Rheumatoid Arthritis Expert Lisa Emrich shares Rheumatoid Arthritis management news and commentary at MyRACentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218 http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218 http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/93919/card Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:42:00 -0500 Lisa Emrich Do patients with RA have an increased risk of developing heart disease?   Yes.  In a previous post, Is there a link between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes?, I referenced a study which compared risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with RA versus diabetes.  The result of this study indicates that patients with RA have 2-3 times the risk of atherosclerosis (specifically coronary artery disease) as compared to... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/93919/card http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/93080/comp Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:05:00 -0500 Lisa Emrich As I live with the comorbidity of multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, I am very interested in learning more about comorbidities in general. The coupling of diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis is one for which there is not a large amount of literature. Normally I write at the MS and RA sites here at HealthCentral and when I was asked to present some of the information I have learned in researching this comorbidity, I was happy to share... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/93080/comp http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/92267/rheu Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:26:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich When you were in high school what was your favorite subject?  Besides music, it was anything math-related for me.  I didn’t much care for words, which is ironic since now I spend time putting thoughts and information into understandable and relatable words.  I preferred trigonometry, calculus, physics, even chemistry and algebra. Now I’m about to reveal how much of a mathematics geek I truly am.   Here’s a... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/92267/rheu http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/90325/fibr Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:48:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich In my previous post, Can I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus?, I introduced the topic of comorbidity.  Diseases are called comorbid when they exist at the same time and independently within the same patient.  With the increasing interest in the field of comorbidity and rheumatic diseases, it becomes even more important for us as patients to discuss our experiences in living with more than one disease as awareness leads to... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/90325/fibr http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/87314/lupus Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:15:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich Is there an association between rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus)? Can someone have both diseases or must he or she be diagnosed with only one? What are the challenges in addressing these questions and more?   From a recent article published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy, the average RA patient has 1.6 comorbidities and that number increases with the patient's age.  There is increasing... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/87314/lupus http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/84019/care Mon, 24 Aug 2009 02:32:11 -0400 Lisa Emrich There is something truly wonderful about patient communities, the topic of my previous post, The Power of Patient Community: Educate, Encourage, Empower.   This week I'd like to give you the opportunity to educate each of us (the readers) on how health care works in your given situation.  With the topic of health reform unavoidable lately, and based on the discussion amongst some of us who write on various HealthCentral sites, I... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/84019/care http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/82134/power Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:40:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich Recently, I was invited to travel to HealthCentral’s New York office to participate in an on-camera interview as part of Johnson & Johnson’s global video campaign.  Joining me were three other Patient Experts from different HealthCentral sites. I can't recall verbatim everything we talked about, but here are some questions and thoughts I had discussed that I'd like to share with you: 1. How important is it for patients... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/82134/power http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/80230/part Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:23:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich Continued from Part One, more discussion, prepared thoughts, and reactions from the bloggers in attendance at the event, "Putting Patients First" as hosted by Dr. Val, CEO of Better Health, LLC.   Dr. Wes posted his prepared opening comments of which these statements make me personally want to cheer - “The honest truth is, if I could help the uninsured, and unemployed and chronically ill while preserving my relationship with you... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/80230/part http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/80225/part Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:57:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich Health care reform is divisive dinner conversation here in the Nation’s Capitol.  Ok, maybe not at everyone’s dinner table, but it is a very hot topic lately.  On July 17, 2009, I attended an event hosted by Dr. Val Jones, CEO of Better Health, LLC, titled - “Healthcare Reform: Putting Patients First” - at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.    As was noted in the larger medical blogosphere,... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/80225/part http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/78336/cost Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:35:00 -0400 Lisa Emrich With the ongoing debate on ways to reform health care, I've been thinking about the routine medical care I receive in a typical year.  However, living with multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, it is not always easy to know if a particular year is going to be "typical" or not.  So I examined exactly what health care services I used in one calendar year. Here is what I found:   I saw the rheumatologist three times... http://www.healthcentral.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/c/72218/78336/cost