Arthritis Remedies

What is arthritis?

As implied etymologically, arthritis (Arthos-Joint, Itis-Inflammation), is an inflammatory condition of joints. Depending upon the stage and severity, Arthritis Remedies differ from patient to patient and from type to type of the disease. There are about one hundred types of this disease while it is classified as one of the rheumatoid diseases. Arthritis caused by defect of bones is called as ‘Osteoarthritis, that caused by metabolic abnormalities is known as gout.

Symptoms of Arthritis

Arthritis is indicated by swollen joints, pain in joints, redness around joints, difficulty in movement and stiffness. Arthritis may affect any joint of body. A joint is the location where two bones meet and the strength of joints depends upon the location.

Hip joint for example is strong on account of the design of the socket which is quiet cured and deeper, compared with the flatter and shallow socket of shoulder joint, which on this account is very easily dislocated. Hip joint too is dislocated but usually following a trauma like a ‘bath room slip’.

Arthritis Remedies

Arthritis has to be treated to curb the causative factor. Sometimes it is caused by a malfunction of the immune system and the condition is known as ‘autoimmunity’.

The immune system functions to kill pathogenenic or disease causing organisms or cells but in case of malfunction, it starts damaging our own body. It is a dangerous condition and has to be treated under specialist care.

Following are the few other common Arthritis remedies

• OTCs or over the counter drugs for Arthritis, which can be used without prescription include, Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Aspirin, Ibuprofin, naproxen. Excepting Tylenol, the other three are non steroidal anti inflammatory (NSAIDs) drugs, therefore they are comparatively safer to use. This however does not mean that they are free from any side effects, which are very much there and quite harmful too. OTC, s therefore should be used only under constraint.

Arthritis surgery is a current development and a blessing for the disabled and elderly people, confined to their homes on account of severity of their disease. Surgical options are ‘Arthroplasty’ or joint replacement, ‘Resection’ involves bone removal, ‘Osteotomy’ is restructuring of bone and ‘Arthrodesis’ is joining of two bones.
Surgical option is perhaps the best way to treat in case of severe condition and has been found very effective as in knee or shoulder joint replacement.

Acupuncture is a Chinese technique for relieving pain by needle pricking of some nerve endings to stimulate or desensitize the relevant nerves to achieve desired result.

Home remedies are varied and numerous, some of them weird and odd looking too. In some countries mustard seed paste made in hot water is applied on the painful joints. Honey bee stinging has also been tried to treat ‘Gout’. Some patients have been advised to drink milk, boiled after addition of some turmeric and cardamom. Herbal applications relieve pain but can not be taken as treatment. Hot or cold compresses, too have pain relieving effect and may be used in preference to OTcs.