Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis at home: the effectiveness of folk remedies

Signs of the disease.
After the basic treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, doctors allow the use of folk remedies. Compresses, ointments, vodka rubs, oil tinctures and herbal teas have a mild anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and decongestant effect. Unlike traditional medications and the latest systemic drugs, they do not have a negative effect on the condition of the liver, kidneys and stomach. But before starting treatment for rheumatoid arthritis at home, you should discuss its feasibility and safety with a rheumatologist.

Stages of rheumatoid arthritis

The development of rheumatoid arthritis occurs gradually. At the first stage of the disease, a person's synovial bursae swell, which provokes the appearance of swelling, pain and heating around the joints. At the second stage of development of rheumatoid arthritis, a very rapid process of cell division begins, which ultimately leads to thickening of the synovial membrane. In the third stage of the disease, inflamed cells release an enzyme that affects cartilage and bones. As a result, the joints affected by the disease become deformed, the person suffers from intense pain and loses motor functions.

It is also customary to distinguish certain types of clinical course of rheumatoid arthritis:

In the classic version , the disease progresses slowly, affecting both small and large joints.

With mono- or oligoarthritis , mainly large joints are affected, most often the knees.

If a patient develops rheumatoid arthritis with pseudoseptic syndrome fever , weight loss, chills, hyperhidrosis occur . However, the signs of arthritis are not the main ones.

In addition, there are other types of rheumatoid arthritis: Felty's syndrome , Still's syndrome , allergic septic syndrome , rheumatoid vasculitis ; and etc.

Potato

1. In cases of rheumatoid arthritis, treatment with folk remedies is not complete without such an effective method as a potato compress. Take a couple of good young tubers, grate them directly with the peel (if the potatoes are old, it’s better to peel them). Place the starch pulp in a colander, dip it in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, and cool to an acceptable temperature. Place the chopped potatoes on a piece of gauze and apply to the knee, ankle or other joint. Wrap it with film and a scarf, go to bed. In the morning, rinse your skin with water. Do these anti-inflammatory compresses daily for 7-10 days.
2. When treating arthritis with potatoes, you can use not only tubers, but also fresh shoots of the root crop. Take 100 grams of raw materials, wash and finely chop. Place in a jar, fill with vodka and leave for 15 days. Then the tincture needs to be strained and treated for severe arthritis pain with rubbing and compresses based on it.

Causes of rheumatoid arthritis

To this day, there is no information about the exact causes of this disease. However, in laboratory studies of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, an increased number of leukocytes in the blood is observed, as well as an erythrocyte , which indicates the infectious nature of this disease. There is a theory that the disease develops as a consequence of a disorder of the immune system in people who have a hereditary tendency to this. As a result, a person develops so-called immune complexes that are deposited in the tissues of the body. This causes joint damage. However, when treating rheumatoid arthritis with antibiotics , no effect is observed, so many experts consider the theory described above to be incorrect.

This disease in most cases is fraught with disability for a person, which manifests itself very early. There is also a risk of death, which occurs due to infectious complications, as well as renal failure.

The first symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis appear mainly after intense physical exertion, emotional stress, and fatigue . Also, the development of the disease is possible during hormonal changes and the effect of a number of unfavorable factors on the human body.

There is a so-called rheumatological triad of factors that predispose to rheumatoid arthritis.

First of all, we are talking about a genetic predisposition: in this case we mean a tendency to autoimmune reactions.

The next factor is infectious. Thus, paramyxoviruses , hepatoviruses , herpesviruses , and retroviruses .

Another important factor is the trigger. This is a series of conditions (hypothermia, intoxication of the body , taking certain medications, stress, etc.) that can become the starting point for the onset of the disease.

Marsh cinquefoil

One of the most effective folk methods for treating autoimmune arthritis is infusions, teas and external remedies based on cinquefoil.

1. Collect roots and stems of medicinal herbs, wash and chop finely. Place in a glass jar so that the raw materials fill it 1/3. Fill the rest of the space with vodka or medical alcohol. Place in a dark place to infuse for 3 weeks, then strain. This tincture should be drunk half an hour before each meal for 30-40 days. You can use the composition externally, in the form of night compresses and rubs for sore joints.
2. Tea based on marsh cinquefoil. Pour 1 tbsp. l. herbs 500 ml of boiling water and simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes. Let the broth stand at room temperature for several hours. We drink the finished infusion as tea three times a day, 200 ml, 20 minutes before meals.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Initially, the disease develops slowly, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis increase gradually. This process can last for several months or even years, while acute development of the disease occurs much less frequently.

In most cases (about two thirds), the disease manifests itself as polyarthritis; in other cases, the patient has mono- or oligoarthritis.

As a rule, the development of the disease begins with inflammatory processes in the metacarpophalangeal joints of the index and middle fingers. Accordingly, these joints swell noticeably. In parallel, inflammation and swelling of the wrist joints are very often observed.

As a rule, in most cases, joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis occurs symmetrically. So, when the joints on one arm are affected, very often they are affected on the other limb.

Articular syndrome in this case is characterized by stiffness in the morning, lasting more than one hour. Similar symptoms also occur in the second half of the night. A person suffers from the so-called symptoms of “tight gloves”, “corset”, he is overcome by spontaneous pain in the joints, which manifests itself constantly. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, the articular syndrome is monotonous and prolonged. The pain is very similar to toothache.

Sometimes the patient also experiences prodromal clinical manifestations. This may be periodic transient pain, pain that is associated with vegetative disorders, weather conditions.

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are also manifested in parallel by damage to the small joints of the feet, which also occurs symmetrically. Damage to large joints - knees , shoulders , ankles , elbows - occurs in a later period of development of the disease. It may take weeks or even months for such manifestations to occur. However, with some types of rheumatoid arthritis, it is the large joints that are initially affected, and inflammation of the small joints occurs later. A similar course of the disease is typical for older people.

, rheumatoid nodules appear under the skin , which are very dense. They are about the size of a pea and appear slightly below the bend of the elbow. Such nodules can be single or they appear in large numbers.

In addition to the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis described above, people often have constant weakness, poor sleep and appetite, and sometimes they are periodically overcome by chills and slight rises in body temperature. Very often, patients with this disease can lose a lot of weight in a short time.

During the active development of the disease, when rheumatoid arthritis enters the advanced stage, a person develops persistent deformation of the fingers. The most commonly observed is the so-called ulnar deviation , in which the hands and fingers are fixed in the wrong position, deviating outward. It becomes difficult for a person to bend and straighten his arms at the wrists. At the same time, a disruption of the blood supply occurs, resulting in pronounced pallor of the skin on the hands and wrists. Atrophy of the arm muscles gradually occurs.

The disease continues to develop, and pathological processes spread to other joints. In this case, the inflammatory process of the shoulder, elbow and ankle joints is generally relatively mild. However, in this case the joints become stiff, and the patient is forced to limit movements in the joint.

When the knee joint is damaged, sometimes a lot of pathological fluid accumulates in its cavity, which begins to stretch the joint capsule. Sometimes, in severe forms of the disease, due to excess fluid, the cyst ruptures and fluid enters the tissue of the lower leg. As a result, swelling of the lower leg develops, and the person suffers from very sharp pain. Over time, these manifestations disappear, but with the subsequent development of inflammation in the knee joint, they can recur.

Sometimes the inflammation also spreads to the vertebral joints. of the cervical spine occurs , which is fraught with pain in the back of the head and neck. In this case, it would be a gross mistake to treat patients with massage, warming, manual therapy - this only aggravates the situation, since the inflammatory process only intensifies.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in waves. The deterioration of a person’s condition alternates with improvement. If rheumatoid arthritis is not treated correctly, a person's suffering can continue throughout his life.

Ginger

Traditional medicine for rheumatoid arthritis involves the use of ginger for joints as a natural warming and anti-inflammatory agent.

1. Take fresh ginger root and prepare a juicy paste from it. Ginger powder will also work, but then it needs to be diluted with water to a creamy texture. Add a little olive oil to the ginger pulp, distribute the finished mixture over the joint of the arm or leg, wrap it with a bandage, film and warm material. Treatment time is from 20 to 40 minutes.
2. Take equal parts of ginger paste, honey, black pepper and turmeric powder. Mix everything together with a small amount of sunflower oil. Warm it up a little over low heat or a water bath. Apply to the inflamed joint like a regular compress and hold for about half an hour. Apply the compress daily for 2 weeks.

Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis can be made by conducting a biochemical blood test, x-ray examination of the joints, and also by studying the clinical picture of the disease.

However, in most cases, due to the nonspecificity of the early symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, the diagnosis occurs long after the onset of the disease. The doctor, in the process of questioning, examining and studying the anamnesis, determines the presence of general symptoms, morning stiffness, and rheumatoid nodules.

There are also a number of diagnostic criteria for rheumatoid arthritis that are used in the diagnostic process. If a patient has four or more criteria out of the seven indicated, then the development of rheumatoid arthritis can be assumed. These are the following criteria: - the presence of stiffness and stiffness of the joints in the morning, which persists for more than one hour; - the presence of arthritis, which affects at least three groups of joints; - arthritis, which affects the metacarpophalangeal, wrist or proximal interphalangeal joints; - presence of damage to the joints of one group on both sides; - presence of rheumatoid nodules; - presence of rheumatoid factor in serum; - typical x-ray results.

During the X-ray examination, the presence of bone erosions is determined, as well as the severity of cartilage destruction.

Reviews

Rheumatoid arthritis - treatment with folk remedies, reviews. It must be said that the opinions of patients are heterogeneous - some speak with delight about home remedies, others note with annoyance that without expensive medicines there will be no sense.

This may be due to the fact that the proportions in the recipes are not accurately observed, a preliminary medical examination has not been completed, and possible contraindications cannot be ruled out.

Treatment with folk remedies can be highly effective, provided that other prescriptions of the treating doctor are followed.

Irina Mikhailovna, 59 years old: “Whenever possible, I try to be treated with traditional medicine. It is clear that you cannot do without pharmaceutical drugs, especially with such a complex disease as autoimmune arthritis. However, it is quite possible to reduce their number! I like the effect of compresses made from apple cider vinegar, mustard and red wine.

Complications

The prognosis for rheumatoid arthritis depends on the timeliness of seeking help and the selection of adequate therapy. With a quick response from doctors, it is possible to slow down the disease for years, which guarantees a normal life for the patient. Otherwise, a person faces a number of complications.

Possible consequences of rheumatoid arthritis:

• Pathology of the visual apparatus such as “dry eye” syndrome.
• Cardiac pathology (peri-, myocarditis).
• Anemia, leukopenia - a decrease in the number of red and white blood cells.
• Diseases of the lungs and pleural cavity.
• Renal dysfunction. One of the most dangerous complications of the disease, which worsens the prognosis of rheumatoid arthritis, remains acute or chronic failure of the corresponding organ.

It is impossible to completely protect a person from these complications. The main thing is to monitor the functioning of all organs and systems, while simultaneously using the necessary medications and procedures.

Damage to one joint

One painful joint requires careful and rapid evaluation, as septic arthritis can cause severe damage. The rate of onset of symptoms is always taken into account. The presence of fever and chills confirms the infection. The condition of the eyes is checked. Their inflammation can indicate a rheumatic nature, and a systemic process - enteritis, sexually transmitted infections, headaches, rashes. Injuries to the affected area are important. A sore knee can affect the function of the hip joint over time.

Gradually increasing pain suggests inflammation, sepsis. In case of relapses, gout should be suspected. If eye irritation, diarrhea, and rashes occur, vasculitis may be the cause. A rash on the lower legs is characteristic of sarcoidosis, flaky skin is characteristic of psoriatic arthropathy. Gonococcal arthritis should be considered in young people with sexually transmitted diseases and migratory pain. Recent sore throat indicates rheumatic fever. Acute pain when moving is mechanical in nature.

Other treatments for exacerbations

Hormonal injections into the joint capsule will help relieve exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis in 1-2 procedures. In 2-4 procedures, cryotherapy and laser therapy almost completely relieve pain.

Important! Intra-articular administration of the drug is an emergency measure to relieve severe, unbearable attacks of RA. The injections are given by a doctor, the dosage is selected individually

Therapy is prescribed if the pills do not help.

After 1 injection, the patient notices an improvement within 2-4 hours. The effect of the procedure lasts for 1 month. In severe conditions, the intervals between injections are reduced to 2-3 weeks. However, corticosteroids should not be administered more than once every 10 days, as this can lead to destructive changes and other side effects.

Cryotherapy and laser treatment

Modern methods of treating exacerbations of rheumatoid arthritis have several advantages, but they have one drawback - they need to be used only after the acute stage. Methods prevent frequent relapses and help patients who experience severe pain every 1-2 months:

laser therapy is used if the patient has normal body temperature; after exposure to the laser, symptoms of exacerbation appear for 1-7 days, but then the patient suddenly gets better; The action of laser beams helps for 4-6 months, some people experience better results; cryotherapy can be used during an exacerbation, but very carefully; During the procedure, the joints are treated with dry cold air; if the damage is severe, liquid nitrogen is used.

Non-steroidal creams and ointments support laser and cryotherapy.

New generation medicines

Exacerbation of rheumatoid arthritis can be treated not only with hormonal drugs, NSAIDs or chondroprotectors. They also use advanced, experimental developments:

1. Disease-modifying treatments. Basic antirheumatic substances are used to slow down the progression of arthritis. DMARDs reduce inflammation, so they quickly relieve RA symptoms and help stop the progression of the disease.
2. Biological drugs. They imitate human immune cells, produce anti-inflammatory substances, but act purposefully.

Both groups of drugs belong to immunosuppressants, which is why they can be considered very effective and, in the future, more reliable products for the treatment of RA.

Prevention

Primary prevention of rheumatoid arthritis is aimed at preventing the development of the disease. It is recommended to lead a healthy lifestyle, exercise, eat well and avoid provoking factors.

Secondary prevention of rheumatoid arthritis is aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with this disease. The set of measures includes regular examinations with a doctor in compliance with all his recommendations.

Despite the fact that the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, modern medicine has a number of highly effective drugs. Depending on the clinical characteristics of the patient’s condition, it is possible to select the optimal treatment option that helps improve the person’s quality of life. The main thing is to see a doctor in time.

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Drug therapy

The drugs used to cure the disease are divided into anti-inflammatory and basic drugs.

Anti-inflammatory drugs

Serve to eliminate pain and stop the inflammatory process. They are used first. These components include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and hormonal substances (corticosteroids).

The course of therapy begins with the use of low-toxic drugs. In the absence of positive dynamics in the fight against systemic connective matter disease, a gradual transition to more potent drugs occurs.

At the initial stages, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of the following type are prescribed:

• diclofenac;
• ibuprofen;
• ketoprofen;
• movalis.

Of the potent medicinal substances of this type, the following are prescribed:

• indomethacin;
• piroxicam;
• ketorolac.

The use of more effective drugs increases the period of removal of toxic elements from the body. There is also a possibility of increased side effects.

If there are no positive changes within seven days from the start of the course of therapy, the chosen technique should be changed.

Selective anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used to relieve symptoms of the disease. High efficiency is observed when taking them. At the same time, the possibility of side effects is significantly reduced and a long course of using these drugs is possible. These include:

• meloxicam;
• celecoxib.

Corticosteroid hormonal substances are also used to eliminate inflammatory processes:

• prednisolone;
• triamcinolol;
• dexamethasone;
• methylprednisolone;
• betamethasone.

Taking corticosteroids leads to a noticeable improvement in the patient’s well-being. The use of drugs of this type is limited due to the possible development of irreversible complications in the patient’s body.

Basic therapy

This therapy is basic in the treatment of pathology. It contains medications that act on the origins of rheumatoid arthritis. The medicinal components used give a delayed positive effect. Which appears after several months.

Basic therapy can prevent further destruction of diarthrosis tissue or significantly increase the time of this process. In the best case scenario, rheumatoid arthritis is in remission.

The following medications are used for basic therapy:

1. Cytostatics

They are the main drugs in the fight against the disease in question. Positive dynamics from their use is observed in eighty percent of cases. The most common drugs in this category are:

• methotrexate

It is the main medicine for curing the disease. The medicine is taken once a week. The effectiveness of the effect is observed after a month has passed. Peak results occur after six months.

• Arawa

An alternative to methotrexate in cases of individual intolerance to the latter.

• infliximab

It has high rates of response to pathology. A significant disadvantage is the high cost.

• biological substances

Biological components contribute to the rapid cure of rheumatoid arthritis. The combination of various biological agents is contraindicated. Their simultaneous use leads to the development of negative complications.

• enbrel

Suppresses the inflammatory process when observing autoimmune diseases.

Recently, the use of modern methods for treating rheumatoid arthritis has been noted. Among the immunosuppressants related to the latest developments in medicine, the following stand out:

• anakinra;
• Humira;
• tocilizubam;
• Rituxan;
• abatacept.

1. Antimalarials

Plaquenil and delagil are used as medications in this group. Their effect is observed six months after the start of treatment. These drugs are well tolerated and there are no significant side effects.

1. Sulfonamides

Antimicrobial medications. The main advantage of which is the minimal development of side effects. The positive effect of these medications occurs after three or more months.

1. Penicillamine

Medicines in this category are prescribed if the above remedies are ineffective. Penicillamine is a highly toxic substance (capable of activating many negative changes in the body), the intake of which helps to improve only in half of the cases of observation of the disease.