Among the common disease conditions, Rheumatoid arthritis is having a major place and affecting most middle-aged people -40 years plus.
Definition:
RA is a long-term autoimmune disorder, that primarily affects joints – a disease where the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells.
The risk factors can be:
(it is a whole body-systemic autoimmune disease.)
1. Genetic factors
2. Environmental factors
Signs and symptoms:
1. JOINTS: inflammation of the synovial membrane
Swollen, tender, warm and stiff joints.
Polyarthritis
Deformities
• Ulnar deviation
• Swan neck deformity
• Boutonniere deformity (buttonhole)
• Z thumb deformity
• Hammertoe
2. SKIN: Nodule
3. BLOOD: low RBC
4. EYE: episcleritis, scleritis, keratitis, keratoconjunctival sicca
Pathogenesis:
Primarily starts in a state of persistent cellular activation leading to autoimmunity and immune complexes in joints and other organs. It manifest
1) Nonspecific inflammation
2) Amplification of synovium
3) Chronic inflammation
Management:
1. Lifestyle modification
2. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD)
3. NSAID & analgesic drugs
4. Surgery: synovectomy and joint replacement
5. Physiotherapy
6. Alternative medicine
7. Dietary supplements.
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT
According to Ayurveda, there are two major disease conditions, that are similar to Rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
1. वातरक्त
2. आमवात
Both the above mentioned disease conditions deal with sandhi (joints) related pathologies. In vatharaktha, the raktha and vata get vitiated by the nidana and finally manifest over joints. Were in amavata, the ama formed in koshta will be taken and placed in joints and finally get manifested as Amavata.
The Ayurvedic management for the above two conditions are:-
1. Langhana
2. Samsodhana
3. Samsamana
By all these therapies the already formed ama dosha will get removed and further formation will be prevented. Then the existing inflammation and joint related conditions will be treated with Ayurvedic Aashaadha’s.
Langhana :
By this the rasa, raktha and ama dushti got corrected.
Sodhana :
It is the removal of accumulated dosha from the body by using panchakarma therapies.
The poorva karma includes snehana and swedana and for sodhana virechana or vasthi will be done according to the condition.
Samana :
The already vitiated doshas are purified by sodhana, but after that, the rest of the doshas has to be corrected and pacified in order to avoid further accumulation and disease recurrence.
Also, follow pathya ahara and pathya vihara.