Rheumatism

Each afternoon, Abdul Rachman indulges in his favorite way to reduce the stresses of the working world: He sits on the railway tracks not far from home. Rachman, a 32-year-old security guard, says the unorthodox practice is intended to prolong his life, not end it. "Many people say I want to kill myself because I do this," said the stocky man with a thick mustache, who has suffered from rheumatism and fatigue. "People can say what they want. I do it because I want to be cured. " Rachman is among scores of advocates of railway "electric therapy," a treatment some Indonesians believe cures such ailments as strokes, asthma, high blood pressure and rheumatism, not to mention a hard day at the office.

Each afternoon, Abdul Rachman indulges in his favorite way to reduce the stresses of the working world: He sits on the railway tracks not far from home. Rachman, a 32-year-old security guard, says the unorthodox practice is intended to prolong his life, not end it. "Many people say I want to kill myself because I do this," said the stocky man with a thick mustache, who has suffered from rheumatism and fatigue. "People can say what they want. I do it because I want to be cured. " Rachman is among scores of advocates of railway "electric therapy," a treatment some Indonesians believe cures such ailments as strokes, asthma, high blood pressure and rheumatism, not to mention a hard day at the office.

Dr. Steven R. Weiner was at UCLA in 1982 when he saw the first patient, the one who stood out "like a bright red light." The 32-year-old woman had had silicone gel implants placed in her breasts in 1976. Now, she had a painful, swollen left elbow, and a large lymph node in her left armpit appeared to contain silicone. Her muscle and joint pains did not respond to anti-inflammation medications and steroid injections. The whole case could not be explained by any known rheumatic disease.

A 10-year-old boy's imagination can soar, especially when he's left at home alone, in bed. Kestutis Nakas re-creates that period of his life in "Rheumatic Fever: A Love Story," a solo performance seen over the weekend at Highways. Nakas, the son of Lithuanian emigres who settled in Mesa, a suburb southeast of Phoenix, was 10 when President Kennedy was shot.

A 10-year-old boy's imagination can soar, especially when he's left at home alone, in bed. Kestutis Nakas re-creates that period of his life in "Rheumatic Fever: A Love Story," a solo performance seen over the weekend at Highways. Nakas, the son of Lithuanian emigres who settled in Mesa, a suburb southeast of Phoenix, was 10 when President Kennedy was shot.

In 1842, the English writer Sydney Smith wrote, "Gout is the only enemy that I do not wish to have at my feet." Anyone who has suffered a painful attack of gouty arthritis would probably agree. Gout is the result of an imbalance between the production and excretion of urate, the metabolic end product of dietary purines that are found in abundance in animal proteins. If blood levels of urate rise high enough, the chemical can settle as crystallized deposits in joints.

Elderly people in the south Chinese city of Canton are swinging to pop music to relieve aches and pains on the advice of doctors who say disco dancing can help ease rheumatism, according to a Chinese newspaper. The Nanfang Ribao, published in Canton, said a hospital organized disco classes this week as part of a therapy program. More than 300 people, most of them in their 60s and 70s, joined the class on the first day, the paper said.

Rheumatic fever, which had all but vanished in this country, could be making a comeback, doctors said Thursday. Outbreaks among children and adults "suggest the potential for resurgence of this illness," according to a report published by San Diego researchers in this week's Journal of the American Medical Assn. Rheumatic fever, still common in developing countries, is caused by strep throat, or Group A streptococcus.

Rheumatic fever appears to be making a strong comeback among children in several U.S. cities, and an expert attributes that to the emergence of dangerous strains of sore throat bacteria. The outbreaks of rheumatic fever--which is caused by group A streptococcus bacteria, the germs responsible for strep throat--follow decades of steady decline.

A recent outbreak of rheumatic fever in Utah demonstrates that the disease "remains an important threat" in the United States, despite a dramatic decline in the number of cases over the last 30 years, doctors warned. Researchers at the University of Utah Medical School said their findings show vigilance is still needed to combat the disease, which usually develops in children with strep throat and can cause life-threatening heart disorders. "Rheumatic fever is still a problem," Dr. Herbert D.

For the past few years rheumatic fever has been on the rise, triggered by a common infection: strep throat. Millions of children get streptococcal bacterial infections of the throat each year, but only a few will go on to develop rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever usually strikes children between the ages of 5 and 15. But it only occurs in people who are susceptible to what is called an "autoimmune" reaction by the body which is triggered by the strep bacteria.

Dr. Steven R. Weiner was at UCLA in 1982 when he saw the first patient, the one who stood out "like a bright red light." The 32-year-old woman had had silicone gel implants placed in her breasts in 1976. Now, she had a painful, swollen left elbow, and a large lymph node in her left armpit appeared to contain silicone. Her muscle and joint pains did not respond to anti-inflammation medications and steroid injections. The whole case could not be explained by any known rheumatic disease.

Rheumatic fever, which had all but vanished in this country, could be making a comeback, doctors said Thursday. Outbreaks among children and adults "suggest the potential for resurgence of this illness," according to a report published by San Diego researchers in this week's Journal of the American Medical Assn. Rheumatic fever, still common in developing countries, is caused by strep throat, or Group A streptococcus.

Rheumatic fever appears to be making a strong comeback among children in several U.S. cities, and an expert attributes that to the emergence of dangerous strains of sore throat bacteria. The outbreaks of rheumatic fever--which is caused by group A streptococcus bacteria, the germs responsible for strep throat--follow decades of steady decline.

A recent outbreak of rheumatic fever in Utah demonstrates that the disease "remains an important threat" in the United States, despite a dramatic decline in the number of cases over the last 30 years, doctors warned. Researchers at the University of Utah Medical School said their findings show vigilance is still needed to combat the disease, which usually develops in children with strep throat and can cause life-threatening heart disorders. "Rheumatic fever is still a problem," Dr. Herbert D.

Elderly people in the south Chinese city of Canton are swinging to pop music to relieve aches and pains on the advice of doctors who say disco dancing can help ease rheumatism, according to a Chinese newspaper. The Nanfang Ribao, published in Canton, said a hospital organized disco classes this week as part of a therapy program. More than 300 people, most of them in their 60s and 70s, joined the class on the first day, the paper said.

For the past few years rheumatic fever has been on the rise, triggered by a common infection: strep throat. Millions of children get streptococcal bacterial infections of the throat each year, but only a few will go on to develop rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever usually strikes children between the ages of 5 and 15. But it only occurs in people who are susceptible to what is called an "autoimmune" reaction by the body which is triggered by the strep bacteria.

Exercise relieved symptoms of arthritis in obese mice, even though they lost no weight from their efforts, a study finds. Excessive weight has long been considered one of the culprits of osteoarthritis, since it puts additional strain on joints. While exercise has been shown in some studies to ease arthritis symptoms, others have found that for overweight and obese people, a fitness regimen can exacerbate the condition. This study, published online Tuesday in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism , found that although weight may heighten the risk of osteoarthritis, regular exercise could diminish joint problems by slowing its progression.