Santha, an 83-year-old female patient hailing from karikkamkulam, calicut came to OPD of SSANH with chief complaints of progressively worsening pain in the lower back, shoulder, fingers and knee.
A detailed history revealed that the patient suffered from multiple joint pain,numbness and restricted mobility for many years. Initially she developed pain in the proximal finger joints of the right hand and it gradually progressed to other fingers, shoulder, knee and lower back. she had been experiencing a disturbance in her sleep due to the unbearable pain. Stiffness in the joints persisted for almost 30-40 min in the morning hours. She felt relief from pain on activity and increased on rest.She consulted with allopathic physicians and was prescribed NSAIDS for 1 month and got very unsatisfactory relief.
During the examination, it was observed that the patient had notable swelling in various joints, along with tenderness upon touch and limited mobility in those areas.Consulting physician from SSANH has diagnosed her condition as Rheumatoid arthritis based on the clinical and laboratory evidence. The doctor advised hospital admission and started treating her with both internal and external therapies. The patient experienced a significant reduction in swelling within the first week of treatment and reported almost 50 %improvement in pain. Then she did two more courses of panchakarma treatment for a period of 14 and 28 days followed by proper diet and lifestyle modifications and was able to lead a normal life without much difficulties of arthritis.
Holistic Healing Journey:
- Internal medications
- Ashta Choornam
- Gandhaka sharkara
- Karpooradi taila
- Rasnadi choornam
- Loha Bhasma
- Gudardraka
- Taleesapatradi choorna
- Dashanga
- Chandamaruta
- Kaishora guggulu
- Rasnamrutam
- Rasasindhoora in ardraka swarasa
- Kushtantaka choorna
- Gokshuradi guggulu
- Abhraka Bhasma+loha Bhasma
- Amrutha guggulu
- Ksheerabala taila
- Amrutottara kashaya
- Rasnasaptakam kashaya
- External therapy
| Sl.
No |
Procedure | Medicine | No of days | ||
| Course 1 | Course 2 | Course 2 | |||
| 1. | Choorna pinda sweda | Kulatha + satapushpa powder | 7 days | 14 days | 28 days |
| 2. | Nasya | Ardraka+guda | 7 days | 14 days | 28 days |
| 3. | Lepa | Grihadhoomadi | 7 days | 14 days | 28 days |
- Special Diet Recommendations:
The hospital provided a healthy diet schedule and the Doctor recommended some special anti-inflammatory diets and diet restrictions along with the medication.
- Advised Regular Exercise and stress-managing pranayama
(Note* This is a specialized plan for a person, please do not try it at home without the supervision of an Ayurvedic Doctor)
Improvement Chart
| Sl No: | Symptoms | Before treatment | Improvement percentage after course 1,2,3 | ||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 1. | Pain | Severe | 60% | 80% | 100% |
| 2. | Swelling | Moderate | 50% | 90% | 100% |
| 3. | Stiffness | Moderate | 30% | 60% | Relaxed muscles |
| 4. | Numbness | Severe | 30% | 90% | 100% |
| 5. | Joint movements | Restricted | 20% | 60% | Within normal limit |
| 6. | Sleep | Disturbed due to pain | Sound | Sound | Sound sleep |
| 7. | Pain on touch | present | 40% | 60% | Absent |
| 8. | Digestion | Improper | proper | proper | Proper |
Ayurvedic approach to Rheumatoid arthritis
Ayurveda has a holistic approach towards Human body.Ayurveda aims to eliminate the root cause of the disease and reversal of pathology. In case of Rheumatoid arthritis the improper defence mechanism is the root cause. According to Ayurveda poor metabolism of the body leads to endotoxin formation called “Aama” When these endotoxins associated with immune cells, it results in abnormal behaviour and leads to the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.In this patient, we have adopted some of the treatment methodologies which remove aama, the root cause of autoimmunity from the body.
- Choorna pinda sweda
Choorna pinda sweda or podikizhi in Malayalam is a fomentation technique where choorna or podi means medicinal powder and pinda sweda or kizhi means fomentation with poultice. This is a sudation therapy performed by using a bolus prepared with medicinal powders.
Benefits :
- Reduces the inflammation
- It increases the peripheral blood supply and proper nourishment to the area
- Act as muscle relaxant and eases joint stiffness
- Lepa
Lepas are topical medicaments meant for external applications to the skin or mucous membrane. Proper application of lepa for a specific period resulted in the reduction of pain and swelling present in the joints as Ingredients possess analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Nasya
Nasya is a procedure of administration of medicine in the form of herbal oil, medicated powder etc. through the nasal cavity. It Is one of the pancha shodhana/bio purificatory procedures of Ayurveda. Nasya expels the endotoxin present in the body and thus to break the pathogenesis of RA.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis. While most of us are aware that arthritis is unpleasant, it is difficult to fully understand how it affects one’s quality of life.This is an auto-immune disease in which the immune system inflames the synovium over time, resulting in bone and cartilage deterioration.Arthritis is a challenging chronic disease to treat and can lead to a range of consequences. The basic treatment consists of anti-inflammatory medicines and immune suppressants. Long-term use of these medications, however, can lead to drug addiction and dangerous adverse effects. This is why Ayurvedic arthritis treatment is so important. SSANH is managed according to specific treatment guidelines and individualised care with appropriate diet and lifestyle changes.
“SSANH Hospital is widely regarded as the best facility for treating Rheumatoid Arthritis in Kerala.Experienced medical staff,and dedication to patient care,SSANH stands out as the top choice for those seeking treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in the region.”
