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How Ayurveda Deals With Rheumatoid Arthritis (Ra)

Arthritis is a very common disease that has affected millions of people throughout the globe either in the form of osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that primarily affects small joints of hands and feet, further it involves the bigger joints. It is a progressive disease that disturbs the normal chores of individuals and usually it affects females than males. Those who are affected by rheumatism presents with stiff and inflamed joints along with pain. Initially, it affects joints further it can affect the other organs also.

According to Ayurveda

According to Ayurveda rheumatoid arthritis is called as Aamavata. Here, in this condition, the main involved entities are – Agni, Vata and Ama.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS?

Weak immune system
Improper diet and lifestyle
Genetic factor
Risk factors-
Obesity
Age above 50 are more prone to rheumatoid arthritis.
Smoking and alcohol

FAST FACTS ON RA

Swelling and pain increases during the rainy season and cold weather.
RA initially affects small joints, with time it affects large joints too.
Usually, stiffness occurs in the early morning and as the day passes, person feels better.
Stiffness often relieves with mild physical activities.
Sometimes symptoms tend to disappear but relapse after a short period of time.
It also affects other systems of the body.
Initially, RA affects interphalangeal joints, further it can affect bigger joints.

SYMPTOMS

(Reference – Bhavaprakasha / Madhyam khanda / Chikitsa sthana / Chapter no. 26 / Shloka no.7)

In this shloka symptoms of Amavata (Rheumatoid arthritis) are explained, they are

Angamarda (Body pains)

Vrishchak damsha vat vedanam” means the character of pain is same as of scorpion bite.

This is the cardinal sign of rheumatoid arthritis.

Aruchi (Loss of appetite due to mandagni)
Trishna (Increased thirst)
Goravam (Heaviness all over the body)
Jwara (Low-grade fever)
Apaka (Indigestion)
Inflammation – Usually swelling is present in all affected joints, especially more at knees.
Tenderness
Itching – Mostly itching is present along with swelling. Itching occurs due to kapha.
Stiffness – Early morning stiffness is also a cardinal sign of amavata. Gentle physical activities relieve stiffness
Warm – On touch, the inflamed area is hot /warm.
Weakness
Decreased sleep
Reduced mobility or functional deformity of affected joints
In severe cases, joint deformity (swan neck deformity), arthritis mutilans and nodules can occur.

DIAGNOSIS

Alone on a clinical basis, we can’t confirm the diagnosis, we need to take the help of some other diagnostic tools to confirm rheumatoid arthritis.

These diagnostic tools are:

Rheumatoid factor
ESR (Erythrocyte sedimentation rate)
C-reactive (CRP)
X–ray
MRI

MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The main cause of amavata is Mandagni so, the management starts with Agni

Management Strategy includes:

Increasing digestive fire
Detoxifying the body
Symptomatic management
Restoring functional deformity.
Boosting Immunity

TREATMENT ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA

Treatment includes palliative care as well as detoxifying procedures, they are

Panchakarma

Among purification procedures Patra pinda swedana or Valluka Sweda, Upanaha sweda, Virechana, Vaitarna basti or Kshaar basti are helpful. They help to remove toxins and restore the functional deformities.

PALLIATIVE CARE

Internal medicines are required to remove toxins, manage the symptoms and eradicate the cause of rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, Planet Ayurveda offers herbal supplements to manage rheumatoid arthritis by the name of ‘RA CARE PACK’, that includes – Boswellia curcumin, Aamavatantak churna, Joint aid plus, Ashwagandha and Rumogin 5 capsules.

Let us go through their action

BOSWELLIA CURCUMIN

These capsules contain Shallaki (Boswellia serrata) and Haridra (Curcuma longa). Shallaki is a well-known herb for its action on joints. It has anti-arthritic and anti–inflammatory properties that help to relieve inflammation, restores the function of affected joints, and reduces the level of cartilage degrading enzyme.
Haridra has anti- inflammatory and anti- histamine properties thus relieves inflammation and infections.

Dosage: 2 capsules twice daily with plain water, after meals.

AAMVATANTAK CHURNA

The constituents of this formulation are – Ashwagandha, haridra, methi, gorakhmundi, surnanjan, shunthi. These herbs help to eliminate toxins, cleanse the channels of body, relieves stiffness and also these herbs act on digestive fire thus work as an appetizer and reduces the production of Aama.

Dosage: ½ to 1 teaspoon twice daily with plain water, after meals.

ASHWAGANDHA CAPSULES

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a health tonic that helps to rejuvenate the body, boosts up immunity and also helps to maintain body strength and vigor. In amavata, ashwagandha alters the surroundings of joints so that the toxins will not gather over them.

Dosage: 2 capsules twice a day with plain water, after meals.

JOINT AID PLUS

These capsules composed of nirgundi, shallaki, ashwagandha, sounth, guggulu and giloy. It is considered as one of the best herbal supplements for rheumatoid arthritis because the herbs possess anti- inflammatory and analgesic properties. Thus, it reduces inflammation of swollen joints and pains by removing aama from the affected joints.

Dosage: 2 capsules twice daily with plain water, after meals.

RUMOGIN 5 CAPSULES

This herbal formulation contains, haldi, shallaki, and trikatu (saunth, maricha, and pippali). Basically, helps to strengthen joints detoxify body

Dosage: 1 capsule twice daily with plain water, after meals.

EXTERNAL APPLICATION

a) Lepa application of medicated paste over affected joints is beneficial. For this, you can prefer – vaishnavar churna, panchakola churna, etc.
b) Abhyanga – Oil massage is helpful you can use vishagarbha taila, dashmula taila, prasarnyadi taila, brihat saindhava taila, etc.

GUIDELINES

YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISES are helpful in this condition to relieve stiffness.

HOME REMEDIES

You can add shunthi (dry ginger) powder in your diet, daily consumption of 1 gm of shunthi with lukewarm water on an empty stomach is proven beneficial in this condition.
Gomutra – Cow urine is helpful in treating rheumatoid arthritis, you can consume 5 ml of cow urine daily.
You can use hot and cold pack compressions alternately.
Castor oil is also helpful.

Diet in Rheumatoid arthritis

Avoid

Curd, milk, black gram, oily foods, all sea foods, citrus fruits, potatoes, brinjal, red meat, fast food, etc.

In Take

Prefer – Shunthi, shigru, rasona, hot water, black pepper, haldi, amla ajwain, hinga, jeeraka, karela, neem, apple, pumpkin, pointed gourd, lentils, etc.

Top 7 Pain Relieving Remedies in Ayurveda Without Aspirin

Painkillers or analgesics are one of most widely categories of medicines. Analgesics are used at every instance, either it is traumatic or other complications. These are used for a variety of health conditions such as joints pain, migraine, arthritis, stomach pain, toothache etc.

As per modern classification, there are two categories of analgesics:

Narcotics
Non-narcotics

The basic principle of these painkillers is that they break the message transmitted from the affected part to the brain through neurons. Analgesics either break the pain signals arriving from the body parts to the brain or interrupt the brain to receive the message by neurons transmitting the pain signals. The side effects of these analgesics are obvious such as nausea, diarrhoea, pruritus (itching sensation), tenderness, jaundice and severe pain in the right upper quarter of the abdomen.

It has been proved in the research that the treatment with a product containing diclofenac sodium as topical applicants is linked with liver dysfunction, resulting in severe hepatic reactions, liver transplantation or even death.

Management of Pain according to Ayurveda

Ayurvedic approach to pain is holistic and looks to place the root cause of the disease, in contrast to simply dealing with the symptoms only.
The classical Ayurvedic text specifies about the species of plants that are used for muscularity relaxants and for other pain management.
Ayurveda uses single drug or multiple drug mixtures of herbs as well as mineral compounds for relieving pain.

Ayurveda Categorises The Painkillers into 3 Groups

Local Analgesics
Central Analgesics
Body-ache medications

Local Analgesic : These analgesics are topically applied to a particular part of the body and include paste preparations such as Belladonna.

Central Analgesics : These analgesics are more powerful than local analgesics and sometimes are combined with strict dietetic restrictions such as Dhatura.

Body-ache Medications : These analgesics are used in Ayurvedic practice to fight against stress and fatigue. There are more than 100 plants in Ayurveda that are recognised to have pain relieving properties such as Patala and Balam.

Various Herbs and Plants Described in Ayurveda as Natural Painkillers are

Garlic for Earache:

Garlic has been traditionally used in rural India for earache.
Garlic contains certain active ingredients such as sulphur, selenium and germanium which have positive physiological effects on pain.

How to use: Pour 2 drops of warm garlic oil into the affected ear for 7-10 days until it is completely cured.

Honey for Mouth Ulcers:

As a part of lifestyle, Ayurveda suggests honey gargle for mouth sores.
It is recommended for better voice, improved speech and to prevent all types of infections and inflammation.
It is very effective in decreasing painfulness and heals the tissues as well.

Vinegar for Acid Reflux and Heartburn:

In a research, it was concluded that there are good results of vinegar in heart burn and acid reflux particularly the Apple cider vinegar.

How to use: Take 30 ml vinegar mixed with water after a heavy meal to make digestion and metabolism smoother.

Clove for Toothache Relief:

Cloves have been used by Indians since thousands of years. It contains eugenol which works as anaesthetic and has anti-bacterial effects.
It has also been reported that the consumption of 2 gm clove powder improves the cholesterol level and maintains pH in the gastro-intestinal tract that in turn avoids all kinds of oral infections.

How to use: Apply clove oil to the affected tooth or chew 1-2 cloves.

Ginger Root for Muscle Pain:

Ginger has positive effects on reducing swelling and stiffness as well. The main element of ginger is Gingerols that is effective in treating muscular pain.

How to use: Include 5 gm fresh ginger or 2 gm dried ginger as a part of your diet to prevent muscular and joint pains.

Treatment of Diabetic Pain with Turmeric:

Ayurveda suggests the use of turmeric as a part of diet to avoid the problems of diabetes as well as pain associated with it. It is considered as one of the most effective natural pain relievers known to exist and also possesses anti-inflammatory properties. It contains curcumin as an active ingredient which is responsible for its properties.
Turmeric decreases the pain and irritation experienced by patients suffering from arthritis, fibromyalgia, IBS, arthritis due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

Buttermilk for Pre-Menopause:

Ayurveda suggests buttermilk for pre and post-menopausal syndromes as well as for menstrual pain. It is also effective in curing vaginal infections as well as itching. It is also effective in curing yeast infection. It is quite favourable in treating gynaecological conditions.

How to use: Take a plain glass of buttermilk with cumin seeds. You can buttermilk twice or thrice a day. The calcium content in buttermilk dispassionate the physical and psychological irritability associated with PMS.

Cherries:

Cherries are packed with certain anti-oxidants known as anthocyanins which are responsible for giving them red colour and for relieving pain.
Research has indicated that anthocyanins, an active element in cherries is ten times more beneficial in lowering pain than common painkillers such as Ibuprofen without causing any side effects.

Epsom Salt Bath for Leg Pain:

Epsom salt that is rich in magnesium, is an excellent pain reliever. This remedy is also helpful for patients suffering from arthritis as it soothes leg pain. Salt also possesses anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties which makes it effective in relieving pain. Regular soaking of infected parts in warm salt water acts better than topical painkillers and antibiotics.

Massage/Snehana:

In the world of Ayurveda, oil massage or sneham is considered as a very rewarding therapy for treating pain and other ailments. It pacifies Vata, mobilises the toxins, maximises circulation and therefore relaxes the overall body.

Cumin:

Cumin is an aromatic spice and mild pain reliever.

How to use: For stomach pain, make a mixture of 1/3 tablespoon of cumin powder, a pinch of asofaetida and a pinch of rock salt. Mix and chew it thoroughly followed with a drink of warm water