Is Ayurvedic Treatment Effective for Arthritis?
Arthritis is not just pain in the joint. It is a disabling condition for most patients who have no options other than- taking painkillers with risks or joint replacement surgeries without solving the problems of patients. Amid this condition, everybody gazes at Ayurveda with hope for ayurvedic treatment for Arthritis. Do products selling in name of Ayurveda has some truth? What is the reality of Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis? And finally – is Ayurvedic treatment effective for Arthritis?
28.7% of Indians are suffering from Osteoarthritis and are a “big market” for Joint Replacement!! This is only about Osteoarthritis. If we club all types of arthritis together the number might be scary for the common man. Progress in the medical field is all about the skills of replacing a joint. Nobody is taking the initiative of saving the joints from replacement. Because the replacement of a joint might seem a simple task, for surgeons. But apart from money, it takes a lot from the patient. We won’t go deep into the success or failure of the joint replacement. We need to discuss the core topic so that we can understand how ayurvedic treatment for arthritis can help you to save your joints and even it is affordable when you value your original joints.
Before we go ahead to discuss the Ayurvedic Treatment for Arthritis we need to understand what is arthritis and how it can lead to joint replacement. Surely we will discuss the main core concept of the treatment and what to do for ayurvedic treatment for arthritis. You might have heard about Panchakarma, we will discuss the role of Panchakarma in the treatment for arthritis too.
Let’s begin with….
What is Arthritis: The Ayurvedic Approach
Arthrum is joint in Latin and “arthritis” has a simple meaning- inflamed joints.
Inflammation consists of- redness (rubor), swelling (tumour), heat (calor; only applicable to the body’s extremities), pain (dolor) and loss of function (functio laesa).
So your joints can have pain with warm and leads to loss of function.
Arthritis affects people of all ages but it’s most common among older adults (65 years or older). In fact, more than 3 million Americans have arthritis at any given time, so you can imagine the numbers. But nowadays this condition is appearing in younger age patients.
The youngest patient I recently had in my OPD was just 39 years and was strongly advised for knee replacement at this age. Like you and many others her query was- Is Ayurvedic Treatment Effective for Arthritis? And today she is walking better without much pain.
Ayurvedic describes literature on joint diseases from different perspectives. In many contexts, joint pain comes as a symptom.
For example, Ayurveda details the fever when appears after the fever in the rainy season. This condition is common and clinically we find this common that patients get joint pain after a fever in the rainy season. Especially in the case of viral fever and chikungunya.
Ayurveda has different approaches for different conditions of joint pain. Everything has its own term and meaning in Ayurveda. Ayurvedic Treatment for Arthritis varies from patient to patient and condition to condition as per the different types of arthritis.
Different types of Arthritis
The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.
In Ayurveda, these conditions are differently defined-
- Osteoarthritis – Sandhi Vata
- Rheumatoid Arthritis – Aamvata
- Gout – Vatarakta
Planning of Ayurvedic Treatment for arthritis occurs according to the subtype of Arthritis.
Arthritis is the general term for any joint disease that affects multiple joints. There are several different types of arthritis, each with its own causes and treatments.
Osteoarthritis in Ayurveda
Osteoarthritis (OA) generally happens due to aging or injury to the cartilage in your knee, hip, or spine. But it can occur due to damage due to – Rheumatoid Arthritis or Avascular Necrosis in the joint.
In OA, the cushioning material that covers your bones has become thin and begins to break down over time; this allows them to rub against each other more easily as you move around or bend over during activities like walking up stairs. As these areas wear out from regular use, symptoms such as pain and swelling will increase until they become constant enough for you to notice them every day without fail – sometimes even sleeping through them! This condition appears because of the decay of the tissues due to the destructive nature of the Vata Dosha. This is Sandhi Vata.
Rheumatoid Arthritis in Ayurveda
Aamvata appears as a disease right from the classical context of Ayurveda.
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Ankylosis, are conditions that happen because of the immune system. The immune system of a person starts eating up the cartilage and it leads to the decay of the joints.
In this condition, the body produces toxins because of the sluggish metabolic capacities of the body.
These toxins alias Aama when settles down in the small capillaries around the joints leads to stiffness in the joints and causes severe pain.
Ayurveda about Gouty Arthritis
Ayurveda describes this condition as Vatarakta.
In Vataraktam the smaller capillaries start blocking the channels and leading to this problem. Uric acid crystals are responsible for the blockage of these capillaries. And same crystals cause pain in joints.
The other one is Gout from the list. In gout, crystals of uric acid deposit in the joints and cartilage and lead to the decay of the joints.
Role of Bone Marrow in Arthritis
When it comes to the joints it seems this is only about bones.
Not true much.
Ayurveda has thought that joints are maintained by Majja Dhatu. What? Dhatu?
As per Ayurveda, there are different levels of nutrition and these levels nourish each other and support the body.
Read about Dhatus on this Link- Dhatu.
The bones are at the fifth level and Majja (bone marrow) is the sixth one in the series. The bones are dry and brittle and hollow. Bone marrow fills it and is responsible for the nourishment of the bones.
The marrow inside the bone is bone marrow.
Bone marrow is a soft tissue that produces blood cells. It is located in the center of your bones and it gives rise to red blood cells, white blood cells (lymphocytes), and platelets. Besides this, the bone marrow is responsible for the repair of the bone.
The two types of cells present within our bones are Osteoblasts & Osteoclasts which help maintain our skeletal structure by creating new bone tissue while breaking down old ones when needed so as not only do they play an important role in maintaining overall health but also prevent diseases such as arthritis!
Modern-day developments in biology and medical science approve the Ayurvedic approach to the role of bone marrow in the treatment of arthritis.
Ayurvedic Treatment for Arthritis
Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis is a natural method of treatment that helps in getting rid of the pain and inflammation caused by arthritis.
This ancient Indian medical system, I belong to, focuses on the elimination of the root cause of the problem. It uses herbs, spices, oils, and other ingredients to treat different ailments.
Beyond these products and materialistic things, Ayurveda is more about balancing the things inside. It is about balancing the energy of life. Once you learn to manage these energies, you can easily lead to the proper balance of life. This brings a lot of healing capacity to the body.
Healing doesn’t come from outside. It is the body’s own discretion. You can just light the lamps so that body can see through the condition and healing can take place. Almost the same approach is followed for ayurvedic treatment for arthritis.
Ayurveda heals diseases by removing the root cause rather than just treating symptoms without addressing their underlying causes which may not be fully understood at present. It focuses on prevention rather than cure so that patients can avoid getting sick again in the future too!
Approach to Ayurvedic Treatment for Arthritis
Things only work, when you have clarity about these.
When comes to disease, three things are important to understand-
- The cause
- The change which is taking place in the body and lastly
- How do you reverse the change?
When we can explain these three things logically with any science, we can treat a condition. The moment you don’t have an understanding of this, you have nothing to explain, and you should not deal with the case.
Replacing a joint with scalpels and saws is not a solution. This is a temporary fix. Which fixes the pain alone. Neither cause nor stops the further decay of the other joints. Life after joint replacement is never like before.
Ayurveda explains all three points.
Whether this is- cause according to different types of arthritis or it might be a change in the body. Proper execution of the treatment helps in proper treatment for arthritis through Ayurvedic medicines.
Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis
The causative factor, in this case, is- aggressive aging. or damage to the joints, which can cause the problem of arthritis as seen above.
Cartilages start decaying with time and it leads to the collision of the bones while walking or changing postures. Especially large joints like- the knee are more affected by this condition and it causes severe pain. This is the ultimate damage to the joints, in any case of Arthritis.
The treatment is to save the cartilage.
As discussed above when we can make sure the proper balance of osteoblast and osteoclast cells, we can save the joints from further decay.
There are several Ayurvedic preparations, which work well in this condition-
| Ayurvedic Medicines for Osteoarthritis | Ayurvedic medicines for Rhuematoid Arthritis | Ayurvedic Medicines for Gout |
| 1. Ossium Powder 2. Ossium 8 Capsules 3. Mahayograj Guggulu 4. Cap Ankylocare 5. Maharasnadi Kashayam | 1. Cap Ankylocare 2. Cap Aamowin 3. Simhnaad Guggulu 4. Vatari Guggulu 5. Narsingh Rasayana | 1. Kaishore Guggulu 2. Guggulu tikta Kashayam 3. Sanshamni Vati 4. Haridra Khanda 8. Chandraprabha Vati |
There are common preparations for the arthritis to reduce the inflammatory response of the body. These are- Tablet ShallGod and Tablet Stretch S 600.
These medicines work on the root cause of the problem and thus are not just for pain management. But certainly, work for the complete ayurvedic treatment for osteo arthritis. Still, you should take any of these medicines only after proper consultation with an expert.
Panchakarma treatment for Osteoarthritis
When we discuss Panchakarma treatment for osteoarthritis, it is more comprehensive and gives proper and quicker results in the treatment for arthritis in Ayurveda. Here are a few of these panchakarmas for osteoarthritis-
- Basti Chikitsa: Giving medicines through the Anal route- Titka Drvaya Sadhit Basti or Basti with different oils works well in this condition.
- Janu Basti: This is just pooling medicated oils on the knee joint to improve local nourishment and detox small capallaries. But it is important to understand where to do this procedure and where not. Doing this is not the solution, doing Janu Basti where it is required and indicated is a must.
- Janu Dhara: In case of tenderness where we cannot perform Janu Basti, Janu Dhara is the procedure of choice.
- Lepam: Herbal paste of Kola, Devdaru, Harshingar, Shunthi and many other herbs with medicated oil works well to remove inflammation of the joints in case of Osteoarthritis.
In the case of Rheumatoid Arthritis- don’t apply the oils on swollen joints. Once the swelling has gone, only then we can apply something to the joints. Otherwise, the damage to the joints will be widespread.
Conclusion
Ayurvedic treatment for arthritis is a very effective way to treat the disease. It does not have any side effects and can be used alone or in combination with other therapies to get rid of the disease completely. The treatment has been proven to be highly beneficial in getting rid of joint pain and inflammation, which is one of the main causes of this disease.
Sukhayu Ayurved is one of the best ayurvedic hospitals in India. We provide treatments under the supervision of Vaidya Pardeep Sharma. There are certain things that make Sukhayu the best place for Ayurveda Treatment.
