Please click on arthritis.org to read several Christian's answers to the question of how does spiritual
beliefs play a role in the treatment of your arthritis.

Now that our spiritual priorities are in line, we can move on to the physical (which should be governed by
the spiritual).

first article
Exercise and Arthritis
You may think that exercise and arthritis do not go hand in hand. If so, you would be mistaken. It was
thought for many years that if you had arthritis you should not exercise because it would damage your
joints. Now, however, research has shown that exercise is an essential tool in managing your arthritis.
Regular, moderate exercise offers a whole host of benefits to people with arthritis. Mainly, exercise
reduces joint pain and stiffness, builds strong muscle around the joints, and increases flexibility and
endurance. But it also helps promote overall health and fitness by giving you more energy, helping you
sleep better, controlling your weight, decreasing depression, and giving you more self-esteem.
Furthermore, exercise can help stave off other health problems such as osteoporosis and heart disease.

Read the rest of this article by clicking on http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/exercise/default.asp.

second article
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, debilitating disease that affects an estimated 2 million people,
and healthcare costs from RA can reach $65 billion annually. Although the cause of RA is unknown,
research is rapidly advancing to discover the mechanisms that lead to joint damage and subsequent
arthritis, and those mechanisms may reveal targets for treatment.  Medscape's editors have put
together a collection of news, clinical articles, conference coverage, and more to provide the most
up-to-date and clinically useful information on this topic.

Effectiveness and Safety of Strength Training in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Physical fitness is an important but inadequately appreciated component of overall health and well-being.
Many musculoskeletal disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), influence on fitness negatively. Health-related physical fitness includes cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition.
A better status at each of the components is associated with a lower risk for functional disability.^[1] Specific recommendations from different Centers for Disease Control and American College of Sports Medicine^[2] call people to accumulate 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most days of the week. These recommendations usually emphasize aerobic exercises, which maintain or improve cardiorespiratory fitness doing too little to improve muscle strength characteristics. However, every activity-including activities of daily living, such as walking, rising from a seated position, or stair climbing-requires a certain percentage of an individual's strength level. A large number of persons with RA live just above the muscle strength threshold needed for such tasks. Furthermore, the reserve in performance capacity may be so low, that even a small additional decline in strength may lead to conditions that make some everyday activities and independent life impossible.  The most important thing to remember with any exercise program is to start slow and make it fun.^[3]

Read the rest of this article by clicking on  Effectiveness and Safety of Strength Training in Rheumatoid Arthritis. You may have to register with Medscape before continuing this article, but it only takes about two minutes.   

Arthritis Medications
Medscape also offers more helpful info. about Rheumatoid Arthritis through their home page.  Just click on Medscape, then click on Rheumatology or another health care concern that you may have.  If you need info. on a specific medication that you are taking, you may want to try Medscape's search engine.  Just type in the medication that you need to know about and click on DrugInfo then click on GO.

.If you are interested in alternative methods for treating arthritis then please read:
Alternative Therapy
The world of traditional medicine got a shock in January of 1993. The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of David Eisenberg's study, which showed that one out of every three people were using alternative medicine. And even more shocking, they spent $10 billion dollars to do it!

Since then alternative medicine has become increasingly popular. In 1998 half of the people in the United States used some form of alternative medicine, there are now more visits to alternative practitioners annually then there are to traditional physicians. Many health care plans are now covering a portion of alternative costs.

Why are we turning to alternatives? More often than not, it is for the treatment of chronic pain. Modern medicine has extended the average life expectancy but has failed to cure many painful conditions, such as arthritis. We are living longer with pain. In one study, one third to one half of the people with arthritis surveyed admitted to using some type of alternative therapy.

Before continuing with this article, please read the good advise that the Arthritis Foundation gives about alternative therapies.  

Read the rest of the article above by clicking on http://www.arthritisinsight.com/medical/alternative. 

One  alternative method that is listed on the Arthritis Insight web site is Ayurveda.  According to Arthritis Insight.com, this method involves yoga and can involve methods of treatment that could be very harmful to ones self.  Four Seasons Evangelism does not agree with this method or any other treatment that does not agree with the Christian faith. 

Please be advised that any of the above fitness, medical, or alternative methods of treatment of arthritis
does not serve as an endorsement by Four Seasons Evangelism.  This also includes any information provided
via links to other sites This information has been made available to you for your choice as a possible way of treating arthritis and maintaining good health.  Please consult a trusted physician before starting any medication or treatment plan. 

Also, a good source to contact for alternative treatments is Dr. Richard McCraw.  He is a Orthomolecular Scientist who has been practicing in his field for 19 years.  His vitamin and nutrients formulations have enabled literally thousands of people world wide to regain their health from the minor to very serious diseases, when other treatment(s) failed.