Arthritis Series: OSTEOARTHRITIS

1. Osteoarthritis 2. Rheumatoid arthritis 3. Fibromyalgia 4. Gout
   5. Cervical Spondylosis or Arthritis of the Neck

Naturopathic Treatment for Reducing Inflammation and Pain during Arthritis

Arthritis is the degeneration of a joint and the pain. There are over a hundred types of arthritis, but the common ones are:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Fibromyalgia
• Gout
• Infectious Arthritis
• Cervical arthritis
• Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

1. OSTEOARTHRITIS

How is it caused?

Osteoarthritis is the most common of all types of arthritis. It can be caused by trauma, infections, overuse of joint… It happens when hyaline cartilage that allows the joint to move freely, undergoes a degenerative change. This gives birth to bone spurs.

Who all can get affected?

It is an aging effect and is common in both men and women. People can under-go joint changes between their 20s and 30s and it takes effect in their 50s to 60s. Also due to traumas that need for a joint to repair itself. But when the trauma exceeds the ability of body to repair itself, osteoarthritis may occur. Following reasons contribute:

• Overuse
• Injury
• Faulty Biomechanics While Performing Regular Activities

Symptoms:

• Pain- gets more with over use and gets worse by the evening
• Restricted mobility
• Lesser Joint Flexibility
• Joint noise when moving, referred to as crepitus
• Swelling more after overuse
• Morning stiffness that gets better with movement
• Bony lumps on the fingers

What all it affects?

It is an asymmetrical disorder and affects only one side. Areas Most Affected By Osteoarthritis:

• Fingers
• Spine
• Shoulders
• Hips
• Knees

Remedies in the Market actually worsen the condition:

Usually Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory NSAIDS are taken to cope with the pain of inflammation in osteoarthritis. These unfortunately have side effects. Instead of helping, they reduce the ability to repair the cartilage and cause further degeneration, as revealed by studies. NSAIDS cause immediate relief but in essence worsen the situation.

Most popular NSAIDS include:

• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen
• Naproxen
• Indomethacin

Treatment

Being a long term chronic disease, there is no cure for Osteoarthritis. The treatments can help manage the symptoms as:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Getting Enough Of Exercise
• Improving Joint Mobility And Flexibility
• Maintaining A Healthy Weight

Removal of inflammatory foods:

• Wheat and other foods with gluten
• trans-fats
• excessive sugars
• synthetic foods
• It is recommended to cut down all white-foods from your diet or reduce the intake drastically: Sugary foods, Starch- Sweet Potatoes, Flour, fruits (take one fruit per day)
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Yam

Foods to Take:

• Leafy Greens     
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Colorful Vegetables
• Increase The Intake Of Omega-3 Rich Foods
• Hemp Seeds
• Quality Protein And Nourishing Fats
• Organically Farmed or Wild-Caught Salmon
• Chia Seeds
• Flax Seeds & Walnuts
• Ketogenic Diet

Keeping a Ketogenic Diet:

A ketogenic diet accompanied with intermittent fasting helps the body to get rid of inflammation. It helps in:

• Extending Life-Span
• Boost Anti-Aging
• Reduces Inflammation
• Increases Self-Healing
• Help Weight Loss

1. Ketogenic diet is very low in carbohydrates and high in fats. Dr. Mathur says that we provide low carb food at Sanjeevani, Gohana deliberately, to put body in the metabolic form called ketosis.
2. Take lots of Omega-3 fat anti-inflammatory rich foods
3. Tea or Coffee with coconut oil or organic butter, dash of Himalayan salt- this will help to keep up your hormones, energy and mood until your next meal.

Keep Hydrated: Drink filtered water from glass or steel glasses. Avoid plastic bottles as they play a havoc with the system- disturb the hormones and inflame the body.

 Cartilage Building Foods:

Taking cruciferous vegetables is recommended. Take steamed or lightly cooked broccoli, cabbage, kale (gobhi). They detox the body, aid in building healthy joints and further help in nutrition absorption.

• Fermented foods
• Vitamin D
• Exercise
• Sleep

Cartilage building foods: Cruciferous vegetables –  Fermented foods, vitamin D, exercise, sleep

Healing Your Gut:
Gut imbalance occurs and brings low grade inflammation throughout the body. Add in gut healing foods such as:

•  Fermented foods- sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi
• Prebiotics – cooked and cooled potatoes, vegetables, butter
• Avoid gut damaging synthetic additives, processed sugars, and Trans fats.

Antioxidant foods

The antioxidant rich foods offset the radicals in the body which otherwise cause cartilage degeneration.

• Green Tea
• Colorful Vegetables
• Berries
• Whey Protein

Use Healing Spices in Food

• Ginger
• Turmeric
• Cayenne Pepper

Ginger:

Ginger is an anti-inflamatory and reduces inflammation and pain in Osteoarthritis.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is a good antioxidant and good source to produce collagen. Vitamin C rich foods include:

• Aloe Vera Juice
• Blackcurrants
• Broccoli Citrus Fruit
• Brussels Sprouts
• Parsley
• Guava
• Pawpaw
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes

Other recommendations include:

• Willow Bark
• Fatty acids: Usually 1000 to 4000 mg. found in flax oil, krill, cod liver oil
• Devil’s Claw Herb (Baaghnakh)
• Glucosamine
• Shea Nut Butter 
• Topical capsaicin
• Chondroitin

Dr. Mathur expresses, “Healing does not only happen in the body, but the mind-body connection also guides.” The pain can be reduced by changing the perspective and directing the mind positively.

Dr. Amit at the acupressure department feels that the knots in the muscles can be released with acupressure that put undue pressure on the joints.

Physiotherapy heat treatment along with exercises will help improve the range of motion in the affected joint area and considerably reduce the pain.

Hot and Cold Therapy: The Alternate Hydro-Immersion therapies at Sanjeevani along with Sauna and Jacuzzi are great to reduce the pain of the joints. The infrared treatment at the Physiotherapy Center can help further.