Non-inflammatory pain and tenderness in joints, muscles and ligaments can lead to a chronic condition called Fibromyalgia. It is estimated that it affects 5 % of the population annually. Though there are many conventional medications available to address this situation, none of them focuses on healing the disease from the root. This is precisely where Ayurvedic techniques differ. Let us look at a time tested way to address Fibromyalgia through ancient Ayurveda.

Ayurveda for Fibromyalgia
There are some common symptoms of Fibromyalgia. These include aches and stiffness of the body, generalized fatigue, chronic headaches and migraines, swelling and numbing sensations in the joints. Ayurveda treats a particular disease on the basis of the  vata  imbalance. The condition also affects the central nervous system thus leading to pain and tenderness. Accumulation of Ama or toxins is also the other major factor for Fibromyalgia.

Ayurveda focuses mainly on these two factors and creates a balance in suppressing them. The famed panchakarma therapy and the herbal oil massage can help in reducing the toxin levels. They also work additionally as a detox thus helping in eradicating the harmful by-products. Along with it, a diet plan should also be followed for stimulating the growth naturally. These include vegetables, fibers, and juices of carrot, cucumber, beetroot, spices like cumin, coriander, ginger asafetida and coconut milk.

Also, some limitations are needed, and a person should avoid spicy foods and reduce the intake of caffeine products. Alcohol should be curbed when a person is under the treatment plan. Few herbs like "Dashamula quath" and 'Triphala choorna' are recommended for cleansing the colon. Mental stress is also one of the major factors, and hence a relaxed attitude should be followed along with certain lifestyle changes. Ayurveda wants the body to get the necessary sleep and rest in its treatment plan. In the treatment of Fibromyalgia too, it is no different. The Ayurvedic physician would lay out the entire cycle of the treatment procedure, and they have to be followed religiously. A person can see the reduction in the pain within a few weeks of following the treatment.

Ayurveda is safe
The biggest advantage of an Ayurvedic treatment is that it is extremely safe and that there are no side effects. They effectively act as a detox thus getting rid of the harmful substances from the body along with curing of the symptoms. Ayurveda not only takes care of the pain but identifies the problem from the root. Hence it effectively curbs the chances of Fibromyalgia from reoccurring.

Fibromyalgia - How Ayurveda Is Safe For It?

After a hard day the only relief one has is to get a good night s rest and drift off to the world of sweet sleep. You might find yourself wide awake at night, even when your body is extremely tired. This difficulty to fall asleep naturally is called insomnia. If this inability to sleep continues for a long time, it becomes a sleep disorder and can cause many physical and health issues.

Reasons behind Insomnia  

The lifestyle of the twenty first century can be very demanding. A disorder like Insomnia can be easily triggered with various factors they include:

1. Emotional stress: The rollercoaster of emotions that one deals with had a huge effect on their sleep cycle. A stressed mindset will find it hard to be put to rest and as this unwanted stress continues each day.

2. Fluctuating hormones in a woman s body: Women tend to be the victims of insomnia more often than their male counterparts. These changes may include conditions such as PMS, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.

3. Use of caffeine and anti depressants:  Excessive coffee drinkers might find it difficult to relax their brain, since the caffeine in tea and coffee keeps one brain alert, hence too much of caffeine consumption can be a cause of insomnia. Even smokers might face the same problem since the nicotine acts as an alerting agent.

4. Systemic disorders: Disorders like Asthma and Hyperthyroidism and other various medical conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma, arthritis, allergies, hyperthyroidism and Parkinson s disease can do the same.

Treating insomnia with homeopathy

The reason why Insomnia can be treated the best way through homeopathy is because this treatment is both free from any side effects and is quick in its effects as well in comparison to other conventional methods which induce artificial sleep that can have harrowing effects.  On the contrary, homeopathy is a completely natural treatment that doesn t include any artificial drugs and its small doses work just the right way.

Medications

1. Coffea Cruda is a homeopathic medicine that is most often used for treating insomnia of acute origin or when the disorder only lasts for a brief moment of time.  As the name suggests it is made from coffee beans.

2. Nux Vomica is more suited when insomnia is due to the abuse of stimulants like too much of alcohol, coffee or nicotine. Other medicines such as opium, aconite, arsenic are also recommended by a specialized homeopath. 

It is always recommended to consult a specialized homeopath before taking any medication.

Understanding Insomnia and its Treatment Through Homeopathy

It is quite likely for you to mistake fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) as the same condition because of the frequent overlap and similar symptoms. As a result, people with both conditions are diagnosed with only one and are treated for that. The major difference between PMS and FMS is that they need different treatment. The trigger points can be eliminated, and while MPS pain may exacerbate FMS, treating MPS can improve FMS.

About FMS and MPS

FMS is a disorder featured by musculoskeletal pain along with sleep, fatigue and mood swings. It affects the way in which your brain processes pain signals.
MPS is another chronic pain disorder in which the pain is caused in the body because of pressure on sensitive points in the muscles. It is known as referred pain.
Symptoms:
There are several symptoms of MPS which are similar to that of FMS, while there are some different symptoms as well. The common symptoms are as follows:

Soft tissue pain
Headaches or migraines
Disturbance in sleep
Problems with balance
Tinnitus or ear pain
Memory problems
Excessive sweating
Here are the symptoms which are associated with MPS only and not with FMS:

Extreme numbness
Clicking or popping joints
Reduced range of motion in the joints
Blurry and double vision
Unusual nausea
Here are some symptoms which are observed in FMS but not in the case of MPS:

Fatigue
Panic attacks
Developing allergies and sensitivities
Feeling overwhelmed because of high sensory input levels
Confusion and disorientation
Diagnosis
MPS is difficult to diagnose and treat because of referred pain. The symptoms have to be recognised and the trigger points need to be identified for detecting MPS. The trigger points are found on the basis of the symptoms. Several tests like magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and tissue biopsy are used for MPS diagnosis. On the other hand, there are no tests or scans which can detect FMS in patients.

Treatment
There are several overlaps as well as major differences when it comes to the treatment procedures of MPS and FMS. The treatment methods which are used for both MPS and FMS are as follows:

Acupuncture
Physical therapy which may be in different forms
Tricyclic antidepressant medicine
According to studies, trigger point injections are not too effective in giving relief to fibromyalgia tender points, while non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are not useful for the treatment of FMS pain as they are meant for inflammation. It is very important for you to visit a doctor if you experience any symptoms of FMS or PMS. You require proper diagnosis so that the right treatment can be undertaken.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) & Myofascial Pain Syndrome (MPS) - Signs That Indicate It!

Our bones and joints make us functional on a day to day basis. It is, therefore, imperative that we should take good care of them at all times. There are many conditions that can affect our skeletal system and one of them is, Gout. While the link between the two may not be that obvious, gout happens to be a condition, which is sometimes related to arthritis. Therefore, it is sometimes known by the name 'gouty arthritis'.

While the issue may be severely painful, it does not mean that it cannot be reduced. And of course, when a person has the option and cutting the pain caused by gout drastically, his or her natural response is likely to be 'why not?'

Why Does It Happen?

The main reason for the occurrence of gout is too much uric acid being present in the body. The limbs of the body swell up, especially the extremities and this is known to be very painful. In many cases of gout, the swelling is especially evident in the big toe. Flare ups can last hours on end and may even get longer.

The people who wish to get the gout that is putting him or her through so much pain treated, there are quite a few options at their disposal. There are pain relievers that can be consumed under the advice of a medically qualified professional. While these pain relievers do not treat gout, but can reduces the intensity of the symptoms. Daily doses can be recommended as per the requirement and severity of the situation.

How to Get Rid of Gout?

While some anti-inflammatory drugs may have their effect, but no matter how bad the pain, aspirin is a drug that needs to be avoided. Intake of aspirin can make the problem even worse, which is the last thing a person would want!

The severe problems of gout can be dealt with the chemicals known as corticosteroids. Now, while these can provide some very effective pain relief, using them can be tricky due to certain side effects. One of these side effects is that since these chemicals are injected into the joints, they can significantly weaken them. The other side effect is that they slow the healing process of the wound. Both of these side effects are highly undesirable for any patients. These chemicals are usually prescribed by the doctors after a thorough analysis of patient's condition and history.

A person who drinks alcohol and suffers from severe condition of gout should look to scale back the amount which is consumed by him or her. This is because alcohol increases the amount of uric acid which is present in the blood.

Gout and Its Treatments

If you are suffering from arthritis, it is important for you to know about how it affects your knee and other joints. Arthritis is a chronic, systematic inflammatory disease which damages your joints and connective tissues. Your knee is commonly affected by arthritis and there are three primary types of arthritis that occur in the knees. They include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis.

Types of arthritis 
The different types of arthritis affecting the knees occur due to different reasons. Osteoarthritis is a progressive condition, which wears away the joint cartilage over time. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition, which may occur at any age. Post-traumatic arthritis occurs after an injury is inflicted to the knee and may occur several years after a ligament injury or knee fracture.

Major symptoms

Arthritis pain may occur all of a sudden but develops slowly. In the early stages, the pain is observed in the morning after you have been inactive over the night. Pain is likely when you want to move around. Pain may be experienced even when immobile.
Periodic inflammation is a common symptom of arthritis of the knee. This happens because of the formation of bone spurs or excess fluids in your knee. The swelling gets pronounced after being inactive for a long period. The skin on your knee may look red and feel warm while you touch it. This may lead to chronic inflammation, which is very difficult to manage.
Treatment
There are several ways of treating knee arthritis. The mode of treatment depends on the severity and cause of knee arthritis. NSAIDS or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are commonly prescribed for dealing with arthritis pain temporarily. Other medicines used for knee arthritis treatment are as follows:

Analgesics, which help in pain reduction act as good alternatives to NSAIDS.
Corticosteroids are used for reducing inflammation.
Certain DMARDs or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are used.
Certain injections that are used for helping with knee arthritis. They include:

Hyaluronic acid supplements, which ease the pain and inflammation by lubricating your knee joints.
Corticosteroid injections also soothe inflammation and pain.
You may also require a surgery for dealing with knee arthritis when other modes of treatment fail. The most common surgeries are as follows:

Total joint replacement, where your knee is replaced with a prosthetic made of metal, plastic or ceramic.
Osteotomy, where the knee bones are modified for controlling pressure and damage in the knees.
Arthroscopy, where an incision is made in the knee for removing damaged parts.
It is recommended for you to consult a doctor, if you experience any symptom of knee arthritis. Early treatment will prevent the condition from worsening.

Know if You Have Arthritis in the Knee

Arthritis, which is quite a common ailment among people aged above 40, is painful regardless where it affects a person, be it the hands or the toes. However, the Ayurvedic field of medicine has come up with historic ways of treating the issue. Over the course of time, these methods have proved to be quite effective, and especially popular as they have no side effects. A person only needs to spend a little time to get to know how to go about using Ayurveda to cure the arthritic aches and pains, which plague daily life!


One of the best things about Ayurveda is the fact that the solutions are generally made using ingredients that are very easy to source. For example, there is a solution for arthritis, which involves mixing a cup of mustard oil with about 10 grams of camphor and then heating the combination. This oil mixture then needs to be massaged on the affected areas. Now, isn t that simple?


The common potato, long considered to be a vegetable of the masses, also finds its use in Ayurveda when it comes to treating arthritis. If you soak a few unpeeled slices of potato in a glass of water overnight and drink this water the following morning, you are sure to find an improvement in your condition quite soon. 


Additionally, there are a few other food items that are recommended in the Ayurvedic treatment. These include bitter gourd, which is not only low in calorie content, but also very high on vitamins and ginger which improves metabolism. Consuming garlic and buttermilk is also considered advantageous. 


Moreover, you may also need to make some changes to the lifestyle habits, which have been deeply ingrained. For instance, sleeping as per a regular schedule and not going to sleep very late at night has a positive impact.


As you have probably be discerned, when it comes to health, the devil is in the eating! If a person who has arthritis makes an effort to conform to a good and healthy diet, which does not contain fried or sugary food, or even those which have spices in excess, he or she will not only find the pain symptoms of arthritis reducing, but also gain a general sense of health.


As long as a person has the patience to follow the way of treating arthritis set out by Ayurveda, the benefits will truly be bountiful!

Arthritis - How Ayurveda Can Help Treat it?

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