to emphasize that all of these methods of the treatment only treat the symptoms, meaning pain and swelling, but they cannot cure the condition.