The concept of Arthritis in Ayurveda :
“Arthritis” is not just a term that doctors use when they talk about painful, stiff joints. The term arthritis is derived from the Greek words – ‘arthron’ meaning joint and ‘itis’ meaning inflammation. In fact, it is an ailment that grips atleast one in every 10 people. Arthritis is of different types, and each has its own symptoms and treatments. Most types are chronic. Arthritis is one of the most common ailments for which an increasing number of people now turn to Ayurveda for help.
Arthritis is referred to in Ayurveda as ‘Amavata’ – Ama meaning toxin & vata meaning air. According to Ayurveda, when both toxin and air accumulate in the joints, it causes inflammation of the joints, which in turn leads to severe pain and stiffness.
Types of Arthritis:
The most commonly seen forms of arthritis are :
Rheumatoid Arthritis – A chronic long term disease that is characterized by inflammation of the joints and its surrounding tissues.
Osteoarthritis – It is a type of arthritis that is caused by the breakdown and eventual loss of the cartilage of one or more joints. Cartilage is a protein substance that serves as a cushion between the bones of the joints.
Gout – Gout is a painful condition caused by the build-up of uric acid crystals in the tissues, especially in the large toe.
Juvenile Arthritis – Juvenile arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the whole body and may cause joint or connective tissue damage throughout the body.
Psoriatic Arthritis – It is a form of arthritis in which joint inflammation develops in some people with psoriasis.
Symptoms:
A person suffering from this ailment feels pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, heat & loss of function in one or more joints. Apart from these physical symptoms, the person’s mental state is also affected. The person is usually nervous, moody, depressed & tensed.
Treatment:
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy massage is one of the healing procedures of Ayurveda for treating arthritis. The use of essential oils, during massage, is believed to help the body excrete accumulated toxins.
– Sufficient bed rest, suitable medicines, correction in food habits & lifestyle are also essential as part of the treatment.
Medicines:
Some herbs that are known to have a positive impact on arthritis pain and swelling are ginger, boswellia, and ashwagandha (or Indian ginseng).
Arthritis & Yoga:
If stress can cause disease, then peace and calm can help in gaining one’s health and this can be achieved through Yoga.
Yoga would be the last thing on the mind of an individual suffering from painful joints and inflammation, but it may turn out to be a very beneficial therapy to ease arthritis symptoms. Arthritis patients often gain greater mobility of the joints, relief from pain and a reduction in inflammation by practising yoga.
Patients who suffer from this ailment suffer from a lack of moisture in the connective tissues, and yoga helps to increase the fluid in the joints and muscles. There is a yoga pose you can do for any kind of pain and the idea is that, by bringing attention to the painful area, you’re bringing movement and fluid to it also.
More recently, a study published in the journal, ‘Rheumatic Diseases Clinics of North America’, found that yoga helps with the pain associated with osteoarthritis.
New Trends in Arthritis treatment
Ayurveda suggest that the pain is caused by Vata, one among the three somatic humors. The function of vata in the body is mobility, circulation, respiration etc. So if this is vitiated, it will damage our locomotion. The important disease causing mobile problems is Arthritis, which is caused due to the aggravation of Vata.
Ama – a toxic by-product of improper digestion, also play a co actor for arthritis. This ama circulates in the whole body and deposits or gets collected at the sites which are weaker. When it deposits in the joints and at the same time there is aggravation of vata, it results in arthritis. So the treatment of the arthritis should be aimed in pacifying vata and removing ama.
Remedies: As described above ama and vata are the main causes, so efforts should be made to digest ama and to reduce the vata. This can be achieved by diet, exercises and medicine. The digestion should be improved so that no further ama is produced. For this utmost care should be given to light the fire inside the body. Efforts should be made to relieve the pain and inflammation. This is the line of treatment according to Ayurveda.
Fasting is very beneficial for digesting the ama. The fasting should be complete or partial depending on the strength of the person, season and place. After the fasting, the person should return to his normal diet slowly through different steps. First he has to use full liquid foods to semi solid to solid food. Two tea spoons of lemon juice mixed in 250 ml. of warm water and a tea spoon of honey is good to take twice a day -morning and evening.
Body massage with sesame or mustard oil or any Ayurveda herbal oils like Dhanwantharam oil, Murivenna etc helps to reduce the vata and thus reduce the pain. Other useful oils are Myaxyl, Rymanyl, Rhue and Arthrum.The joints affected by pain can be massaged for longer time till the pain reduces.
Light exercise is useful but you must know your limits. Exercises without giving weight are good. For example bending the knees in lying position or at a height is good for Osteo Arthritis of Knee. As a general rule if any exercise, including walking, causes pain after one hour, you have crossed your limit.
Liberal intake of orange juice or sweet limejuice or gooseberry enhances the efficacy of any anti rheumatic drug, since Vitamin C can reduce skeletal pain. Guggul is a very helpful herb for curing arthritis. It can be taken in one to 3 gm dose twice a day after meals with warm water. The capsule form of Guggul is now available in our store. Rumalaya Forte tablet, Cervilon, Osteolief and Arjith forte capsules contain Guggul.
Contra-indications: Not recommended for people with kidney disease or acute rashes. Strict vegetarian diet should be followed.
Ayurveda panchkarma therapies are very good for managing chronic and acute arthritis. Vasti, Kizhi, Dhara etc are very good for different types of arthritis. The physician will select the choice after a thorough consultation. Kerala in India is the best place for this treatment.
Diet and Regimen: Foods which are easily digestible and do not make gas are good. Most of the non vegetarian meat stuffs are not good. Mutton is prescribed in certain conditions. Vegetable juices and soups are good. Juices of carrot, beat root and cucumber mixed together are also beneficial. Green salad with a dressing of lemon juice and a little salt is also good. Fruits like apples, oranges, grapes and papaya can be taken. Cooked vegetables like squash, zucchini and pumpkin are good.
Cooking with spices like cumin, coriander, ginger, asafetida, garlic, fennel and turmeric is also helps a lot. Avoid eating hot, spicy and fried foods, sweets, gas forming foods like cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, okra and potatoes.
Avoid taking too much tea, coffee, alcohol, white sugar, yogurt, chocolate, cocoa and excessive smoking Sleeping during day time, staying up late in the night and mental tensions like worry, anxiety, fear, stresAnaril Ayurvedics Special Package fors and grief etc., should be given up.
Regular physical exercise and every day massage with oil should form an important part of life style. Yoga and meditation will help to overcome the stress and strain.
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