Dr. Bhavin Shail

Rheumatism is an auto-immune and chronic disease caused due to the abnormal swelling of the body joints in the knees or the shoulders. The symptoms of rheumatism include intense pain in the morning, mild fever with the pain, swollen joints resulting in immense pain, stiff joints, increased pain in cold climate and extreme tiredness.

Doctors are still doubtful about the exact cause of the disease, but the weakened immune system might damage the joints. This makes obese people, smokers and women most susceptible to this disorder.

According to Ayurveda, rheumatism is caused due to a major imbalance in the ‘Vata or Kapha’ dosha. The Ayurvedic remedies aim for the restoration of the body’s Vata/Kapha balance. Ayurvedic remedies help reduce the ‘ama’, the toxins produced by the body.

The Ayurvedic remedies for rheumatoid arthritis are as follows:

1. Boil a cup of mustard oil with camphor in it until the camphor dissolves well. Apply the lukewarm mixture on the affected areas once a day. This helps revive the blood circulation of the affected portion and subsequently reduces the abnormal swelling of the affected joints.
2. You can take a few unpeeled slices of potato and soak them in a glass of cold water. Keep it for the night and drink it the next morning on an empty stomach. Do this every day to get rid of the pain.
3. Include little amounts of ginger, garlic, and turmeric in your regular meals. This will help to reduce the inflammation and stiffness of the affected joints. Ayurvedic scriptures suggest that you should try and reduce the consumption of fish, red meat, curd, spinach and extremely chilled water as they might cause an imbalance in the ‘vata’.
4. Applying a recommended amount of castor oil on the affected region helps reduce the inflammation and thus, the pain.
5. A herbal preparation of celery seeds can be consumed daily in order to treat rheumatoid arthritis. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda and ask a free question.