Osteoarthritis: Treating it the homeopathic ways


This disease of joint is of several types, chief amongst which are two. The first one is 'Rheumatoid Arthritis' and the second is 'Osteoarthritis'. Amongst these two types of arthritis, the number of persons suffering from Osteoarthritis is the highest. The important details relating to osteoarthritis and its treatment through the homeopathic methods are being furnished through this essay.

Right with the setting in of the old age, often several types of disturbances and diseases rampage up in our body. One such nuisance is the joint pain which in medical parlance is called arthritis. Joint pains are of numerous types dominantly prevalent amongst which is osteoarthritis. This writing enlightens you with this widespread tormenting disease taking into its grips not only the old but now the young people too. Almost every 10 out of 100 persons are found to be suffering from joint pain. Wrong dietary habits and the changed life style have plunged this disease in youths also which was earlier common amongst older people. The joint disease commonly is known as gouts while its in medical terminology, it is named as 'Sandhi Shoth (Arthritis).

Understanding the joints of bones in our body


Before discussing the topic of this disease, it is essential to know first, some important facts relating to the bone- joints of our body.

For the movements of our body, elasticity and stability etc, it is extremely necessary for the bone joints of our body to remain in fine fetters. Excepting the bone joints, which are the bones forming the joints, muscles, tendons etc, there are two exceptional components that are:
  1. Cartilage and
  2. Synovium.


  1. Cartilages: Cartilages soft, porous and slippery elements containing water and proteins. Its collagen named proteins form a net like structure which lending stability and suppleness. Water and collagen's lattice like structure combine to form a greasy and cushion like feature which facilitates the joints to make the smooth movements and save against the frictions obtaining during the action of movements.

  2. Synovium: Synovium forms the internal surface of the joints. A greasy smooth liquid is secreted from it known as synovial fluid which supplies the required nutrition and oxygen to the cartilages. This cooperates in keeping the frictions to the minimum limits during the movements by keeping the fluids maintained in the joints.

What is osteoarthritis?


After discussing on the subject relating to the joints above, let's now switch over to the main subject of this article which is osteoarthritis.

OA (Osteoarthritis) is the degenerative disorder of joints, in which the cartilages of the joins begin to decay. This degenerative arthritis is also called the wear and tear arthritis. This mainly attacks only those joints which have to sustain the excess of weights of the body as for example knees, pelvis, backbones, hands and legs. Just opposite to the other types of joint pain, it rarely occurs in much of the neither joints all at a time in one go nor does it gets transmitted from one joint to the other. When this disease catches up with some joint, the degeneration of the cartilage of that joint develops slowly. Swelling develops in the beginning in the cartilage leading to later on in the loss of water and protein from it as a result; gaps and pits build up in the cartilage. This retardation amplifies with the advancement of the disease. Ultimately, a bigger chunk of the cartilage gets destroyed up with the consequence that the edges of the naked bones remain suspended in an unsecured state in the nettings of the joints. Harm is caused to the bone edges in the condition when the joints are used giving rise to several symptoms. Some changes take place in the natural process of struggling to wriggle out of this ongoing process in order to make up for the losses thus obtaining in the joints which would be discussed later in this essay. Just now, we would discuss the causes of this disease.

Causes of Osteoarthritis


  • Hereditary Factor:
    According to experts, this disease strikes due to the combination of several factors in action. The chief reason of the decay of joints is directly connected with the hereditary factor. With the advancing ages, the capacity of regeneration of the cartilages diminishes. Hereditary factor plays a great role in the decaying of the joint diseases. Just opposite to the rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory response does not have anything to do to produce this disease but in fact is produced due to this disease itself. The inflammatory action nevertheless, plays an important role to increase the intensity of this disease.

  • Injury factor:
    The second key reason of the genesis of the osteoarthris disease is injuries. The disease rears up its ugly heads due to injury fallen on the joints or the continual pressure falling on the joints. The injuries sustained on joints or near by it comes back after years to torment the person by taking him under its grips. As for example, The persons who have sustained injuries on knees have 5 times more chances of suffering from the osteoarthritis in future compared to other persons.

    Often people shrug the injuries aside taking it easy while treating it on time increases the chance of getting rid from it.

  • Other reasons:
    This disease attacks due to other factors, as for example bleeding related disorders (Haemophilia), in which bleeding occurs in the joints, supplies of blood to the joints get obstructed, outworn and creaky bone joint inflammation staying as it is for longer a period, malfunction in internally secreting glands such as diabetic, acromegali, hypothyroidism, obesity, Digestive disorders, physical deformity by birth as for un uniformed growth of the lengths of the pair of legs.


Types of osteoarthritis


Upon the basis of the causes, osteoarthritis could be divided into two groups. The osteoarthritis occurring from decaying of the cartilages due to hereditary factors after the advancement of the age is termed as the 'primary osteoarthritis'. The osteoarthritis occurring due to other reasons is termed as secondary osteoarthritis. To sum up, this disease is triggered by the factors stated below:-

  • Old ages,
  • Continual pressure in joints,
  • Actions causing injuries,
  • Inactive and lazy daily routine,
  • Physical deformity by birth and hereditary factors.

Symptoms of osteoarthritis


The symptoms of the osteoarthritis disease surface up slowly and attaint its virulent form after a long period. Seizure in the beginning comes in the affected joint and the pain starts. There is neither swelling nor reddishness nor is there any inflammation on the affected joints the disease matures the movement of the patient becomes restricted.

Generally the symptoms emerge up from the age of 45 years or above. Among the less aged persons, no any symptoms are evident even after the joints are affected. The pain increases with doing the physical labour and it reaches its peak by the end of the day. The pain is relieved with resting. But when the disease is extensively in an advanced stage, even the resting does not help a bit and one feels pain even while resting. Normally seizure and trouble in making movement are felt with the recurring pain. These symptoms turn violent when after a long time of resting, the person suddenly becomes active. The pain enhances in a moist and cold environ. Crackling sound emanates from the movement of the affected part.

The parts of the body of the joint affected by this disease have some special symptoms connected with the very areas such as this disease afflicts the most in the joints of the fingers of hands of women. First of all, the first joint just below the pores of the fingers get affected. On these joints emerge bulges and nodes on the areas around the bones known as 'Herberden's Nodes'. The joint connecting with the wrist on the base of the thumb comes at the second number. This disease comes in the middle joint of the finger also and small nodes emerge up there which is called 'Bouchard's Nodes'. The osteoarthritis affecting hands is indicative the forthcoming pelvis or knee diseases in future.

Upon the knees falls the body weight the most. In this joint, in between the bones of thighs and legs lies new- moon- like cartilage which apart from guarding the joints, acts to absorb the jerks, shock and wrench in the legs. Though there remains swelling and pain in the joint, elasticity is maintained to a greater extent. By shaking the knees a gas like cracking or popping sound is heard (Crepitus). Obese people are prone to this disease of pelvis joint the most. Pain occurs on thigh and waste joints (groin) and on hips. Sometimes the pain travels up to knees creating confusion. Wobbling comes into the movement of such patients. This disease takes into its grip over the joint of the spinal columns as well destructing its cartilages. The symptoms of pain, muscle tension, obstructed movements' etc rear up around the affected areas. In the advanced stages of this disease, muscle weakness, numbness, ant bite like feeling, etc are felt by the person suffering from this disease. When this disease attacks the neck, difficulties are felt in gulping the food.

Diagnosing osteoarthritis


To diagnose this disease perfectly, some physical tests with some laboratory tests are conducted. Its symptoms are observed in the physical tests. The X-Ray of the joints shows the special symptoms of this disease as for example:-
  • The decaying of the cartilages,
  • Shrikage in joint gaps,
  • Abnormal increase in density of bones,
  • Bulging up in bones,
  • Bony projections and,
  • Bone spur (External growth).

No clue is obtained about Osteoarthritis from the blood tests but the absence of other joint pains gets ascertained through it. As for example, tests could be conducted for the RA factor of rheumatoid arthritis and for the uric acid of gouts. When a difficulty in treating this disease is faced up or when the doubts of the infection in joints come in, then the fluid from the joint is extracted to test it (Arthrocentesis). The presence of the cartilage cells in the fluid confirms the osteoarthritis. White blood cells (Puscells) confirms the infection of and particles of uric acid substantiate the presence of gouts.

Pain in joints also occurs due to injuries, cavity decay, infection, shortfall in blood supplies etc. To pinpoint osteoarthritis, the factors to be taken into consideration are, firstly it occurs in the women above 55 years of ages and secondly and the affected joints are less swelled up or reddish and thirdly, its pains spread slowly.

Treating Arthritis


Since this disease cannot be cured completely, the modern medical system tries to lower down its levels of symptoms and stresses upon to bring about improvements in the modern life style and the daily routine. By effecting the necessary changes in the life style and changing the daily routine being carried out for years together, the pressure exerting on the affected joints could be minimised to a greater extent. The modern medicine system focuses on arresting/slowing the pace of ongoing decay.

Exercising is essential to keep joints healthy and fit. Soft or medium modes of exercises should be done so that wrenching or shocks on the diseased joints are avoided but the arteries and the muscles get toned up. Exercises lowers down the degree of the seizure in the joints to a greater measures, flexibility increases and the strength and the moisture of the cartilages enhances.

Medicines for osteoarthritis


In the modern medical system depending on the condition of the disease, painkillers, corticosteroids etc are administered to the affected patients and in more serious cases; surgery (joint transplantation) is resorted to. In the Homeopathy system, not the disease but the diseased (the patient) is treated. The selection of medicine is done upon the basis of the symptoms of the patient and his nature.

Homeopathic treatment of osteoarthritis


There are highly effective medicines in the homeopathic ways of treatment of arthritis. One gets its immediate benefits by taking the homeopathic medicines if the disease is treated early on in the beginning. But when the disease becomes older in ages, it takes time to cure it with these medicines.

Below are being given descriptions of some useful medicines from which one can bring improvement in the disease by selecting the following mentioned homeopathic medicines depending upon the symptoms:-

  1. Rhus tox:
    This medicine is immensely efficient for treating osteoarthritis. The dose would be 30 power 6 tablets thrice a day.

  2. Bryonia: 200 power- 6 tablets thrice a day.

  3. Colchikum: 30 power6 tabs thrice a day.

Conclusion:
There come noticeable improvements in the joints if the body weight is lowered down. Exercises diminish mental tension. It increases the capacity to tolerate the pain. Doing Yoga, exercises, walking, cycling, swimming etc are highly beneficial in this disease. But jogging, running or doing jerky exercises are harmful for this disease.

It's very essential for the persons suffering from this disease to do exercises. As the weight lowers, the pressure on the knees lowers down. While climbing down ladders, 5 times over the weight of our body falls on our knees. If even 2 kg body weight is shelled out, there comes a shortfall to the tunes of about 8 kg of body weights falling on the knees.


Comments

Guest Author: Nazmul Hasan27 Oct 2015

Where to get the medicine, Bryonia tablets or Colchikum tablets for treating Osteoarthritis?



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