Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that is evident only as it begins to cause joint pain. By which time the onset has begun in a mild way, caught on gradually and in the process has affected various functional aspects of the body.  Although this is a painful disease that manifests with age progression, it can occur at any age. There are many grey areas and confusion regarding the diagnosis, treatment methods, daily management and cure of RA. While this blog will help you educate better on treatment methodology and Management of RA during monsoon, it should not be substituted for self diagnosis. The best authority to isolate your causes and symptoms is your expert Ayuveda Vaidya. Read on to better understand RA!

What rheumatoid arthritis feels like?

 By such time that your joints are showing signs of RA, any or all of your joints can hurt like as if you have a sprain or broken bone. Your body will feel tender to touch. Your daily activities will see a steady decline in terms of tasks achieved and the speed with which you achieve them. You may see a swelling on some of your joints. The joint are usually joint pairs and not isolated to just the left or the right side. Ayurveda can definitely help with managing pain levels in the most natural way and make your daily life more bearable.

Where does rheumatoid arthritis start?

RA usually starts off with the smallest of the joints at the beginning, essentially your fingers and toes. You may gradually have seen a swelling or a slight bend to these joints as RA progresses. By now it begins to affect the bigger joints such as knees, ankles, shoulders etc. Over a period of time, your body has been building metabolic toxins, which are the root cause for RA. Consider flushing out these toxins effectively from your system through Ayurveda Panchakarma.

Where does rheumatoid arthritis effect?

Although RA begins with smaller joints and spreads to bigger joints, it can affect any part of the body. It affects the pulmonary walls, the vascular system and the white of the eye. It can lead to many complications in the body’s functioning if not detected and treated early. The longer it takes to be treated it will be just as difficult to manage.

When is rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed?

RA can be diagnosed only when there is symptomatic evidence that correlates to the disease. In all probability, RA is evident between the ages of 30 to 50. In a few cases the onset is delayed and it shows up during the 60s. In very rare cases it can show up in the teens and is termed as Juvenile RA.

Can rheumatoid arthritis be cured?

No. RA cannot be cured. But It can definitely be managed well to let you enjoy a relatively pain-free life and enable you to do most of the things you had given up on because of the excruciating pain levels. There is treatment in form of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These could be in form of Modern Medicines or traditional medicines. While modern medicines can help you manage pain levels, traditional medicines and treatments can help you with pain management and heal the joints along with helping you manage the RA disease.

Especially during monsoon, when the atmosphere is damp with mositure and the envirnmet is inherently high on Vata, pain levels arising due to RA can be unbearable. You need to take special care to not aggravate it firther. Here are some tips that can help to better manage RA during monsoon:

1. Always have a hot water bath. Do not use cold water even fro rinsing or washing hands. extremities abosob Vata through cold tempature and thus  increase the Vata in the body.

2. Avoid pulses, tuberous vegetables and poha

3. Ensure hot soups with ginger and pepper form the best part of your meal

4. Always eat fresh and hot meals

5. Herbs such as shallaki and guggulu help to reduce inflammation and pain levels

6. Keep your head, ears, chest, palms and feet protected from cold weather

7. Soak the aaffected part in hot water atleast twice a day. Also, consider placing a hot water bag under the most painful part whle retiring to bed.

8. Indulge in self-massage of vata-hara oils such as lavana, erandadi, sahacharadi, ashwagandha, bala, etc.

9. Indirect oil heating before a massage can feel heavenly and give comfort from pain

10. Don’t stay put in a place because of your pain. Try and keep moving the affected part every few minutes

Can Ayurveda help with managing rheumatoid arthritis?

Yes, Ayurveda gives you a holistic 360 degree cover with helping you manage RA as a disease and bring back the lost confidence in your daily life. Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle practices, herbal supplements and Yoga, has proved to be very effective in managing RA. 

Ayurveda Panchakarma, the 5-fork approach to detoxifying the body, helps to flush out all toxins causing RA and begins the treatment from there. Panchakarma sets discipline standards for daily life, the natural, organic supplement your individual body needs specifically, what part of your body needs cure, what of it needs healing and what can be merely managed.

Panchakarma treatment for rheumatoid Arthritis

Ayurveda Panchakarma believes that Aama (toxins) Vaata (gaseous aspect of the body that flares up the toxins to all possible parts of the body, especially the joints) are causative factors of RA. The most effective way of flushing Aama and balancing Vaata is listed below:

• Langhana (Fasting)
• Shodhana Chikitsa (Purification of the body)
• Shamana Chikitsa (Treatment for subsiding the symptoms)

Langhana (fasting) here fasting means, when it is appropriate for you to take food and food is more appropriate for an optimal living

Shodhana – Relates to therapies like Snehapana, Vamana, Virechana, Abhyanga, Basti etc. that are done to detoxify the body and bring down pain levels. 

Shaman Chikitsa – Post Panchakarma pain management remedies with natural, safe and effective herbal medication.

There are specific Ayurvedic Hospitals as well as Authentic Ayurveda Retreats that function as hospitals where long term and residential treatment of RA is possible, to ensure you return to a relative pain-free and confident daily life. These hospitals and retreat are approved and certified by regulatory bodies and maintain strict code of ethics, hygiene and safety standards.

Best step forward is to reach out to expert Ayurveda Physicians for a comprehensive consultation!