Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammation of joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which immune system attacks normal tissues as if they were invading antibodies. Rheumatoid arthritis also causes inflammation of tissues around joints and other organs of body. The hands and feet are most affected areas of rheumatoid arthritis although it can also affect any joint lined by a membrane. Rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systematic illness and sometimes called rheumatoid disease.

Rheumatoid arthritis manifests itself over a period of a few months. However, for some, disease appears overnight. Accelerated onset of rheumatoid arthritis does not mean individual is at greater risk of progression of disease. Rheumatoid arthritis can lasts for years without symptoms. But rheumatoid arthritis is an illness that progresses and has potential to cause joint destrution and functional disability. Usually, patients suffer cycles from severe to light symptoms. In terms of statistics, rheumatoid arthritis is three times more common in women than in men. It also besets people of all races equally. Rheumatoid arthritis can begin at any age but most often start in early forties.

What causes rheumatoid arthritis? The truth is, its cause is still unknown. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi have long been suspected but none has been proven to be cause. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis has been focus of different research activities. There are some scientists who believe that tendency to develop rheumatoid arthritis may be genetically inherited while others believe that certain factors in environment might elicit immune system to attack body's own tissue components. This attack results to inflammation in various organs such as lungs or eyes.

Researchers have also found that environmental factors may also play a role in cause of rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, scientists reported that smoking tobacco increases risk in development of rheumatoid arthritis.

So you sweat and strain with your chosen weight loss program, perhaps ecstatically so at start. Sure your body gets all aching with all your joints and knuckles cracking in epic proportions like ungreased door hinges of horror movies.

Looking at yourself in mirror, you cringe at sight of this blob staring back miserably at you still with extra flabs flapping around somewhere there. You sigh in exasperation. Whatever happened to weight loss program that promised to sculpt your body to whistle-bait shape? You scream in desperation. You know you have just been weigh-layed, err again, way-laid by some pseudo weight loss masters.

Truth is, we tend to pattern our weight loss mindset after mentality of that of some backyard gym instructors. We torture ourselves with age-old dictum “No pain, no gain.” Let’s face it, while it did miracles for Rocky, it sure did get him crippled (or, killed) in final picture.

We are no Rocky. We are ordinary human beings with not-so-ordinary day-to-day affairs. Some are multi-tasked like housewife who has to master doing diapers in one hand, pitching copies in other, while applying tantric massage on her hubby with her feet. All throughout she is troubled between going for weight loss surgery and taking weight loss pills.

“No pain, no gain” is foolishly macho and downright false. Of course, there’s bound to be some discomfort when you’re just getting started with your own weight loss program, and later when you start to reach out for new weight loss goals.

But there’s an important difference between discomfort and pain. Learn it. Listen to your body say, “Moderation in all things.” Pain means injury. Pain makes you quit weight loss program.