Yes, R.A. is a very debilitating disease with accompanying pain, emotional distress and secondary stress on physical and mental systems. Counseling can help with the resulting stress and pain. Adjustment to these conditions and the medical treatment can be mentally challenging. Counseling can offer significant aid in adjusting to the conditions of the disease and resulting procedures. One should expect support for your personal adjustments and challenges as well as to accompanying pain and physical demands. Specific pain reduction methods, anxiety reduction techniques and enhancing your outlook can be expected from supportive efforts of trained and qualified counselors on such techniques as well as supportive counseling.

Yes counseling can be helpful. You can articulate your concerns. You can learn coping skills to address stress and pain. There are techniques to assist you with stress management, relaxation and anxiety. Having lowered stress and anxiety will help you feel better, reduce cortisol, help you feel better and help you interact with others.You can have a safe place to discuss topics you may not feel comfortable talking about with people close to you.

Gladys Frankel, PhD

Hanover, NH

Therapy can help you deal with your feelings about the diagnosis, as well as, any changes that you may need to make to your life style because of any physical limitations that may result from this condition.

Counseling is appropriate for any life changing event, especially illness, pain and disability. Psychotherapy is about easing suffering and improving adaptation. It won't "fix" the disorder, it will help you live with the new "normal"

Dear Madam,

Adjusting to a newly diagnosed disorder takes time especially since most significant conditions spur a change in lifestyle. Your suggestion of going to counseling sessions and or therapy is a great first step to mastering ongoing changes in your life. Understanding how rheumatoid arthritis (or any disease) effects your body is important in the adjustment process. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis not limited to stiffness and joint pain must be managed appropriately to perform normal daily living activities, and counseling

gaining advice from trained professionals will ease that transistion. In addition, physical therapy sessions including aquatic therapy are excellent possible routes, to be discussed with your physician, to increase and maintain flexibility. Adjust at your body's pace and rely on faith as that transition begins. Once in full adjustment, your question will be a mere afterthought.

Respectfully,

Dr. Roshin

Therapy is a means of easing the emotional pain of struggling with most health conditions. It can also help a person understand themselves better and faciltiate development of acceptance of the chronic condition that brings more inner peace.

Psychotherapy is often a helpful way to learn enmotional and behavioral coping tools to manage pain. It can be very helpful to have a caring professional to talk to so that you can come to terms with your emotional reactions around having to live with RA.

Hello. It is unfortunate that you have this affliction. Now that you have it then understanding it is important. There was some epidemiological research I read some years ago that people who get the flue and continue to consume gluten products have a higher risk of contracting kidney damage, pancreatic damage (diabetes), and rheumatoid arthritis. It seems the flue germs strip the protective mucus (sialic acid molecules) from the salivary and gastric secretions and thus, the body loses that protective barrier. Certain tissues are then at risk (kidney, pancreas, and joints).

To simplify things somewhat, that loss of mucin during the flue sets the body’s immune system up for confusion and the risk of the body tagging its own tissue as foreign is greater. Once the immune system starts attacking the body’s own joints then it’s called rheumatoid arthritis. There’s no point in getting into how all that happens at this time. Whether it is the food or the flue, or a combination of the two that is the culprit, is not important to you at this point having already received the diagnosis.

The thing for you now is understanding what your limitations are going to be. Adjusting to it is going to entail lifestyle changes. Listening to the medical professionals and the rheumatoid specialists is important. To gain insight on lifestyle changes and learn coping skills, you will likely find that counselling will be a great help to you. Recall there are Five Pillars of Optimal Health Secrets. Attitude & Perspective in life is the fifth pillar. So yes, counselling/therapy will help you cope. After having said that please don’t ignore nutrition and pass it off as unimportant.

Counseling/therapy is always helpful in adjusting to stress and major life changes. There are also newer mind-body psychology practices which help reduce pain and improve your ability to cope with a chronic medical condition. The one I teach i mindful stress reduction. If you go towww.drdianesanford.com, you can click on my YouTube channel and try these exercises for free. Hope this helps.