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More than 60% of people get diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis once the disease has already reached late stages.
However, if you catch it in time, you can actually come up with a holistic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis that offers relief from your symptoms.
If you’re interested in learning what to watch for with early rheumatoid arthritis so you can nip it in the bud early, we’re here for you. Let’s take a look at what to know about this disease.
What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of auto-immune disease. The disease causes your joints to swell, leading to pain and discomfort.
In general, rheumatoid arthritis starts out with only minor symptoms that come and go. Slowly, however, the symptoms can begin to flare up more often.
As the disease progresses and worsens, you can wind up with debilitating pain in both sides of the body.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes
There isn’t a ton of information on what actually causes rheumatoid arthritis. What we do know, however, is that this disease is an auto-immune disorder.
What that means is that the immune system thinks that the body is threatened by disease. As a result, it attacks the tissue around your joints to “cure” them.
When it attacks your joints, painful swelling and other conditions can occur. This is what leads to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
There are a few possible risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis, including:
- Genes: if you have a family history of the disease, you may be at greater risk
- Hormones: hormones such as oestrogen may be responsible for triggering rheumatoid arthritis
- Smoking: smokers may have an increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis
- Infection: some experts believe that having a serious infection can put you at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can vary from person to person. They also tend to change as the disease progresses. Let’s take a look at a few common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
When you first start to develop rheumatoid arthritis, you may notice:
- Redness and swelling of the joints
- Tenderness and pain in the joints
- Increased fatigue
- Weakness in certain parts of the body
- A general sense of being unwell
These can also be indicators of other issues, however. That means it’s important to speak to your doctor if you’re experiencing any of these issues to make sure that it’s not rheumatoid arthritis.
Late Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms
As RA progresses, you may start to notice more obvious signs of the disease. Thes symptoms include:
- Warmth and swelling in the joints
- Excessive fatigue
- Depression
- Morning stiffness
- Joint pain
- General stiffness
- Fever
- Decreased range of motion
- Tingling
- Numbness
- Loss of appetite
- Dry eyes and mouth
- Rheumatoid nodules
- Weight loss
- Chest pain
- Skin damage
- Nerve damage
As you can see, there are tons of different symptoms that you might experience with rheumatoid arthritis. That’s why it’s so important to speak to your doctor and to make sure you’re not struggling with this auto-immune disease.
Keep in mind that not everyone will have all of these symptoms. And, you may go through periods of remission in which you have no symptoms at all for a while.
However, if you’re struggling with rheumatoid arthritis symptoms from time to time, you should still get checked out. Even though you may have remission periods, the disease will eventually come back if left untreated.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment
Speaking of treatment, there are some rheumatoid arthritis treatments out there. Let’s take a look at a few of the options in greater detail.
Ayurvedic Medicine
If you prefer natural treatments, you can turn to ayurvedic medicine. These therapies include:
- Langana: a type of cleansing therapy that helps rid the body of heaviness and imbalanced doshas.
- Ruksha sweda: a treatment that massages the body with a herbal treatment to help reduce pain and inflammation
- Panchakarma: a five-step detoxification process to help cleanse the body and remove toxins
- Virechana: a purge of the body and mind and a part of panchakarma therapy
- Vasti: enema therapy using medicated oils to help provide relief.
You may also use pungent and bitter herbs. These can also provide relief from rheumatoid arthritis.
Diet and Lifestyle Changes
Sometimes all you need to start beating your symptoms is to make a few diet and lifestyle changes. A few things you may want to incorporate into your diet include garlic, ginger, bitter gourd, red rice, and warm water.
Other herbs that may be helpful include:
- Haridra: Another name for turmeric, which has anti-allergenic and detoxifying properties. It helps balance Kapha and Vata.
- Rasna: A medicinal herb that may help with inflammation, diabetes, joint pain, cough and asthma, and indigestion.
- Eranda: Castor oil, which may help with ovarian cysts, constipation, asthma, alopecia, arthritis, and even wrinkles.
- Sunti: Has balancing properties that may help promote healthy digestion and reduces coughs and colds
- Nirgundi: An herb used to help with inflammation, headaches, pain, gonorrhea, fevers and colds, arthritis, and bronchitis.
- Shallaki: An herb that’s known for having anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.
- Guggulu: An anti-inflammatory herb that may be used to assist with eczema, acne, and psoriasis.
Your doctor may also encourage you to get active. This can help lessen your symptoms.
Prevent Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Although early rheumatoid arthritis isn’t a fun disease to have, you can start to feel better. One great way to feel better is with an alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
Are you ready to put the discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis behind you once and for all? Book an appointment with our team to start taking control of your disease and feeling better for good.