Arthritis is no rare disease, but it is an agonisingly crippling disease. The stiff joints, inflammation and above all, pain in the joints make the patient sometimes wail in helplessness. Saritha Shah, an MBA graduate, had to leave her job, thanks to the severe pain associated with arthritis. `` I was a banquet manager in one of the leading hotels in Maharashtra,’’ she says.

``But after three years into my job, I felt a pain while standing up, walking or climbing stairs and was soon diagnosed with arthritis. I tried to cling on to the job because I loved it, but the pain was unbearable. And as a person working in hospitality sector, I could not do away with activities such as walking. Finally, I had to submit my resignation,’’ she says.

It is very true; patients with severe arthritis find it difficult to meet the requirements of their active profession. The disease affects their personal life too and leads to other complicated health disorders.`` I just can’t sleep at night because of the pain, ‘’ says Nalini, a housewife in Kochi. I swallow some pills in order to drive away the pain,’’ she says

But remember, the painkillers just suppress your pain; they do not root out your disease. Hence many suggest the patients to go for link to find a permanent remedy to the problem.