Arthritis
Arthritis is a common condition all around the world, affecting millions of people. In this blog, I’ll just state the facts about what it is and some natural treatments you can try at home. Please advise your doctor if you arent sure of any allergies or foods/methods that may not work with your current medication.
The term ‘arthritis’ refers to the ‘inflammation of joints,’ originating from two Greek words: athron, meaning joints, and its, indicating inflammation. It is a chronic disease process that initially involves the entire body, often resulting in deformities in one or two joints, leading to handicaps and some degree of weakness.
Arthritis manifests in various forms, with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis being the most common. Inflammation is the primary characteristic of arthritis, representing a response of joint tissues to damage or injury.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease typically occurring in the elderly. It results from structural changes in articular cartilage, mainly affecting weight-bearing joints like the spine and knees. Chief symptoms include joint pain and stiffness, intensifying post-exercise. Additional symptoms encompass watery eyes, a dry neck, leg cramps, allergies, arteriosclerosis, gallbladder dysfunction, and liver disturbances. Potential causes encompass malnutrition, prolonged physical stress, obesity, glandular insufficiency, calcium deficiency, and insufficient hydrochloric acid.
Rheumatoid arthritis, a severe disease, affects joints in the fingers, wrists, hips, knees, and feet, as well as muscles, tendons, and other body tissues. It results from an inflammatory process in the synovium, the joint lining, accompanied by swelling and eventual deformity. Often referred to as the “cooked food disease,” it gradually develops over months, causing persistent pain and stiffness in one or more joints, eventually affecting the entire body. Symptoms include anemia, colitis, constipation, gallbladder disturbances, low blood pressure, and deformed hands and feet. Hormonal imbalance, physical and emotional stress, infection, severe fright, shock, and injury may contribute to its onset, with hereditary factors also playing a role.
Treatment
For arthritis your diet should follow alkaline principles, incorporating fruits and vegetables for protection, and proteins and carbohydrates for energy. This may include a raw vegetable salad and at least two cooked vegetables, such as cabbage, carrot, celery, cucumber, endive, lettuce, onion, radishes, tomatoes, and watercress for the raw salad, and asparagus, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, celery, brinjal, mushroom, onions, peas, beans, spinach, tomatoes, squash, and turnips for cooked vegetables.
For severe cases, a week of raw vegetable juice therapy is advisable. A specific juice for arthritis consists of green leafy vegetables mixed with carrot, celery, and red beet juice. The alkaline action of raw juices is believed to dissolve deposits around joints and tissues. Fresh pineapple juice with bromelain is also recommended for reducing inflammation.
The traditional raw potato juice therapy is considered effective for rheumatic and arthritic conditions. Soaked black gingerly seeds and water kept overnight in a copper container are believed to prevent joint pains. Warm coconut oil or mustard oil with camphor can be massaged on stiff joints for increased blood supply and reduced inflammation.
Lime, known for its citric acid content, is considered a solvent for uric acid, a primary cause of arthritis. Other remedies include green-gram soup with crushed garlic cloves and powdered fenugreek seeds in warm water. Sea bathing or soaking in a tub of warm water with sea salt is beneficial, as iodine in sea salt can be absorbed through the skin to correct internal imbalances.
Keeping the body warm is crucial, avoiding tight bandages on joints, ensuring indirect ventilation in the bedroom, and prioritizing rest. Constipation should be avoided, and light exercises like walking, hiking, and swimming are beneficial. Maintaining a normal body weight is crucial to prevent excess stress on joints.
Yogic asanas like trikonasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana, naukasana, vakrasana, and shavasana, as well as yogic kriyas and pranayamas, are recommended. Lukewarm enemas, neutral immersion baths, hot foot baths, ultrasonic diathermy, exposure to infra-red rays, knee packs, stream baths, and weekly massages are beneficial. General cold water treatments should be avoided.
These treatments are mostly harmless but do at your own risk.
Information originated from health library 1999
