Ayurveda Treatment And Home Remedies For Arthritis

Introduction

Arthritis is a health condition that causes inflammation, pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. Studies have shown that there are more than 100 kinds of arthritis that prevail in the world. The most common types of arthritis are Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, etc. Arthritis affects sometimes on one joint or more than one joint.

Arthritis is a health condition with inflammation of one or more joints. People who are affected with arthritis suffer from Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling.

Different Types Of Arthritis

Arthritis can be generally classified into three. They are Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, and Psoriatic arthritis.

1. Rheumatoid Arthritis Or Amavata

Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the common types of arthritis. Usually, Rheumatoid arthritis affects joints of the wrists, hands, knees, ankles, and feet. The eyes, skin, kidney, lungs, nerve system, digestive tract, and heart are the other organs that are affected by Rheumatoid arthritis.

The occurrence of Rheumatoid arthritis between females and males is 3:1.

Most of the people are affected by Rheumatoid arthritis in the age group of 35 to 50 years.

According to Ayurveda, Rheumatoid arthritis is called 'amavata' ('ama' means toxin and 'Vata' means joint pain). Under amavata, ama spreads in shells and enters into joints which restricts movements and leads to swelling and pain in joints.

Causes Of Amavata Or Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Virudha Ahara

  Mutually incompatible foods.

• Virudha Chesta

  Unhealthful lifestyle practices.

• Mandagni

  Having low metabolism and torpid digestion for a longer period.

• Nischala

  Sedentary life activities.

• Snigdha Bhojana

  Consuming high calories, oily and unctuous foods.

Causes of Amavata are unhealthy diet, lifestyle practices, sedentary life activities, etc.

Symptoms Of Amavata

• Sanchari Vedana (Pain and swelling in joints).
• Vrischika damsha vata vedana(Joint stiffness especially in mornings).
• Jwara (Increase in temperature).
• sandhi vikruthi( Joint deformity).
• Karmahani (Loss of movements).
• Kshudha Mandya(Loss of appetite).
• Dourbalayam( Weakness).
• Alasya(Lack of enthusiasm).
• Anga marda( aching all over the body).
• Apaka(Indigestion).

There are various symptoms for arthritis are pain and swelling in joints, loss of movements, indigestion, loss of appetite, etc.

Ayurvedic Remedies For Amavata

Amavata can be controlled through Panchakarma Therapy, Ahar (diet), and Vihar(lifestyle).

1. Panchakarma Therapy

The duration of Panchakarma therapy is 3 weeks based on the physical condition of the patient. Panchakarma therapy is also known as Sodhana therapy which aims to remove toxins from the body and bring the balance of Tridosha(Vata, Pitta, and Kapha).

The most popular therapies are Snehapanam, Vamanam, Manal kizhi, Virechanam, Podikizhi, Elakkizhi, Pizhichil, Vaitharana / Kshara Basti, Navarakizhi, etc are done to get positive results.

Different Stages In Panchakarma Therapy For Amavata

• Purva Karma

  Preparatory purification before the main purification.

• Pradhana Karma

  Panchakarma treatment.

• Paschat karma

  post rejuvenation therapy.

2. Ahar( Diet)

Through healthy food habits, we can control amavata to an extent.

• Avoid spicy, oily, and fatty foods, coffee, alcohol, etc.
• Consume more spices like turmeric, ginger, coriander, and asafetida.
• Consuming castor oil during bedtime helps to remove toxins from the body.
• Include more dhanya like Purana/Shasti Shali (rice), and Yava (Barley) into your diet.
• Add more Shaka(vegetables ) in to your diet like Shigru (drum stick), Ardraka (ginger), Rasona (garlic), Karavellaka (bitter gourd), Patola (pointed gourd), Vastuka (ridged gourd), Mulaka (radish), Drink more boiled water, etc.

3. Vihar (Lifestyle)

There are various lifestyle changes you can bring to your day to day life.

• Practice meditation, yoga, and pranayama( breathing exercise) to make the blood pressure in control.
• Daily 30 minutes of regular exercise can enhance your overall health and helps to keep the blood pressure normal.
• Avoid stress triggers and take time to enjoy the activities you do. d.Practice Surya Namaskar ( sun salutation) daily.
• Avoid suppression of natural urges of the body.

Through proper healthy diets, quality lifestyle and panchakarma therapy we can control amavata to an extent.

2. Osteoarthritis Or Sandhi Vata

According to Ayurveda, Osteoarthritis is known as 'Sandhi Vata' which means pain in joints. The joints usually affected are the hands, knees, hips, and spinal column.

Osteoarthritis is a condition in which morbid Vata is located in the joints and destroys the joints. Because Vata is dry and destructive that leads to the destruction of the cartilages and reduction in the Synovial Fluid inside the joint capsule.

Females are more affected by Osteoarthritis than men, especially after menopause.

Osteoarthritis is known as ‘Sandhi Vata’ in Ayurveda. Pain in the joints due to aggravation of Vata in the joints.

Causes Of Sandhivata Or Osteoarthritis

General reasons for the occurrence of osteoarthritis are,

• Getting old

  When gets older, bones and joints become weak.

• Obesity

  When the amount of body fat increases, extra pressure is needed for joints to work.

• Gender

  Females have more chances to get affected by osteoporosis than men.

• Joint trauma

  Direct or indirect injuries to the articular cartilage leading to deformities.

Gender, Obesity, old age and joint trauma are the major causes of Sandhi Vata.

Symptoms Of Sandhivata

• Shuta

  The first and foremost symptom of Sandhivata is joint pain.

• Shotha

  Swelling in joints.

• Atopa

  Grating sounds due to damage of joints.

• Prasarana Akunchanayoho pravritti savedana

  Pain in joints during movements.

• Vata purna driti sparsha

  Sounds like a transparent container filled with air.

Pain and swelling in joints, grating sounds due to damage of joint, joint pains during movement, etc.

Remedies To Overcome Sandhivata

Three major remedies to overcome Osteoporosis are:

• Snehana( Oleation)

  Applying medicated oils to the body either internally or externally. Snehana helps to remove toxins from the body.

• Swedana(fomentation)

  'Sweda' means to sweat. Swedana is the process of using herbal steam to expel toxins from the body. Different kinds of Swedana methods are bashpa sweda, patra pottali sweda, jambira pinda sweda etc.

• Herbs

  Some herbs that can cure Sandhivata are,

• Ashwagandha: The root of Ashwagandha contains anti-inflammatory properties which help to cure sandhivata.
• Rasna: Rasna contains various properties that help to control the bad effects of sandhivata.
• Guggulu: Guggulu is rich in anti-arthritic properties which helps to reduce arthritis pain.
• Bala: Bala contains an anti-arthritic drug that reduces the pain and inflammation due to sandhivata.
• Shallaki: Shallaki acts as an agent to reduce inflammation and pain related to sandhivata

Through Snehana, Swedana and herbal usages, Sandhi Vata can be controlled properly.

3. Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis mostly affects people with psoriasis and a type of inflammatory arthritis. Joint inflammations and pain are the main symptoms of Psoriatic arthritis and usually affects knees, fingers, toes, ankles, and lower back. Psoriatic arthritis usually affects people with the age group of 30 to 50 years.

According to Ayurveda, Psoriatic arthritis is caused due to the imbalance of Vata and Kapha.

Symptoms Of Psoriatic Arthritis

• Fatigue

  Tiredness throughout the day is a common symptom for Psoriatic arthritis patients.

• Eye Inflammation

  Inflammation and redness of eyes are common for people who suffer from Psoriatic arthritis.

• Swollen fingers

  Psoriatic arthritis usually begins from smaller joints like nails or toes.

• Joint pain

  Joint pain and stiffness on either one joint or many joints.

• Lower Back Pain

  Psoriatic arthritis leads to swelling in the joints of your spine.

Fatigue, eye inflammation, swollen fingers, joint pains, lower back pain, etc are the common symptoms of Psoriatic arthritis.

Causes Of Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis can occur when the immune system in our body attacks healthy cells and tissues. The main two causes for Psoriatic arthritis are:

• Genetics

  If anyone of your family members has a history of Psoriatic arthritis, there are chances that the disease may affect you also.

• Age group

  Usually Psoriatic arthritis affects people with the age group of 30 to 50 years.

• Psoriasis

  30% of the People who suffer from Psoriasis have chances to get affected by Psoriatic arthritis also.

Genetics, age group and psoriasis are the main causes to get affected by Psoriatic arthritis.

Ayurvedic Remedies For Psoriatic Arthritis

There are various ayurvedic remedies recommended for Psoriatic arthritis

1. Panchakarma Therapy

• Snehapana

  Consuming medicated ghee and oils.

• Swedana

  Sweating treatment.

• Vamana

  Therapeutic emesis.

• Virechana

  Therapeutic purgation.

• Niruha Vasti

  Decoction enemas.

• Sneha Vasti

  Oil or ghee enemas.

• Ksheera Vasti

  Enemas with medicated milk.

2. Exercise For Psoriatic Arthritis

Doing exercise regularly helps to strengthen the muscles. This helps to get relief from the Psoriatic Arthritis over a period of time. There are several types of exercise you can follow daily based on your interests. Before you do any intense exercise you should consult with a physical trainer or experts on the respective fields.

3. Diet And Weight Management

Include more plant-based foods, fruits and vegetables to your diet in order to reduce inflammation. This helps to get relief from the Psoriatic Arthritis.

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acid

Consuming omega 3 fatty acid reduces inflammation throughout the body. When the inflammation reduces there is a higher possibility to get relief from Psoriatic Arthritis.

Panchakarma therapy, acupuncture, acupressure, regular exercises, healthy diet, etc are methods to get relief from Psoriatic Arthritis.

Ayurvedic Herbs To Treat Psoriatic Arthritis

• Guggul

  Consuming guggul helps to get relief from Psoriatic arthritis because Guggul contains anti-inflammatory properties.

• Neem

  Neem improves our immune system and enhances blood purification.

• Turmeric

  turmeric is an ayurvedic herb that is rich in anti-inflammatory properties which helps to reduce the redness and inflammation.

• Jasmine flower paste

  Applying Jasmine flower paste on the affected skin helps to lessen the pain and inflammation.

• Boswellia

  Boswellia helps to improve our immune system.

There are certain Ayurvedic herbs that can control the symptoms of Psoriatic arthritis like Guggul, neem, turmeric, jasmine flower paste, boswellia, etc

Conclusion

Even though Ayurvedic medicines have no side-effects, please take the advice of an Ayurvedic practitioner before starting consuming any herbs or herbal products.