How do I Get Free Treatment for Arthritis?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis affects more than 45 million adults and nearly 300,000 children ages 18 and under in the United States. Arthritis includes a cluster of diseases that involves excruciating pain and physical deterioration that frequently leads to disability. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia are three of the most common types of arthritis.



Standard medical treatments for arthritis include pharmaceutical interventions with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for reducing inflammation and slowing damage from the disease. Typical treatments can be cost-prohibitive for many patients on a fixed income. Free arthritis treatment alternatives and programs to assist with medication costs exist to offer some physical and financial relief for those who suffer with arthritis.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Telephone
• Comfortable clothing

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Instructions

• 1

  Apply for financial assistance through the Health Well Foundation. The Health Well Foundation provides assistance to help defray the cost of insurance deductibles, co-payments and medications. The organization also contributes funding to the cost of insurance premiums. Recipients receive benefits for 12 months and may reapply every year.

  The Health Well Foundation

  P.O. Box 4133

  Gaithersburg, MD 20878

  800-675-8416

  healthwellfoundation.org

• 2

  Exercise for pain relief. Free treatment options such as exercise improve symptoms of arthritis. Dr. Charles Helmick, MD, of the CDC, recommends walking, swimming and bicycling to reduce arthritis pain.

   

• 3

  Lose weight to relieve symptoms and to prevent arthritis. According to a study published in 2006 by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, overweight adults accounted for 66 percent of arthritis cases. For women, losing only 11 pounds cuts the risk in half for developing osteoarthritis.

• 4

  Incorporate important essential fatty acids (EFAs) into the diet. Fish oil, which contains the essential fatty acids, omega 3 and omega 6, has been studied extensively for its anti-inflammatory affects, in addition to other therapeutic benefits for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. In the 2005 study, "Fish oil: What the Prescriber Needs to Know," researchers stated that fish oil should be considered in the treatment of RA. In another report, "Essential Fatty Acids in Health and Chronic Disease," researcher A.P. Simopoulos recommends the use of olive oil, rich in EFAs, in conjunction with fish oil for the treatment and prevention of RA.