The biologic drug tocilizumab (Actemra®) has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug helps to treat polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in adults and now, children age 2 and older.
Research shows that 65 percent of children treated on tocilizumab had a 70 percent improvement. For the placebo group, there was only 30 percent improvement.Tocilizumab works by targetting a protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6). Continue reading
[The video above is a demonstration of aquatic exercises for people with arthritis courtesy of livestrong.com]
Coco the arthritis cat takes control of her arthritis pain. She is a 16-year-old black moggy who exercises weekly on a treadmill designed for dogs. Read more here.
Photo credit: Caters News Agency
In her interview with Daily Mail, Coco’s vet Amie Horsie said that the hydrotherapy unit works rather like an underwater treadmill. It allows Coco to exercise and build muscle tone and strength. Most importantly, it empowers her to stay active and fit.
Hypdrotherapy is just as effective in humans. It helps people with rheumatoid arthritis relax. Body weight is reduced by 50% to 90% in water, making moving joints and exercising easier. The video above should help you get started.
Terry Roycroft, president and CEO of Medicinal Cannabis Resource Centre Inc. (MCRCI), was at the 21st Annual Rural and Remote Medicine Course “Sea To Sea To Sea” to raise awareness amongst physicians. In this video, he tells ABN about the many reasons he was there, including:
To learn more about this event, please click here.
To view more interviews, please click here.
How do medical and nursing students view complementary and alternative therapies for treating joint pain and arthritis? Ms. Sarah Donaldson, an MD candidate at Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, discusses her research on this and what the difference in opinion between medical and nursing students could mean for patients. Continue reading
Meet Dr. Lori Tucker. She is a pediatric rheumatologist — a doctor who treats and cares for kids with arthritis — with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital. While at the 2013 Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting recently, the Arthritis Broadcast Network (ABN) interviewed her, as well as several other rheumatologists (arthritis specialists). In this video Dr. Tucker speaks about the pharmacist’s role in arthritis healthcare in Canada. Also she talks about the transition from pediatric care to adult care for teens with arthritis.
To view more interviews, please click here.
Dr. Lori Tucker also recently featured in a JointHealth™ web workshop about children and arthritis. Click here to watch it.
As of this month, British Columbian children who live with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) will be able to access tocilizumab (Actemra®) through the province’s public formulary.
This is good news because tocilizumab is the first biological response modifier (“biologic”) that specifically treats sJIA, so kids in BC now have a treatment option where none in this class of medication existed before. Continue reading
