Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms & Herbal Treatment
Arthritis is a condition in which swelling and tenderness of one or more joints can occur. The word Arthritis comes from the combination of Latin and Greek. “Arthron”, a Greek word, means joints and “Itis”, a Latin word, means inflammation, so normally it is a disease caused due to inflamed joints. So it is not a single disease, but it is a collection of diseases. Many treatment methods are available for controlling the disease, but no cure has been found so far. The main symptoms of arthritis include joint pain and stiffness, which worsen with age. Arthritis is common among the age group of 65 years or older, but it can also affect any age group, including children. Arthritis starts basically due to faulty joints. There are many other reasons that can trigger the disease, like cartilage damage, shortage of synovial fluid, an autoimmune attack and infection. The most common types of arthritis are: Osteo-arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Gout, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Lupus arthritis, Infectious arthritis, Juvenile arthritis (JA), Psoriatic arthritis, Fibromyalgia
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis in which chronic inflammation of the Joints occurs. It is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s tissues are mistakenly attacked by the body’s immune system. The body’s immune system is designed to destroy invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients who are suffering from autoimmune disease have antibodies that start targeting their own body tissues and can cause inflammation. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect any joint, but inflammation wrist and fingers is more common. Women are more affected as compared to men. Rheumatoid arthritis starts in middle age, but it is most common in elderly people. It may appear for a short time, or symptoms may come and go. The severe form can last for a long time. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, but genes, environment, and hormones might be responsible. Treatments can stop joint pain and swelling and also prevent damage to joints. Early treatment can give better long-term results.
Treatment
Millions of patients worldwide suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis are on long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which have common and severe side effects and adverse effects like renal impairment, gastrointestinal complications and cardiotoxicity. Herbal drug formulations to treat inflammatory diseases have shown promising results. Over the last two decades, there has been an increasing interest in the investigation of different extracts obtained from traditional medicinal plants as a potential source of new therapeutic agents.
India has a long history of use of herbal medicines in the officially recognised alternative systems of health, such as Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha, Homoeopathy, and Naturopathy. More than 2500 plant species are currently used as herbal medicaments in India. These herbal medicines have been used either directly as folk medication or indirectly in the preparation of recent pharmaceuticals over the last 3000 years. Boswellia can be helpful in the protection of joints. Guggal has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may help to inhibit oxidative damage to joints and bones. It is effective in indications like gout, arthralgia, osteoarthritis, cervical and lumbar spondylosis, and frozen shoulder & sprains. Thus, from the knowledge of traditional plants, one might be able to discover new, effective and cheaper herbal drugs for the treatment of arthritis.
Author:
Dr Vaishali Rathi
Principal, NIP