Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Overview
- Introduction
- Symptoms
- Causes
- Complications
- Homoeopathic Treatment
- Do's and Don'ts
- Diet and Nutrition
WHAT IS ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS?
Ankylosing Spondylitis is a kind of arthritis which particularly affects the spine and later other parts of the body, including joints, tendons and eyes.
It is also called 'bamboo spine' in the advanced stages when the joints and muscles of the back bone fuse and looks like a bamboo stick. Click to read on Causes of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
It usually starts at the age of 23 and is more common in males.
WHAT HAPPENS IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS
- Pain in a part of spine or whole back
- Backache radiating to hips and knees
- Inflammation of muscles attached to bone
- Inflammation of the eyes in 40% of people
Click to know more about Symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis
WHAT CAN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS LEAD TO?
- Fusion of each vertebra, leading to stiff spine with hump on the back
- Compression of surrounding nerves giving rise to pain and permanent disability
- Also affects heart, lungs, kidneys, eyes and colon
- Compression fractures due to weakened bones
HOW WELL HOMOEPATHY WORKS IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS
- Homeopathic Treatment for Ankylosing Spondylitis reduces the speed of degeneration and strengthens muscles and bones.
- Treatment for Ankylosing Spondylitis works by balancing the vitality of the individual by prescribing a remedy which is most suitable to his or her constitution.
- We have many medicines for Ankylosing Spondylitis. Here are a few examples.
- Aurum metallicum: Caries of bones and nocturnal bone pains, cannot lean back on chair.
- Silicea: Curvature of bones, rickets; here it is often the clearly indicated remedy; there is offensive sweat. Hip-joint disease. Caries after inflammation, worse from cold.
- Chininum sulphuricum: Spinal irritation, with great sensitiveness of the spine in the dorsal region. The last cervical and first dorsal vertebrae are sensitive to pressure.
- Aesculus: Fullness in various parts, dry, swollen, mucous membranes, flying pains all over. Paralytic feeling in arms, legs, spine.
Are you having a recurrent back pain since many years which is not getting treated with your regular conventional medicines?
Do you feel that constant, nagging pain that is preventing you from bending, jogging and driving?
If this condition is increasing day by day, you could be having Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a condition where there is a chronic inflammation of the axial skeleton with involvement of peripheral joints and non-articular structures.
It usually starts at the age of 22-25 years, worsens gradually and eventually leads to fusion of spine.
The primary symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis involve the spine.
- Symptoms usually start gradually and the disease can actually take 8 to 10 years to develop fully
- Chronic pain and stiffness in the centre of the spine or the whole spine are the main symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
- The pain may radiate to buttocks or thighs.
Certain other symptoms of Ankylosing Spondylitis include:
- Uveitis, i.e. inflammation of the anterior chamber of the eye with redness and eye pain. This causes the patient to experience floaters in eyes and intolerance to light.
- Chest pain and generalized fatigue.
- Calcaneal spurs may also develop.
- Inflammation of aorta, apical lung fibrosis and distension of the sacral nerve root sheaths may occur.
The causes of this condition are unknown.
HLA- B27 gene is said to be involved in risk of developing Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Joint Damage
- Joints such as hip and knees become severely inflamed with destructive changes. Enthesitis
- This is the painful inflammation at and around points of attachment of tendon/ligament to bone. Common sites are top of the shin bone, behind and under the heel, and ends of ribs.
- Enthesitis at the ribs can cause chest pain and difficulty in breathing
Osteoporosis and Fractures
- Osteoporosis of the spine may occur.
- Damaged and weakened bones break easily causing compression fractures, especially vertebral bones causing a hump on the back.
Heart Complications
- Inflammation of the aorta and aortic valve can cause Aortic Regurgitation.
- There is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Respiratory Complications
- Chest wall stiffness can cause breathing difficulties.
- Scarring of lung tissues (fibrosis) can also increased the risk of developing lung infections.
Eye Complications
- Inflammation of eyes causing eye pain, oversensitivity to light, and blurred vision.
Inner Power & Harmony
Homeopathy is a Medical science based on the well proven premise that the body has its own power to heal. A healthy body is like a well-oiled machine where every part and organ of the body works in harmony.
Whenever there is some significant mental stress or shock and/or some physical affliction such as an infection or injury, this disrupts the harmony of the body and the instability and imbalance is expressed in the form of symptoms.
The Doctor Within
We have a Doctor within ourselves! We all know that in case of indispositions or minute affections, these are very well taken care of by our body. For e.g. when we get a small cut on our finger, it bleeds, later it stops bleeding! The blood clots and we don't need any medical help for this small wound to heal.
On the other hand, if the wound is very big, it needs an external aid like some stitches or medications that help our body to heal. In the same way, a broken bone when set right, heals on its own without any medication. We have a doctor within ourselves which guides and heals our body during illness. In this context, we are aware of the fighting force of white blood corpuscles that guard our body against external afflictions.
Need of Extra Healing Power
When the disrupting cause is stronger, the relative disturbance caused to the human system is significant and then the body alone cannot manage to recover on its own and sickness surfaces in the form of sign and symptoms. Here, our body needs an external force which will aid the body to recover and this is where Homeopathy steps in. It strengthens the immune system (that guards our body) and helps the system to fight back and recover faster.
Homeopathy is the only medical science that works on the principle that our body constantly makes effort to maintain and re-establish the internal stability. So when the body is in a state of sickness, Homeopathic medicines gently provide stimulation to the immune system of our body and help to fight the disease out of our body.
Going to the Root of the Trouble
Homeopathy treats you as an individual and not just your diseased parts independently. Unlike other medical sciences, homeopathy does not treat on the name of the disease but it looks for the cause, the root of the disease. When the cause is removed, the disease automatically goes away.
Gentle Treatment with Natural Medicines
All Homeopathic medicines are prepared largely from naturally occurring substances – plant kingdom, mineral kingdom and animal kingdom. Each medicine is thoroughly proved on healthy human beings to get the most accurate remedy picture.
More than 3000 homeopathic medicines are currently in use and new homeopathic medicines are regularly researched and proved. Homeopathic medicines do not have any side effects, the reason being that the medicine is prescribed in minimum dose which is enough to bring about relief.
Do's
- Sleep on a firm mattress.
- Keep your back straight when working on a bench, table, ironing board, etc.
- Keep a cushion behind the lower back when sitting in a chair or while driving.
- Never bend at the waist to lift objects from floor. You can kneel or bend at the knees.
- Regular back strengthening exercises can make a huge difference to the prognosis. Lie face down on the floor with hands behind your back. Now raise your hands and shoulders off the floor, forming your back into an arch. Count three. Lower head and shoulders. Relax while you count ten. Repeat this for about 10 times.
- Get a back massage once in a week.
- Relaxation techniques, yoga and meditation help.
Don'ts
- Avoid sudden movements of the back.
- Do not use very thick pillows while sleeping.
- Avoid running, jumping as they may aggravate the symptoms.
- Do not lift heavy weights.
Although there is a strong genetic link associated with the onset of Ankylosing Spondylitis, it is still better to follow a healthy diet to reduce the sufferings and control the disease in its initial stages.
FOODS TO INCLUDE:
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids: found in flax seeds, soya bean, walnuts, brussels sprouts, fish. They are known to reduce the activity and inflammation of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
- Fruits and Vegetables: When taken in the fresh form, they provide adequate vitamins and minerals, improve bone strength and overall immunity.
- Whole Food and Grains: Ankylosing Spondylitis tends to affect the liver, heart and other important organs too, so it is advisable to have more of fiber found in whole wheat, brown rice, whole oats, etc.
FOODS TO AVOID:
- Processed Food: Preserved, canned and frozen foods should ideally be avoided as they tend to flare up the inflammation.
- Refined Food: Junk foods usually comprise of refined flour and refined sugar and should be absolutely avoided.
- Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks, beverages like tea, coffee, soft drinks, etc. are bad for the bones as well as overall health. Eliminate them from your diet.
- Soda/Aerated Drinks: They are also very harmful as the phosphoric acid found in them tends to leach out calcium from bones and interfere with calcium metabolism.