All News

RheumNow Podcast square

A Day of Infamy (9.11.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from this past week on Rheumnow.com - including obesity, disappointing durability with GLP-1 drugs, AI diagnoses and worries about CV risk in ANCA-associated vasculitis. And take this week's RheumIQ quiz!

Read Article
Music.cartoon

Music and Pain Relief

Jack Cush, MD

If laughter is the best medicine, then music has to be second best. A new scoping review in Pain Reports by Bradt et al., examines the effect of music-based interventions (MBIs) on pain management. While its efficacy is well established, how or why music relieves pain has never been fully explained.

Read Article
Monitoring%20BP_0.jpg

JAMA Review: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)

Jack Cush, MD

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a chronic autonomic disorder affecting an estimated 0.1%–1% of the US population, with peak incidence at ages 13–29 and a striking 90% female predominance.

Read Article
RheumNow Podcast square

Doubting RS3PE (8.14.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles this week where RheumNow featured info on cancer, deadly viruses, AI rules, poetry and good moons rising.

Read Article
guidelines.recommendations.jpg

2026 BSR Pain Guideline: What Rheumatologists Need to Know

Jack Cush, MD

The British Society for Rheumatology has issued its first guideline dedicated solely to pain in inflammatory arthritis (IA)—covering RA, PsA, axial SpA and JIA.

Read Article
obesity.back_.jpg

The Power of Self-Management with Chronic Low Back Pain

EurekAlert!

Almost everyone will deal with back pain at some point in their lives.

Read Article
morbidity,covid,heart,lung,brain

Spotlight on Comorbidities from EULAR 2026

EurekAlert!

Systemic autoimmune diseases are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality – possibly through autonomic imbalance, myocardial inflammation, or fibrotic infiltration of the conduction system. A team in Colombia have been looking into the risk of

Read Article
RheumNow Podcast square

Generic Tofacitinib (6.26.2026)

Jack Cush, MD

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal articles from RheumNow.com. Updates on tofacitinib, CAR-T therapy and AI.

Read Article
smiley-2979107_640_0.jpg

Self-Directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain

Jack Cush, MD

Is self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) when augmented with asynchronous, personalized feedback for chronic pain (CBT-CP) superior to clinician-delivered CBT-CP?

Read Article
back, LBP, spine, AS

JAMA Review on Low Back Pain

Jack Cush, MD

A comprehensive JAMA review synthesizes current evidence on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical evaluation, and treatment of nonspecific low back pain, drawing on 108 publications identified from a PubMed search (2005–2026) and the most recent guidelines from the WHO, ACP, and NICE. While the primary audience is generalists, the review carries important implications for rheumatologists who regularly encounter patients with back pain in the context of inflammatory arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, and other systemic diseases.

Read Article
Multiple chronic conditions (MCCs; AKA multimorbidity) is highly prevalent in AIRDs; complicates Rx & increases adverse outcomes & all-cause mortality. MMCs 86% in RA, 81.5% in SLE, w/ a notable patterns of cardiopulmonary and mental health disorders https://t.co/AOWCsEodXR https://t.co/NyAR0TUQkE

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
2026 Medscape report on Nurse practitioners shows nearly half of NPs are burned out, and for 1 in 6, that exhaustion has curdled into something heavier: both burnout and depression. Worse, 63% of NPs don't believe relief is in sight https://t.co/G8N5YgOKyA
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
UK Clinical Practice Research Database study RA pts 3134 on glucocorticoids (vs not 4142 matched controls). were identified. GC use assoc w/ signif risk of SSRI initiation risk - recent GC (adj OR 1.53) & past GC (aOR 1.40). GC effect or confounding dz activity? Think depression! https://t.co/WZLkQWlURC
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
True or False: Neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) was associated with a higher odds ratio for cerebral atrophy compared to age. See if you got it right in this week's RheumIQ quiz at https://t.co/yQn8cIT5Cw. https://t.co/YjHwLFclv4

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
💡 JAMA Insights: #SleepHealth and #obesity are linked, with insufficient sleep quantity and poor sleep quality associated with weight gain, less healthy diet, and incident obesity. https://t.co/SEj9dwNHiW https://t.co/JbPah4BwDr

Links:

JAMA JAMA_current ( View Tweet)
Machine learning study of 657 multiethnic Lupus pts - 14% had organic & 30% had neuropsychiatric damage. High Glucocorticoid dose was the strongest predictor or organic Dz. NP damage predicted by MD global, fatigue, pain, & steroids https://t.co/LVK57LxKk6 https://t.co/VLisZT7ReY

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Self-Directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain Is self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) when augmented with asynchronous, personalized feedback for chronic pain (CBT-CP) superior to clinician-delivered CBT-CP? https://t.co/P2DDvCiLNL https://t.co/hyAArEG6V1

Links:

Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
U Maryland study found that 5-minutes of proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) — in-person prayer offered by a trained volunteer — significantly reduced pain and anxiety in primary care patients compared to a music control group. 180 pain pts (pain >4/10) w/ > 2 pt reductions at 2 & https://t.co/k4JiQvyC31
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
US telehealth utilization rose 10.1% in 1st quarter of 2026 (5% to 5.51% medical claims). Most use in mental health conditions (52%) w/ joint/soft tissue dz at 3% overall, higher in west & NE states. 57% for outpt visits, only 7.7% for new visits. 35% for psychotherapy services. https://t.co/L8c7p3iQPL
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
#OP0159 #EULAR2026 Multimodal study in D2T RA identified altered brain connectivity patterns linked to pain, psychological features & peripheral transcriptomics. Supports neuroimmune component in D2T RA & need for personalised approaches beyond inflammation control. @RheumNow https://t.co/qMQbkiMCwX

Links:

Mrinalini Dey DrMiniDey ( View Tweet)
How well do you know this week's rheumatology news?
Take the rheumIQ quiz
Take the RheumIQ Quiz

×