An estimated 46 million adults in the United States reported being told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia.

One in five (over 21%) adults in the United States report having doctor diagnosed arthritis.

In 2003–2005, 50% of adults 65 years and over reported an arthritis diagnosis.

By 2030, an estimated 67 million of Americans aged 18 years or older are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

This is the data about Arthritis collected by different agencies from United Sates of America. One thing in this Data is important to note that this is only from U S; data from all over the world may be more shocking. Arthritis is a condition which is increasing all over the world day by day. Once arthritis was known as a disease of old age but now young people are also effected by this disabling disease. People are suffering from different kind of Arthritis everywhere. This is a preventable disease, but our Physicians have no time to consult a patient for the prevention of arthritis. First of all they will try themselves to treat arthritis by using different medicines. This may be Quinine, which can reward you with deafness but not sure it will make your joints perfect or not? Immunosuppressive treatment by using different kind of steroids are also common, which can "bless" you with hundred of other diseases also? So be aware about Arthritis, it won't kill you, I am sure but it can lead you to disability in moving, sitting and walking also!!

                                    To know more about Ayurvedic Treatment of Arthritis Click here

Osteoarthritis: Sandhi Vata

Osteo arthritis is the most common form of the Arthritis. It is mostly found in the aged people. It is commonly known as O.A. and also called degenerative arthritis and degenerative joint disease. This is a condition in which low grade inflammation results in pain in the joints by wearing of the cartilages. These cartilages act as a cushion inside the joints. When these cushions are not in a proper form the bones making a joint touch each other and cause pain. The second reason is, decrease or destruction in the synovial fluid in side the space of a joint. This fluid is unctuous in nature and helps in a friction less activity of a joint. When any of these two conditions start appearing in the joint (Loss of cartilages or decrease in synovial fluid) pain appears in the joints. Generally the pain in the Osteoarthritis is aching with loss of mobility of the effected joint.

Due to loss of movement muscles and ligaments surround the joint are also weakened due to lesser uses and disability increases with the time. Generally OA attacks the bigger and weight bearing joints. Knee and elbow joints are the mostly effected. Because OA proceeds slowly-slowly, that is why a patient "awakens" when a lot of damage has occurred inside the joint.

Causes of the Osteoarthritis:

1.      Aging: Due to hardening of arteries, bones cannot get the proper nutrition, which is most important for the joints to maintain their laxity.

2.      Poor metabolism of the Calcium in the body.

3.      Over-weight and obesity, causing extra load on the weight bearing joints.

4.      Lack of proteoglycones, which are helpful in the bone formation.

Osteoarthritis is known as Sandhivata in Ayurveda. In word Sandhivata, Sandhi means the joint and Vata stands for the Vata Dosha. When activities of the Vata increase inside the Sandhis, joints, it is known as the Sandhivata. Vata is dry in nature so it absorbs the fluidity, from any part of the body and it is also destructive or catabolic in nature, due to these two reasons Vata cause destruction of the cartilages and reduction in the Synovial fluid inside the joint capsule.

Individuals with the Vata Prakruti are more prone for the Osteoarthritis, as their main Dosha is Vata.

Sign and Symptoms of OA/Sandhivata:

1.      Cracking sounds in joints.

2.      Chronic pain, which becomes sever in cold seasons and during nights.

3.      Inability to bear the weight in knee joint.

4.      Pain during walking is the most common symptom of the OA

Is Calcium supplements are important to get rid of the Osteoarthritis?

When one is diagnosed with the OA, one starts to look for the calcium supplements to heal his/her joints. But perhaps you don't need those supplements anymore. Calcium is the most dry element of the nature and according to Ayurveda it holds a lot of Vata component and Aakash Mahabhuta (as it is porous in nature) that is why by using more and more Calcium supplements we only invite the renal calculi, don't get any calcium for our bones and joints. It is a truth that our bones reshuffle the calcium with those after an age. If this calcium gets stored at a proper place, bones will remain healthy. When the same calcium from bones, goes to wrong places, it makes spikes, known as osteophytes, these spikes cause pain most of the times. So if you want to make your bones intact and stronger, go for the diets and lifestyle, which can help body in proper metabolism of the calcium, available with our body.

Follow the diet and lifestyle listed below to maintain your bones and joints properly-

Diet for osteoarthritis:

• Eat a wholesome diet. It is usually seen that from the time heart diseases has increased in our society, cases of OA are increasing day by day. This is due to excessive use of the high-fiber diet and fat free foods. This kind of diet is how much successful in reducing the risk of heart attacks, is clear with the increasing graph of heart diseases all over the world, but it is sure people are more suffering with the painful joints.
• Avoid eating dry and cold food items.
• Don't consume Carbonated Drinks of Cola and Pepsi, these are good for nothing.
• Avoid eating preserved and packed food stuff. Their nutritious value on the labels is not true always.
• Cook you food in an Ayurvedic Way and eat it with heart.
• Don't consume extra calcium food stuff, like eggs and cheese daily. It is least helpful for your bones.
• Avoid extra leafy vegetables in your diet.
• Eat Black Gram cereals at least once in a week.
• Add Saindhava Salt in your diet along with the Spices according to your Doshas.

Lifestyle for Osteoarthritis:

• Don't misuse your joints. Both excessive use and reduced use of your joints is bad for you.
• Move at least for 30 minutes daily.
• Weight is a main cause in the destruction of your joints. so keep your weight optimum.
• While loosing weight, try to increase your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Don't go for excessive fasting as it will cause dryness in your body and will increase catabolic process in your body.
• Don't bear the natural urges of urine and stool, these increase Vata in your body and causes problems with your bones, as Vata resides in bones, due to their porosity.
• If you are affected by OA badly, never start long walks all of a sudden.
• Apply the Ayurveda Massage oils once in a week on your joints to protect your joints and if you are suffering with the disease, then apply these oils daily.
• After applying the oils on your joints, don't forget to foment you joints properly, take a sauna bath or an herbal steam bath.

Rheumatoid Arthritis in Ayurveda

Rheumatoid arthritis in Ayurveda is described as Aamvata. It is a condition caused by the Aam; "improperly digested foods and raw metabolites" what Ayurveda call "Aam".Aam, etymologically means an item which is not ripened, cooked and digested or metabolized properly. In relation to Aamvata, it becomes the food which is not digested properly or the digested food which is not metabolized properly. This Aam, when travels in the body with Vata (which decides all kind of movements of the body). Wherever Vata finds closed channels, this Vata leaves the "Aam" there, which cause different kind of diseases in that particular organ. This description of Aamvata in a 5000 year old science shows, how much scientific and enriched that science was, right from its beginning.

Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis:

Modern science is not sure, why this disease appears in the body all of a sudden. There are many hypotheses to describe the etiology of this disease, but none of these is affirmative. It is believed now a day that this is an autoimmune disorder, and now with the growing interest in the genetics, modern researchers have found genes responsible for the rheumatoid arthritis, but not the cause which triggers those genes to make a foe a friend?

Ayurveda believes that the reasons which cause loss in the potency of digestive and metabolic fires inside the body to digest and assimilate the available foods are responsible for this disease. These are-

1.      Excessive drinking of water.

2.      Over eating.

3.      Eating next meal or something before the digestion of the prior taken meal.

4.      Affluence: both of food and money.

5.      To not to exert at all, living a life full of comforts.

6.      Accumulation of toxins inside body, due to improper and irregular detoxification.

This disease also has a relation with mind. It is commonly seen that RA attacks women mostly; it shows that this has some "emotional" reasons also, whether these are responsible for causing it or for aggravation of this condition. In many cases it has been noted that women who were mentally-upset from long times, suddenly caught by this disease, which again relates it with psychology. When ever mood is upset, this disease aggravates is the next thing showing how much impact of the psychology it has.

Sign and Symptoms:

For modern science and Ayurveda as well, believe that this disease shows different sign and symptoms, according to the involvement of the organ or the system. In context of joints following symptoms appear-

• Fever, malaise and headache.
• Pain in joints. Generally small joints are affected in this disease.
• Morning Stiffness.
• Weakness in muscles surrounding the joints.
• Structural deformities in effected joints, mostly the fingers.

Beside these signs and symptoms, Ayurveda has told two unique things, first Rheumatoid arthritis always follows Anemia and the second one is before attacking on joints it starts showing some signs related with the digestive system also. These signs are-

• Loss of appetite.
• Foul smell in stools and fart.
• Sticky stool, hard to flush properly.
• Excessive urination.
• Flatulence, bloating and many other GIT related upsets.

These sign and symptoms are to alarm one about the next coming dangerous disease of Rheumatoid arthritis so that an individual can stop this disease to appear in full.

Diet For Rheumatoid Arthritis:

• Take fresh food, cooked with Spices.
• Avoid taking packed and preserved food items.
• Don't drink chilled drinks or water, along with, after or before taking food.
• Take hot water with your food.
• Fix timings of your food.
• Add some Trikatu (A mixture of Pippali, Shunthi and Maricha) in your salads and drinks. Use only a small amount.
• Drink Shunthi (Dried and processed ginger) with hot water in morning.
• It is better to take Appetizer Tea, in morning and evening times.
• Avoid Non vegetarian foods.

Lifestyle for Rheumatoid Arthritis:

• Be punctual
• Don't apply oils on the effected regions when there is some swelling on joints, doesn't matter what they claim to do.
• If pain is unbearable go for the dry fomentation.
• Avoid exposure to cold climate.
• Don't roam here and there in rains and dewy weather.
• Avoid stress, join Yoga course, read healthy literature.