Rheumatoid Arthritis

Homoeo call Rheumatoid Arthritis, though a painful condition, can be relieved through homoeopathic remedies.

 

T he human organism is a wonderful mechanism which works in harmony. But there are instances wherein the immune system which is responsible for neutralisinge bacteria and viruses that invade the system loses its way and tends to affect the organs of the human body. One such condition where the immune system seems to affect the locomotor system of the body is called as Rheumatoid arthritis.

Pain in the joints is the most troublesome feature of Rheumatoid arthritis. The characteristic of this disease is that the pain seems to shift between joints, that is for a few days a joint is affected and suddenly the pain shifts to another joint completely relieving the previous joint. Swelling is associated with the condition. Stiffness of the joints takes over and the affected joints feels so stiff that movements painful. Over a period of time, the changes of arthritis in the joints can cause degeneration and lack of mobility of the affected areas which can become irreversible if unattended to. There is another condition called as osteoarthritis wherein the degeneration of the joints can set in with ageing; but in case of Rheumatoid arthritis the degeneration can be so rapid that the changes take place in just a matter of two years.

The disease runs in phases; in the sense that there is a stage wherein the rapid degeneration and the acute symptoms of arthritis predominate; the disease runs its course and then becomes inactive for a few years. This can vary from patient to patient. But the problem with such a disease is that even when it becomes inactive the degenerative changes remain irreversible and can continue to cause pain.

It is a genetic condition and runs in families. But it has no other causative factor except that on exertion the symptoms could get worse. The pain could get worse in individual cases in a particular season and even diurnally.

Homoeopathic medicine remedies like Bryonia, Rhus tox, Belladonna etc. relieve pain. Stiffness of the joints can be relatively improved with help of Guiacum, Piper methysticum etc. But the more important help that these medicines can do is in the area of making the disease inactive or push it into a stage of remission. Accordingly there are remedies like Lachesis, Lycopodium, Calc ccarb, Arg nitetc. that can help in that manner.