The Arthritis Action Program: An Integrated Plan of Traditional and Complementary Therapies (Hardcover)

by Dr. Michael E. Weinblatt (Author), Harvard Medical School (Author) "I ANSWER questions like this every time I meet with patients..." (more)
Key Phrases: contact your healthcare provider, hyaluronic acid injections, stationary chair, United States, The Arthritis Allion Program, Case Study (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Often considered an "old folks" affliction, arthritis is the medical term for more than 100 diseases and conditions that affect the joints of about one out of six Americans--old and young. Treatment for this debilitating, chronic condition is complicated, so Harvard Medical School professor of medicine Michael Weinblatt, M.D., developed a comprehensive guide to explain arthritis "in plain English" and offer preventative and prescriptive suggestions for successful pain management. His goal: to foster equal optimism and skepticism, thus empowering the patient to make informed decisions.

Weinblatt begins with a helpful refresher course on bone health (titled "Why Good Joints Go Bad") and outlines steps to find a health-care provider. In the chapters on pain, he describe symptoms and their common treatments and offers charts that outline various drugs, their brand names, standard doses, and estimated costs. Special attention to the many current medical treatments (including COX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex and Vioxx, and biological-response modifiers such as Enbrel) include each option's benefits and risks. Weinblatt also addresses conditions that mimic arthritis (carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, fibromyalgia) and provides an unbiased guide to several "complementary" (often referred to in other texts as "alternative") therapies, from A (acupuncture) to Z (zinc supplements). Despite his desire to squash all the hype surrounding "breakthrough"--and usually unproven--arthritis treatments (magnets, bee venom, the "Arthritis Diet"), Weinblatt's tone remains engaging--never condescending--throughout the book's 300-plus pages. Lists of questions to ask your healthcare provider and to assess a patient's status, plus an invitation to visit a Web site for online updates, make this book a valuable reference and resource. --Liane Thomas --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

START YOUR OWN
ARTHRITIS ACTION PROGRAM TODAY

If you suffer from the aches and pains of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or related conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome or Lyme disease, this book will give you the latest information on managing and minimizing symptoms -- with results:

• New medications to control pain and inflammation
• Exercises to increase range of movement, improve balance, and minimize stiffness
• Complementary therapies that can help
• Tips on how to protect joints
• Techniques for stress reduction
• Breakthroughs in surgery
• Questions to ask your doctor
• Customized action programs that put it all together
• Periodic updates on our special Web site

If you are among the more than forty-two million Americans who suffer from arthritis, you may think you know what you have to look forward to: pain, immobility...a premature old age. It's been like this for centuries.

That might have been true for your grandmother. It might even have been true last year. But this is a new century, one that offers you a new and extraordinary opportunity to overcome this disease. For although no cure yet exists for arthritis, today's breakthrough therapies, innovative medications, and complementary treatments have the potential to banish forever the image of arthritis as a devastating and untreatable disease. Today, a combination of the newest painkillers, anti-inflammatories, exercise, stress reduction, nutrition, and complementary therapies enable most arthritis sufferers to lead active, pain-free lives. All of these come together in The Arthritis Action Program, which presents a state-of-the-art team approach to treating this disease; and the team, in this case, consists of some of the finest physicians in the world: the experts at Harvard Medical School.

They first offer you the latest information on joint protection: What sorts of recreational sports, shoes, and daily habits should you avoid? Next is critical news about early diagnosis, which is the key to slowing down -- or even stopping -- the progress of the disease. The Arthritis Action Program describes the symptoms that signal a visit to the doctor, and tells you the questions you need to ask when the visit occurs. It includes up-to-the-minute word on the newest headline-making medications: COX-2 inhibitors, TNF blockers, and disease-modifying immunosuppressants, as well as coverage of dramatic new surgical techniques that are less invasive...and more effective. Add to that a complete program of exercise to ease pain and extend joint mobility, information on complementary therapies from acupuncture to yoga, and the latest on supplements like chondroitin and glucosamine sulfate.

The team approach even includes sample programs, easily customized for every reader. And The Arthritis Action Program will always be up-to-date with new discoveries posted on the Harvard Health Publications Web site, www.health.harvard.edu. It's the last book on arthritis that you -- or your grandmother -- will ever need.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; 1 edition (November 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684868024
• ISBN-13: 978-0684868028
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,107,733 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harvard Physician Demystifies Arthritis, October 25, 2000

By A Customer

This brilliant Harvard physician has written a comprehensive, well organized presentation which encompasses the etiology, treatment and classification of the various types of arthritis. This book could only have been written by a doctor with absolute understanding of the subject matter. It is clearly presented in a practical no nonsense format, which allows the reader to find data on any aspect of the disease in a matter of minutes. It is up to date, presenting all of the medication options right up to and including the latest Cox 2 inhibitors and TNF blockers, as well as the various surgical procedures and alternative treatments.

This book is a must have for any patient who is trying to overcome this debilitating and painful disease, and for any doctor who is treating such patients in his or her practice.

It is a source of hope that with proper treatment arthritis can be managed in a way that allows the patient to pursue a normal and active life, without becoming disabled.

Thank you Dr. Weinblatt. Good job.

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat outdated, good general review, October 31, 2008

By	Carolyn Dumond "decalgal" (San Francisco area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Arthritis Action Program: An Integrated Plan of Traditional and Complementary Therapies (Paperback)

I have several books on Rheumatoid Arthritis, purchased since diagnosed two years ago. While this book spends half the time on Osteoarthritis, and the other half on Rheumatoid Arthritis, it still managed to give me a few new pieces of information. Good discussion of the stages of the disease in the joints. However, being written in 2001, some of the medications described, while still current, have had some very negative press, and even been pulled off the market due to fatal side effects. The section on nutritional supplementation was pretty minimal, tho it confirmed another book I have that goes into much more detail about anti inflammatory and anti oxidant use to combat flares. No mention of Leaky Gut...which has been widely acknowledged as a key contributor to the development of RA.