Ayurvedic Oils for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Inflamed joints are often painful and give you a repulsive appearance. Wake up!  It is rheumatoid arthritis, when left unnoticed can dramatically affect the functioning of other organs of your body. Experts term it as a long term ailment that ends up in swelling, irritation and redness of the joints and tissues surrounding it. The ancient wonder science gifted by our ancestors has mind-blowing and natural remedies for rheumatoid arthritis.  This illness is known as Ama vata in Ayurvedic terms and most often it is said that the pain in the affected joint areas is as painful as a Scorpion’s sting. The prescribed use of Ayurvedic essential oils according to the Ayurvedic body types has proven positive effects in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Causes and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis:  The exact cause for rheumatoid arthritis is not known. Few may inherit this disease from their family and Ayurveda strongly denotes that the basic reason behind this illness is due to the toxins known as ‘Ama’ due to unevenness of body fire. This sultry toxin has the dangerous effect of jamming the function of the vital parts of the body that helps in nourishing the system.  Imbalanced vata carries this toxin and it finally reaches kapha subjugated parts of the body like stomach, joints, brain, chest and few others. Since this is an autoimmune disease, it erroneously affects the healthy tissues of the body and gradually lowers the regular functioning of the body and slows down the system.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are swelling, inflammation of the joints, loss of appetite, indigestion, pain, morning stiffness, pleurisy, burning and itchy eyes, insomnia, burning sensation in the feet and hands, loss of energy, fatigue, nodules under the skin, weakness, aversion to food and few more. This disease is common among women than men, especially in the middle ages. According to Ayurveda, there are three types of rheumatoid arthritis. They are Vataj, Pittanubandi and Kaphanubandi and each of them have the predominance of the Ayurvedic doshas, vata, pitta and kapha.

Ayurvedic remedies for rheumatoid arthritis: The greatest value to treasure about Ayurveda is that it treats a disease from the beginning by analyzing its root cause and not by looking at it just at the surface level. This is because it aims at permanent remedy as well as focused prevention of the illness in the future. By this time, you must have clearly understood that rheumatoid arthritis occurs mainly due to the uneven deposition of toxins in the body especially, the joints. So Ayurveda focuses on the process of eliminating, purifying and discharging the toxins settlement using simple yet startling essential oils and certain other natural remedies.

  • Turmeric essential oil for rheumatoid arthritis: Popularly known as the ‘Golden Goddess’ this oil has innumerable curative properties and the most highlighting among them are anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-bacterial properties. Turmeric essential oil eliminates the toxins that are stored in the body and cleanses the system and is perfectly called as an ‘All-purpose cleanser’ in the Ayurvedic world. It treats the kapha imbalance and is prevalently used in weight-loss treatments with its therapeutic and warming properties. A renowned research has proved that Turmeric and its extracts like Turmeric essential oil with the presence of curcuminoids are in charge for the antiarthritic effect and have been effectual in treating and preventing inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis.
  • Peppermint essential oil: Another celebrated remedy for rheumatoid arthritis is the use of peppermint essential oil that has anti-inflammatory, anesthetic and analgesic properties that help in lessening the inflammation, reducing pain and soothe the inflamed areas from within. It is also used as an excellent cleanser for mouth, which is considered as the storehouse of ‘Ama’ or the toxic substances of the body. You can dilute this oil in carrier oils like jojoba oil or olive oil and gently massage the affected areas for guaranteed relief from pain, swelling and irritation.
  • Oil Pulling: Oil pulling is a natural treatment for removing toxins from the mouth and from all over the body. The benefits of which are mentioned in Charaka Samhita, the Ayurvedic text. Regular oil pulling with sesame oil, coconut oil or sunflower oil preferably in the morning in empty stomach for about 20 minutes will help in oral hygiene, whiter teeth, stronger gums and natural alleviation of toxins from the body that cause rheumatoid arthritis and other major health disorders.
  • Other natural remedies: Apart from the use of Ayurvedic oils for treating rheumatoid arthritis, Ayurveda has few more suggested remedies like the use of Ashwagandha herb (Withania Somnifera) and Asparagus racemosus, which have been proved beneficial in the healing of rheumatoid arthritis. Ayurveda also insists on regular physical exercises that involve the movement of joints, yoga and meditation for quick remedy of rheumatoid arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation has also listed a research update by the scientists from the Baltimore John Hopkins University, stating that yoga has absolutely been helpful for treating people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Whatever illness you may have, Ayurveda has the right protective shield for you and it is rightly called as the ‘Science of Life’.

Thought for the day:

Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it.                       – By Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Suggested reading:

  1. Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing by Bruce Fife.
  2. Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy by Mukunda Stiles
  3. Yoga & Ayurveda: Self-Healing and Self-Realization by Dr. David Frawley

Reference Links:

  1. Rheumatoid Arthritis by PubMed Health
  2. Ama Vata by Podar Ayurved Medical College
  3. Yoga helpful for Rheumatoid Arthritis by Arthritis Foundation
  4. Turmeric extracts containing curcuminoids prevent experimental rheumatoid arthritis by The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
  5. The benefit of Ayurvedic diagnostics in treatment strategies for rheumatoid arthritis by European Journal of Integrative Medicine.

Think Ayurveda To Think Better

Your thoughts decide your actions and your actions define ‘YOU’. There are myriad emotions that are exclusively indulged with humanity. Only you can smile, you can talk, you can discover and you can create. Thinking positive indicates that you are a proud owner of a healthy physique that keeps your thinking sound as well. Ayurveda talks about the constructive effects of positive thinking that helps you keep going on and on. Pessimism or negative thinking can even stop the functioning of your heart and collapse the brain’s functionality. Every human being has his own problems but just the severity of the problem differs. You can laugh at a person if he says he is free of troubles because in this materialistic world only a five-headed snake can be free of worries. It does not count whether you have problems or not but it matters how you deal with it and Ayurveda paves way for such an optimistic living.

Optimistic thinking: There’s a popular book named ‘You Can Win’ by Shiv Khera where the author beautifully lists the mentality of Pessimists’. 3 of my favorite lines in that excellent piece of writing are:

‘Pessimists don’t see the doughnut, only the hole,

Pessimists forget their blessings and count their troubles

Pessimists stop sleeping in bed when they hear that more people die in bed than anywhere else’

Yes my dear friends! This is the way that negative thinking affects your life and the best way to come out of this dark world is to think better with the natural and holistic healing of the ancient science named Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic treatment for optimism: According to Ayurveda, a healthy mind is the key to a healthy body and your attitude decides it. In this mechanical epoch that drains you, demands more than your potential with taut deadlines and cumbersome workload ends up in mental stress, difficulty in striking balance between your work and your family, anxiety, fear, fatigue and deep depression. When every single problem is placing you in the darker side of the world, let it know that you are strong with the real power granted by the natural Ayurvedic essential oils, meditation and yoga along with the robustness to turn the tide.

Ayurvedic essential oils for positive thinking: Essential oils of lavender, marjoram, grapefruit, thyme, sandalwood, jasmine, lemon, peppermint and ylang ylang possess an adorable fragrance in nature. These oils have soothing, calmative, stimulating, energizing and revitalizing properties that can enrich your spirits along with your mind and body. Using these essential oils either as a massage oil or to your bath tub or in your diffuser will calm your nerves, relax your muscles, alleviate stress, lighten your pressure, uplift your mood, kindle your thoughts, augment your mind power, improve your memory power, balance your emotions, fortify your immune system, strengthen your will power, encourage a peaceful sleep while invigorating your system for a replenished crack of dawn.

Meditation: Ayurvedic way of treating humanity can never be fulfilled without meditation. Spend some quality time for yourself and let that time of eminence be your meditating time especially in the early hours of the day when your environment is calm and composed. Meditation with deep breathing exercises can empower your mind while promoting positive feelings and preparing your body to adapt to new challenges and your mind to learn luminously, think undeniably, regulate stressful situations, recall your past and retain your balanced system for the days of harmony ahead you.

Being an optimist is the best way to setting your life as a role model for your younger ones to lead their life with great trust as real optimists always see an opportunity in every threat:)

Reference Links:

  1. You Can Win by Shiv Khera
  2. The healing force is within ourselves by Ayurveda France
  3. Attract more positive energy by Rejuvenation Lounge

Must Have Ayurvedic Essential Oils in the Medicine Cabinet

The word’ Medicine’ carries the ailing thoughts to our mind about the dull, sick days that we are married to our bed than before. Most of the times in the company of ‘easily digestible-tasteless’ food items and extremely bitter pills, the sick days end up acrimoniously. To be honest, the medicine cabinet looked like a ‘Pandora’s Box’ to me till I enlivened it with the most vital and rejuvenating Ayurvedic essential oils. Ayurveda is the holistic healing methodology that has been in practice for more than 5000 years, striving hard for the harmony of mind and body etched with the human system. The touch of nature through the use of these essential oils has proven remedies from the hectic headache to the chronic cancer. Each of us have a preference to our favorable aromas and you can choose your range of essential oils as per your choice but the must-have Ayurvedic essential oils in your medicine cabinet to manage everything and everyone right from your baby to your grandpa are:

  1. Frankincense essential oil: It’s time to dwell in the luxury proffered by the Frankincense essential oil, rightly known as ‘The King of essential oils’. Originated from the French word ‘Franc’ meaning ‘luxuriant’, this divine oil was offered to God by the ancient Egyptians and was used as a revivifying face mask and as the incredible incense for its sweet balsamic fragrance. With its carminative, expectorant, tonic, sedative, digestive, antiseptic, stimulant, diuretic and astringent properties, this oil helps visualizing, enhances concentration, augments the spiritual power, supports digestion, treats cold, flu, fever, skin infections, alleviates stress and is an essential ingredient in most of the popular skin care products administering dry skin and effects of aging.
  2. Rose essential oil: How can the King be alone without the Queen? Yes! Rose essential oil is celebrated as the ‘Queen of essential oils’. This oil with its soft, tender, gentle and feminine qualities is known to treat skin problems, depression, stress, anxiety and is an excellent aphrodisiac gifted by Mother Nature. Rose essential oil is used as a tonic for nerves, kidney, heart and for womanly problems like irregular menstruation, uterine disorders, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and vaginal infections with its antispasmodic, anti-depressant, astringent, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, sedative and anti-bacterial properties.
  3. Lavender essential oil: More than its curative values, the look at the color of the lavender flowers will bring in peace and harmony at one’s home. Lavender essential oil is claimed as the safest essential oil and can be used even for kids. It has been proved effective in the pharmaco-physio-psychotherapy in the future with its vital presence in the Ayurvedic treatment named Shirodhara. It is extremely powerful in treating respiratory problems, depression, insomnia, stress, insect bites, digestive disorders, bruises and many others. For years together, Lavender essential oil has been a part of hair care and skin care products.
  4. Peppermint essential oil: This oil is an excellent tonic for the nervous system and a friend to the respiratory system protecting the body from viral infections. The fresh aroma rests a calming, relaxing, energizing, refreshing and a vitalizing feeling required to either start up a bright fragrant day or to end up a serene poise day. It is a renowned pain-reliever that supports the function of the liver, and treats asthma, sinus, nausea, intestinal gas, spasms in the bowel and many other health problems.
  5. Tea tree essential oil: How can we forget Tea tree essential oil and its splendid healing properties when we are discussing about the must-have essential oils in the medicine cabinet? This oil is tested and proven in the treatment of dandruff, acne, gum problems, nail fungus, insect bites, athlete’s foot, cold sores, eczema, ringworm, strep throat, corns, Candida and more. Tee tree essential oil is also used as a powerful insect repellent.
  6. Turmeric essential oil: Traditionally known as the ‘Golden Goddess’, Turmeric root essential oil is trusted and scientifically proven to treat and prevent cancerous diseases with its antioxidant, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. Apart from this Turmeric herb and its essential oil is used in Ayurvedic treatments for more than 4000 years.

With these six priceless gems, why would you still call it a medicine cabinet? Breathe deep, smile heartily, feel fresh and call it as a ‘Healing Jewel Box’ that spreads smiles, happiness, joy and complete health for the entire family. You can also include few other favorite essential oils of your choice like Rosemary essential oil, Geranium essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil, Thyme essential oil, Clove essential oil, Chamomile essential oil and Lemon essential oil, fully packed with healing values.

Thought for the day:

To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.            -Buddha

Suggested Reading:

  1. The Aromatherapy Bible: The Definitive Guide to Using Essential Oils by Gill Farrer-Halls
  2. The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health – Beauty – a Safe Home Environment by Valerie Ann Worwood
  3. The Essential Oils Handbook: All the Oils You Will Ever Need for Health, Vitality and Well-Being by Jennie Harding

Reference Links:

  1. An evaluation of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antinociceptive activities of essential oil from Curcuma longa. L by Indian Journal of Pharmacology
  2. Rose Essential Oil in Herbal Medicine by Every Green Herb
  3. Peppermint Essential Oil-Remedies and Cures by Peppermintessentialoil.com
  4. Candida by Wikipedia