Latest by Mark Borigini, M.D.
To Exercise or Not to Exercise: The Effects on Chronic Pain
A person in chronic pain most likely does not want to have exercise on the top of his or her list of things to do. However, it is now becoming standard practice to prescribe exercise as a weapon in the never-ending battle against chronic pain. Rest i...
When Relieving Pain Puts Patients in Danger--What to Do?
Current guidelines on pain management advise that patients at risk for ulcer disease be prescribed either a cox-2 inhibitor such as Celebrex, or a traditional anti-inflammatory (such as Motrin or Naprosyn) in combination with a proton-pump inhibitor ...
Stopping RA Before it Begins
While there is no cure for rheumatoid arthritis, it appears that physicians can stop the progression to rheumatoid arthritis in those patients who have so-called "undifferentiated arthritis." This, along with the halting of joint destructi...
Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Not a week goes by without a patient inquiring about the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Sometimes these are patients who have limited budgets and might not be able to afford the newer treatments ...
Ask the Expert: Rheumatoid Personality?
Dear Dr. Borigini, Years ago, when I was diagnosed at 16 years of age with JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis), two physicians told me that there was such a thing as the "rheumatoid personality." They hinted that there was a certain person...
Ask the Expert: Ulcerative Colitis and RA
Dear Dr. Borigini: Is joint pain a symptom commonly associated with ulcerative colitis? I’ve heard that rheumatoid arthritis and UC are related, but I have never really talked with my doctor about it. Recently I have had random joint pain, and I’m wo...
Ask the Expert: Methotrexate Side Effects
Dear Dr. Borigini, I have been living with RA for about 8 years, diagnosed at age 25. I have been taking methotrexate and having good results with this treatment. My frustration however, is two fold. I have been unable to lose weight or to lower my c...
Do Not Forget the Risks of Methadone in Pain Management
Methadone is an effective drug, with a convenient dosing schedule and a relatively low cost. But it can interact with numerous other medications, and act very differently in different patients.
Prednisone, the Dirty Little Secret, Becomes More Respectable
Many rheumatologists at least verbalize a reluctance to use "cortisone"-like drugs such as prednisone in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; but many, if not most, rheumatologists do use prednisone. Prednisone, even in low dosages, can ...
Ask the Expert: Preventing RA Symptoms with Birth Control Pills?
Dr. Borigini answers a question about birth control and rheumatoid arthritis.