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 Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by the presence of harmful inflammation that damages joint. Current treatment is limited to pain management and attempts to reduce inflammation with immune system suppressants. Researchers are looking for clues into what causes rheumatoid arthritis so new and better treatments can be developed. Recently, a study found that many patients newly diagnosed with the condition test positive for a certain intestinal bacteria, called Prevotella copri , or P. copri for short. Usually, P. copri is thought to be a beneficial bacteria; it helps the body control levels of harmful bacteria and ferment carbohydrates that have been undigested, providing the body with energy. But too much of a good thing is a bad thing. An overabundance of the bacteria may spark the immune system's attack mechanisms. Researchers took fecal samples from 44 newly diagnosed rheumatic patients, 26 chronic rheumatic patients who were receiving treatment, 16

 The United States national life expectancy is lengthening. Medical care trends are to prevent disease rather than to just treat it. We need to consistently approac h Osteoarthritis in this same manner. The expanding Orthopedic Surgery population continues to grow. Even with new and more inventive ways of surgically treating Osteoarthritis, the population that needs such treatment still continues to grow at an alarming rate. Joanne M. Jordan, MD is a Professor at the University of North Carolina and is director of the University's Thurston Arthritis Research Center. Earlier this month , November 2013, Dr. Jordan spoke publicly about the discrepancies in the availability of surgical treatment for knee osteoarthritis and the population in need. She spoke of that population and how, in the next decade, it could easily grow six fold. Just as the overall trend in medicine is to prevent disease rather than just treating it, so should be our approach to Osteoarthritis. In a previous artic