Herald & Lantern 14 March '84

si

uing with

arthritis,

series on arthritis, today we will discuss • rheumatoid arthritis”, one of the most crippling of the 109 identified forms of arthritis. Some 6.5 million Americans are affected. Fortunately, two-thirds of affected children recover completely bv adulthood and one third of affected adults are free of symptons for long Stretches of time. However, in untreated disease, joint damage can eventually. impair one’s

threaten one's life. Rheumatoid arthritis (to be referred to as RA from here on) is considered to be a systemic disease. Symptons can be found in some cases in the eyes, lungs and heart in addition to the joints. Primarily it is a disease of the joints which are lined with “synovial fluid,” which serves as a lubricant between cartileges which wraps our

bones

In RA this fluid becomes inflamed and the synovial

ability to function and even—>cells begin to grow faster

Our Readers^Write

Davis Erroneous

To The Editor:

After reading Joseph Davis’ letter in your March 7 issue, I can only wonder where the man comes up with such erroneous information. Perhaps the following facts will finally set him straight. 1. The majority of the candidates that I am running with do not work for the county, nor do their spouses. In fact, only one candidate works for the county, and has heen employed by it for the past five years. 2. After being told by Robert Fothergili at the Jan. 9 township meeting that my questions regarding SanbornWielengas' study and their credentials would be answered at the Feb. 14 meeting, it was a disgrace that our mayor, at a public forum, refused to let me ask them, and later, as usual, claimed no knowledge of Fothergill’s previous promise. 3. Davis states that Sanb&rn has a master's degree in environmental sciences. Again, Davis is incorrect. Sanborn has a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture, the study of bulbs and perennials. In short, she is a florist and there is nothing wrong with that as long as she sticks to that line of work It is apparent that incineration and solid waste disposal are not her area of expertise. IF DAVIS WOULD take the time and do some investigation of his own, he would find out that no matter how many incinerator authorities Lower Township may have, the ultimate decision on incineration and solid waste disposal rests with the Cape May County M.U.A., the Cape May County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the State Department of Environmental Protection. Perhaps Davis is carrying Fothergill’s banner because he has been promised a paid position on the incinerator authority? I would strongly advise Davis to be very careful in what he says and writes as he is already involved in one lawsuit dealing with alleged libel with other parties in Lower Township. Davis, as usual, is ill-informed, and continually tries to misconstrue the facts. . ' DEBI DE LA CRETAZ North Cape May

Cape May County ALMANAC MARCH

A

MOON PHASES/POSmOKS Tht Moon's offset on tht Tidt ii greatest when closest to Earth (In perigee) and when in dlregt alignment with Sun * earth (/uU * new moon phases) On and about these dates, low pressure systems and/or strong winds (depending upon direction) may result in flooding, and extremely low tides

Ne» Moon ..t Fim Quarter i* Full Mooo 17 Last Quarter 24

TIDE TABLE Computed for Cape May City beachfront; for other areas, set Correction Times

date high jxm p.m. s.m. p m. H Wed 5:Q0£:37 11:12-11:21 15 Thu 5:5t«:a -12:24 16 Fh 6:46-7:16 12»-12:55 17 Sat 7:|6-6:<D 1:14-1:44 IB Sun 8:21-8:50 2:06-2:30 18 Mon 9:11-6:38 2:64-3:14 20 Tue 9:Stl0:30 3:42-3:57 21 Wed 10:50-11:18 4:3M:43 22 Thu 11:44- 5:2W:34 23 Fri 12:11-12:37 6:21-6:32 24 Sat 1:86-1:37 7:26-7:41 25 Sun 2:06-2:41 8:304:44 26 Moo 3:00-3:49 9:27-9:43 27 Tue 4:10-4:47 10:20-10:36 28 Wed S:6*6:.>7.U.‘06-11:36 29 Thu 5:63-8:17 11:4030 Fri 6:334:54 12:11-12:31 31 Sat 7:13-7:36 12:54-1:10

CORRECTION TIMES Compute approximate times of high 6 low water for your area by adding or subtracting the following number of minuter for each tide phase in the Tide Table LOW HIGH Great Egg Harbor Inlet Munis 12 phis 10 Ocean City (9th St Bridge) phis 35 plus 22

plus 21 phis 7 Sea Isle City (Ludlam Tboro Bridge) plus 66 phis 43 Sea Isle City Beech minus 2 minus 21 Townsend Inlet phis 21 plus! Seven Mile Beach plus 15 0 Stone Harbor (Great Channel Bridge) plus 43 plus 40 Hereford Inlet (Angleseei plus 19 0 Wildwood Beach iiimw 2 minus 17 West Wildwood (Grassy Channel bridge) plus 46 plus 43 Cape May Harbor ph«i nunus4 Five Fathom Bank plus 11 Ph»l Cape May Point ph»46 plus 34 McCrie Shoal plus a plus 22 Delaware Bay '

(Bay-Canal JuncOoo) plus 31 plus*

plus 71 V plus 84

RX Health Watch - by Qr. Robert C. Beitman

than normal, crowding the joint. This leads to swollen, hot joints. Eventually - the 'synoVial cells turn on the cartilege and can begin to break down the underlying bone. CLASSICAL SYMPTOMS include joint stiffness in the morning which tends to get somewhat better as the day progresses, as well as red, swollen, tender joints. Nodules may appear over certain tendons, along the forearm, and in skull areas This disease lends to be symmetrical, meaning if your right knee if affected, it is likely the left knee is also. It is often the case that before joint symptoms appear the patient may experience several weeks of fever, less of appetite and general run down feeling. In long term disease there are typical deformities including a peculair twist to the hands that looks as though the fingers are coming off to the side of swollen knuckles. Cysts called “Baker’s Cysts” can form in the knees which are painful pockets of pressured fluid. The cause(s) of RA remain unknown. Theories

range from infections, emotional stress and the Epstein-Barr virus, a relative of the herpes famiiv. What is agreed upon is that it involves a delect in the autoimmune system whereby the body attacks its own tissues. YOUR EVALUATION will include a history and physical. X-rays to look at joint structure for damage, a blood test to look for the “rheumatoid factor,” and possible sampling of the joint fluid. RA can be a difficult disease to diagnose because symptoms can come and go rapidly with long remissions between their appearances. There is no known cure for RA. Treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms and preserving the joints through combination of therapies which can include temporary splints, drugs, and physical therapy. Surgery is a consideration only in the most advanced of cases. What many people do not realize that RA is one type of arthritis whose crippling effects can be slowed with early diagnosis and treatment. Treatments are highly individualized and

generally require patience until the right combination is achieved for the specific patient. Next week: Gout.

Health Watch is a public education project of the Cape May County Unit of the American Cancer Society.

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pins 75 De plus 86 Bra plus 77