Dr. R Krishnamoorthy

For a disease that affects almost eighty percent of people over 50 years of age, not much is known about curing joint pains. Allopathic medicine remains almost clueless about a complete cure for joint pains which occur due to various reasons like heredity and lifestyle. It treats the pain with pain killers, inflammation reducers and other such drugs which do not heal the joint completely and lead to other problems too.

Ayurveda and Joint Pain
Ayurveda has its own unique perspective on joint problems. According to it, these occur due to:

• Poorly-nourished joints
• Low bone density and overall weakness in joints

The main symptom of poorly nourished joints is discomfort followed by a crackling sound. In this, the bone making up the joint can degenerate due to lack of proper nutrition. Low bone density joints usually occur due to a toxic overload in the joints called ‘ama’ in Ayurveda. Ama is the sticky, toxic waste product of incomplete digestion and this accumulates in joints making them stiff and heavy. Ama accumulation for long can make a joint swollen and painful. Damp, cold weather can aggravate this type of joint problem. If ‘vata’ the Ayurvedic dosha associated with movements and proper functioning of metabolism and assimilation is aggravated, it can cause joint pain too.

The imbalance in Vyana Vata, a special form of vata associated with bone damage along with weakened circulation, metabolism and absorption creates an imbalance in ‘kapha’ the other major dosha in the body, according to Ayurveda. ‘Shleshaka’ Kapha, the sub-dosha of Kapha that controls lubrication of joints dries up. This makes the un-lubricated joints very vulnerable and one starts getting pain.

Ayurvedic treatment
The first line of treatment for joint pains is pacifying the Vata dosha through food and lifestyle modifications like:

• Include all six tastes -sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, and pungent- in the diet. However, sweet, sour and salty tastes are very good to pacify Vata dosha.
• Eat less of bitter, astringent and pungent foods.
• Eat more grains like quinoa, rye and amaranth, cooked in ghee.
• Freshly-cooked organic vegetables and warm liquid soups are best.
• Eat a diet rich in calcium- milk, spinach, kale, asparagus, and root vegetables.
• A Vata pacifying daily routine like eating before 8 pm in the night and keeping dinner light and sleeping early are also advised.

If possible get a daily Ayurvedic oil massage ‘abhyanga’ with special medicated oils to prevent joint problems. Regular habits help settle Vata. So, it’s suggested that one goes to bed at the same time each day, gets up at the same time and follows a regular routine for pacifying Vata. Getting stress under control though meditation and pranayama also does wonders. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ayurveda.