Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment in Ayurveda
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. The disease usually begins with fatigue, morning stiffness, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and weakness, followed by joint pain, Joint pain may affect the wrist, knees, elbows, fingers, toes, ankle or neck. In some patients with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic inflammation leads to the destruction of cartilage, bone, and ligaments, causing deformity of the joints. According to Ayurveda, Rheumatoid arthritis is known as “Ama vata“.
In Ayurveda following are the lines of treatment for Amavata (Rheumatoid arthritis):
- Langhanam (Fasting)
- Sodhana chikitsa / Panchakarma (Purification of the body)
- Shamana chikitsa (Treatment for subsiding the symptoms)
Therapies for treatment
Langhanam
Fasting by means of complete absence of food, or by giving green gram / rice / barley soups.
Shodhana
Long term treatment through therapies like Snehapanam, Vaman, Vasti, kizhi, Virechanam & more.
Shaman
Kashaya, Asavarista, vati, taila, Rasoushadi etc are used. Strict diet & lifestyle changes are also recommended.
Ayurvedic Treatment for Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative disorder, which commonly affects the knee joint. It is caused by damage to the joint’s cartilage. It can range from mild to severe, and most commonly affects middle-aged and older people. It affects hands and weight-bearing joints such as knees, hips, feet and the back.
Osteoarthritis affects the entire joint, Over time, the joint may lose its normal shape. Small deposits of bone may grow on the edges of the joint. Bits of bone or cartilage can break off and float inside the joint space. This causes more pain and damage.
A similar condition to Osteoarthritis that has been described in Ayurveda is Sandhigatavata, in which the vitiated Vata afflicts the joints and causes degeneration and destruction of the cartilages and reduction in the Synovial Fluid inside the joint capsule, leading to swelling which results into painful movement. Vata is the governing factor in the maintenance of equilibrium in the body. As age advances, the influence of Vata Dosha progresses, resulting in the process of gradual degeneration of the body. Sandhigatavata (osteoarthritis) is one of the consequences of this process, which is common in the elderly people. This is one of the major causes of chronic disability, affecting the quality of life.