Arthritis

Arthritis is an auto immune disease. It occurs when the immune system of the body attacks the healthy tissue of the body, which in return affects the synovium . Synovium is the soft tissue which is located between the bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments of the joints.

Types

1. Osteoarthritis – It’s the “wear and tear” that happens when the joints are overused. It usually happens to the people over the of 50, but it can also come from joint injuries or obesity, which puts extra stress on the joints. Cartilage, the slippery material that covers the ends of bones, gradually breaks down. The damaged cartilage makes movement painful. 
   Symptoms
   • Deep, aching pain
   • Trouble dressing, combing your hair, gripping things, bending over, squatting, or climbing stairs, depending on which joints are involved
   • Morning stiffness that typically lasts less than 30 minutes
   • Pain when walking
   • Stiffness after resting
2. Rheumatoid Arthritis – RA is an auto immune disease which means the immune system attacks parts of the body, especially the joints. That leads to inflammation, which can cause severe joint damage.  Excessive of RA factor results in severe kidney damage.
   Symptoms
   • Pain, stiffness, and swelling in the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles, feet, jaw, and neck..
   • Morning stiffness than can last for hours or even most of the day.
3. Psoriatic Arthritis – People with this condition have inflammation of the skin  and joints (arthritis). This type of arthritis usually starts between ages 30 and 50, but it can start as early as childhood.
   Symptoms
   • Swelling in fingers and toes.
   • In some people, only one joint or a few joints are affected.
4. Gout – Gout is the accumulation of air or toxin in joints.
   Symptoms
   • Intense joint pain
   • Inflammation and redness
   • Discomfort
   • Lupus
5. Lupus (also called SLE or systemic lupus erythematosus) is an autoimmune disease. It can affect the joints and many organs in the body. Women of childbearing age are more likely to get lupus than men.
   Symptoms
   • Painful, swollen joints
   • Fatigue
   • Headaches
   • Swelling in the feet, legs, hands, or around the eyes
   • Rashes, including a “butterfly” rash across the cheeks
   • Mouth sores
   • Sun sensitivity
   • Hair loss
   • Blue or white fingers or toes when exposed to cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
   • Blood disorders, like anaemia and low levels of white blood cells or platelets
   • Chest pain from inflammation of the lining of the heart or lungs

How is it diagnosed?

• Blood Test which includes CBC, RA factor, ESR and Blood Urea.
• Physical examination
• X-Ray
• CT- Scan
• MRI

Symptoms

• Joint Pain
• Stiffness
• Redness of skin around the skin.
• Loss of appetite.
• Decrease in the red blood cell count.
• Headache

Causes

• Increase of RA factor
• Increase of ESR (erythrocytes sedimentation rate)
• Renal disease
• Other autoimmune Disorder
• Injury (leading to osteoarthritis)
• Metabolic abnormalities (such as gout with elevated uric acid blood levels and pseudogout with hypercalcemia)
• Hereditary factors
• The direct and indirect effect of infections (bacterial and viral)
• Excessive use of calcium supplement or tablets.
• Biliary Disorder
• Frequent medicine of cough, cold and fever.

Naturopathy Treatment

• Mud Pack on stomach and Effected area.
• Enema(warm water in the morning and cold water before bed)
• Whole body wet sheet pack.
• Alternate Hip Bath.
• Hot Foot bath.
• Tarera( pouring water from 3 feet height on the effected area and spine)
• Alternate fomentation on stomach and effected area.
• Alternate fomentation on liver and kidney
• Wet Friction Bath.
• Dry Friction Bath.
• Deep Tissue Massage.

Yoga

1. Mudras
   • Gyana Mudra
   • Vayu Mudra
   • Apana Mudra
   • Prana Mudra
   • Mukul Mudra ( keeping fingers on the liver region).
2. Pranayam
   • Nadishodhan
   • Anulom vilom
   • Bhastrika
   • Kapalbhati
   • Ujyayi
   • Bhramari
3. Sukshma vyayam of legs, hands griva chalan and eye movement.
4. Vajrasana samooh
   • Thunderpose(vajrasana)
   • Cat pose (marjari asana)
   • Tiger pose (vyaghra asana)
   • Frog pose (Mandookasana)
   • Camel pose (Ushtrasana)
   • Rabbit pose(shashank asana)
5. Yogasanas laying down on back
   • Suptaudrakarshanasan
   • Setubandha asana
   • Suptatadasana
6. Asanas laying down to stomach
   • Makrasana
   • Dhanurasana
   • Bhujangasana
   • Tiryakbhujangasana
7. Sitting pose
   • Nauka chalan
   • Chakki chalan
   •  Pashchimottanasan
   • Meru vakrasana
   • Padmasana
8. Standing pose
   • Tadasana
   •  Triyaktadasana
   • Katichakrasana
   • Vrikshasana
9. Suryanamskar completing with Shithalikaran.

Key Notes

1. Patient should always take care of its own capacity. Capacity of movement, holding the posture and capacity of repeatation
2. Always take care of heart beat while doing yoga it should be normal not so fast.
3. Yoga should be done with full consciousness on inner body and breathing, to get faster and positive results.
4. Yoga doesn’t have any negative effect but it is  necessary to make a proper yoga chart for a speedy recovery.
5. Sukshma vyayam, mudra and shithalikaran is equally necessary and beneficial so it shouldn’t  skipped.

Diet

First three weeks

The patient should take food which is easily digestible. The patient should be on liquids for atleast 3 weeks, if the condition is very serious.

After three weeks

•  In morning: 6am to7am
  • 10 pieces- Raisins, 2 pieces- Dates, Anjeer (soaked in water and grinded to make a solution).
• At 9am
  • One bowl of Daliya ( liquid)
  • One bowl of mix vegetables soup.
  • One Pulpy fruit
• 12 pm
  • One tablespoon of curd mixed with a glass of water
• 1.30 pm to 2 pm
  • Boiled Vegetable, soupy brown rice and one bowl of salad chopped minutely into pieces
• 4pm
  • A glass of citrus juice. Sweet lime juice is always the best .
• 7pm to 8pm
  • One Pulpy fruit ( mango is best in other season, chikoo or papaya or other pulpy fruit can be taken).
  • Before bed take a cup of warm water and a one inch piece of jaggery.

Myths and Truth

1. Myth – Eating Fruits or fruit juice makes the condition worse.
Truth – Sweet and pulpy fruit improves immunity and helps in fighting arthritis.
2. Myth – Dry ginger, ginger, black pepper, are good for patient.
Truth – It makes the arthritis worse. Consuming bitter things damages Mucus Membrane.
3. Myth – Hot compress is good and cold is bad.
Truth – Hot compress dilates the vein that improve the blood flow and remove toxins whereas after giving cold compression vein comes in its own shape, otherwise dilated vein will accumulate more toxin.
4. Myth – Deficiency of calcium leads to arthritis.
Truth – Intake of calcium and its supplement badly affects the kidney and other organs and it can also lead to bone spurs.

Do’s and Don’ts

Say Yes to:

1. Wake up before sunrise.
2. Take proper rest.
3. Pray and have positive and generous thoughts.
4. Take pure natural satwik food.
5. Milk, butter milk, sprouts, fox nuts dates, raisins, fig, honey, jaggery, and sweet pulpy fruits.
6. Fruit juice and vegetable’s soup.

Strictly Prohibited

• Dairy products
• Bakery items
• Processed Food.
• Food that contains excessive of roughage, white rice, tea, coffee, pickles and watermelon.
• Calcium Tablets.
• Ginger, Black pepper and Red chilly.
• Avoid to eat without hunger and over eating.

All the information available on this website is for education and awareness purposes only. Follow these practices only under the guidance of a trained Yoga and Naturopathy practitioner. Punam Agarwal and her Yoga and Naturopathy initiatives are not liable for any injuries caused during the process.