ARTHRITIS - SYMPTOMS & NATURE

 SIGNS & SYMPTOMS--The most common symptom of Arthritis is the pain in the joints. To start with, it may be slow pain & the patient may experience difficulty in climbing stairs or lifting weights. In the beginning, it may just appear & then disappear with some pain killers or even without treatment, just by a little rest. Some times it may disappear for months together & then reappear. There may be numbness & stiffness of the joints & while walking there may be a cracking sound from the joints. Often the joints become swollen & inflamed. Pain can be mild or very acute. In the first stage, it appears mostly at night or in the morning. It generally gets aggravated if the patient is exposed to cold, wind or rain, specially in winter.

SYSTEMIC NATURE OF THE DISEASE--Appearance of pain or stiffness in the joints is in fact not the first stage of the disease. It is only the first stage of the manifestation of local symptoms. It is a systematic disease & without the patient being aware of it the waste of the body start accumulating in the blood & joints for years together, before the first signal of approaching Arthritis is given in the form of pain in the joints. It is the years & years of abuse of the body in the form of wrong diet. Physical & mental strain., and absence of rest which brings about the systemic disturbance in the bodily functions that eventually leads to the break down of the health& the functions of the joints.

HOW DOES AYURVEDA EXPLAIN THIS DISEASE ?--According to Ayurveda, the traditional system of Indian medicine, this disease is called 'ama vata' or 'sandhigada vata'. In general, rheumatic & rheumatoid Arthritis come under the first category & Osteo- Arthritis under the second category. Gout, in Ayurvedic parlance, is called 'vata rakta'.In all these three conditions, 'VAYU', which is responsible for all nervous activities in the body is involved. 'Vayu', 'pitta' & 'kapha' regulate all the functions of the body. Taken together, these are called the 'doshas'. 'Vayu regulates the sensory & motor activities of the body. 'Pitta' regulates the digestive & metabolic processes including all the hormonal activities of the body. 'Kapha' is a lubricant & it is responsible for bringing about stability & sturdiness of physique. These three 'doshas' in normal healthy persons, are in a state of homeostasis or equilibrium. Change in this equilibrium may be tolerated by the body only up to a certain limit. Beyond that, it gives rise to diseases. The fluid in the synovial membrane of the joints, represents 'kapha'. The metabolic by products such as uric acid (which are formed more in the Case of Gout) are the outcome of the activities of 'pitta'. Thus in the causation of Arthritis all the three 'doshas' separately or jointly, are involved. 'Vayu' gets normally aggravated just before or during the rainy season. Other factors responsible for its aggravation are exercise beyond one's capacity, fasting, a fall or an accident, excessive elimination of some tissue elements such as blood & semen, fracture of a bone, remaining awake at night for a long time, suppression of the manifested natural urges, excessive worry, exposure to cold wind, facing a fearful situation & intake of food ingredients which are dry, astringent, bitter & pungent in taste. If because of the above mentioned factors, 'vayu' is aggravated in the body, then it causes Arthritis particularly Osteo-Arthritis & allied conditions. If aggravated 'vayu' is also associated with 'ama' (product of improper digestion & metabolism), then it is called 'ama vata'. To this 'ama vata' group belongs rheumatic & rheumatoid Arthritis & Gout.