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[N332]Non Drug Treatment For

by Gary M. Miller, Gar

A lot of people are just saying "No" to drug treatments for insomnia. It is no secret that sleeping pills often lead to drug dependence and this is the primary reason why many people opt for non-drug treatments instead. We all experience a little difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep at some time or another. If this tends to strike you very often, however, then it's probably something that you should be paying more attention to. Perhaps this is a sign of a sleep disorder like Insomnia. Don't raise your worry levels too high however. There are a number of ways to counter insomnia or other sleep related problems without resorting to drug treatments.

It's probably the best policy to start resolving your problem with sleep through the basic methods. Start with your daily routine. You might not have noticed it but there are certain rituals that we do at night that greatly influence our sleeping patterns thus resulting in difficulties if we stray too far from the norm. Some people tend to lie on the couch in front of the television until they are just about to doze off. Then they turn off the TV and walk to their bed like a half-zombie before they quickly fall into a deep sleep. Take away the television for just one night and they end up tossing and turning in their bed for hours! This is a prime example of the lost ritual syndrome. If you are having trouble falling asleep at night, the first thing to look at is your ritual. Are you doing the same thing each night that you were doing before? Maybe you need to find a new ritual or go back to the one that was working already.

There are a few other ways you can treat insomnia without literally taking a drug. You can, instead, cut out all the other drugs in your repertoire. For instance, you could avoid smoking. Smoking tends to confuse our bodies sleep patterns and makes it harder for our brains to get the correct amount of oxygen each night. If you can't quit, just try to lessen the number of cigarettes you take in everyday. Also, try to not to drink too much alcohol during the day or before going to sleep. This might compromise your feeling for dozing off because you have already put your brain in neutral by drinking too much. Another "no-no" before going to sleep is drinking coffee. Colas and many other beverages contain caffeine and this will just stimulate your nerves and keep your eyes wide open at night.

Besides cutting out the other drugs, it's also helpful to look at some other habits that might be interfering with your sleep. Avoid sleeping or taking a nap during the day because it lessens your chance of having a complete rest at night. Force your body to get on a schedule and then stick to it.

You can start by having your mind and your mood ready when it comes time for bed. A nice comfy bed, with a seemingly dark, well ventilated room, with a little mellow soothing sound in the background will provide a nice ambiance for a really relaxing sleep. Every night before going to sleep, you can let go of all the supposedly "important things" from your mind and just have a little quite moment. These are just some basic suggestions of ways you can avoid the use of drugs to treat your sleep problems. There's no need to count millions of sheep each night but, if counting sheep works best for you, then go for it! You are free to do whatever works and, once you've set yourself on a better path, you are sure to enjoy that good night's sleep that you've been waiting for.

The following is a rundown of things that help patients at our center.

While glucosamine sulfate/ chondroitin have been used mainly to treat osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, it can be helpful in the patient with both RA as well as OA. There is very little data regarding its use in patients with both conditions. However, many patients report that symptoms improve with the addition of a good quality form of glucosamine and chondroitin.

If a patient is a smoker, there is abundant evidence indicating that smoking increases the risk of developing RA. In one study looking at more than 350,000 women, those who smoked more than 25 cigarettes per day had a relative risk of 1.4 of developing RA compared with those who never smoked. In addition, patients with RA who smoked were more likely to develop aggressive joint disease associated with more joint damage, rheumatoid nodules (swelling under the skin near joints), and higher levels of rheumatoid factor, a blood test that correlates closely with disease activity.

Physical and occupational therapy can be very helpful for those patients with significant RA. In addition to range of motion, muscle strengthening exercises are extremely important. The goal of an early muscle-strengthening program is to prevent long-term disability and improve physical function. There is significant data indicating that patients with RA who participate in strength-training programs show overall improvement in muscle strength and functional capacity. Beneficial effects of occupational therapy (OT) in patients with established RA, while sparse, do indicate that it is helpful. In our clinic, we feel that patients with significant hand and wrist problems benefit greatly from OT evaluation.

Non-impact aerobic exercise is critical for a number of reasons. It improves endurance, reduces fatigue, increases muscle strength, reduces pain (through endorphin production in the brain), and also gives an RA patient a sense of control over their disease. Non impact aerobic exercise can be done with swimming, a stationary (or regular bicycle), or elliptical trainer.

Dietary fish oil supplement has been shown to decrease signs and symptoms of RA. Fish oil contains omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid into pro-inflammatory substances such as prostaglandins. The clinical benefits are delayed for 2-3 months and require moderately high doses of 3-7 g per day. A recent study noted additional improvement in RA symptoms and functional capacity when dietary fish oil was combined with olive oil.

The use of various herbal and vitamin supplements that contain antioxidants and therapeutic amounts of anti-inflammatory compounds such as gamma linolenic acid may also provide relief.

Complementary therapies such as yoga, t'ai chi, meditation, prayer, chiropractic (in selected cases), acupuncture, music therapy, hypnosis, guided imagery, cold laser, ultra high frequency electrical stimulation, and so forth all have their place in the pantheon of therapy.

This is where treatment of arthritis becomes both an art as well as science.

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Both Gary M. Miller & Nathan Wei are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Gary M. Miller has sinced written about articles on various topics from Religion, Web Development and Sleep Disorder. Over 70 Million people in the USA suffer from some kind of Sleep Disorder! There are actually hundreds of ways to improve your sleep but the first thing that is needed is to raise more awareness! If you want to sleep better tonight , you can visit t. Gary M. Miller's top article generates over 90500 views. to your Favourites.

Nathan Wei has sinced written about articles on various topics from Arthritis Pain, Health and Arthritis Signs. Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a rheumatologist and Director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.For more info:. Nathan Wei's top article generates over 550000 views. to your Favourites.