Blog

Our Community Blog features new studies, research highlights, updates on remission stories and other interesting snippets. Please note that opinions shared in Blog posts do not necessarily reflect those of The Foundation.


Difficulties in Diagnosing and Treating Psoriatic Arthritis

The diagnosis and treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) can pose a uniquely puzzling picture and may initially present as seronegative rheumatoid arthritis before more definitive signs and symptoms appear. In the following article, Katherine Poehlmann, PhD, provides a comprehensive overview of the prevalence of PsA, variations in disease presentation, potential causes, methods used for diagnosis,… Read more »


Alternatives to NSAIDs and Opioids for Pain Relief (Part One)

Following news reports detailing stunning revelations about a growing opioid epidemic in the U.S., Katherine Poehlmann, PhD, provides a timely overview of helpful alternatives for rheumatic disease pain control that are safer, with fewer side-effects.  Stay tuned for Part Two of this series, next month, as Katherine will be covering nutritional approaches to help reverse… Read more »


When theory and reality clash: When is the best time to try minocycline for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, initially elated, relieved, and hopeful to discover that minocycline is an approved, relatively safe and effective disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), report frequently that they are subsequently left feeling confused and upset that their doctor has been unwilling to prescribe it. The following article outlines an apparent clash of expert-recommended theory and… Read more »


What Role Do Intracellular Bacteria Like Mycoplasma Play in Rheumatic Diseases?

Professor Emeritus Garth Nicolson discusses the role of intracellular bacteria and the relationship of such infections with rheumatic diseases in a Letter to the Editor (May 2017) in the Open Journal of Tropical Medicine. Identification of bacteria that are capable of parasitizing host cells, like Mycoplasma and Borrelia species, have been documented prolifically in the… Read more »



Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), the most common inflammatory disease in the elderly

Katherine Poehlmann, PhD, provides a comprehensive overview of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), a common inflammatory muscle disease, largely affecting the elderly. She describes the prevalence of PMR and its clinical presentation, also offering insight into possible infectious causes and the potential for misdiagnosis. Detailing the conventional treatment of PMR, Katherine additionally outlines alternative and supportive approaches… Read more »


Tuberculosis Leading to Tuberculous Arthritis

Katherine Poehlmann, Ph.D., describes the immunologic effects of acute and reactivated (latent) forms of tuberculosis (TB) and its global prevalence. She details the methods for TB testing, the typical disease course, and its potential for causing chronic disease, such as Tuberculous arthritis. Katherine also outlines the long-term antibiotic therapies normally used to treat TB and… Read more »


Mycoplasmas and Autoimmune Diseases

In this excerpt from her book, Katherine Poehlmann, PhD, describes the adaptive nature of mycoplasmas and similar cell wall-deficient microbes, called L-forms, and the role they may play in autoimmune pathogenesis. She details how these microbes survive, with or without a host, their opportunistic, long latency capability, how they can provoke host antigenic responses, their predilection for certain human… Read more »


How to Stay Positive on a Non-Mainstream Therapy

Susan E. Grober, PhD, a clinical psychotherapist and researcher, wrote the following article in response to rheumatic patients, new to antibiotic therapy, who want to remain positive, hopeful and determined, but question how to cope with commonly-experienced fears and anxieties while waiting for the treatment to start working. Helpful guidance about how to respond to healthcare professionals, relatives or friends who… Read more »


Yeast Infection Can Aggravate Rheumatic Symptoms

Katherine Poehlmann PhD offers a comprehensive guide to yeast infections and how they may complicate and exacerbate rheumatic diseases. In this article, she discusses the  prevalence and pathogenic types of yeast infections, the multi-systemic symptoms that may occur with infection, dietary and supplemental supports for immune health and to help avert infection, diagnosis and misdiagnosis, and… Read more »