Stop ignoring that slight pain and stiffness in your body. It always starts with unnoticeable changes in your body but leads to chronic inflammation and pain in the joints. Don’t know what I’m talking about? It’s arthritis. It might seem irrelevant to you now but there are more than 350 million people suffering from Arthritis worldwide. It’s time to pay attention to your body and start your ayurvedic treatment of Arthritis at home.
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Understanding Arthritis
Arthritis is basically a bone or joints disease where your joints become inflamed or the cartilage cushion between the joints breaks down. Cartilage is basically a disc that acts as a cushion and ensures smooth movement of joints while walking or running. When this cartilage breaks down, your bones start rubbing against each other causing severe pain and difficulty in performing any activity.
Symptoms of Arthritis
- Joint Pain
- Redness
- Swelling
- Morning stiffness
- Edema
- Inflammation
- Body ache
- Tastelessness
- Heaviness in the body
- Feverish feeling
Causes of Arthritis
The exact triggers and causes of arthritis are not known yet but these are some risk factors that play a significant role:
- Obesity
- Genetics
- Gender
- Previous injuries
- Age
Arthritis and Ayurveda
As per Ayurveda, Arthritis is classified under Sandhivata, i.e. it is a result of imbalance of Vata dosha along with accumulation of toxic ama in our body. Our body comprises of three doshas: Vata Dosha (air and space), Pitta Dosha (fire and water) and Kapha Dosha (earth and water).
Why pop medicines when you can easily get rid of this disease using Ayurvedic Treatment of Arthritis at home? Ayurveda is an ancient system of alternative medicine originated in India that treats the root cause of the problem using natural herbs and implementing few lifestyle changes. It eliminates the ama from our body while balancing the Vata dosha and providing long term relief.
Types of Arthritis
Arthritis is an umbrella term used for multiple bone, joints, supporting muscles, cartilage and other connecting tissue diseases. The common types of Arthritis are:
Osteoarthritis
When your joints cartilage breaks down then this chronic condition is known as Osteoarthritis. This leads to stiffness, pain and loss of movement in your joint.
Rheumatoid arthritis
This is an auto immune disease meaning it occurs when our body’s own immune system attacks the healthy tissues in the body. It is mainly caused by inflammation in the joints and can spread to other parts of the body like muscles, nerves, etc. You can identify Rheumatoid arthritis through these main symptoms: redness, inflammation, chronic pain and swelling in the joints.
Psoriatic arthritis
You’re more prone to suffer from Psoriatic arthritis if you have a skin condition known as Psoriasis. It is a chronic inflammatory arthritis which comes with painful, swollen joints along with morning stiffness and fatigue.
Ayurvedic treatment of Arthritis
Strongest herb for Arthritis
Turmeric is a very effective herb when it comes to Arthritis. It can be used in various ways to treat and reduce the symptoms of Arthritis. You can add turmeric powder in your food or take turmeric milk. You can also make turmeric paste and apply it to the inflamed area for faster relief.
The reason Turmeric works like magic is because it contains Curcumin. It blocks the substance that causes inflammation and provides relief by reducing pain signals in your body.
Golden herb for arthritis
Ginger has exceptional anti-inflammatory properties that helps to reduce pain and inflammation caused due to Arthritis. The best part? It can be used in multiple ways to see visible results.
You can make ginger tea by boiling ginger in water for a few minutes and then consuming this mixture. Make sure you strain the mixture before drinking. You can also add ginger powder in your food while cooking or add grated ginger into your salad.
Best fruits for arthritis
Adding berries like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, tart cherries and any citrus fruits like Oranges, Grapefruit, Lemon is highly effective for Arthritis. These are rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin C which protect the cartilage and reduce inflammation.
Lubricate joints naturally
Take 10-15 drops of eucalyptus oil and dilute it using two tablespoon of Almond oil. Massage the joints for 5-10 minutes daily with this mixture of oils. Eucalyptus leaves contain Tannins which helps in reducing pain and swelling associated with Arthritis and massaging is highly effective when it comes to this disease. Make sure you dilute the Eucalyptus oil with any neutral carrier oil before using in on the affected area.
Osteoarthritis Ayurvedic Treatment
Boswellia commonly known as frankincense is used for its anti-inflammatory properties. It not only reduces the pain, stiffness and inflammation caused due to Osteoarthritis but also improve the function of the joints. You can take 300-400 mgs of Boswellia two times a day, preferably after having any meal.
Best drink for arthritis
Green tea is the best drink especially if you’re dealing with Arthritis. You can simply drink green tea once or twice a day or can add matcha to your smoothies to help treat symptoms of Arthritis. Make sure you’re not adding sugar these drinks.
Also Read Ayurvedic Remedy for Cold: Natural Treatments and Tips for Relief
Dietary and Lifestyle Changes
- It is crucial to take a diet that helps in balancing Vata in our body so try to include green leafy vegetables, buttermilk, spices like ginger, turmeric, garlic, legumes and berries into your diet.
- Stay away from hot and spicy food, excess salt, fermented and hard to digest fruits and vegetables.
- Make basic exercises like waking, yoga, Tai Chi (slow and gentle martial arts) and swimming a part of your daily routine. It will help in improving joint function and ease the pain.
- Massage the affected area or joints for a few minutes daily using mustard, castor, lavender, camphor, eucalyptus or sesame seed oil. This will help improve circulation and movement while reducing pai n and stiffness in the joint.
- You can also try hot and cold treatments since they’re known to reduce pain and discomfort caused due to inflamed joints. Hot/Cold packs or showers, sauna, ice baths, heating pads are all effective ways to incorporate this.
- Maintain a proper sleeping schedule so that your body is getting enough rest to get better.
