Dr. Greeshma Thomas

With age, we often experience gradual wear and tear of our body parts, which leads to slow down of body functions. Wear and tear of bones and joints often make movement difficult in various parts, such as hands, hips, legs, knees, ankles, etc. Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis are a two serious and common conditions where wear and tear of the bone is significant. The pain and stiffness in the affected joints vary, but for most people, restricted movement is the main issue. The relieving news is that there are effective, natural methods in Ayurveda which are tested over centuries and used even to date.

These methods aim at improving stiffness, pain control, controlling progression of inflammation, reversal of damage (if not severe), improving range of motion, improving strength and improving overall energy levels.
Ayurveda believes that body’s health is managed with the balance between three vital elements that is vata, pitta, and kapha. Arthritis (both osteo and rheumatoid variety) is believed to be related to vata and arthritis is also known as sandhivata (sandhi meaning joint).

Treatment includes overall body treatment and focused treatment of the affected joint. Oral medicines, oils and external applicants, detoxification and rejuvenation through panchakarma, diet changes, healthy lifestyle are all part of the treatment regimen. Oil and external application on the overall body and affected joints will help lubricate the joints and will allow easy movement. This will help reduce stiffness and improve range of motion.

Dietary changes: Reduce fats, sugar, salt and alcohol. Include a lot more of fish, soy, olive oil, low-fat dairy products, broccoli, green tea, citrus fruits, whole grains, beans, garlic and nuts and seeds. In addition to protein, these have various ingredients, which are useful for bone health and act as anti-inflammatory agents.

Ayurveda For Arthritis

As per Ayurveda, Joint pains or Arthritis is caused because of suppression of agni that results in poor digestion, thus leading to accumulation of undigested wastes in body that encourages buildup of waste matter (ama). The disease is classified under three heads

1. Vata – This type of arthritis results in dryness of joints.
2. Pitta – This type of arthritis results in swollen joints where pain increase with movement of limbs
3. Kapha - This type of arthritis can be seen in body in form of stiff swollen joints. With cold feeling in joints, a bit of limb movement causes relief from pain. Some Ayurvedic processes taken by us that help in treatment include :
   • Detoxification processes that include enemas and panchakarma that remove accumulated toxic wastes and provides relief from pain
   • Ayurvedic Massage Oils (the effect of oils depends primarily on body type) where these help in removing joint stiffness and improving limb mobility

Arthritis Treatment in Kerala
Arthritis is an ailment that concerns joints of body, bones as well as muscles, causing inflammation in the parts and making patients suffer from Fatigue syndrome, Severe aches and Lack of body movement. With the increasing hold of disease, patients face suffering and are restricted in making usual body movement.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Hi, I am Dr Greeshma, I am consulting physician in VCC Ayurveda. So today I am going to speak about infertility, what is infertility. Infertility according to WHO is the inability of the couple to conceive after having regular intercourse for a period of 1 year. So, who all dependent like there are equal chances for male and female and it can happen in both the couples’s infertilite, in some cases. So the main causes for infertility in females are like PCOD then uterine fibroids, endometriosis then hormonal imbalance due to stress or due to hypertension, diabetes. In males, it can be due to low sperm motility or low sperm count or due to lot of stress in work again hypertension and diabetes can also be factors. So what we do here in VCC for infertility is. In Ayurveda there are 4 things which are very much important for conception namely Rutu, Kshetra, Ambu, Beeja, so, Rutu is the climatic condition inside the uterus of a female and the uterus itself is a important factor for conception then Ambu is the nourishment which has to be provided for the foetus and Beeja, Beeja is the sperm in male and over in female which is important for conception. So there should be main important sins given for both physical and mental health of both the partners. So there are various treatments in Ayurveda which we do, so namely like first, Virechana can we administer in the patient followed by Basti and uttar basti and then few medications that is therapeutic diet is given to the patient. So in Virechana a particular amount of medicated ghee is given for 4 to 5 days and then snehana, snehana is medicated oil is used and the whole oil is applied over the body in 7 different posture followed by sudation therapy. So in sedation the patient is made to sweat profusely so that whatever veshitted doshas or toxin is there it will come to the GIT and from there a treatment called as Virechana it is done, so that the medicated ghee or avleha or medicated churan is given so that the patient will start Pagination. So what happens is all these procedurse helps in detoxification of the body and there is also stress, a very important factor which can leave to infertilities, so we have treatments like Shirodhara which will helps in relaxing the body. So within going to like so many painful treatments like IVF or having some hormonal therapies in allopathy which will have a lot of side effects a couple can always approach first in Ayurveda. As we have very good treatment here in Ayurveda, so I suggest to all the viewers and I highly recommend Ayurveda for any queries or any consultation you can contact me on Lybrate. Thank you.

Ageing is a process which is not always kind to people. One of the things which occurs along with ageing is cervical spondylosis, which causes extreme pain and stiffness of muscles. Although it may be an excruciating thing to have, it really does not mean that it cannot be treated, especially with herbal medicine.

In a lot of cases, cervical spondylosis (sometimes referred to as neck arthritis or cervical osteoarthritis) ends up being related to a neck injury that was suffered by a person and it gets progressively worse as he or she gets older. It is a condition in which there is a degradation of the joints of either two or more vertebrae.

To say that herbal remedies can go a long way when it comes to an issue such as cervical spondylosis is an understatement. Take a look at Ayurveda, the ancient, yet super effective body of medicine.

1. Triphla: To start with, there is triphala, which is a herb. Take triphala powder, mix it in a glass of milk and have it. Do ensure that the milk is warm as triphala may not have its intended effect, if the case is otherwise.
2. Gugglu: Simbananda Guggulu, which is the resin extract of the Guggulu plant, is considered an effective medicine.
3. Aloe vera: Aloe Vera or Kumari Saar, as referred to in the Ayurvedic terms, is known to be a wonder plant and there is a good set of reasons as to why it has earned this reputation for itself. One of the reasons is surely the potential of its juice to help with treating cervical spondylosis.

Ayurveda requires general changes in a person’s diet and the way he or she lives life, as well. For this reason, when a person is looking to get rid of cervical spondylosis, it is important to stay away from eating fried food or food that is either sour or bitter. Relief from cervical spondylosis can be as easy as popping a medicine in capsule form a few times a day! 

Make sure you visit a qualified doctor before you consume any of these medicines. It is to be kept in mind that a doctor should prescribe the dosage of medicines and the duration of the treatment for cervical spondylosis and only after this is done should you undergo the treatment. Soon you can look forward to living a higher quality of life with lesser pain.

Ayurveda provides permanent cure for this ailment. The treatment includes external therapies like greeva basti, abhyangam, kizhi etc. Along with some therapeutic diet and regimen and internal medication. Therefore, cervical spondylitis is completely curable with ayurveda.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Earlier, when one stepped out, you automatically put a bottle of water into your bag. Today, carrying a bottle is often seen as an unnecessary hassle. Afterall, you can easily buy a bottle of water anywhere. When it comes to bottled water, most of us do not follow the use and throw concept. A plastic bottle is not seen as a container for water, but rather as a free gift that accompanies it. This bottle is taken home, refilled and put into the fridge. However, did you know that this practice could be harming you?

Not all plastic bottles are the same. When you buy a bottle of water, take a look at the bottom. You will notice a triangular recycling symbol with a number within it. This number ranges from 1 to 7 and speaks of how many times the bottle can be reused. Water bottles typically have the number 1 stamped on them. This is the manufacturer’s way of telling you that these bottles should be used only once and should not be refilled. Refillable plastic bottles usually are categorized as code 7. These may be refilled, but are not completely safe either.

Why are plastic bottles unsafe?
Plastic is ultimately a chemical compound. Many of their chemical ingredients can be harmful to human health. When plastic bottles are reused, these chemicals are leeched into the water and ingested by us. For example, plastic mineral water bottles contain antimony that may cause cancer. Similarly, refillable bottles may contain phthalates that can cause reproductive problems.
Plastic bottles are also difficult to clean and hence home to millions of bacteria. Putting a plastic bottle in the dishwasher could worsen the condition as it may cause chemicals to leak out of the bottle. Similarly, pouring hot liquid into a plastic bottle could lead to deterioration of the plastic and unwanted chemicals in the liquid.

The Alternative
Glass and copper bottles are much better ways of storing and carrying water. Glass is an inert material that will not affect the purity of water stored within it but may be prone to breakage. Copper is a natural metal that does interact with water but the mineral it adds to water can help improve a person’s health. These bottles may seem a little expensive in comparison to plastic bottles but in the long run are very cost effective. Think about it. Would you rather spend now and drink water in peace or save now and spend on doctor’s fees later? If you wish to discuss any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda.