Michi Kasai writes:
The patient is Ms. Kashiwagi, who is 42-year-old media executive. Ms Kashiwagi now lives and works in Tokyo. Ms. Kashiwagi was a marathon runner in her college days, and continued to run and exercise regularly well into her 30s. But her business has prevented her from getting much exercise for the last five years, and over the last two years she has stopped exercising altogether has taken up cigarettes, and has gained 7 or 8 kilos. Over the same period, she has been finding it increasingly more difficult to move her left knee, which she injured during her running practice when she was in college.
It can be said that she has arthritis. But it's difficult to tell her an accurate diagnosis from her information. It sounds she has both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In order to determine which type of arthritis she has, I'd like her to write more in her condition records. I want her to write when it hurts and when the pain first started. After reading her record, I want her to take a physical examination, special tests and X-rays to make sure.
If she has any kind of arthritis, I have to ask her if she is taking any medicines and allergic to any medications before prescription. For her, losing weight and exercise would be effective. If it doesn't work, I'll give her prescription. To do her treatment effectively, I want her to keep a journal which help making treatment program. According to the information from it, we would change her exercise program.
My first piece of advice is to take low-fat and high-fiber meals and do a combination of stretching exercises, mild strengthening exercises and low-impact aerobic exercises.
In the long term, I'd tell her not to be afraid of arthritis too much, it can be managed. We can work together and learn more about it. It's very important to know about your illness to control it and make the treatment more successful. It may be good to join a support group of other people who have arthritis. That may relieve her by showing that she is not alone. It also helps her getting ideas of living well with arthritis. Adding to arthritis, there's a probability of getting other diseases since her life style isn't healthy. I want her to exercise and quit smoking to live more healthily for the future. What I want to say to her most is to keep a positive attitude toward her illness. It's the best way to manage it.
Your friends and I are willing to help you whenever you need.
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