Dr. Anu Chawla

A chronic systemic disease characterized by inflammatory changes in joints & related structures that result in crippling deformities. Diseases primarily affecting the synovium & adjacent tissues.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing an inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, pericardium, pleura, and sclera and also nodular lesions, most common in subcutaneous tissue under the skin. Although the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, autoimmunity plays a pivotal role in its chronicity and progression.

Causes of Rheumatoid Arthritis:

1. Exact cause is not known.
2. Evidence points to autoimmune etiology.
3. Genetic predisposition common.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:

1. Tender, warm, swollen joints
2. Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity
3. Fatigue, fever and weight loss

Early rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect your smaller joints first — particularly the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet.

As the disease progresses, symptoms often spread to the wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders. In most cases, symptoms occur in the same joints on both sides of your body.

About 40 percent of the people who have rheumatoid arthritis also experience signs and symptoms that don't involve the joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect many non-joint structures, including:

• Skin
• Eyes
• Lungs
• Heart
• Kidneys
• Salivary glands
• Nerve tissue
• Bone marrow
• Blood vessels

Rheumatoid arthritis signs and symptoms may vary in severity and may even come and go.Over time, rheumatoid arthritis can cause joints to deform and shift out of place.

Homeopathic Remedies for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Homeopathy treats the person as a whole. It means that homeopathic treatment focuses on the patient as a person, as well as his pathological condition. The homeopathic medicines are selected after a full individualizing examination and case-analysis, which includes the medical history of the patient, physical and mental constitution etc. A miasmatic tendency (predisposition/susceptibility) is also often taken into account for the treatment of chronic conditions.

In allopathy, there is no effective treatement for rheumatoid arthritis except painkillers and steroids that hampers the overall dynamic power of the body. Homoeopathy is a safe and effective alternative that targets the root cause of the problem and treats holistically.

The Scope of homeopathic treatment in rheumatoid arthritis is very favorable. But the patient needs to understand that the homeopathic system is aiming to clear out the disease from the body and not trying merely to suppress or give temporary relief. Thus it could take a while before one experiences relief. The time for its treatment is dependent on various factors- The chronicity of the disease (the duration since the disease has been in the body), genetic propensity and the extent of damage. Homoeopathy can hit the autoimmunity and starts with a better pain relief and can also help you to get rid of painkiller and if treatment continued systemically then may also help you to get rid of steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs leading to better mobility and better quality of life.

What kind of homeopathic medicines are used in treating rheumatoid arthritis and how safe are they?

Homeopathy works on the principle of ‘like cure like ‘ this in homeopathic terms means that substances which in their raw states produce symptoms similar to the disease have the potential to stimulate the body’s own restorative process for a similar illness when given in an activated dilution.

Homeopathic medicines that are used in treating rheumatoid arthritis are mainly from all plant, mineral kingdom. They are then highly diluted and succused (shaken in a specific way).These activated dilutions then stimulates our body’s own restorative systems to eradicate the disease. When rightly prescribed, they are extremely safe. Consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) is inflammation of the tendons that extend the hand backward and away from the palm.

Factors that increase having- 

1-weak shoulder and forearm muscles.

2-playing with a racket that is too tightly strung

3-too short, hitting the ball off center on the racket (out of the sweet spot)

4-hitting heavy, wet balls.
 
Hitting backhanded and allowing the wrist to bend increase the chance of developing lateral epicondylitis.

Treatment -

1-ice is applied to the outer elbow, and exercises that cause pain are avoided.

2- use of a tennis elbow brace (usually for a few weeks as per your physio's advice) can be beneficial. 

3 - ultrasound if swelling visible, tens is also very helpful in combination with ultra sound.

4- as pain decreases, elbow and wrist flexibility and strengthening exercises can be started.

In addition to this conventional treatment of physiotherapy our clinic also has shockwave therapy. One sitting treatment.