JOINTS PAIN, BACKACHE AND HOMEOPATHY
"Man is ill because he is never still."
"Homeopathy .... cures a larger percentage of cases than any other method of treatment and is beyond doubt safer and more economical and most complete medical science."
At the outset, it would be worth mentioning that arthritis is a very loosely used term. Medically speaking, any joint pain is termed arthritis. But non-medicos & general public often assume arthritis to be rheumatoid arthritis & take it for granted that they are suffering from some incurable disease, that they have to live with it for the rest of their lives & that they will probably end up with deformities some day. Here, part of the blame must be shared by doctors who often fail to tell the patient that arthritis does not necessarily mean rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, arthritis is a just a medical terminology for any kind of joint pain. All joint pains need thorough investigations because many kinds of general diseases also cause joint pains. Hence any joint pains which are sudden with lot of swelling, heat & redness of joints, fever also need as much or more attention than long standing joint pains or stiffness. Some important things which need to be known during homeopathic treatment for joint pains are- the duration of the pains, presence / absence of fever, swelling, heat & redness of joints, any injury to the joint, number of joints involved in the pain, which joints are painful, any skin problems / diarrhoea / weight loss / decreased vision or any other symptoms accompanying the joint pains & any family history of joint problems. After all the data is obtained, it is necessary to get the appropriate blood tests & X-rays done to reach a diagnosis. Sometimes some fluid may have to be collected form the joint for laboratory analysis to reach a diagnosis. Of all the forms of arthritis rheumatoid arthritis, gout & osteoarthritis is most common.
HOMEOPATHY FOR SPONDYLOSIS
Our spine is made up of a number of bones known as vertebrae. Between two consecutive vertebrae is present a cushion like substance-what we call intervertebral disc. After the age of 20-25 years some changes start occurring in the spine eg. some tiny growth on the vertebrae, increase or decrease in the vertebral disc space, protrusion of the disc etc. These changes may or may not cause any symptoms. But when they cause symptoms like pain, tingling, numbness, stiffness, slipped disc the illness is called spondylosis. Spondylosis can occur anywhere along the spine but common sites are neck (cervical spondylosis) & lower back (lumbar spondylosis). The symptoms occur mainly because the changes that take place in the spine may cause compression of nerves. Symptoms are mainly seen in people with faulty postures, people with long hours at the desk or also due to stress. No medicine can prevent the changes occurring in the spine nor revert the changes that have taken place. What can be done however, is treatment of the symptoms. Allopathic medicine mainly consists of pain-relieving tablets which are very harmful in the long run if taken for a prolonged period or repeatedly. They could cause acidity, ulcers, blood pressure or even kidney damage. Homeopathy cures the symptoms without any side-effects or damage. Along with homeopathy hot fomentation, shory-wave diathermy & traction done by a physiotherapist could be very helpful. In cases of slipped disc bed rest for a few days or weeks as advised is an absolute must. Besides, the benefits of regular exercise need no mention.
HOMEOPATHY AND BACKACHE Backache is one of the most common problem, which probably all of us have faced at one time or the other. However, it needs attention when it occurs repeatedly or continues for days together. At times, a sudden backache could occur due to a hard day at work or a faulty posture while sitting or in sleep. This pain although quite bad is usually bearable & the movements though painful are not very restricted. These pains are nothing but muscle strains or spasms & subside within a day or two. Occasionally, a sudden back pain could occur due to a slipped disc. This pain is very severe & diagnosis is confirmed on X-ray. It needs bed rest for a couple of days or weeks. However, what we will discuss here are causes & treatment of a persistent or recurring backache. Firstly, in all cases of a persistent or recurring backache, an X-ray should be taken to rule out serious causes like tuberculosis of the spine, ankylosing spondylosis, kidney stones, gall bladder stones etc. Some of these are dealt with in the surgical section & are beyond the scope of discussion here. Once these have been ruled out, the other causes could be spondylosis (as discussed above) strain of ligaments, faulty postures, calcium deficiency, prolonged hours of physical inactivity, anxiety & depression. In treatment correction of faulty postures, sleeping on a hard bed or putting a wooden board under a firm mattress, hot fomentation, regular exercises, using chairs with adequate backrest, calcium supplements in cases of calcium deficiency & physiotherapy are helpful along with homeopathic medicines.
HOMEOPATHY FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Rheumatoid arthritis usually involves multiple joints even those of the hands & feet. There is a prolonged history of pain & morning stiffness of joints, Blood ESR is high & some other tests like RA may be positive. Exercises are very important to prevent progression of the disease.
Allopathic treatment usually consists of pain-reliever tablets for the acute phase of arthritis. There aren't any safe drugs which can be used for a prolonged period nor any medicines for permanent cure. Homeopathy cures most cases of gout & rheumatoid arthritis.
HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS
Osteoarthritis is the normal age related wear & tear of the weight bearing joints of the body mainly the knee, hip & back. X-rays are usually sufficient for diagnosis. Exercise & regular intake of vitamin D & Calcium is very important to prevent rapid progression of the disease.
Treatment: Homeopathy relieves most cases osteoarthritis, though osteo-arthritis per se is not a curable disease. One can only slow down it's fast progress & help pain relief without any side-effects.
HOMEOPATHY IN GOUT
In gout, the blood levels of uric acid are commonly seen to be high, although all patients with high uric acid levels may not suffer from gout. At the same time, normal levels of uric acid in the blood does not rule out gout.
In gout, there are sudden attacks of severe pain with swelling of usually one joint-commonly the great toe of the foot. At times the attacks might be accompanied by high fever. The attack subsides after a few days & the patient is fine till the next attack, which
at times may not occur even upto 2 years. The diagnosis is made by sending the fluid from the affected joint for a laboratory test. The high levels of uric acid may at times also lead to formation of uric acid stones in the kidney. Treatment of gout: Allopathy offers only one drug for lowering the uric acid levels which too has a lot of side effects & is usually not well tolerated. It is recommended that patients of gout should avoid red meat & wine. Homeopathy has many remedies for treating gout, even curing it completely.
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