Do you suffer from unexplained joint pain, stiffness and inflammation that doesn’t have any apparent cause? These symptoms may signify the onset of arthritis, causing the inflammation of joints, pain, stiffness and disability.

Sore joints make any movement painful, reduce physical activity, and increase stiffness with complications such as cellulitis and autoimmune triggers. Disuse atrophy sets in and soon becomes a vicious circle. The diagnosis often leads to emotional shock by imagining the worst-case scenario of becoming bedridden. This crippling disease is on the rise.

The serious disease is considered incurable by Western medicine. The prescribed painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids don’t address the root cause. Instead, the patient becomes dependent on these drugs and experiences serious consequences. Ayurveda believes that identifying the root cause of this disease is key, not just treating the symptoms. Through the identification of the root cause and the simple practices of Ayurveda one can not only treat the condition with a few basic principles and lifestyle tweaks but go on to have a healthy and mobile life.

There are more than 100 different forms of arthritis and similar diseases out of which osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), gout and fibromyalgia are more prevalent.

Causes and Symptoms of Arthritis

Symptoms of arthritis include stiff, painful and inflamed joints, slight fever, loss of appetite, extreme fatigue, weight loss and decreased range of motion. However, triggers vary according to the type of arthritis.

• Family history can make you genetically susceptible to this disease.
• Risk of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout increases with age.
• Women are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis while men suffer more from gout.
• An injury to a joint can trigger arthritis and subsequent complications.
• Another major cause is obesity as excess weight puts a lot of stress on the knees, hips and spine.

Seeking a specialist’s opinion is crucial if you have symptoms and also the risk factors. Arthritis should not be ignored as it seriously damages bones and cartilage, resulting in deformity and disability.

Conventional Treatment

Conventional treatment for arthritis includes prescription of pain killers to ease pain, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to lower both pain and inflammation and corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system.

The treatment is long term and the patient may suffer complications due to long term use of drugs and their side effects. Physiotherapy is prescribed to strengthen muscles around the joints and improve the range of motion. Surgery is recommended in some cases to realign the joints to reduce pain and improve function.

However, these are expensive and complicated procedures with several side effects.

What Does Ayurveda Say?

Arthritis affects the quality of life. If ignored it can lead to disability. Allopathy doesn’t offer much hope.

Ayurveda’s holistic way of treating any disease makes it a safe and natural healing process without going through complicated invasive procedures or chemical-based medications.

There is no need to ruminate on pain, imagine the worst-case scenario or feel hopeless. Ayurveda can help you to cope with this disease. Consult an Ayurvedic doctor to discuss the treatment and adopt a holistic way to manage arthritis.

According to Ayurveda, there are three types of musculoskeletal disorders, namely: Amavata (rheumatoid arthritis), Sandhivata (osteoarthritis) and Vatarakta (gouty arthritis). This ancient science believes that excess Vata (air/ether energy) and/or ama (toxins) circulating in the body get deposited in the joints, producing swelling and inflammation, eventually resulting in arthritis.

Inflammation which is painful and unsightly sits across all arthritic conditions as a body’s natural protective reaction to something that just doesn’t belong. So what is inflammation? Inflammation is an important protective mechanism mounted by the body when something foreign is detected and or an injury takes place. Not all inflammation is bad. The problem is it can quickly spin out of control when triggers such as unhealthy lifestyle, poor diet, stress, toxins, or infection become chronic or reoccurring injuries.

For example, Amavata or rheumatoid arthritis is the consequence of the formation of metabolic waste called ama due to improper digestion. Osteoarthritis is caused by excess Vata in the body. Lack of movement, emotional stress and improper lifestyle are some other reasons.

‘Ayurvedic treatment takes the whole-body view for treating arthritis by taking into account the patient’s physical constitution, dosha energy type, lifestyle and food habits’.

It involves modification of diet, massage and relaxation activities. It emphasises the tools of yoga for full movement in the joint and flexibility to manage any type of arthritis. Herbs like ashwagandha, boswellia, ginger, guggulu, shatavari, triphala and turmeric are prescribed.

Follow These Simple Ayurvedic Tips to Manage and Treat Arthritis…

Note : Ginger, turmeric and garlic have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties.

• Strictly follow regular meal times. Starting with a small but nutritious breakfast containing the correct foods for your type and at the right time of time of day, every day. Your main meal containing hard-to-digest proteins and carbs during the strongest digestive time of 10am to 2pm (during Pitta [fire] high sun time) and your supper which should consist of a light easy to digest content, less on proteins and carbs, before 7pm
• Avoid acidic foods. Keep 75% of your diet alkaline.
• Unpolished, long-grain rice or red rice, barley & fox millets are beneficial (bulgar wheat, quinoa and amaranth are good alternatives)
• Ingest more green vegetables, gourds such as butternut squash, pumpkins, courgettes & cucumbers.
• Minimise overstimulating vegetables like okra, cauliflower, nightshades (aubergines, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) yam & jackfruit.
• Include more enzyme-rich fresh fruits like pineapple, bananas, avocados, kiwi, mango, apple, papaya, guava & enzyme stimulators kefir, sauerkraut & kimchi.
• Soak dried grapes and figs overnight and eat in the morning, making them easier to digest and enhancing their nutrient absorption.
• Ginger, turmeric and garlic have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties and should be included liberally in the diet.
• Split moong dal, barley flour, honey, cumin seeds and dry ginger powder, are beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis.
• Minimise sour curd and yeasts ( Sour curd is a curd that is turned sour due to the fermentation of milk with the help of certain bacteria. Essentially different from yogurt) as this can promote the growth of candida in the body which is bacterial and can sit in the gut and affected joints. Instead, add crushed garlic cloves to a glass of buttermilk or full-fat milk and drink every day. Garlic milk has anti-inflammatory compounds and helps in subsiding gas, abdominal cramps, bloating, constipation and indigestion, thus keeping the energy (Agni) away from having to metabolism and focused on supporting other parts of the body.
• Avoid incompatible foods at meal times like milk and fish, milk and brown sugar, diary and fruit or maple sugar together as these require different enzymes to metabolism and often have to compete against each other resulting in non-metabolised products sitting for periods of time, festering in the gut; thus encouraging candida and leaky gut syndrome.

Other Ayurvedic Tips

• Follow a healthy lifestyle with periods of regular rest and relaxation. This can be obtained by adopting a healthy routine which aligns with the energy of the body and the circadian rhythm thus eliminating mental & physical stress. Utilising your energy when at its strongest in the day and relaxing when at its in its waning position.
• Fomentation (application of moist heat), steam bath or bath with lukewarm water is recommended. Herbal drops can be added too to maximise this process.
• Oleation with specific oils and herbs according to dosha type or ailment as part of a daily ritual is beneficial too. Abhyanga is a soothing and healing practice that brings grounding and balance. Even just oiling the feet at night with warming sesame oil has amazing results for pain and inflammation.
• Fasting is beneficial to alleviate the built-up of pressure on the body, organs, tissues, lymph system, etc but should be done only under the supervision of an Ayurvedic practitioner. Ayurvedic fasting is very different from the popular intermittent fasting. Whilst it follows the same time duration principles, dosha type, circadian rhythm energies and specific focus on the ailment or outcome are considered.
• The tools of yoga, namely movement and mind management meditation helps in managing arthritis by reducing inflammation and pain, and by increasing and maintaining mobility. Try many styles of yoga before deciding the most suitable. Ayurvedic meditation can be very simple and adaptive, from sitting in a chair quietly with a focus to under the breath, vocalising, chanting and/or chakra work.

I hope this simple and basic article is of use to anyone suffering from an arthritic condition. There really are good, honest, natural remedies and tools available through Ayurveda to alleviate, manage and cure. No one has to suffer these, despite the Western approach & outlook, they can be cured!