Arthritis Without Pain: The Miracle of TNF Blockers [Paperback]

Scott J. Zashin (Author), M. Laurette Hesser (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 8, 2004

Arthritis Without Pain is a publication about a long-awaited breakthrough for arthritis pain --— a category of drugs called TNF blockers.

The miracle of TNF blockers is this: they work. Nearly two of every three patients who try these medications get lasting relief from joint pain and inflammation. Known as biologic DMARDs, these high-tech drugs inhibit the action of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a protein that contributes to joint damage associated with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis.

Arthritis Without Pain examines the science behind the TNF blockers Enbrel®, Remicade® and Humira™, offers practical advice for their use, and explores the real-life experience of patients who take them. Written by noted Dallas rheumatologist Scott J. Zashin, M.D., in collaboration with healthcare writer Laurie Hesser, Arthritis Without Pain gives patients the knowledge to take charge of their arthritis, move past the pain, and get back to a more active life.

• Learn about TNF blockers and how they work

• Compare TNF blockers with methotrexate and other arthritis drugs

• Take a five-minute self-test to see if you are a candidate for anti-TNF therapy

• Understand the differences between Enbrel®, Remicade® and Humira™

• Know what to ask before therapy and what to expect during therapy

• Gain insight into how biologic drugs are manufactured and why they need special handling

• Learn how uninsured/underinsured patients may still have access to these medications

• Read about other patients’ experiences with these life-changing drugs

With the latest information on types of arthritis, standard treatments, lab tests and clinical trials, Arthritis Without Pain is a comprehensive guide to TNF blockers and the state of arthritis treatment today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...an exceptionally well-written resource...among the best on my bookshelf. A must-read for people interested in arthritis treatment." --Carol Eustice, Guide to Arthritis, arthritis.about.com

About the Author

Scott J. Zashin, M.D., is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Division of Rheumatology, in Dallas, Texas, as well as an attending physician at Presbyterian Hospitals of Dallas and Plano. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the American College of Rheumatology and a member of the American Medical Association.

A native of Short Hills, New Jersey, Dr. Zashin earned both his medical and undergraduate degrees from Dartmouth College. He continued his medical training in Dallas at Parkland Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Zashin is board-certified in both internal medicine and rheumatology.

Dr. Zashin has published many articles about arthritis, and is a sought-after speaker on numerous topics relating to both traditional and alternative arthritis treatments. He is presently a member of the speaker’s bureaus for several pharmaceutical companies, including Abbott Laboratories and Wyeth-Ayerst. He has conducted clinical studies for Amgen and Merck. Dr. Zashin is currently president of the North Texas Chapter of the Lupus Foundation, and for the past eight years, has been recognized as an outstanding physician in the Woodward White publication Best Doctors of America — Central Region.

M. Laurette Hesser has worked with patients, physicians and clinicians for two decades to create educational programs and publications that promote understanding and facilitate delivery of care. A marketing and corporate communications consultant with a special interest in healthcare issues, Ms. Hesser has developed programs and materials for many organizations, including Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, CerebroVascular Advances, Novation LLP, Quest Medical, Synthes (USA) and Urologix, as well as ExxonMobil, IBM, Nortel, Southern Methodist University, The City of Irving (Texas) and CEC Entertainment. A native of Pennsylvania, she earned a B.S. degree in marketing from Penn State.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Sarah Allison Publishing Company (May 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0975406000
• ISBN-13: 978-0975406007
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #810,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Compassionate. Excellent clinician. Good listener. Meticulous.
Great sense of humor. Open-minded. Attentive. Progressive.



This is how patients and colleagues describe Scott Zashin, MD. And it's why Dr. Zashin -- or "Dr. Z." as patients often call him -- has been selected as a "Super Doctor" by Texas Monthly magazine, as one of the "Best Doctors in Dallas" by D Magazine, and as one of the "Best Doctors in America" by Best Doctors, Inc. every year since 1996.

A native of Short Hills, New Jersey, Dr. Zashin earned his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and his medical degree at Dartmouth Medical School. He completed residencies in rheumatology and internal medicine at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas, Texas. Dr. Zashin is board-certified in both rheumatology and internal medicine by the American Board of Rheumatology and the American Board of Internal Medicine, respectively. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, the Texas Medical Association, and the Dallas County Medical Society.

Currently, Dr. Zashin is a clinical assistant professor of internal medicine in the rheumatology division at UT Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. He is also a private-practice rheumatologist at Presbyterian Hospitals of Dallas and Plano, Texas, where he has practiced since 1989. He is an active advocate for people with arthritis. He served as President of the Lupus Foundation's North Texas chapter, and is currently a board member of both the Lupus Foundation and the Arthritis Foundation of North Texas. As a distinguished and loyal "Big Green" alumnus, he also serves as North Texas Enrollment Director for Dartmouth College.

Dr. Zashin is married and has two school-aged daughters. His family time includes long walks with his family and dog

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Resource - Hope and Help to Get a Grip on RA, December 6, 2004

By 

Long-Time RA Sufferer "Dottie" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Arthritis Without Pain: The Miracle of TNF Blockers (Paperback)

This book is awesome. I only wish I had known about it sooner! I've had RA for 15 years, and was a patient in the clinical trial for Enbrel. Enbrel gave me back my life. But after 7 years, the effect has tapered off even after my rheumy added methotrexate. Last appointment, he said we ought to think about changing to a different TNF blocker. He recommended Remicade, which is an IV treatment, and told me to think about it. I wasn't quite sure what to think.

So I went web surfing. I read a good review about this book on the "About Arthritis" web site (arthritis.about.com/od/brms/gr/tnfblockers.htm), and bought it immediately. I couldn't put the book down! It is packed with the kind of information that would be otherwise hard to find in a single place. It offered all the pros and cons of TNF blockers, and has a "test" to help you decide if the therapy is for you or not. It compares all three TNF blockers head to head, after devoting a chapter to each. What a terrific resource! Not only did I learn things about Enbrel that I never knew, but it also answered questions that no one could really ever answer to my satisfaction (like why is it necessary to INJECT Enbrel?). Better yet, I learned ALL about Remicade, and other option called Humira (which is an injection like Enbrel, but only 2 shots per month!). The book gives pros and cons of all three treatments, and is very balanced. It's also an easy read, and the patient stories make you feel like you're not alone in this struggle.

Bottom line, I really felt like I got totally expert AND unbiased advise about what to do next...and I now feel confident, excited and HOPEFUL that I still have options.

So if you have RA, and don't know about TNF blockers, buy this book. If you have RA and are already on a TNF blocker, buy this book. And if you're like me, and your current TNF blocker is losing its effect, buy this book. Then run to your rheumy and get living again!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for Anyone Who's Doctor Wants Them to Begin Therapy With TNF Inhibitors, August 19, 2005

By 

G. McBrien - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arthritis Without Pain: The Miracle of TNF Blockers (Paperback)

I am extremely happy that I found this book. I was looking for information on how these drugs, more correctly, biologics, are manufactured. I could not get a clear understanding of this from either the maker's literature, at least not literature that I could find, or literature on the drugs that I was given. I did find a complete description of the manufacturing process for each of the drugs in Dr. Zashin's book to the depth that I was interested.

Dr. Zashin also includes a great deal of background material on various types of arthritis. Most sources that I have found focus primarily on rheumatoid arthritis and give other forms a footnote or two. This is almost a primer for the arthritis patient in itself.

He has written this book in a very readable style making it comprehendible for the layman without being condesending. I found that I was actually reading this book before I went to sleep instead on my usual fictional material because it was that easy to read.

Dr. Zashin includes experiences of some patients on these medications in their own words. Most make the reader optimistic but there are a few that deal with the problems of obtaining these drugs due to their expense that are not. I would rather get an objective view of what to expect however than an unrealistic but rosy one.

An individual chapter is devoted to each of the three TNF inhibitors Remicade, Embrel and Humira. The same categories of information on each drug is presented and the pros and cons of each. Dr. Zashin also provides reports of clinical trials as appendices and a chapter on issues of delivery of the drugs such as issues with self-injection.

A surprise for me was the information he included on the (high) price of the drugs. It is of course, good to know.

The only two things I found lacking about the book were first; that the copyright date showed it to be a year ago that it was updated. Normally, for a bound text this is relatively recent however a great deal can happen in a year such as a drug might be approved for more uses or more clinical trials may have been completed showing more efficacy of one drug over another for a given condition. Second, I would like to have seen more patient stories. As I said, I found these to provide a feeling of optimism.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for people with RA, August 22, 2004

By 

M. G. Novak "Registered Nurse" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Arthritis Without Pain: The Miracle of TNF Blockers (Paperback)

As a nurse, I enjoyed this book on two levels. First, for the indepth information it provides about TNF blockers as a class of drugs and then a chapter for each of the individual drugs Enbrel, Humira, and Remicade.

Second, this book is very patient friendly. It's filled with lots of helpful charts, a decision matrix and a whole chapter of questions and answers on everything from what to do if you miss a dose to why these drugs need refrigeration. It even explains how patients without insurance or pharmacy benefits can get help obtaining these medications. The patient stories and quotes also make the book interesting.

This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ for people with Rheumatoid Arthritis (and Psoriatic Arthtirits and Ankylosing Spondylitis), or anyone considering or now taking Enbrel, Humira, or Remicade.
This book is perfect for physicians and nurses too!