Rheumatoid Arthritis Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body's tissue mistakenly attacks its own immune system. Patients with these types of diseases have antibodies in their blood that target their own body's tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation the joints as well as other organs in the body. It often develops gradually over a period of years, however, in rare cases it can appear suddenly and progress rapidly. …showed first 75 words of 1589 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1589 total…medications. Massage therapy, aquatic therapy, Tai Chi, and acupuncture are all treatments that are relatively inexpensive (some can even be done at home) and have been an effective compliment to traditional medicine. Bibliography Gotto, Antonio, M.D. The Cornell Encyclopedia of Health. Harruff, Richard. Pathology Facts Spratto, George; Woods, Adrienne. PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.org Johns Hopkins University www.hopkins-arthritis.com American College of Rheumatology 1800 Century Place Atlanta, GA 30345